After about an hour of chatter, trying to squeeze out all the information he could, Haruki finally had some idea about the situation he was in.
"We really thought those bandits killed you on your way home from the Royal Academy," Saying that Asuka's eyes nervously squinted. She was obviously disturbed by the thought.
Through their chatter, Haruki learned that the demi-human fox girl in front of him happened to be Snow's personal maid since their childhoods. But somehow, a hint of strange chemistry resonated from the way she interacted with him, almost as if they had a deeper bond than that of a servant and master.
"What am I saying?" Squeezing her own cheeks, she looks back at him with a cheery smile. "We're just glad you're back, young master."
Seated on a table inside the patio, they have both been served a steaming cup of tea. Reaching for the cup, Haruki brought it closer to his lips and took in its sweet fragrance. The odour alone soothed his mind, and a single sip of the delectable nectar left him defeated. For once in a long time, he found himself beaming a warm smile.
"About the duke thin-"
"I'm sorry," She interjected before he could finish the sentence. "Master Leonard…your father has already been rested in the royal cemetery."
"I-I see," he replied, unsure what else to say.
'I remember Snow mentioning his father, but he never got to finish what he was trying to say. And now…he's dead as well, I guess that's the cruelty of life.'
Looking back at Asuka, his eyes were distracted by her perky fox ears. Protruding from her dense blonde hair, it almost made them look cosmetic, and yet their lively movements along with the rest of her body cleared up that misconception. So far, Haruki had tried not to be too taken too much by her appearance, but ever so often he found himself staring at her with his eyes glistening in amazement.
"Master?" She mumbled, shattering his train of thought.
Leaning towards him over the table, she checked his temperature with the back of her hands. While doing so, the top of her bountiful bosom lay nearly bare inches from his face. And as the alluring odour of her body trailed into his nostril he could feel his heart soaring like never before. His eyes moved in a jittering motion trying to shy away from her voluptuous assets, and yet his body refused to listen, almost as if someone else had taken a hold of his eyes.
"You might still need some rest master," Leaning back into her chair, she held her index pointing towards Haruki. "I may have healed your wound with my ability, but you're still going to need proper rest."
'Of course, a maid to a noble heir was bound to have some magical abilities.'
With one less mystery left to solve, the only thing on Haruki's mind was knowing how he got here. Still panting restlessly after witnessing the raunchy sight, Haruki tried to soothe his nerves by taking a few sips from the cup.
"Asuka, how did I get back home?" Resting the cup on the table, Haruki squeezed a smile on his face. "The last thing I remember is fainting on the outskirts."
"The guards!" She exclaimed, overjoyed by the declaration. "The town's guards noticed you by the gates and brought you here, the whole town's been singing their praises since!"
"Is that s-ahh!" As if his heart's been grappled by a demon, Snow's body squeezed inwards in agony.
"Master, are you okay?" Asuka questioned, slowly grazing his head with her fingers.
"I-ugh…" Haruki's mind drifted to the subconscious as his vision began turning grey.
"Master?!" Asuka whimpered as she prevented him from falling from the chair. " Clare?! Marylyn?! Someone get here quickly! Master fainted!"
Calling out to the gardeners, Asuka stayed with her master until they arrived to help.
***
"What happened? I thought you've healed the young master sufficiently?" The head maid, Rose was fuming in anger. "Do you have any idea what would happen if his condition gets worse under our supervision?!"
Pacing all over the kitchen floor, her heels let out a sharp clank, warning all the other maids to keep up with their assigned duties. Unlike the others, she wasn't young, nor efficient in housework herself, instead, she possessed a skill the other maids could only dream of.
"In my many years in the infantry, I've never let a single one of my men fall ill, much less faint, and yet here we are failing to keep the hope of this kingdom from falling from his chair!" She growled, looking down at Asuka.
The height difference alone made her look like a giant, and having her tower over you as she lectures you over a mistake, was enough fuel for a lifetime of nightmares. Especially amongst the maid she was so fiercely feared, that it had deemed her the title of the 'hot-headed maiden'.
"I…I don't know what happened! I checked the tea too, it was fine!" Asuka pleaded, straining her neck to look up at her.
Noticing the tear marks flowing down her cheeks, Rose closed her eyes to try and suppress her anger. When that failed to work she drew a deep breath, while the other maids looked at her in terror.
"Do not, make excuses," Despite all that her tone remained unchanged. "I've taken care of a young master long before sir Leonard took you in, child. I know how hard it can be to keep him well, but that is, again, no excuse for negligence."
Clenching her teeth, she kept looking down on Asuka with her dreadful silver eyes. To her, the young master was like a child of her own, and seeing him in pain made her heart bleed a bloody crimson.
"I'll…" Asuka hissed as tears began to flow down her cheeks. "I'll do better."
Seeing her cry, Rose knew she had gone a bit too far. Huffing at the sight, she gently placed her hand on Asuka and patted her head in a swiping motion. The feeling of her fluffy ears brushing against her palm, made Rose feel a bit calmer herself.
"Your ability to heal is why sir Leonard made you young master's caretaker, take good care of him." Kneeling down, she smiled warmly looking at Asuka. "He already gets sick a lot, we don't want him to suffer more than he already does."
The gentle look in Rose's eyes helped Asuka drive away the tears. Forcing a smile herself, her lips quivered to give Rose a reply.
"O-Okay…I'll try my best."
For the rest of the day, Asuka kept watch over Snow as he slept. It wasn't until the evening that she left to take a quick bath, but that separation didn't last long either. Returning to him with dinner in hand, Asuka stayed seated on the bedside stool, waiting for the end of her master's slumber. However, the night was unforgiving and so by the time Haruki finally woke up, Asuka had long been dozing off.
"Back here, huh?" He mumbled, staring at the beauty at the edge of the bed.
"Yeah, I guess so," An unfamiliar voice replied.
'Asmodia?' He thought.
"No," it replied.