The next day was a day of rest for Orville.
But somehow, Orville didn't sleep well, woke up at 5am.
When he woke up and found that Chad was not on guard duty, so asked Vito, the new servant who had taken care of his hair, "Where is Chad?"
"Lord must be forget, the knights have to be in the schoolyard at four for morning training," Vito replied respectfully, "He's not on duty until five forty-five, so he will be back soon."
Orville always woke up late on his days off, rarely did he wake up at this hour. Hr looked into the mirror and saw the pale greenish tinge under his eyes.
He had had a strange dream last night.
*
Orville dreamed of Chad.
That day, Chad arrived with a magnificent carriage.
Everyone in the territory even in the Imperial city, knew that the Duke of Orville liked beautiful women of all kinds. So many noblemen sent all kinds of beautiful actors and dancers to the domain under various names such as balls.
However the Duke was very discerning, didn't just accept anyone.
Those he saw had to be pretty, and had to be at the mercy of the man himself. In addition there must have a skill that will please him such as singing and dancing and must be able to read and write
While even if all this meets his requirements, he may not be satisfied.
After a few times in bed together, he would have been bored.
Orville is really heartless, he was already twenty years of age, he does not marry or have a concubine. He only lets women into his domain when he wants them, and he drives them back at dawn. Even if these girls behaved to his liking, he would not allow them to stay in his domain,
Orville had no recollection of having called anyone, so when the carriage pulled up in front of him, he looked at Chad with some confusion.
Chad stepped forward and signalled: "My Lord Duke, the woman is here."
"Who's here?" The Duke asked.
"Lord Duke can see for yourself."
Orville walked past her suspiciously, then he lifted the curtain of the palanquin over the glazed glass, found that It was empty, and there was no one there.
He turned back, a little irritated, "Where is she?"
Chad smiled uncharacteristically, the smile was so light and seductive and a crescent-shaped dimple sunk slightly into her left cheek. Her gentle chestnut eyes were curved, then stepped forward and hugged him affectionately, "Here."
She rested her chin on the Duke's shoulder and whispered, "It is I whom His Highness has summoned today, have you forgotten?"
"You ..." Orville took a step back, he was surprised to see Chad's knightly garb fall off in one piece and it had become a girl's dress with a wide neckline, the satin on the front wraps around Chad's perky, snow-white breasts. Chad was wearing a girl's dress...
But wait, isn't Chad ... a mute?
Orville banged his wrist against his forehead a few times in an effort to clear his head, then grabbed Chad by the chin and squeezed.
He was about to question her, but Chad's eyes didn't show the usual fear, Chad's face looked like she was looking at her lover.
Then Chad even reached out and took Orville's face .....
Orville froze in a rare moment, gradually realising the absurdity of the dream, and opened his eyes, waking up wearily.
He rarely dreamed, let alone dreamed of Chad, for the first time in over ten years.
What was even more absurd was that he had begun to lust after her ...
*
In the room, the Butler Ford and the other servants all saw the tiredness in Orville's eyes, they knew that he had had a bad dream and had not rested well. But seeing that Orville had no intention of mentioning it, so they were blind, no one dared to glance at the Duke's face any more.
It may be that Orville was finding his haggard face too hard to look at, frowned and asked the maids to fetch the make-up powder, then asked these maids to cover the shadows under his eyes.
After freshening himself up, Orville got up to go to the side room for breakfast. Before going out, he paused for a moment, bade the house: "If I hears a word of this, I will cut off your tongues."
The maids were silenced, quickly knelt down and made a series of promises and professions of loyalty.
As soon as the Duke arrived, a bowl of mashed potatoes with black truffles was placed on the side table, with a plate of fried white sausage. Orville had no appetite for it, so he took a silver spoon, tasted it and put it down.
Just then, Chad shakes the snow from his body at the entrance to the parlour, came in with a pine box.
She saluted and then saw the food already laid out in front of Orville, with Somewhat overwhelmed.
"What's in the box?" The Duke asked.
Chad opened the box and laid out the various snacks and drinks that were still steaming inside, one by one.
Oatmeal and walnut bagels, fluffy toast, savoury and sweet sauces such as marmalade and butter, raspberry and blueberry fruit pies covered in sugar frosting, and buttermilk tea.
She came back fast and furious, thought she would be in time for Orville's breakfast.
Orville knew these breads, a bakery had opened not long ago in the centre of the royal city on the shopping street. It had been very popular among the nobility for some time. So Orville sent Chad to buy them for his midnight snack. He didn't say he dislikes it, but he eats more than he used to, so Chad thought the food was to Orville's liking.
Chad thinks that yesterday, when he served the Duke in his bath, the two of them hadn't got on very well, she was worried that the Duke would remember her mistake.
So she wanted to impress the Duke, that's why she went to buy it.
The snowy roads were difficult to walk on. She not only had to be careful to spill the milk tea, but also had to keep the bread from getting cold.
She was tired and sweaty.
Chad was slightly relieved to see him cut a piece of toast with his knife and dip it in the marmalade without frowning or putting it down.
"Who told you to get the dessert?" Orville says carelessly.
"Didn't you know to pick the right time? It was a waste of the breakfast the cook had prepared for me."
In fact, he didn't like the breakfast the cook had prepared, that breakfast was meant to be thrown away.
But was because of the dream yesterday, it made him want to bully Chad for some reason.
Chad's head bowed slightly, like a child who has done something wrong: "I thought I could make it in time ..."
It was a good thing Orville didn't really look like he was about to get angry, either, he tapped his index finger on the edge of the table and: "Bring him a wooden chair," he ordered the servant next to him.
Chad flinched for a moment, looked a little overwhelmed.
The chair was quickly brought in and Chad heard he say again:
"For the sake of your hard travels in the snow, this breakfast of mine, i'll give it to you."
Chad was flattered, nervous and flustered. She refused with a wave of her hand,
She was bought by the Duke, not even a peerage yet, a mere commoner. She would never dare to put herself at the same table as the Duke.
"You don't want it?" Orville was smiling, but the words were as cold as a knife: "Don't you like my breakfast?"
Chad knelt down quickly: "I don't dare, but I know I'm too lowly to afford such generosity from the Duke. I am flattered to eat at the same table as Lord Duke."
"Sit down when I tells you to," Orville said, "If you don't want to sit, then you can stay on your knees."
Chad bowed his head very hesitantly, then as if she had finally made up his mind, and then, with one knee, he gave Orville a salute.
Then she cautiously sat down on Orville's side, didn't even dare to occupy the entire surface of the chair that the servant had brought over for her.
She looked cautiously at the mashed potatoes with black truffles in front of her, just the thought that the Duke had just touched it made her face flush.
She was hesitating to pick up the spoon.
Orville saw that she was hesitant to move, didn't even look at her: "What, you don't like it?"
Chad shook her head, then took her knife and fork from her pouch, then carefully plucks a piece of mashed potato and shoved it into his mouth.
She was afraid to make a sound.
There is no rule against talking during meals in Orville's territory, it's just that he's sitting with a mute. And when he opened his mouth to Chad, Chad will put down her knife and fork nervously and answer in sign language, He didn't want to ruin the comfortable atmosphere of their breakfast. So the two of them finished their breakfast in silence.
Chad had something on his mind, tried to speak several times, but didn't dare.
Orville was a bit annoyed by the way she was so cautious with herself, she used to be like this, but lately he's been wishing more and more that Chad would stop acting like a mouse when sees a cat.
So he said inexorably, "What's the matter?"
Chad then held out his hand and gestured: "I'd like to ask Your Highness for a leave of absence."
"A leave of absence?" Orville raised his eyebrows a little. "For what?"
In all the years Chad had been with him, had never taken a leave of absence from him for personal matters, even when she had a fever from the wind chill, as long as she was conscious, she covered her face with a black veil to go about the task she has been given.
She was a loyal dog who did not complain about her orders, never saw anything but Orville. It was as if she had always lived for him, lived for him.
So Orville didn't know, she had what personal business to attend to exactly.
Because the Duke had asked, Chad would not dare to lie. So she replied: "I want to go to St. Paul's Cathedral."