Embarrassed, Damien found himself awkwardly nodding to the left and right, bowing his head in return to the servants as they passed. Theo, noticing, gave him a puzzled look.
"Welcome back, young master," came a voice from the front. Two figures, a man and a woman, who had also been bowing, lifted their heads as Theo approached. The man, who spoke, showed no change in expression as he addressed Theo, not even sparing Damien a glance.
The speaker was an elderly man with graying hair that had likely been black in his youth. Despite his wrinkled face, he stood tall with an air of dignity. He, too, had horse ears like Theo, though he lacked the horns that Theo had.
Damien couldn't help but stare, but the old man seemed unbothered by the scrutiny. In fact, he didn't acknowledge Damien's presence at all—not even a glance in his direction. Damien wondered if the old man was deliberately ignoring him to be polite. If so, that was kind of a relief… though, it did seem more like he was being flat-out ignored.
"I'm back, Sebas," Theo said. "This is my guest, Damien Crowell. Make sure there are no mistakes in attending to him."
"Understood," Ivan replied. "Sir Crowell, my name is Sebas, the head steward. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask."
At Theo's introduction, Sebas, who had previously not given Damien a second look, now bowed to him in a respectful manner. His face remained expressionless, though—completely devoid of warmth or friendliness.
It would be nice if he were a bit more welcoming, Damien thought.
Meanwhile, the other servants remained frozen in their deep bows, unmoving. The tension in the air was making Damien's stomach churn. He wondered if he was the only one feeling this discomfort, since Theo and Ivan looked completely at ease.
"I am Damien Crowell," he said awkwardly. "Um… I'll be in Theo's care for a while. Please treat me well."
Not knowing how else to handle the situation, Damien introduced himself, doing his best to bow as deeply as he could while still being held in Theo's arms.
"Please assign someone to attend to Damien. Someone attentive," Theo said to Sebas.
"Huh?" Damien blurted out. Someone to attend to me? What does that even mean?
Damien, still unsure of what was happening, watched as Sebas, seemingly unconcerned about Damien's confusion, glanced over at a stout elderly woman standing beside him.
"I understand," the woman said. "How about Lupusregina? She's around his age and very competent."
"I'll leave it to you. Send her to introduce herself later," Theo replied calmly.
"Understood," both Sebas and the elderly woman bowed in unison.
It seemed yet another decision about Damien's life had been made without him having any say in the matter. He sighed internally, realizing it was pointless to resist.
"Damien, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. How are you feeling?" Theo asked, his tone gentle.
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you," Damien replied, though what he really wanted to say was how embarrassed he felt.