Tik. Tak. Tuk. Tik. Tik.
I watched him carve into a small red gemstone on his desk, his focus so sharp you'd think he was trying to unlock the secrets of the universe. Occasionally, he'd grunt in frustration, his chisel slipping or the design not quite meeting his impossibly high standards.
What is he doing now?
After his usual grueling day at Proven Academy, followed by his father's soul-draining lectures, Yen had some rare free time this evening. And, apparently, this was how he chose to spend it—grumbling at a rock.
I'd been itching to talk to him ever since his mysterious escapade the night before, but approaching Yen was like navigating a minefield. The man radiated an air of "don't bother me unless you're dying," and this… this didn't feel like the right time. He looked way too serious, even muttering under his breath when the carving didn't go his way.
"Kiyel. Gather all the red brooches from the accessory closet and bring them to me."
His sudden command snapped me out of my thoughts. I scrambled to obey, rummaging through his frankly ridiculous collection of jewelry. Why did one person need this many brooches? And all of them red? Was this a fashion statement or a subtle declaration of villainy?
I returned with a box filled with enough brooches to bankrupt a small kingdom. Yen didn't even glance up as I handed it over, already prying the gemstones from their settings and discarding the rest like yesterday's trash.
I opened my mouth to speak—this was my chance!—but the words died in my throat. Instead, I stood awkwardly in the corner, fidgeting like a child waiting for permission to speak.
"Just spit it out," he said without looking up.
"Uh… Young master, about last night…" I started hesitantly. "Next time, could you let me know beforehand? So I know what to do?"
He paused, his chisel hovering over the gemstone. Then, to my utter shock, he smirked. A smirk!
"Next time, huh?" His tone was unreadable. "I went out to see a woman."
A woman? My mind scrambled for context, and instead of stopping, my mouth—my traitorous, stupid mouth—blurted out, "You went to a brothel?"
The chisel in Yen's hand froze mid-air. Slowly, he turned to look at me, his expression blank—no, terrifyingly blank. His eyebrow twitched. Once. Twice.
"Do I look like someone who frequents brothels?" he asked, his voice deathly calm.
I swallowed hard. "N-no, young master! Not at all, I apologize!"
He dismissed me with a wave, returning to his work. "I sensed you coming last night," he said casually. "If I didn't want to be found, I would've locked the door."
I stared at him in disbelief. So the whole mysterious moonlit balcony scene was just… what? A flex?
"To be honest, I thought you wouldn't return," I admitted, still trying to process the previous night.
He didn't answer right away, his focus back on the gemstone. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm but firm. "Make sure no one finds out I sneak out at night."
"How long have you been doing this?" I asked, sounding more like an investigator than a servant.
"A month," he replied nonchalantly, as if sneaking out was as routine as brushing his teeth.
A month! And no one had noticed? Not his father, not the head butler, not even the nosy maids? This man was either a genius or a ghost.
"Rest assured, young master. I'll do my best," I said with a bow, silently wondering if "best" included lying to the entire household.
Yen finally stood, holding up the gemstone to inspect it under the light. Its intricate carvings glinted like tiny flames trapped inside. He carefully placed it in the center of a crimson ribbon and began arranging the others into a neat box.
Was this… a gift?
A lover? Someone he was courting? No, it couldn't be. Yen didn't strike me as the romantic type. But then again, who was I to judge? The ribbons were beautiful, almost painfully so, and I couldn't imagine him going to this much trouble for something insignificant.
"Place these in a box and follow me to the training grounds," he ordered, snapping me out of my thoughts.
-----
At the training grounds, Yen studied me with a calculating gaze that made me want to crawl into a hole.
"Kiyel of the fallen Daguros sect," he began, his tone as clinical as a textbook. "A group once known for producing prodigies every generation. But for centuries, no gifted soul has appeared, and the family succumbed to obscurity, eventually serving the Von Sumidra household. You are the last of your bloodline."
I blinked, processing his words. "Wait… how do you know all that?"
He ignored my question. "You're a summoner," he declared.
A summoner?
"I wouldn't mind helping you awaken your Soulbound mark," he added, as if he hadn't just dropped a life-changing revelation on me.
// Soulbound mark: A summoner's mark that appears on their forehead. Its color determines their skill level. Red is the highest; violet is the lowest. //
Oh, now the system wants to be helpful. Thanks for nothing, by the way.
Anyway, this was news. Big news. I wasn't just a servant—I had a role. A purpose. A shot at survival.
"I am honored to learn from you," I said, bowing deeply.
"Good. Run 100 laps. Now."
"Wait, what?"
"Consider it a warm-up," he said, turning away and settling on a bench with a book.
-----
Two weeks Later
I was dying.
Between standing guard outside Yen's room all night and his merciless "training" by day, I barely had the strength to lift a spoon, let alone my dignity. My reading progress? I'd managed to learn two letters of the ancient summoning language. Two.
Yet, somehow, his insane regimen was working. I was faster, stronger, and, to my utter disbelief, slightly less of a disaster.
But then, everything changed.
One morning, the head butler summoned me. "The young master is no longer a member of the household," he announced curtly. "You will resume your duties in the madame's manor."
"What?!" I blurted out. "He left?"
"Yes." The butler's tone brooked no further questions. He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me dumbfounded.
Back in my room, I found a book lying on my desk. It was Yen's—an illustrated guide to the Soulbound mark. Inside, the incantations were written in simple phonetics, tailored for someone at my painfully basic level.
I clenched my fists, a surge of determination rising in my chest. He'd left me behind, but he hadn't abandoned me.
And so, my journey began—across treacherous lands, through trials and tribulations, all to find the man who had forced me to survive.
Yen, you'd better be ready.