Increasing Tensions

Just as things were beginning to get uncomfortable within the dojo, Flute arrived, shocking both Paul and her daughter as she bowed towards the former and said, "Your Lord Father wishes to depart. Please make way to the entrance, Young Master."

"Mother...?"

Raising her head, Flute responded to Lilia without looking at her, adding, "You will be accompanying the Young Master from this point onward, Lilia. Make sure you listen and serve him well."

Though it had yet to be established that Lilia would be Paul's attendant, it was the most reasonable conclusion. In other words, though they would be living and working within the same estate, Flute and Lilia served wholly separate Masters. Lilia was not yet aware of this, but it was frowned upon for servants to acknowledge one another unless their duties compelled it. Thus, with her new Master's orders conveyed, Flute offered another polite bow towards Paul before promptly turning around and departing the dojo.

While Lilia was understandably confused, Paul quickly realized what must have happened, mumbling, "That damned father of mine...how can he be such a good father and a piece of shit at the same time?"

Though he knew he was the true outlier in this scenario, Paul couldn't help feeling annoyed. How was he meant to get Lilia to trust him when they both knew her mother was probably getting harassed and plowed daily by his pervert of a father? Even if he never laid a hand on her, she would always wonder when it was her turn to endure similar treatment...

("I swear to God...it's like this world is doing everything in its power to turn me into a degenerate...")

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, Paul did his best to form a relaxed, disarming smile as he turned to meet Lilia's gaze. When he did, his body briefly tensed as all the emotion had vanished from her face. There was nothing like anger or sadness visible within her amethyst eyes, only calm and disquieting resignation.

"Lilia..."

Before Lilia or Paul could say anything else, Zhongli chimed in to advise, "Master Paul, it would not do to keep your father waiting. We can discuss the specifics of Miss Lilia's circumstances once we have returned."

Exhaling a sigh, Paul muttered, "You're right..." before shaking his head for the umpteenth time, looking towards Lilia, and stating, "Let's go..." in what he hoped to be a kind-sounding tone. Whether or not it came across that way was difficult to ascertain as Lilia simply returned a polite bow, stating, "As you will, Master Paul..." in a calm monotone.

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After returning to the Local Lord's Estate, Paul asked his father about the specifics of Lilia's and Flute's servitude. There were actually a number of laws that prohibited children younger than the age of ten from serving in a Lord's Estate. Exceptions were made for slaves, but Lilia was obviously not a slave.

In response to his son's questioning, Amarant revealed that Lilia's duties would not officially begin until her tenth birthday. In the simplest possible terms, she would be apprenticing within the Notos Estate before formally beginning her servitude at the age of ten. This was made possible due to a number of exceptions written into law to account for female attendants and Maids who ended up getting pregnant in the execution of their duties.

By contracting Flute to serve in the Notos Estate for five years, Amarant had effectively killed three birds with one stone. He obtained a beautiful and experienced young woman to 'accompany' him for the remainder of their journey, acquired a new servant for his son, and gained a powerful asset in the form of a Sword King willing to train his soldiers. All in all, at least from Amarant's perspective, he had made a great deal...

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With Paul's guest room located next to his father's, his face had become an expressionless mask comparable to Lilia's as the not-so-distant sound of pounding and loud moans penetrated the wall separating them.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Zhongli's expression formed into a wry smile as she remarked, "Your father certainly is...vigorous..."

Shifting his deadpan stare to the petite brunette, Paul droned, "Seriously, Zhongli? At least pretend to show some consideration for Lilia..."

Since he didn't trust the servants and attendants of the Nobles he and his father had been visiting, Paul had been having Zhongli, Jean, and Xingqiu share his quarters. He didn't want to hurt Lilia's feelings by having her be the only exception, so, even though he had anticipated something like this happening, Paul had the stoic girl stay with them.

What Paul hadn't anticipated was his father ostensibly going to town on Flute for the better part of four and a half hours. He knew descendants of the Greyrat houses were supposed to be prodigious in the bedroom, but that was just ridiculous...

Hearing Paul speak out of consideration for her, Lilia, seemingly with the intent to allay his concerns, shook her head and stated, "Thank you for your concern, Master Paul, but I'm fine...this isn't..."

Though she was about to say this wasn't the first time she had heard her mother crying out and moaning, Lilia's words gradually trailed off. While it was true that she had listened to her parents having sex, it typically only lasted for fifteen to twenty minutes before things cooled down. Whatever was happening next door had to be drastically different from what her parents did together...the intensity of her mother's voice made that very clear...

Seeing Lilia enter a momentary daze, a soft yet exasperated sigh escaped Paul's throat. He was half-tempted to walk over and tell his father to calm the fuck down. Unfortunately, while trust between them was fairly stable, Paul knew it would fracture pretty quickly if he tried preaching to Amarant and telling the man how to live. After all, in Amarant's and potentially even Flute's mind, there was absolutely nothing wrong with what he was doing. Nothing at all...

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Roughly six days after Paul and his father's arrival, the Lord of the Wishiru Region, Marcos Eurus Greyrat, finally entered the city. Paul was given the opportunity to meet the man and his fourteen-year-old son, but that was about it. He was still a little too young to participate in private discussions between two Lords, so Paul was effectively kicked out of the room shortly after his introduction. Later that same day, Paul's father informed him they would be setting out the following morning.

Though Paul was a little annoyed that they had waited for nearly a week just so his father and Marcos could chat for a few hours, he wasn't going to complain about it. He had been looking forward to returning home ever since their initial departure, so, as far as Paul was concerned, the sooner they could leave, the better.

Fortunately, though they had to stop at many estates along the way, the return trip was far less stressful than the outset. Amarant had permitted him to ride in his own coach for the return trip, so he didn't have to worry about spending 6-8 hours a day sitting in silence. More importantly, it was an excellent opportunity for Lilia to open up to the others as it was pretty difficult not to when you spent the better part of three weeks confined to a small space.

By the time they had reached the Notos Estate, Lilia had shed much of her initial worries and discomfort. Children were remarkably adaptable, so while she was dispirited by the fact her mother was basically ignoring her, she did her best not to let it show. She could tell everyone was making an effort to be friendly and inclusive, so she didn't want to worry them.

What Paul didn't know was that Zhongli had discreetly approached Lilia during the first evening of her stay with the group. She didn't reveal any sensitive information, but she gave the surprisingly sensible young girl a basic explanation of their circumstances and Paul's character. She also promised to teach Lilia everything she would need to know to become a proper Maid, so the two of them had become surprisingly close by the time of their arrival at the Notos Estate.

Though Paul suspected 'foul play' of some kind, he elected not to pry too much into things. He was happy so long as Lilia was happy, so, seeing her smiling more with each passing day, he trusted that whatever Zhongli had done had been for the best. The only downside was that, with the gradual loss of her apprehensions, Lilia began trying to emulate Jean. She viewed the latter as her idol, so, with Jean constantly 'doting' on him, Paul quickly found himself at the mercy of the two inordinately 'dutiful' young girls...

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"This entire wing belongs to Master Paul...?"

After being given a quick tour of Paul's relatively isolated section of the Notos Estate, Lilia couldn't help paling. She didn't know exactly how many rooms there were, but there was no way she and the others could keep them clean with just her and Zhongli.

Answering in Paul's stead, Zhongli explained, "Worry not, Miss Lilia. We are not the extent of Master Paul's servants. There are five others, and, depending on our Master's decisions, several more may be joining us in the near future."

Since he hadn't even mentioned summoning more people, Paul's face formed into a frown as he met the petite Archon's gaze and asked, "How did you know...?"

Adopting a faint smile, Zhongli answered, "I didn't. However, until you manage to acquire the Tiangquan and obtain a cure for your mother's chronic illness, I presumed you would be accessing the Intersection of Fate fairly frequently."

Opening his eyes as round as saucers, a wave of panic washed over Paul as he grabbed Zhongli's hand, dragged her to the side, and asked, "What the hell are you thinking!?" in a hushed exclamation.

Without lowering her voice, Zhongli flatly asked, "Did you intend to keep it a secret these next fourteen years...?"

"..."

Releasing Zhongli's wrist, Paul's expression became hesitant as he looked toward Lilia. He didn't know if it was because of her relationship with the original Paul or because she had given birth to one of his favorite support characters in the Light Novel. Either way, it felt wrong to even think about excluding her...

Just as Paul was about to reveal the version of the truth he had prepared for his father, Lilia took the wind out of his sails by calmly revealing, "The Head Maid has already explained the situation. For the sake of the future, I will never reveal any information related to Master Paul and his abilities."

Feeling his right eye beginning to twitch, Paul looked towards Zhongli to find the latter staring back at him with a faint smile. He could guess why the latter had taken the initiative to explain things, but he hated the idea of her going behind his back. She could have at least brought it up so he wouldn't end up feeling like an ass...

Taking a few deep breaths, Paul suppressed the urge to lash out and forbid Zhongli from taking action without his consent. If he made it into an order, she would have no choice but to obey. However, now that Lilia was here, Paul felt even less willing to make use of his 'authority.' He might not view himself as a good person, but he didn't want to become a complete piece of shit...

Exhaling one of his deep breaths, Paul regained enough of his composure to calmly reply, "I see..." before walking over and placing his palm against the surface of his door and adding, "Let's hope fate's on my side today..."

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