12 A Loyal Servant

"Follow me."

The duke asked Asher to follow him in and he obediently did what he asked. Just when they passed through the huge living room of the mansion, Asher heard that familiar cute voice.

"Handsome brother! You have come!"

She threw herself at Asher freely which shocked everyone in the living room. The maids looked at Asher and observed him well wondering why their evil young miss acted so clingy and lovely to that man.

"Hehe...Hello, li- miss..."

Asher was going to address her as a little girl, but then he recalled he was bought by her brother and was in no place to call her so. He was a slave. He shouldn't get close to her in the first place. But it seemed like he was too late and he could see the duke staring at him.

"Can't you wait a little longer? I have something to discuss with him. After That, you can talk with him as much as you want. Now will you please get lost, my dear sister?"

The duke forced a smile and so did that little girl.

"Yes, I understand...My dear brother."

She thumbed up and left there after winking at Asher.

'? This family is strange.'

However, seeing her little figure disappearing through the hallway, Asher felt a little empty because he found she was really adorable. He must have been crazy to think so when others were dead scared of her.

"What is your name?"

"Asher."

"Okay Asher, now listen to me well. You must know that I already bought you."

"Yes."

"Then you know your position, right?"

"...Yes..."

"Mm...My sister prefers you so much. She was the one who said she wanted to see you again. That's why I bought you. Do you understand?"

"Yes.."

"I will appoint you as her servant. You can accompany her whenever she wants. You can stay at the servants' house when you have no other work. Do you understand?"

"Yes..."

"Mm...Don't disappoint me. I hope you will be a loyal servant to us."

"I will. Thank you for saving me."

"I said I didn't save you but bought you."

"...Yes...I am sorry. Thank you for spending your precious money on a lowly man like me."

'What a freak!', thought that pissed Asher.

'Did I say something wrong? Why does he sound mad?', questioned the duke himself who had no idea how he offended and just rejected the chance to be a saviour.

"Okay then...You can go with that short thing sneaking from behind. I will leave."

The short thing...That little girl, Anne was actually sneaking on them hiding behind walls. The duke had already known that but he just ignored it because he knew what kind of spoiled child she was.

"Thank you."

Asher watched the duke walking away proudly.

'He is not so friendly. Yet, he spent his money on me. I must not disappoint him.'

Asher turned around and saw the little head staring his way, with a smile on.

Asher couldn't help but laugh seeing her silliness. He wondered how she spent her time in such a huge mansion where he found it really boring just within half an hour. It must have been hard for a child like her to stay there with no one to play with.

'Her brother might not play with her.'

It was unimaginable to think the duke would play with her. He couldn't even imagine a picture. So he shook his head, walked to the girl who was waiting for him patiently.

"Hello, handsome brother! Did you finish talking with my brother?"

She asked, beaming happily.

Asher smiled and nodded and saw her grabbing his hand.

"Mmm...You shouldn't get too close to me. Your brother might get angry. I mean...the duke."

Asher said awkwardly, trying to snatch his hand away. But why was she so strong that he couldn't even snatch his own hand away?

"Hmph! Who fears him? I will take care of him if he says something. You don't have to care about him. Ignore him..."

She said so easily, but wasn't he the owner of that mansion? Asher found it funny how that sister and brother roasted each other. But it seemed like they didn't hate each other and that was a way their relationship continued.

Somehow he found it funny, but didn't dare to laugh.

The duke did not look funny though.

"Handsome brother!"

The way she addressed him sounded kind of way too sweet for his ears and he was not confident that no one would give him a strange glare when their young miss call him like that. So he first had to give his name to her.

"Little miss, my name is Asher. You can call me Ash. Don't call me handsome brother."

Asher leaned down as he said to the little girl staring at him excitedly.

He was thinking,

'How could there be such a cute child in this world?'

The servants watching them be like,

'Why did their little devil cuddle with a stranger?'

He was a weirdo in their eyes because their young miss liked him.

She only liked her brother.

But another brother was added then.

So they thought Asher was also a devil in the disguise of an angel.

So that's how his life in that mansion started with servants ignoring him as if they were running away, the little girl sticking to him all day, the duke who he saw rarely giving him warnings not to make her sister way closer to him.

Asher thought the duke was overthinking.

But the duke knew her way better. He raised her anyway. He knew her very well. Very well!

If she likes him this much, maybe she will force him to get married with her so she can keep him with her for the rest of her life.

But if she thinks he is too old to marry her, the duke knows what's coming.

Her sister would not think twice to replace him in her place.

Marry each other, accompany her...

That short thing was really evil.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel soft about her.