Chapter 5.5 - A New Feeling

Catherina's POV:

When did it first start again? I think it first started about a month ago.

It happened during the last month of my three-month vacation. I noticed five suspicious people following me while I roamed the streets. They didn't follow me with good intentions, that's for sure.

This isn't the first time that it has happened. I've been through many situations like this ever since I was a child, so this was nothing new. Many people have tried to take my life or kidnap me, however, they all end up in the same situation. Dead. After all, I have Maya protecting me whenever Father isn't around.

I moved down the street into a dark alley nearby and contacted Maya, asking for help. Suddenly the five men who trailed me finally showed themselves. They were armed, and their clothes were those of an assassin.

Then, with no warning whatsoever, one of them moved to stab me in the chest with his dagger only to get deflected in the end, and the others also followed what he did and tried to stab me.

As a result, their daggers failed to do their jobs in killing me. They were all reflected by my barrier made of Aeven. Once I learned that they weren't that strong, I tried to attack them myself, but they hid in their shadows after seeing their attacks fail.

Well, that wasn't really a problem, after all, shadow magic was weak against a strong user of light magic. I wasn't the light magic user, though.

It was Maya, and just after they hid in their shadows, a bright light shined above the alley, illuminating the darkness of the alley. A chant was heard and was followed by the sound of a sword severing five of their heads.

After that, I went to Maya's side as I shouted her name. She asked me if I was afraid even though she already knew I wasn't, but the question wasn't out of sarcasm; instead, it was out of worry.

Then Maya prepared to leave, but I stopped her to take care of the person remaining. She disappeared from my side and instantly appeared in front of a young man wearing a worn-out butler outfit. She asked who he was in a threatening voice, and the man answered with an introduction of himself.

He was Sian Snyder, a sixteen-year-old butler for hire. Everything about him looked average, except for the pure aura I felt from him. With that, I knew he was a good person. Though I didn't let my guard down.

So I approached him and asked. He replied that he wanted to be my butler, and I asked him why. He answered that he thought that I was a good person, and he felt that I wouldn't treat him like his previous masters.

That naive answer would have made him fail his interview anywhere, or worse, he might even get taken advantage of. But for me, he was perfect.

He was pure and average, and he looked kind and determined. So I gave him the address of my father's hotel, where we were staying, and told him to come and meet me tomorrow.

That concluded our very first meeting, and I flew away with Maya.

A day passed, and I waited in front of the hotel. Many onlookers looked at us as they passed by, and some men even had the guts to look at us with lust, but they all turned away when they saw my chilling gaze.

A few moments later, he arrived and asked for an apology if he was late. I said he wasn't, and then we talked a little before I invited him inside for a meal.

We ate, and I saw him looking at his food with interest as he ate it like it was the most delicious food in the world. It was really fun to watch.

As we finished eating, I introduced myself to him along with Maya. Afterwards, he had officially become my personal butler. After introducing ourselves, I showed him around the hotel for a few minutes so that he could get familiar with the place.

About him I noticed that everything new to him he found interesting. Like when I explained to him how a high-tech gadget works, and he listened to me with interest and asked me questions.

Come to think of it, the one month we spent at the hotel really deepened our bond.

At first I noticed him trying to get close to me, but in the end he kept a comfortable distance when he heard I was bad with men.

Still, he didn't give up, and it was amusing watching him do so. He was improving our relationship by making it closer while keeping a comfortable distance. I appreciated that.

Just like that, I also started getting closer to him. Hell, I didn't even notice that I opened up to him a little.

Also, I noticed that during our talks, he was always looking into my eyes. Most men looked at my body when talking to me, and I really hated those types of men. So it was a new experience for me when he was listening to everything I said with his eyes focused on me and not on my body. That made a great impression on me of him.

I also really liked the fact that his purpose in getting closer to me was to get to know me better and improve our friendship. That's right, I considered him a friend rather than a servant.

That was until...

The last day of my one-month stay came to an end, and I was teaching him the last few things about Aeven and Aura.

After a few minutes later, our lesson came to an end when suddenly.

He looked at my eyes with a fierce gaze of his own. A shining gaze of admiration, wanting, and love...?

At least that was what I felt deep within his gaze. Then he opened his mouth.

"Lady Catherina. Your eyes. They're beautiful."

His words were straightforward and sincere. With that, I felt my heart suddenly beat faster. Every beat made my cheeks flush and redden.

It was a new feeling I didn't understand. This is the first time I've felt something like this. But it was a feeling I felt from him, so I knew.

At least it won't be a bad thing.