A few minutes later, Zephyr and the rest reached a small house at the top of the hill. Unlike the rest of the buildings within the village, the house was entirely made of wood and stone blocks.

No nobles were living in the village, yet there was such a well-built house! Zephyr wondered who it was made for while slightly eyeing Moss standing next to him.

The young man was a little older and taller than Zephyr. He smiled, stepping towards the front door.

Taking out a metal key, he unlocked the front door's lock and invited the ladies in.

Zephyr smirked and walked into the house first, taking in everything inside with a detailed observation.

"Hmm…cleaner than I expected. It's livable." Zephyr said, looking at the central hall.

"Of course. I cleaned it personally."

Moss was quick to claim credit. He puffed out his chest with an air of self-importance.

Zephyr rolled his eyes.

"But I can still see some cobwebs on that corner of the roof." He said, pointing at the roof with his only hand.

"There…there and there. Everything is covered in cobwebs. Now that I look at it, it's barely livable." He added.

The young man called Moss smiled awkwardly, visibly embarrassed.

Then he realised it was an opportunity.

"I can send someone to clean it."

'Someone meaning him.' Zephyr could see his trick.

"You don't need to. We will leave in a day when the merchant caravan comes." Zephyr added.

Then he turned to the ladies and bowed, before swiftly going into the room, checking for anything dangerous. Seeing that there was no problem, he nodded in satisfaction and decided to leave.

"My lady, I will be living next door. If you have something for me to do, please call me." Zephyr said and motioned for Moss to lead him to the hut he saw while they were coming here.

The hut was supposed to be the living quarters arranged for Zephyr.

"Yes, we will, Victor," Aurelia said and walked into the room.

Meanwhile, Moss smiled. Finally, the damned young servant called Victor was leaving. It was his chance to strike up a conversation and build a relationship.

He smiled, motioning for Zephyr to follow him.

Soon, they left, leaving Aurelia and Elenor alone in the room.

"He could have stayed with us," Aurelia mumbled.

Although she was a princess, she didn't care about the proper decorum or modesty rules that society imposed on its people. In her opinion, there was nothing wrong with letting Zephyr stay in the same house as her.

"My lady, if someone knows of it, rumours could emerge endangering Zephyr. It could also harm you." Elenor warned.

"But he is Victor right now. And, they don't even know my name."

Elenor sighed.

"I don't think our identities would remain masked if someone investigates."

"That's true." Finally, Aurelia could see the entire picture.

Their conversation ended after a few more exchanges. Then both of them retreated into their rooms.

—-

Meanwhile, Zephyr was led to the small hut nearby. It was the servant quarters arranged for him.

As he was nearing the hut, he saw a scrawny middle-aged man standing nearby.

The middle-aged man was holding a bowl of porridge, standing in front of the hut, staring blankly at a solitary pea plant in front of the hut.

"Tom, how are you?" Moss called out with a smile.

His voice snapped Tom out of his reverie. He paused for a few seconds in confusion before blankly staring back at Moss.

Moss strode forward enthusiastically and introduced Zephyr.

"This young man is one of our guests, a servant of the mages. I hope you can let him stay here for a while."

Though the young man posed it as a request, Zephyr knew from the power dynamics that it was more of an order than a request.

Silently, standing there, Tom looked at Zephyr.

Zephyr didn't know a person was living in the hut, which was barely standing. He smiled awkwardly. It was not his intention to intrude on someone else's home. And yet, that was exactly what he was doing by asking to live next to the ladies.

"You don't have to do it for free. I can pay you with food. Come to me after they leave to get it." Moss spoke again, with a pleasant smile.

The middle-aged man couldn't reject it. He stared at the bowl of porridge in his hand, then at Zephyr before nodding in acceptance.

"Then, I am leaving." Swiftly, Moss turned around and smiled at Zephyr before walking away, disappearing behind a mountain.

This made Zephyr and Tom stand awkwardly in front of the hut.

"I don't need much space." Zephyr was the first to speak. "A shelter away from the rain is enough."

Tom nodded blankly. His lifeless eyes once again looked at his bowl.

"It smells nice. What kind of porridge is it? Can I have some?" Zephyr asked.

Suddenly, Tom raised his head. Eyeing Zephyr for a moment, he shook his head.

Zephyr sensed something was wrong with the way he reacted.

Shaking his head a few more times blankly, Tom looked at Zephyr.

"How long are you planning to stay?" He asked.

"For a day or two," Zephyr replied.

The caravan was supposed to come tomorrow. But you can't expect them to be punctual. After all, just like what happened to them, anything could happen on the road. Expecting them to come exactly on time would be like ignoring reality.

"Two days," Tom repeated the words, taking in a deep breath.

"Okay. You can stay here for two days." He said blankly.

"Okay." Zephyr agreed, still confused by the way the man was speaking.

Neither the village chief nor Moss had shown such indifference when treating him. It was as if Tom lived on an entirely different plane of existence.

'Anyways, it's better this way. At least, he is honest.'

Zephyr walked over and sat on a chair placed outside the hut. He dropped the bag he was carrying on a bench nearby and relaxed.

The sweet smell of porridge attracted his attention again. Although Tom rejected his request, he still wanted to eat it.

'It smells like wheat cooked in vegetable broth. It must taste good.'

He watched Tom stare blankly at the pea plant, holding the bowl in front of him.

'When is he going to eat it?' He asked in his mind.

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