Tens of breaths later, he finally took his bedding off, despite it being deep into the night. ‘I need to drink something,’ he thought, caressing his fingers through the moistened hair. At the same time, as he slowly moved up to sit on the bed’s edge, he looked down at himself. Other than the underwear and the bandaged wounds, he was bare throughout.

  Both the left forearm, as well as the left ankle, were wrapped thoroughly, using some cloth, already tainted with faint spots of his blood.

  Slowly raising his body, he couldn’t help but grimace at the sharp pain scattering through him. Although nowhere near close to when he battled the wolf, it was uncomfortable nonetheless.

  Walking through the room without limping too much, he quickly got to his wardrobe, promptly pulling out his usual clothes instead of the nightwear. ‘Did I lose too much blood? I can only recall going back with Folvana before passing out,’ thinking before clutching himself by the forehead, the snapping headache made him stop before simply dressing up.

  The skies flew gingerly as he slowly readied his appearance, finally stopping for a bit after getting dressed. Listening to the calmness surrounding him, he closed his eyes for a few breaths.

  Regardless, Lutiel eventually broke away from the stupor plaguing him, glancing at his room’s door instead. Within a few steady steps, his palm engulfed the handle, inviting his sight to the dark corridors.

  Going through the dull shroud, he didn’t think twice along his path, continuing on through the floor with his shoes on. Finally, he entered the parts that were lightly illuminated. The doors of the kitchen engraved themselves within his mind, at the same time listening to something inside rustle about.

  Before long, he swiftly opened the doors, watching as the familiar figure worked her hands around the iron pans. Standing in her maid uniform, Raeyine suddenly glanced to the right, squinting her eyes before widening them as she saw the man’s face.

  Quickly getting rid of the wooden spoon stuck in her mouth, she tossed it to the sink. Then, the girl fully turned around to face the man, her image striking out to him.

  Despite the smile on her face, he watched through her sunken eyes. Each time he visited for her healing, the dark bags underneath them only seemed to intensify. A few streaks also popped around the scleras, the girl clearly veiling her exhaustion.

  Regardless, she swiftly lightened up after seeing his face. “You woke up already? I was sure you would sleep for a full day,” the girl parted her lips briskly, asking as the man stood in the doorway frozen. “Come inside already, I have some for you as well,” she added, making him take a deeper sniff of the kitchen.

  Furrowing his eyebrows, he suddenly locked eyes with her. “What’s that smell?” Sniffing a second time, he asked.

  Smiling after seeing his intrigued reactions, she swiftly opened her mouth. “It’s salmon. Although it’s still cooking in the oven, it's not going to take too long to finish.”

  “I see,” muttering whilst gazing into the lady, he promptly stepped inside, closing the door after himself before following with his tongue. “Thank you, again. Especially for healing me.”

  His voice swiftly brushed the girl’s already turned shoulders. Busy roasting the potatoes in the pan, she didn’t move much as a reply came immediately. “I said it before, it’s fine. You’re growing faster with my help and that’s enough for me.”

  Sitting down on the chair he pulled out from the table, Lutiel kept staring as the girl stirred through the pan, as well as the pot full of boiling water.

  Attentive around the stove, she promptly put her utensils down before moving to the side and opening the oven doors. Glancing through the escaping steam however, she promptly closed them and came back to the small potatoes.

  Slowly, his sight descended towards her arms, keeping track of their movements as images played out in his head. Lowering his head to watch the injured forearm supported by the table, he couldn’t help but recall every time she used her powers on him.

  “Raeyine,” he called out suddenly, briskly catching her focus.

  “Yea? What’s wrong?” She asked, albeit still not turning around. Constantly tossing the potatoes around in the butter and herbs, she perked her ears through the round hair. Yet, her arms stopped vehemently at his words, the figure similar.

  “Can you teach me about magic?” the man asked, settling a calm peace through the space, interrupted periodically by the sizzling and bubbling of the water.

  “I’m sorry, but I already have too much to handle. My duties would fall behind if I added something else on top of it all.” Her voice swiftly made his face stagger, nippily resuming her work.

  However, Lutiel didn’t turn discouraged. Rather, his face standing upright, he pushed forward. “What if I pay you?” He asked suddenly, making a chuckle burst out from her.

  “I don’t have any use for money other than food, you know? Or do you have something else in mind?” Keeping her giggles afloat, the girl kept stirring.

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  Yet, she stopped once again, in a similar fashion to before. “What about energy regulation?” The man voiced out, making her drop the wood before turning at him with widened eyes.

  “Huh?” The girl muttered out immediately, confusion plastered all over her. “Who told you about that?” She pried swiftly, but he became leisurely in his responses.

  Glancing all over the puzzled looks around her face, he calmly rested his back on the chair. “Zyponia.” He said, waiting in the silence for a bit before continuing. “Every time I visit you, I feel a bit weaker, so you must take more energy than you spend, no? Do you want me to help you?”

  “Wh-wha?” She stuttered at his verbal nudges, only to shut herself completely after seeing his mostly still face. The man stared deeply into her, prompting the lady to suddenly turn her eyes to the side. “What are you talking about?” She asked the next instance, furrowing her eyebrows.

  “It’s just an exchange of services,” he said calmly, the girl slowly turning her head back at him. Somewhat abashed, her lips fidgeted. “You teach me about magic whilst I help you keep your energy at bay. Don’t you think it’s fair?”

  However, the girl suddenly chuckled. “Haha, and I thought I had inappropriate humor. This isn’t time to be joking around like that, Lutiel,” she said with a haggard voice, slowly turning back to the stove.

  “I’m not joking, though,” he muttered right after. “I want to know more about magic. And I also don’t want to keep using your magic so freely.”

  Once again, Raeyine stopped in her motions, having turned just barely. So, she glanced at him one more time, changing back and forth between the floor and the man. “No, no, we can’t do it, how could I face her tomorrow?” She asked with wide eyes, palming each cheek of her face. However, despite the clear consternation, she couldn’t stop glancing at the collared butler.

  Lingering the gaze around his crotch, the girl opened her mouth before staying like that for a few moments, entirely silent. Finally, watching as the pants started becoming taut around the buttons, she traveled up at his face.

  “Will you not tell her?” She asked suddenly, putting on an indifferent face to stare him down.

  “Only if she doesn’t ask me,” he replied swiftly, making her thumb trace along the bottom lip for a brief breath. Biting down on the tip of her finger, Raeyine closed her eyes momentarily.

  And, as he finally witnessed the amber eyes again, the man watched her start to walk closer to him, still sitting on the chair.

  Yet, coming just a step away from him, the maid with her glasses stopped, correcting them slightly before glancing down. “This is nothing but pure barter, alright? Don’t expect anything else when we see each other in the mansion,” she said decisively, slowly descending to place herself on the kitchen tiles.

  “Of course, I wouldn’t think more of it,” he sparked back immediately, the voice effortlessly reaching the lady kneeling on the floor through her uniform.

  Finally, she broke away from his sight, briskly flowing down to the bulging spot around the crotch. Yet, as she placed her long, sleek fingers around the round, firm fabric, she couldn’t move under his voice.

  “Will the food not burn?” He asked, but the girl didn’t glance up at him. Keeping her eyes on the area whilst shaking her head, she replied confidently.

  “No, I’ve turned the fires down already. We have some time before it’s ready-,” the girl started speaking, only to be swiftly overtaken by his roughened breath. Already massaging the bulge through the fabric, she didn’t speak anymore, simply engulfing her focus around the thing.

  Kneading the firm, yet soft area, it didn’t stay that way for long however, swiftly tightening up to leave her eyes widened. Pulsing her finger around it, the girl couldn’t help but stare at his eyes. “It’s as hard as a broomstick. Am I that exciting to you?”

  Asking away with a faint smirk around her face, she kept scouring for the answer, swiftly getting it from the man’s tongue. “Why wouldn’t you be?”

  “You didn’t get any sort of reaction when you first came here,” she said, constantly playing her fingers around his hidden shaft.

  “A lot has changed since that time. I was too disorientated to think about these things then,” he replied spryly, only for the girl’s eyes to peer deeper through him.

  “I told you already. This is only barter,” she said whilst squinting her eyes. However, moving her finger closer to the buttons of his pants, Raeyine eased the looks. “Well, that doesn’t mean I didn’t share your curiosity.”

  The man suddenly creased his eyebrows, watching as the girl slowly unbuttoned his pants. “What do you mean?” He asked, but the head maid didn’t speak up from the get go.

  Rather, she steadied her hands around his hips, unbuttoning the pants fully before prying her fingers beneath his underclothing. The man assisted her by raising himself slowly, only for Raeyine to frighten her eyes after witnessing the veiny, standing erection displaying itself fully before her.

  Despite the shadows lingering through the night, she stared in wonder, slowly reaching for his cock the length of her face and more.

  Finally, as she didn’t hesitate to bring her mouth over to the round glans, the tip of her tongue slowly grazed the underside before her nose dug through the musky flesh. “Haa,” breathing out as she sniffed the faint allure, the girl added on. “Do you remember when you caught me in the washroom?”

  The sudden question swiftly overwrote the man’s tight breaths, widening his eyes somewhat as he recalled the event. “That was you?” He asked abruptly, while the girl steadily left her saliva all over the tip.

  “Mhm,” she hummed in affirmation. “I was masturbating while thinking of you, but I wouldn’t have thought it would be of this size. I shouldn’t have doubted the lady,” she muttered near the end, to which the man furrowed his eyebrows.

  However, his voice couldn’t reach her, both because of the statement still lingering in his head, as well as the girl assaulting his tip with her warm tongue. His rod only twitched harsher under her care.

  Brushing her tongue over the frenulum, the girl tilted her face, nibbling on the plump side of the glans with her mouth. Circling her slippery, pink flesh around the tip, she slowly went over to the other side, similarly sucking on the glans with her gray lips.

  “Angh, ghaa,” the man released heightened breaths under her steady moves, only increasing his fidgeting as the girl grabbed his shaft with both hands while garnering her mouth over the top. Putting all of the tip inside her mouth, she sucked and rubbed on the glans with her lips, making Lutiel put his right forearm over his head and glance at the dark ceiling.