Edited by: bafflingzhaze
When the carriage with the Odum crest pulled into town, it only drew some attention before being dismissed as the eldest Odum child coming for his weekly visit. It stopped at the side of the road and the door flew open with little fanfare.
“Young Master,” Rainier made his way out and held out a hand.
Neo took the offered hand and unboarded the carriage with steady steps.
There were a few people who couldn’t help but look, despite this being a common occurrence. The bastard of the Odum Family was known for being a sneaky and scummy troublemaker. Ever since he cut his hair, his appearance could be clearly seen from every angle.
He was as pale as the rest of the Duke’s family, his hair as black as night. His posture exuded the elegance and grace of his noble blood, and with every step he took, one could make out his cold face, impassive towards the onlookers.
Several young ladies swooned while many young men stared.
The adults only shook their heads.
After instructing the carriage driver to wait for them, Neo headed for his destination.
They were in town today to pick up some plants he ordered for his glasshouse.
Back in the modern world, there were a few research facilities he had worked for that grew their own pharmaceutical plants. These facilities usually had several investments under their belt and more space to develop. On the rare occasions where Neo found himself relocated to smaller laboratories, his resources had to come from external sources, which meant slower research growth.
When the pandemic started, he had the good fortune of being located in an institution with an agricultural facility. With near-unlimited resources, willpower, and coffee, Neo and his colleagues started the trial vaccines within a year of setting up their laboratory space.
Thanks to this, he managed to cultivate an antidote to fully eradicate the deadly virus plaguing the world for half a decade.
“Young Master, what exactly are we looking for?” Rainier asked after Neo pulled him into an alleyway.
“The apothecary,” Neo answered, looking around to see if there was anyone else traveling through the alleys.
The narrow space was two-person wide. Nonetheless, Rainier stepped closer to him, closing the distance so Neo could faintly feel his body heat. The taller man loomed over him like a large shadow, encompassing his figure entirely.
It wasn’t appropriate for them to be so close. Rainier was a servant and Neo his master.
But neither seemed to realize nor care for enacting the proper code of conduct between a master and servant, especially not after their trip to the Red Light District.
“I thought the local apothecary was on the main street,” Rainier pointed with mild exasperation.
“That one doesn’t sell plants banned by the Church.”
The corner of Rainier’s lips twitched. Whether it was in amusement or exasperation, Neo couldn’t tell.
“Why would Young Master want plants forbidden by the Church?”
Neo woodenly stared ahead, “Why else?” He tapped the area under his left collarbone and received a knowing look for his action. “Ortho and Artho have powder hogroot and snakeweed nectar. Quill said they could erase the physical marks.”
Rainier’s lips curled into a bright and charming smile, but why did it feel like there was an intense pressure exuding from him?
“Young Master and the Charm Master have been working hard,” He said with an offhand tone.
“Are you jealous?” Neo questioned with a raise of his brow.
“Of course not, Young Master,” the smile grew bigger.
The alleyway was long and empty. No one dawdled in a place like this during the day.
After a while, they stopped walking.
When they both sensed there was no one around, Rainier took off his blindfold.
“You know, you helping me is as much as you can possibly do. I know this is out of your area of expertise, but your aid has been invaluable,” Neo said, meeting Rainier’s gaze with his own.
The servant’s smile was wiped away and replaced with an inscrutable stare.
Neo pretended not to notice.
They continued to walk again, making turns left and right through the alleys. A maze of stone rose around them the deeper they went.
As the silence between them gradually stretched, Rainier finally spoke, “Hogroots and snakeweeds were illegal before the Church banned them.” So is this Quill person really as trustworthy as you say?
Neo felt like he could hear Rainier’s unspoken words and held back a sigh.
The man wasn’t wrong.
Both plants were rarities even in the black market. Only by knowing the right people could one get access to a small stock of either plant.
The plants grew in hot and humid climates outside the Empire and were often found growing near one another. One was known for burning the flesh of any living being upon contact and the other was capable of corroding the human body upon ingestion.
The Empire had banned the selling of these plants on the market after the Fifty Year War, but underground smugglers still found ways to get around those restrictions. Twenty years later, the Church became a powerhouse in the Empire and they, too, followed the Empire’s example and banned the usage of the plants.
With both religion and state barreling down on the possession of these plants, they were treated like endangered species in the black market.
Nazareth had been a dangerous and unstable individual. The Syndicate, being the irresponsible adults that they were, happily gifted whatever plants he wanted as long as he could make the Slave Emblem.
By doing so, they helped him bring the lawless spell into being.
The Slave Emblem.
The mark both he and Rainier wore on their skins
Nazareth traded a dangerous and immoral spell for a plethora of underground connections.
At the time, the emblem was merely a small price to pay. Who would have known the catastrophe it brought the Empire later on?
Officially, the Slave Emblem, (or Thrall Mark as Quill had called it), didn’t exist. With so many questions pertaining to its creator, and the research for its antidote, the Empire kept the investigation under lock and key.
The emblem would later appear next spring when the first massive terror attack struck Noble Academy during its Opening Ceremony.
It would signal a hellish year with all players summoned to the metaphorical chessboard.
“I need them for the cure,” Neo said.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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That was Neo’s talent, not Rainier’s.
Rainier could do gods’ work in the kitchen, brew the perfect tea, clean an entire ward spotlessly in a few hours, sense when and where he was needed, drive a carriage, ride a horse, speak ten languages, kill a man, act as the equivalent of ten bodyguards, and walk around blindfolded all day while performing his tasks.
But Neo knew his craft.
Hogroot and snakeweed weren’t even active ingredients when he used them for the slave emblem. Quill had suggested experimenting with them since they were the easiest plants to handle.
For Neo, the proper level for handling hogroot power and snakeweed nectar was the equivalent of child’s play.
They were nothing to be wary of with his abilities.
“Why did you do it?” Rainier asked abruptly.
Neo paused. He noticed the other was now staring at him.
In the shadows of the alleyway, Rainier’s cornflower eyes glowed with an indistinct emotion. Despite the question being so vague, Neo knew exactly what he meant.
The deep and resentful envy curling in the pit of his stomach reared its ugly head. Neo felt the buzzing at his fingertips, the darkness over his eyes, this familiar feeling coursing through his veins and his bones…
“Did you know how beautiful your eyes were?”
Rainier was taken aback by the response.
Neo pursed his lips. “What is the color of your eyes?” He asked, “What is the color of mine?”
Rainier was chosen not only because he hated seeing his eyes, but the feeling of ruining his handsome face, with eyes a few shades off from the Odum blue, had sent a thrill down his spine.
Neo suddenly barked out a harsh laugh and pressed his back against the wall. He wanted to fade into the shadows.
“Do you remember what happened to the first batch of servants who were sent to me?”
Rainier tried to hide a flinch, but Neo still caught it. “What happened?”
“I killed them,” Neo revealed calmly. His gaze turned to ice at the memory, and to onlookers, it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.
“What did they do?” Rainier asked with a perplexed face.
Neo frowned, “They said you were the real illegitimate child of the Duke.”
A helpless look fell on Rainier’s face with realization.
Because blue eyes were hard to come by in the Empire, he was in a unique position in society.
He wasn’t an Odum. The blood tests confirmed this. But if he were to dye his hair black, then he would have made a good imposter.
Nazareth despised this fact. His inferiority complex grew by the day, and then he finally did something about it.
Rainier heaved a sigh as if the world had burdened him with a great quest.
“Young Master, those were not servants but traitors to the house. Your presence revealed to the Madam and Master their failings to recruit proper servants. I don’t understand what the dead have anything to do with you branding my eyes.”
Neo wanted to cast a rueful smile. No, Rainier didn’t understand.
“But that’s the reason I did it,” he admitted, looking him in the eyes, “Your life was ruined because of a child’s resentment. Fickle envy placed you in this god-awful position and now it’s taking me months to figure out how to get rid of that mark on your face.”
—
Rainier was unfazed by how simple his Young Master had described their predicament. Their relationship was complicated and mired by the existence of the Slave Emblem. It was so easy to fall into the routine of a loyal servant and his master. Deep down inside his chest, Rainier knew he had always been a bit of a dog.
He was hypocritical when he called those servants traitorous to the house. What would he call himself? Someone who betrayed the master he was assigned to and valued his own expectations over the selfish needs of a brutal and cruel master.
There was once a servant who worked in the Royal Palace a long time ago, known for her loyalty and absolute faith in her master. The master was known to be a cruel tyrant who mistreated his servants and subjects.
When it came time for this tyrant to be captured and hanged, the servant willingly allowed herself to be pushed onto the path of the incoming siege, which was led by the rebel prince who escaped the clutches of the tyrant. The servant was captured while her master cowardly escaped.
She was dragged to the dungeon and undressed for torture, but the moment they removed her clothes, they found she was covered head to toe in scars.
Her body told many of what transpired for the servants living in the Royal Palace. When the tyrant ran, no one remained loyal to him, not even the vassals he favored. Many servants who suffered under his hand wept with joy when the rebel prince took the palace.
Yet, this particular servant remained steadfastly loyal to her last breath.
In admiration of her deep loyalty, yet uncomfortable by the twisted nature of her devotion to the tyrant, an academy was opened to teach the qualities of a loyal and capable servant.
Rainier’s professor once told this story at the Servant Academy. It was to question the place of a servant in their society. It wasn’t a story meant to assure them of their humanity.
It was a warning.
To be the most perfect and most capable servants, the students needed to learn to strip themselves of their humanity and become nothing but the tools of their masters. They could neither resent their fates nor seek revenge, and they must be willing to accept any abuse at the hands of cruel masters.
The first thing all hopeful graduates had to realize was the value of their existence. A Capable Servant only had value as long as their master said so. Their abilities and strengths were honed to perfection, but there was a price to pay.
A lifetime of shackles and chains in exchange for capabilities beyond that of normal humans.
It was funny how those in the Servant Academy all desired those shackles and chains. Why else were they sent by their master to learn? All Capable Servants had a similar mindset and perception. Students would only be accepted based on their psyche evaluation. Anything less than the standard requirement was considered immoral.
Rainier and many in his graduating class were deemed perfection while those who dropped out or couldn’t be qualified for the school were considered inferior goods.
Oh, the irony.
Was Rainier truly perfection? He was nothing but a hypocrite who served his Young Master with a blade behind his back.
So the question remained, was he perfection, or was he damaged goods?
When his Young Master etched the Slave Emblem onto his face, Rainier felt like the world was on fire, set ablaze by heat so strong that it made him want to melt into oblivion to save him from the burns.
The feeling of his skin being carved to ribbons was like a portion of an inferno had struck across it nonstop. He could smell the skin on his eyes burning. The charred scent of his own flesh was overpowered by the sweet floral fragrance of an herbal garden, followed by the bitter medicinal herbs bubbling in a pot somewhere.
When all was over and he escaped his cruel master’s bedroom, an infection had spread all over the burns.
If Master Aurelion had not interfered, had not tried his best to heal him of the wounds, and had not allowed him to study within the walls of the Servant Academy for three years, he might have become truly blind, if not dead.
And all for what?
Despite having full awareness of what the emblem did, his Young Master had never once utilized it.
Rainier smiled crookedly and had the urge to scream, “Young Master, why are you like this?”
Did his Young Master think he was stupid?
Regardless of his disloyalty, did his Young Master really think Rainier wouldn’t suspect his change?
This was the same child, the same monster, who had cruelly burned the slave brand into his face. The same person who was standing in front of him now.
After the Young Master cut his hair, Rainier realized this person also liked to drink coffee and bitter tea and snack on toffee cookies. He loved dandelions, and working himself to the bone, and was still in denial of Rainier being the reason why his plants were still alive.
His handwriting was atrocious and his lack of self-care would lead him to an early grave if Rainier didn’t constantly keep track of his schedule.
His Young Master could devastate kingdoms and ruin lives. If the story had been different, if he had chosen the path on the right, would the outcome have been different?
But what’s done was done. Rainier realized his humanity.
He couldn’t be a tool anymore because he learned the concept of forgiveness.
Vermillion eyes met cornflower blue.
Young Master’s face wouldn’t let any doubt how difficult it was for him to speak.
“I will never be a good person,” he admitted, “I thought I could redo everything, but then I realized I wasn’t a kid anymore. I think… none of this would have been worth it if it was so easy. I was looking for a way to subside my guilt, but in the other world, even if I saved millions of lives, it wouldn’t have mattered to any of you.”
In the other world?
Could it be…?
Slowly, Rainier asked, “Who are you?”
He was soon filled in on his Young Master’s death, rebirth, and subsequent regressive transmigration after his second death.
His Young Master’s situation was… complicated, to say the least. It was hard to put a name on it.
Throughout the explanation, it was difficult for Rainier to maintain his expression.
The sun was slowly crawling to the center of the sky, indicating it was noon. He and his Young Master had been standing in this narrow alleyway for way too long.
“—Which is why I’m trying to fix everything,” his Young Master finally concluded like he was presenting a research dissertation.
‘Fix everything’ was what his Young Master had often said.
Three months ago, Rainier didn’t believe him, but having seen all the work his Young Master had put into his research, he was slowly warming up to the idea.
“I know, Young Master,” Rainier answered.
His Young Master cast him a doubtful look, “Wait for me,” he said with a graveness to his tone.
Rainier sighed, “All things come to those who wait.”
Vermillion eyes filled with an unreadable light.
A tight feeling emerged in Rainier’s chest as he watched his Young Master close them wearily.
“I’m sorry for always being late.”
Rainier approached him step by step until there was little distance between them. In this position, he had the Young Master cornered. If he stretched out his hand, he could press him against the wall.
The distance was close enough for him to smell the sweet scent of dandelion petals and the earthen musk of soil. Rainier leaned a little closer to meet his Young Master’s vermillion eyes.
Despite being fully aware of their ambiguous position, his Young Master only stared back passively.
“I think I will place my trust in you,” Rainier said.
Eyes widening in surprise, his Young Master broke eye contact and turned away. His movement caused little black strands of silk hair to get stuck to his colored cheeks.
“You…”
The tips of his ears reddened like fresh berries in the snow.
Rainier chuckled, “Yes, me. I am Rainier, Young Master.”
His Young Master was surprisingly easy to tease.
“Shameless!”
Rainier peered at his face, which was gradually turning red.
Although he had trapped his Young Master against the wall, he couldn’t help but feel the inside of his chest curl up in delight when he saw how the other didn’t even try to break away.
From this distance, Rainier could see the pale pink porcelain face framed by soft black hair, eyelashes cast feathered shadows down the side of the youth’s cheekbones.
Those same vermillion eyes were no doubt overflowed with a rare emotion difficult to decipher.
They were close.
So, so close.
If Rainier were to lean in—
He cut the rest of that train of thought like a debt collector condemning someone to death.
His Young Master claimed he was forty. If Rainier did the math and added the years he had lived in this world prior to his rebirth and transmigration-regression, didn’t that mean his Young Master was in his late fifties?
Which one of them was the actual cradle robber in this situation?!
Wait a minute, what the hell was he thinking about? Rainier mentally kicked himself in the head.
Let’s not think about any of that.
Yes, it was better to have his focus on something more important.
Like the emblem. Let’s go back to the emblem.
Fuzzy feelings aside, there was something more serious they needed to talk about.
—
Rainier had him trapped against the stone wall and refused to budge.
Neo let him have his fun. He was used to being manhandled by his colleagues, anyway.
“Just to be clear, I’m not looking to be pardoned for what I did,” Neo felt the need to clarify, meeting Rainier’s eyes once again. “I had a few friends who studied parallel world theory back in the other world and I think the destruction I left behind still happened.”
“That’s a relief,” the servant said in response, sounding almost amused, “Rest assured, Young Master. I’ve learned a lot about forgiveness.”
Did he?
Neo was surprised, especially considering… everything.
Rainier smiled down at him and placed one hand against the wall, trapping him in. “I will never forgive Young Master for doing this to me,” he said in a low voice.
Neo sucked in a breath of air and smelled the faint scent of tea leaves and soap on the servant’s uniform. It was a nice smell that made him want to lean closer.
Distracted, Neo almost didn’t hear what Rainier said next.
—
Rainier rediscovered his humanity by understanding what it meant to forgive and choosing not to.
He already broke one taboo by serving two masters, but to be able to comprehend forgiveness was a greater flaw than having his loyalty divided. What Capable Servant would ever hold grudges against their masters?
By realizing his inability to forgive, Rainier was inferior goods even worse than the general servants in the Odum Manor.
Rainier gently took his Young Master’s hand and placed it over the marks on his face. Soft, delicate fingers quivered as they stroked over the emblem.
“But I don’t hate you, Young Master. I should, but I don’t. Why did it turn out like this?” He was aware of how helpless he sounded.
It only took three months for his Young Master to suppress him completely.
Young Master had changed, yet didn’t change at all. He was still hard to read, stubborn, and flawed, but he was better.
He was like a flame that drew people closer, and Rainier thought himself the moth that dared to fly close.
Would the fire burn him, or let him live?
The resentment in Rainier’s heart was once a brewing pot of scorn. Now it meant nothing when the truth was revealed.
His Young Master was no longer that cruel boy, but a man willing to change the world back to the way it was.
Rainier thought back to that day on the dandelion field. It should have been the first day his Young Master came back.
“I’m going to remove those marks,” that man had said.
Back then, he felt nothing but the blood rushing through his head as he desperately tried to put a lid on his anger.
But look at how far they’ve come. Each and every day, his Young Master worked tirelessly on this and that.
In a hundred days, many things have changed.
His Young Master sighed with a hint of resignation and escaped from Rainier’s ‘intimidation’ with little effort.
“Rainier, I can barely figure out myself half the time. We are a hot mess as it is.”
“Hot… mess?”
Young Master shook his head, “That was slang for a chaotic situation.”
“Oh,” Rainier tilted his head, “then yes, we are in a great hot mess.”
“… Okay. We’ll work on that later. Royce is trying to make modern slang a thing during the social season this summer, anyway.”
They quickly fell back into their usual pattern of conversation with the ease of slipping on fine silk gloves.
Eventually, they started to walk again.
Down some steps and under curved arches. They strolled past doors and stuck to the shadows.
This apothecary his Young Master wanted to go to was difficult to get to.
—was what Rainier had thought before they found themselves back on the open road once again.
The run-down apothecary was situated near the outskirts of the slums. The building was dilapidated and set against a grimy backdrop of gloom and despair.
Rainier slowly turned to his Young Master with a question on his lips until he saw the apologetic look on the other’s face.
“The driver was nearly robbed the last time I visited.”
“When was this?”
“It was when you went to get the flowers for mummy.”
“Young Master, I always get the flowers. Do you only take the backroad?”
“There’s been a lot of dangerous activities happening around the area, so it is safer to travel through the passage.”
Rainier wanted to groan. Why was this so inconvenient?
—
Step 33. Before arriving at the apothecary, you may take this time to have another emotional conversation with your servant. You’ve already had several before this, so why not? It’s not like everyone within a ten-foot radius didn’t hear your conversation because you decided to have it in an alleyway where the walls are thin despite being made of stone…
The author has something to say:
I tried to write fluff and ended up writing a character study, as usual… orz.
Your a walking love target neo😂💜
Im so glad that Rainer See’s neo in a new light💚💚
Gotta love Rainer.
Thanks for the chapter!
Thankies for leh chapturrrr. OMG first that was cute second what was that last note where the walls are thin and no ine totally heard is that some kind of flag!?
I was thinking the same 😂😂
Thanks for the chapter!! ❤️❤️
I live for your ‘steps’ at the end of each chapter
Sometimes a character study is needed
Thank you for the chapter. I love how realistic Rainier is portrayed. I don’t think any sane person could forgive something that horrendous happening to themselves.
The chemistry between them is just beautiful but I’m not gonna ship until the marks on his face is gone and he forgives Neo.
Thank you for the chapters!!
The line about Rainier rediscovering his humanity and choosing not to forgive was amazing. Loved that.
Also lol author that’s exactly what I was thinking??? How long were they standing in that alley and how did no one notice or overhear
😂
Thank you for the chapter!
❤❤❤ lovely as always. Thanks for the chapter!
Welp we missed a prime smoochin atmosphere right there. Sigh you boys are sooo slow on the take sometimes
Because this is slowburn romance 😂😂
Thanks for the chapter! And WoooooooOOOOOOOW~
thanks for the chapter <3
True courage to give yourself one more chance to find the meaning of your life
Rainier my boy
You are the ML
Really liked how you touched on the concept of forgiveness here! Would have felt cheap if Rainier just forgave him. Thank you for the chapter!
I still don’t like Ranier to be the ml even though he look like one