章 24: Being Watched
MSG – Volume 1 – Chapter 24
"The novel?" he spat those words aloud as he realized what she meant.
Confirming his speculation, Barbie nodded; "Mm. Need next volume."
Hearing her words, he could not help but be even more exasperated.
For one, he had not expected that this whole strained interaction was all just for a book.
Why had it been so difficult for her to say; "Hello there, kind brother. I would like to read the next volume of a certain novel with a green cover. I suspect that you are the one who's got it. So, can you give that to me?"
Ok, maybe she would not have said it like that.
Anyway, he was also thrust into exasperation by the discovery that the Silent Knight was not actually always reading academic, magical, and historical text as everyone (including himself) believed.
She had other interests in life other than training and studying.
'She was just like everyone else.'
Smiling inwardly at the thought, he simply turned around and walked over to his bed to grab the book and bring it back for her.
"Here you go." He said, placing the green novel into her outstretched hand.
She looked at the book, confirming that it was indeed the one that she sought, before looking up at him again.
With a nod, she gave an 'Mm' and then turned around to leave.
As he watched her retreating figure, he thought 'Maybe that was her way of saying thank you?'
He shook his lightly before going back into his room to have a bath and clean his teeth.
.
This time, no one came to get him to come down for breakfast and the Count did not stop anyone from bringing food to his room.
A slightly chubby maid with freckles blushed slightly as she left the room after serving him breakfast.
This protagonist of ours really was a sculptor, using his own body as a subject as well.
He had carried out some exercises before entering his bathroom to wash up.
When he was just finished and still in his towel, he heard a knock on the door and did not bother to change into something less… revealing, before allowing the maid to come in.
The cutie had nearly dropped the tray!
'Kyaa! Who knew that this fellow actually had such a great physique hidden all those baggy clothes he usually wore?' she thought. 'Ah! But he is really shameless… just like all the other nobles I have heard of come across.'
In this isekai, there were many superiority complexes.
The men looked down on the women and sometimes actively suppressed or eliminated those that showed the potential to surpass them.
The wealthy looked down on the poor.
The strong preyed on the weak.
The nobles looked down on the commoners.
The royalty suppressed the nobles. It had been the norm since time immemorial.
It was not surprising that many nobles saw commoners as 'livestock' and hence did not feel the need to actively hide their birthday suit from them.
For perspective, would you feel ashamed if you found your cat or dog staring at your unclothed body right after stepping out of the shower?
Although Solon was not like the other nobles, he had never been ashamed to be seen with the minimum coverage on his skin.
He had always prided himself on being proud of his body.
For him, it was a work of art that should not be hidden from the world but rather actively displayed.
Alas, how would the maid know that these were his thoughts and that he was not looking down on her?
Humans can't read each other's minds after all. At least, not normal ones.
He did not pay her reaction much mind, used to seeing that reaction from time to time. In fact, he felt some pride that his 'art' was being appreciated.
Turning his attention away from the door, he walked towards his closet and started picking out clothes for the day.
In the end, he settled for a pair of white pants, a white button-up long-sleeved shirt, and white boots.
He crowned his head with a black top hat and put on a black knee-length jacket to finish up the look.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he smiled lightly before suddenly undressing himself again.
He replaced that splendid and immaculate outfit with a more mundane one.
He threw on a just-ok pair of brown pants and a gray t-shirt.
Sitting before the food that had been placed on the table in his room, he took a whiff of it.
"Mm-hmm." He nodded as he tasted the soup with a spoon.
Without further ado, he started to dig in to the rice, pepper soup, and cow meat.
Ah! The chilled orange-based fruit juice was a moce add-on as well.
He was taking a sip of the juice when his eyes suddenly snapped open and his head turned in the direction of the window.
Less than a second later, his figure blurred and reappeared by the window.
His brows creased into a grave expression as her looked out the window, his eyes glancing from side to side as though searching for something or someone.
"Must have been my imagination." He mumbled as he swept the view outside the window one more time before turning around to return to his breakfast.
He had felt a gaze locked not just on the mansion but his room specifically.
It was an eerie feeling that had made his hairs stand on end. Like a predator was observing him as their prey.
Once he was done with his meal, he called for the chubby maid to come in and clear the table.
"Thank you for the meal." He said, flashing her a small smile.
Seeing his smile, the chubby lady nearly tripped on her own feet.
She would have fallen if he hadn't moved forward to catch and support her.
"Whoa. Whoa. Got to be careful there." He said as he helped her regain her balance.
Feeling his body pressed upon hers, she started having strange thoughts, recalling what she had seen when she brought his food.
Blood rushed to her face and her cheeks turned pink… again.
Hiding her face by staring at the ground, she bowed slightly and said; "I will. Thank you, young master Solon," before making her way out of his room in large strides.
After she left, he glanced towards the window once more.
That feeling of being watched had not come back again so, he simply decided to push it to the back of his mind before making his way to leave the mansion.
-
Thanks @Jache for the power stones! Every bit goes a long way and makes my day by letting me know that someone enjoys my work!
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