บท 8: Hurried breakfast
[Daily Training Tasks:
100 Pushups: 71 done
100 Squats: 100 done
5 km Run: 0 km done
100 Overhead Slashes: 0 done
Duration: 24 hours]
Cassian passed out after finishing his hundredth squat. By morning, he was still sprawled on the cold wooden floor, drool leaking from his mouth. His eyes fluttered open, frowning as he heard someone banging on the door. "Stop, stop… I'm awake…" he muttered, struggling to get up. His body felt like it had been pummeled.
The banging ceased, and a voice called out, "Good. Be ready in 20 minutes for breakfast."
Recognizing the voice as the head maid, Lucy, Cassian, despite his exhaustion, reluctantly replied, "I'll be there, Miss Lucy."
After that, Cassian only heard the footsteps receding. He rubbed his aching arms with a pained expression. "I thought it would feel better in the morning," he said as he struggled to stand, his legs trembling. At this rate, it seemed unlikely he'd complete the 5km run.
"Hey system, do you know any way to ease the pain?… Ahh… ahh," he asked, wincing as he stretched his arm, which only intensified the discomfort.
[Yes, trainee. Try stretching your body as you did before, take a cold shower, and do a bit more stretching beforehand.]
"Cold shower… I fucking hate those," Cassian grumbled as he reluctantly continued to stretch his arm, his face contorted in pain.
As he stretched, Cassian felt a bit lighter but still had pain, especially in his thighs and stomach. Even a small stretch made him grunt with discomfort.
He took the cold shower despite hating it, and was surprised to find that, while his pain didn't go away, one part of his body had grown a lot. "When did it grow so big?" he wondered aloud. Then he asked the system, "Did you have anything to do with this?"
[Yes, trainee. When the system healed your body, it optimized it to perfect conditions.]
Cassian looked down at his penis, now grown from three inches to six inches at rest, and slightly thicker too. He was puzzled, so he asked, "But what's this for other than peeing?"
Since Cassian clearly didn't know much about male and female anatomy, the system kept quiet, letting him figure it out himself. Meanwhile, Cassian could only think of it as some kind of hidden weapon or something.
Finishing the bone chilling cold shower Cassian shuffled into the mess hall, feeling every ache in his body with each step after cold shower and stretching. The room was only half full at this early hour, with a mix of low-ranking castle staff seated at the long tables. He spotted a few guards eating with their fellow servants, chatting in low voices. There were also some maids, gardeners, and other workers present, all sharing the communal breakfast.
Among them, Cassian noticed a small group of red-haired individuals, their attire noticeably finer than the rest. Their demeanor was haughty, and they carried themselves with an air of superiority, clearly standing out from the other staff. These were likely Ven dyke family members or their distant relatives, distinguishing themselves from the common workers.
"You got here before me—did you even take a bath?" Suddenly, someone whispered into his ear. Startled by the warm breath, he jumped and turned to see Lucy standing so close.
"I did…" he blurted out, his face flushing as he found himself so near the beautiful Lucy.
She was dressed in an exquisitely tailored maid uniform that spoke of timeless elegance. Her outfit featured a long, flowing black skirt that brushed the floor gracefully, and a matching top that fit snugly around her curvy figure. The top was high-necked and completely covered her skin, but this only served to accentuate her milky white complexion. Her face was a vision of delicate beauty, framed by her long, dark hair that was meticulously styled into a smooth bun at the back of her head. Atop her hair was a dainty white headpiece, and her ensemble was completed with a pristine white lacy apron that added a touch of refinement.
Other than the white collar and cuffs, her uniform was predominantly black, and Cassian took in every detail with rapid precision. Despite the dark clothing, his gaze was irresistibly drawn to the subtle contours of her chest, which the fabric could not entirely conceal.
As Cassian stood there, stunned, Lucy laughed softly and said, "I was just teasing you. Don't go into shock, you cutie," and she gently caressed his face.
As he snapped out of his shock, feeling her soft hand on his face, Cassian blushed and said, "Apologies, I won't."
"There's no need to apologize," Lucy replied with a warm smile. Cassian nodded, and she continued, "Now let's get some breakfast. The lady will be going on her morning walk soon, and you need to clean her room before she returns." She led him to the dining area, where several stalls were set up. They chose the one with the shortest line, which offered a selection of fruit salad and juice.
Cassian eagerly piled his plate with fruit, a rare treat for him, as he usually had only rough bread and water. The juice was like an elixir to him. Sipping it, he looked amazed and asked, "What's this called, Miss Lucy? It tastes so incredible and sweet!"
"It's juice, made from the same fruits you're eating," Lucy answered, taking a few pieces of fruit herself. Seeing Cassian's excitement over the fruit and juice, she couldn't help but feel pity for him, wondering about the kind of life he had before—he was just a kid.
"No wonder it tastes so sweet," he said, gulping down the juice in one go. Wiping his mouth, he asked, "Can I have more?"
"You can, but we're running late. You can have more after we clean the lady's room," Lucy said, picking up her empty dishes. Cassian, who still had some fruit left, quickly finished it off and followed her.
Soon, Lucy guided him to Lady Katherine's room, explaining his tasks along the way. "You need to be here at exactly 5 AM and finish all the work within an hour. There will be other staff to help you clean in the morning, but for some parts of the day, you'll be working alone. Only today, I'm here to explain your duties, but as the lady's personal maid, I have to be with her most of the time."
Cassian nodded, making mental notes, but couldn't help feeling sympathy for Lucy. "It must be tough to be present all 24 hours," he remarked.
Lucy chuckled and replied, "It would be if I were the only one. Who do you think is accompanying her now? There are three personal maids who tend to Lady Katherine, and I'm senior then the other two. So, I have some leeway."
He nodded again as they finally entered Lady Katherine's room. It was enormous, even bigger than Master Russell's school. On one side was a large bed, and on the other, a balcony. There were several sofas, three large bookshelves, and a table cluttered with books and various items he had never seen before.
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