In all her years working for the Eldmich noble household, Rennie had never been scolded. Not even once. She a perfectionist that made sure beyond a sliver of a doubt that she was up to stuff.
Having joined the house hold at 14, it took her only 5 years to rise to a high maid rank and enjoy the authority and pay that came concomitant with the position. something that some older maids who had served the family for decades would have killed to occupy. It was a remarkable achievement and well, Rennie was extremely proud of it for good reason
This didn't mean however, that she would slack off on her duties. Not at all. She did have a track record to keep afterall and the last thing she wanted was to allow one of those meddling old cronies to be able to boss her around again.
But this time, Rennie knew as well that beyond a sliver of a doubt, that she was in hot soup. She wouldn't just be scolded, her head might even roll.
On the left cheek of the new young master, heir to the treasures of the reknowned and highly regarded Eldmich clan lay a painful red mark that looked suspiciously like a person's hand. The mark wasn't big but for the clan head and his wife who had went from hell and back to give birth to this child, it was reason enough to send her to the gutters and have her head on a pike.
Rennie felt like life had turned upside down, rolled over backwards and gave her the middle finger as a feeling of doom buried itself into her gut like a knife.
' Is this retribution?' Rennie thought in a daze. ' Maybe all those times I cursed those fucking cronies behind their backs are finally coming back to haunt me.'
'Mama always did say: what goes around comes around. '
Rennie looked at the little babe in her arms once again and the thought of covering the mark up or pretending nothing had happened briefly crossed her mind. Any hope it gave was however quickly dashed as one of her younger subordinates rushed out of the room like she had just seen a ghost.
"Goodbye world. It was nice knowing you." Rennie murmured as she watched the door close behind the rushing maid. Rennie looked down at the child in her arms and said : " Well Rumius, it was nice knowing you too."
Meanwhile, I was held cozily against the bosom of the maid who had been muttering a number of strange things for quite awhile now.
The atmosphere was heavy and anxious, all the maids were standing around me in an uncomfortable, awkward manner. Some were holding their hands behind their back, some couldn't stop fidgeting, some weren't even trying to hide it, completing the awkwardness collection with the full package of tap dancing, hip swaying and nail biting.
Just as I found myself wondering were the capable, stoic women from earlier went when suddenly, the doors to the room burst open and a man dressed in a sort of last-minute put together Halloween costume burst into the room.
His upper body was covered in a expensive looking embroidered robe that should've stretched down to his knees, but because he had not finished fastening the belt that held the two sides together, it just looked like a expensive bathrobe. Covering his privates was an article that looked suspiciously like striped boxer shorts. His supposedly shoulder length hair also looked like it wanted to go back to being short.
I found myself then quickly whisked back to the crib and in the next instant, the maid lady was on the floor, on her knees.
By this point, I had a basic grasp of what was going on. Firstly, I was probably dead and had been transported somehow into the body of a kid.
Secondly, this kid was likely one of those rich kids I used to hate back when I was a kid myself and who would always flaunt his richness to us poor peasants.
Third and lastly, slapping myself had apparently become a big deal and this maid was going to get punished for it.
At this thought, I had to admit that I did feel a little bad but without knowing anything about the world's language, showing any signs of intelligence, especially at the age of one day, would be a one way ticket to death by crucifixion. I offered a silently apology to the maid and decided that if things got too far, I would try my best to help by crying or something.
With that thought in mind, I turned my head slightly, keeping an eye on the situation while surreptitiously trying to massage my red cheek to speed to the process of it returning to its original colour.
Meanwhile, Rennie was sweating buckets. Literally. She couldn't remember the last time she was so nervous her entire life. It at the same time, she couldn't remember when was the last time she came so close to being executed either.
The man standing a few paces before her wore a confused expression on his face as he went through his hair, trying to sort out the untidy strands while at the small time, trying to fasten the belt that kept showing his striped boxer shorts look-a-like.
" So…Rennie." He said, finally.
Rennie could hear her heart jump from her chest to her throat at light speed.
' He sounds annoyed. Was he sleeping? Oh god I'm really going to die aren't I?'
" M-Milord." Rennie replied, milliseconds away from a full blown panic attack.
" What is going on?"
Rennie remained silent. Where would she start explaining. Or how could she even start explaining? Telling him was tantamount to walking straight into the lion's jaws!
Rennie froze in fear, utterly petrified as her excuses died in her throat.
Through her vision that was about to overflow with tears, Rennie caught sight of the man in front of her walking out of her line of sight towards her back.
" THIS IS THE END!!! IM GOING TO BE EXECUTED RIGHT HERE AND NOW!"
A large hand closed around her shoulder and a gentle, cheerful voice spoke to her.
" Don't sweat it. Whatever you have to say, just say it."
Rennie took a deep breath.
" My apologies Milord. I have failed you."
The man nodded his head slowly.
" I see. Tell me slowly. "He said.
" It a-appears that under my watch, the young master has been assaulted."
The man's smiling expression remained unchanged.
" Is that so?"
Rennie felt his hand leaving her shoulder as he walked towards the crib.
Silence fell upon the room until the lord finally spoke again.
" He looks fine to me though?"
Rennie was silent.
" M-Milord? "
" He looks fine to me though?" He repeated.
It took awhile but the thought finally registered.
" Huh?"
Rennie turned around quickly and scrambled to her feet.
Milord stood beside the crib, gazing down at his newborn son with a fond expression as the child tossed and turned around, laughing happily while playing a game of catch with his father's finger.
The child was lying on his back and his left cheek was in plain view from where she was kneeling. The red mark was gone.