“You look very handsome, Kaladin,” Muriel commented on my way out of the washroom.

“Thanks. I don’t feel very handsome, though,” I said back while tugging on the collar around my neck.

She gave me a concerned smile. “I’m sure we can do something about that soon. But in the meantime, why don’t you eat some food? I had the kitchen prepare you something light for your first meal. Normally we eat at certain times of the day, but they made an exception for you.”

“Thank you.”

The meal was a small salad. It was mostly vegetables and fruits, something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Considering the region grows a varying amount of food, it should be commonplace to have such a wide variety. I was also given a small piece of bread and a cup of water to go along with my meal.

I went straight for the water and decimated half of it in seconds. It’s been a long time since I have had access to clean water. The water was cool and went down all so smooth.

Man, I missed having good water. I’ll never forget the luxury of having clean drinking water again.

Muriel purred softly while giving me some time to enjoy my meal. But she eventually continued on. “After this, we have to get your measurements for your attire. I know you will be doing some growing, so we can just retake them when need be. We already have a uniform somewhat prepared for you.”

I sure do hope I do some growing. I could stand to be a little taller already. That sure would be nice. I’m worried that starving for a year might negatively affect my growth, and considering I have no idea how Elves are supposed to grow, it makes me even more concerned. But by the sounds of it, at least I’ll have access to food again and won’t be starving.

If worse comes to worst and they try to keep my food levels low, I’ll just steal what I have to. After all, I’ll be entering my formative years soon. Stunting the growth of my body because I have a lack of nutrition would affect me for the rest of my life, and that’s not something I can afford. So I’d gladly accept a few lashings if it meant securing food for myself. But wait…

“You already have a uniform for me?” I questioned.

“Well, you see… when Young Master Adria heard you were coming, she became quite excited and saw to it that you would have an outfit to wear upon your arrival. So, after some negotiations with the Young Master, we managed to put together something for you. Of course, it will need to be sized correctly, but I think after some alterations, it should fit just fine.”

I choked on some of my salad. “Negotiations?”

Oh, no, where have I found myself? Who needs to make negotiations on an outfit? It’s just clothing… right?

“Ah! Eat slowly, Kaladin, and chew your food. And yes, we had to have some talks about the design and style… but don’t worry about it. It’s just that Young Master Adria had more of a creative opinion on our standard uniforms. So I assure you that your uniform is completely normal,” Muriel said while rubbing my back.

“If you say so, Muriel.”

I finished my meal, and Muriel guided me to a room where Sylros and a few maids were waiting. Most of the servants and slaves were Humans, but there were the occasional Beastmen mixed in. Sylros and I seemed to be the only Elves I’ve seen so far.

“I see you can clean up nicely if given a chance. But, do tell me, are those braids a style from your Dark Elf heritage?” Sylros asked me.

“Yes, sir, they are.”

“I thought as much. I’m aware that Dark Elf hair braiding is quite significant for your people, so I shall permit it. However, I know that certain styles can become quite exotic, please refrain from using such styles. Your current style will suffice as you have decided to keep your long hair. You may also use a style similar to mine if you so desire. However, as a male servant of House Sandervile, you are not permitted to have your hair down, is that understood?”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good, you catch on quick. Now let’s get your measurements. I’m sure Muriel has told you we have a uniform prepared, and I am aware that you will most likely outgrow said outfit in due time. Fret not. When the time comes, we shall have a new one tailored for you,” Sylros informed me. “Now then, ladies, if you would.”

“Yes, sir,” the maids responded in unison.

In a flurry of movements, I was forced on top of a small platform and placed into a t-pose. The various maids began using measuring tapes around my limbs and calling out the numbers to Sylros, who was writing them down.

As they worked their way up my body, they reached my neck, one of the maids gave a frustrated huff and bowed to Sylros. “Sir, we can not get proper measurements for the neck due to the slave collar.”

“Yes, it is indeed an eyesore. However, I do not have the skills, nor have I been permitted to remove the collar. So workaround it for the time being,” Sylros grumbled.

“Yes, sir.” With that, the maid continued her work.

Eventually, they finished the measurements, and they all took a few steps back. All in all, the whole ordeal didn’t take very long. The maids were very fast and surprisingly gentle. I had expected them to be a bit rougher with me, but that wasn’t the case.

“It seems my guesstimations were nearly perfect,” Sylros mumbled to himself. He cleared his throat and spoke out to everyone. “Good work, everyone. We shall have the uniform altered and ready before the Young Master arrives tomorrow. Muriel, please continue to show him around the mansion. And then have him get some proper rest. I want the boy at his best for his first meeting with Young Master Adria. See to it that he meets the expectations placed upon him.”

“Of course, sir. Go ahead and wear those clothes right over there for the time being, Kaladin.”

I did as was instructed and put on the clothes. They were more like pajamas than actual clothes. The long tan shirt and pants were soft, and I was even given a pair of slippers. It wasn’t much, but at least they were made of soft cotton. Even the slippers were somewhat comfortable. It felt oddly weird to have my toes so close together again.

My toes are touching right now. Gah, that’s a weird feeling. Wait…do my toes always touch?

—

Muriel continued her guided tour of the mansion. Although I was still limping about, she never once complained about our pace. Muriel took me just about everywhere. I went to the kitchen and got a good look at all the chefs and their cooking. Apparently, the head chef was out right now, and I would be able to meet him at a later date.

Next up was the library. The library sat in the middle of the second floor and was relatively large, all things considered. Ten bookcases that nearly touched the ceiling were lined from one end to another with books.

Lounge chairs and couches were separated at certain intervals, and there were plenty of windows against the back wall so one could read at all times of the day. I couldn’t tell what the massive collection of books was on, but it was something I planned on investigating. I haven’t seen so much paper since I was reborn, and even then, paper was mostly phased out of existence by then. But I was confident of something.

This room definitely has a passage to the royal tunnels in it.

The sheer size and central location would make it the perfect place for an entrance. If I were planning escape routes, I would have one very close to where I slept. The next place I would want an escape route would be outside in the garden somewhere, just in case I wasn’t in the building at the time. Then the next place would be centrally located, a place where I could get there in a reasonable amount of time no matter where I was in the mansion.

Finding the outside entrance would be impossible with all the guards and since I was barred from going to the third floor, where there was most definitely an escape route, searching here was my best option. I wasn’t sure how much freedom I would have, but I needed to make time either way. Perhaps I can come here during the night. I can’t imagine this place is used very often.

After getting a peek into the library, Muriel took me outside to the gardens. She explained that Mayor Sandervile and a few of his most trusted servants tended to the garden. It seemed horticulture was a hobby of his.

I found it hard to imagine the military man I saw at the slave auction just a few hours earlier wearing an apron and pruning bushes into perfect squares. Perhaps retirement from the military does that to a man.

Muriel took me to a different section of the garden. It was a small area that was sectioned off from the rest via a small white fence and further in the back against the massive stone wall that separated the districts. There was a small gazebo-type building painted a bright orange with chairs and a table set out. The plots of land were covered in colorful flowers ranging from purples to bright oranges. The flowers were set in neat rows giving it a wave effect. One flower caught my eye in particular, and it was a swirling mix of dark purple and bright yellow.

I was examining the flower when Muriel spoke to me softly. “Do you like flowers, Kaladin?”

“Just as much as the next guy, I guess. I’ve come to enjoy nature more than I thought.”

“You sound like a normal Elf when you talk about nature like that. Even Sylros begrudgingly enjoys nature. He often comes out here for a stroll when nobody's looking.”

“Is that so? I find it hard to imagine Sylros out here, walking amongst the flowers,” I commented.

“What do you think of Sylros so far?” Muriel asked me.

“He seems like the serious type. He isn’t rude, though. If anything, he is nicer than most people who talk to me. Sylros also seems very devoted to the Sanderviles as well.”

“You aren’t wrong, Sylros is very serious about his work, but he isn’t an awful man. He often gets swept away by his fervor sometimes, but he doesn’t do it in bad taste. You know he was very worried about training you? I think you managed to impress him today. You impressed me, that’s for sure,” Muriel said with a smile.

“Really? I don’t think I did anything impressive,” I said honestly.

“Oh, but you did. Sylros has been making plans to teach you Human for almost two weeks now. So when you spoke Human today and very clearly at that, he was shocked. We hadn’t expected you to know two languages at such a young age,” Muriel said with a hint of praise. “Say, Kaladin, do you know any other languages?”

“I don’t,” I admitted. “I tried to learn the Beastmen language, but I didn’t have a teacher or anything to study, so I had to stop.”

“So you are very studious, are you? I could teach you the Beastmen language if you are interested, that is?”

“Could you? I think I’d like that. You can teach me while we work together,” I suggested.

“Sounds like a promise,” Muriel smiled.

“Say, Muriel, whose garden is this? It doesn’t fit in around here, does it?”

The smile on Muriel’s face was replaced with a look of sadness. Of course, I couldn’t be sure if that was the case. It was sort of hard to tell sadness on the face of a feline, but her following words convinced me.

“This garden belonged to Lady Isha who was Young Master Adria’s mother. Lady Isha passed away a few years ago from an unforeseen illness. She would often come to this garden nearly every day and bring Adria here to play. After her unfortunate passing, Adria began to tend to the garden in her absences.”

So this is the Princess's garden, huh. Although I’ve grown to enjoy nature from living in a jungle for years, I’m not too knowledgeable about plants and growing them. But somehow, I can tell that Adria puts a lot of effort into this little garden. It must mean a lot to her. And what’s this about her mother passing away from an unforeseen illness?

For some reason, I found that harder to believe than Mayor Sandervile coming out here and gardening.

If it were a disease, then a light mage would have been capable of healing her, honestly, if it came down to saving one of the only women who managed to have a child with Mayor Sandervile. Contracting a Vampire to heal them wouldn’t be out of the question.

So what are the odds that this unforeseen illness was actually an assassination? Higher than most people are willing to admit, I bet.

Muriel stood up and clapped her hands. “I believe that covers almost everything. There are a few other places we can visit, like the gatehouse or the stables, but we can do that another time. We can go into more detail about your work and training another day so why don’t you go get some rest. I’m sure tomorrow is going to be a busy day.”

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I agreed, and we made our way back to the mansion. Today had indeed been a long day, and I was already exhausted. I had to suffer through an embarrassing carriage ride. I’ve made plans and begun my preparation for escape. I cleaned myself up a bit and was ready to tackle the challenges that awaited me. I was confident that the second my head hit that bed, I would fall asleep.

I’m not sure if I even got the blanket on me entirely.

—

In the later part of the morning the next day, I was back in the same dressing room. Muriel and a few of the other maids were helping me put on my new uniform. Much to my relief, the uniform was indeed standard.

Instead of the grey and brown of a slave uniform, this suit was primarily black. My undershirt was burnt orange, and many of my accessories, like my buttons were as well.

I had mixed feelings about the uniform. On the one hand, I oddly liked it. It was surprisingly comfortable and was well made. It couldn’t compare to Mom’s manaweave, but it was a close second. On the other hand, I found it disconcerting that I could like something that was meant to symbolize my status as a slave and servant.

And there was one more problem.

“Sylros, what are we to do about the collar? Kaladin can’t properly wear the uniform with this hunk of metal on,” Muriel questioned.

Sylros, who had been overseeing the fitting, rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Lord Sandervile assured me the problem would fix itself. Not only that, Martin is meeting Young Master Adria at the front gate. We couldn’t take off the collar even if we wanted to. So continue to work around it for the time being,” he grumbled.

Muriel, together with the maids, continued to dress me. I was expected to learn how to do this myself eventually, so they went through the process of explaining everything to me. But, of course, I already knew how to do most of the things they were advising me.

I had to wear my Parade Dress Uniform plenty of times for ceremonies and such. I didn’t go to them often, nor did I like going to those types of events, but it was expected of me sometimes. All those medals never really mattered to me. Those fancy titles and pieces of metal sure as hell didn’t mean a lot when they cornered and killed me like a dog.

Anyways, the job has been finished, and I inspected my new look. The suit fit snugly, but it only highlighted my frail body. My face was devoid of fat and looked hollow. I went from a ghoul to a slightly less scary ghoul to a less frightening ghoul dressed in a fancy suit all in the span of a few hours.

Since the hulking red collar around my neck hindered me from being able to button my shirt up completely, it was flared open and just didn’t look right. I have to admit this is not my best look.

Sylros looked me up and down while furrowing his brows."It’ll just have to do,” he complained to no one in particular. “Put on those shoes, and we shall be off. We can not be late for Young Master Adria’s arrival.”

I slid the shoes on, and they fit me just fine. The black leather shoes themselves looked nice, but they were uncomfortable. Do you think this Adria girl would just let me wear those slippers all day? Maybe if I asked nicely.

But I did have one question. “Muriel, what did Young Master Adria want to do to this uniform? To me, it looks completely normal.”

“Well… at first, she wanted the colors to be purple and gold. She argued it would match your eyes better. Of course, Sylros nearly fainted at the idea, but he managed to talk her down to the current color scheme,” she said awkwardly.

“I see…”

That would be quite flashy. And those colors would probably draw a lot of unwanted attention. But Muriel continued. “She also wanted more frills on your dress shirt, kind of like a flower…”

“That doesn’t sound completely terrible…” I responded.

“And for your summer uniform, she had the idea that you wear a skirt. Of course, Sylros, who was with Adria when she first saw you, told her you were a male… apparently, there was still a considerable amount of disagreement.” I just nodded.

Thank you, Sylros. I’m not sure if I could stomach that kind of embarrassment.

—

We were standing outside of the house in much the same formation as to how I was greeted. However, there just happened to be way more people here now.

“Now repeat to me what I’ve told you, Kaladin,” Sylros ordered me.

“Although it is normally unthinkable that a mere slave such as myself would not greet Young Master Adria first and with the appropriate amount of respect, I am to refrain from doing so on this one and only occasion and let Young Master Adria greet me first,” I recounted.

“Good. Just because the Young Master has taken a liking to you does not mean you are special. Do not let these things get to your head. You are not yet her servant, nor will you be for some time. So until that time comes, you are a slave to House Sandervile. You would do best to remember your position.”

“Yes, sir,” I droned off.

As if. It seems you have little choice when it comes to the whims of this Adria. Daddy has a soft spot for his daughter as well, it seems. Taking advantage of this will only make my escape that much easier. I just have to go about it the right way.

The same carriage I saw when first entering, Sandervile rode in, pulled by two horses. It was a multitude of pastel colors like pink, yellow, and orange. The carriage even had glass windows. It seems she did notice me in passing that day.

The carriage halted in front of us, and the tall sleep-eyed mage Martin dropped down from the front seat with a yawn, opening the door with a bow. “Welcome home, Sir Bril, Young Lady Adria,” Martin said dryly.

A tall Human man in a set of full blue plate armor stepped out of the carriage. He resembled Ester somewhat with his black hair and overall appearance. Strapped to his side was an ornate sword that looked to be made of the same sky-blue metal and gold his armor was made of. He gave everyone a passing glance and just strode forward, silently waiting beside the carriage, giving Slyrlos a nod which he returned in kind.

A young girl in a frilly bright pink dress bounded out of the carriage behind the man. Her light brown hair was done up in a single long braid that seemed to loop around itself. Her bright swirling hazel eyes locked straight onto me the second she reached the ground. I was expecting the Young Master to be older than me, but this girl looked to be right around my age or even younger.

She had a beaming smile upon exiting the carriage, but her smile quickly faded. Sylros greeted her. “Welcome home, Master Adria. I hope that you had a wonderful time in the Luminar.”

“Sylros, why is he wearing a collar?” the young girl asked.

“Well, you see we—”

She interrupted him with a grunt.“That’s not fair! Nobody else is wearing a collar! Take it off of him.”

“But Master Adria, your father assured me the problem would… oh.” It seemed Sylros figured out something we didn’t.

He just took a step back while Adria looked towards Martin. “Martin, can you take his collar off for me? Please?”

She gave Martin the puppy dog eyes tactic, a tactic I was familiar with. Cerila would often use it to great effect against Mom. However, the sleepy eye mage didn’t even open his eyes all the way.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he droned off.

Martin slowly moved towards me and began muttering to himself. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this. Such a pain…” He maneuvered behind me and began fiddling with the collar. After a few moments, a loud thunk sounded, and the heavy collar released its grip on my neck and fell to the ground.

I felt my mana again for the first time in almost a year. It was an unbelievable feeling having my mana returned to me as I let the warmth rush through my tired body once more.

It was pure bliss. My heavy body felt light. I felt as if I could take on the world.

The phantom pains still haunted me, but it was nothing compared to the sensation of having my mana back. I was almost tempted to cast a spell just to relive the feeling that was taken from me so long ago.

Mana kind of sounds like a drug now that I think about it… meh.

I rubbed my neck where the collar once was, and I felt that my skin had been rubbed raw from it. Martin mumbled in my ear. “Mmm, lemme get that for you.” I felt his cold hands touch the back of my neck as a warmth spread from his fingers.

Light magic?

It’s been ages since I’ve felt the touch of light magic. But it was different. Grandpa’s healing magic always started in my solar plexus and spread out from there. Even if Grandpa was healing a splinter on my thumb, it was always the same sensation every time. But Martin’s light magic started from his hand and spread out from there. How odd…

I was hopeful for only a second that Martin’s light magic would heal the phantom pains that plagued my leg, chest, and ears, but nothing happened. So it seemed the damage was either permanent, or maybe he just wasn’t skilled enough to heal my injuries? I really, really hope it’s the latter.

At some point, I had gotten lost in the bliss of the return of my mana and the hopes of having my pains cured because Adria was now standing in front of me with a smile that went from ear to ear. She looked over to Sylros, and he gave her a nod.

Adria began speaking very enthusiastically. “Hi! *unintelligible rambling* Adrianna Marie Sandervile!”

Huh?

She said hi in Elvish then everything after that sounded like straight nonsense besides her name at the end. I think she was attempting to speak Elvish but failed on just about every count. I’m not sure if I could even call that an attempt…

Sylros cleared his throat from beside me. “Hello, Young Master Adria. My name is Kaladin Ambersoul. It’s an honor to be of service to you. Thank you for showing express interest in a slave such as myself and saving me from my woes,” I said clearly.

“You can speak, Human?! You sound kind of funny, though. And what do you mean I saved you? I didn’t do that,” she said while tilting her head.

Did I lay it on too thick? I thought it was best to butter up these types of people?

“Uh, yes, I can speak Human. I guess I have an accent? And well—”

“That doesn’t matter. I didn’t want to learn Elvish anyways. You said your name was Kaladin? Can I call you Kali? You know Kali is short for Kaladin, right?” Adria asked me excitedly.

“Sure… you can call whatever you like, Young Master,” I responded while scratching my head.

What is going on?

“Don’t call me that, Kali. We are friends now! Call me Adria, okay?!"

Sylros nearly choked on his spit as he began to stammer out. “Adria, that is not appropriate! You can not—”

“What do you mean? I told you in the carriage, didn’t I, Sylros? Kali was looking sad, and I didn’t want him to be sad anymore, so I asked Daddy if we could be friends. And now Kali is here, so we are friends now, right Kali?”

“I don’t remember our conservation going quite like that, Young Master Adria.” Sylros shot me a piercing glare.

Oh, please, no. I’ve come too far to die now.

There is no way I can die again because some little princess asked me to be her friend. If I defy her or she loses interest in me, I’m dead, or I get sold back into hell. If I suddenly rise above my station because of her… I’m also dead… I can’t ever win, can I?

“Well, uh… I mea—”

I could feel Muriel glaring at the back of my head now. Was it because I had my mana back that I was so sensitive to people’s glares again? Adria was just standing there smiling at me expectantly.

“Sure. If that is what you wish for, then I shall oblige,” I managed to get out. “However, I must ask that I call you Young Master Adria. It would be problematic if I only called you by your first name.”

“Fine, just call me Adria when it’s just you and me then. You can do that, right?”

Sylros wanted to say something, but he ended up holding back. I just nodded, hoping to diffuse this situation before it exploded.

“Hey, Kali, why did you cut your hair? I like your braids, though. Can you braid my hair like that?” Adria asked.

“My hair was badly damaged, and I needed to cut it so it would grow again. And sure, I can give it a try,” I responded.

“What’s your favorite color?”

“I’m not sure, black maybe?”

“That’s boring. Why not pink? Or maybe purple like your eyes? Why are your eyes two different colors?”

“That’s just how I was born,” I answered.

She fired off question after question. I continued to answer them until, eventually, Sylros intervened. “I believe that is enough for right now, Young Master Adria. Kali has had a long day and is still quite weak from uh… being sad. He needs to regain some of his strength. Perhaps you could continue this conversation at a later date?”

Good save, Sylros. I can’t tell what side you are on anymore, but right now, that’s fine with me.

“But I wanna get to know Kali now! We can’t be friends unless we know more about each other,” Adria complained.

“Now. now, Adria, you wouldn’t want your new friend to get sick because he was too tired, now would you?” Muriel purred.

“No… I don’t want that, Muri,” Adria said sheepishly.

“Good, now why don’t we get you unpacked and let Kali get some rest? I’m sure you can talk to him whenever you want in the future. He will be staying here with us from now on.” Muriel managed to placate Adria to some degree.

“Kay. Bye, Kali! I’ll come talk to you soon, okay?” Adria said while skipping away.

“Bye, Young Master Adria,” I waved.

Well, that was something.

Together with the other servants, we unloaded the carriage. It was the least I could do. But even with my mana returned to me, the action of loading and unloading luggage was draining. Mana enhancement strengthened my body based on my physical strength, so if I were already extremely weak, it wouldn’t help me all that much.

I also didn’t want to supplement myself with mana right now. If I suddenly gained a lot of strength and stamina, there was a good chance I would reveal how strong my mana enhancement was. And that was one of the many cards I had to hold to my chest.

After the work was completed, Sylros walked over to me. “You did well. I understand that Young Master Adria’s requests put you in a difficult situation, but you handled it accordingly. Continue to act prudently in the future, and we shall see to it that no problems arise.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And concerning your training, it has been decided to postpone it for a time. It would be a waste of time for all parties involved to have you train with your current energy levels. So, for the time being, you are expected to get into the rhythm of how we do things here. Wake up on time, bathe and eat at the appropriate hours, and follow your orders. With that being said, you are also to focus on your recovery. You will be given one month’s time to recuperate. I’m sure with your mana returned to you, and if you eat and sleep properly, you can do so within that time frame. Can you do it?” he asked me earnestly.

“A month is most generous. I shall humbly accept the time given to me and focus on my recovery. Thank you, sir.”

Well, that’s nice of them. So now I can recover my body and get some free time? Talk about a win-win situation. With my mana returned, I can continue training it and speed up the healing of my body.

Combine that with some good food and rest, and I’ll be back on track in no time.