CHAPTER 15

On their way toward Hirayon's room, Veno and Larise silently observed the child. They noticed he was not a chatty kid and wasn't the type to engage in conversation. He also didn't ask any questions, even though he looked extremely curious at the paintings in the hallway.

When they reached the door of Hirayon's room, Veno assisted the child and registered his fingerprints at the scanner on the left side of the door. He couldn't use Oddi yet, so he had to use his fingerprint to enter the facilities and rooms in the house.

"I will share the young master's fingerprint with all other rooms so you can enter them," Veno informed, and the door to Hirayon's temporary room slid open.

"Do I have to place my thumb on the plate whenever I want to enter a room?" the child asked about the small rectangular flat screen on the left side of the door.

"Yes, young master. If it didn't work, please call any of the maids."

Hirayon nodded, then Veno motioned him to enter the room. When Hirayon did and saw the interior, he stopped in his tracks and looked at the spacious room with a dumbfounded look.

During their travels, he had to sleep in the room within the hover car, which was already big enough for him. But now that he was standing in a space five times his previous rooms' size, Hirayon didn't know what to do.

The room has cream and brown walls with intricate patterns painted in gold. Its floor was marbled, and the furniture was all made from dark wood. There is a large bed in the middle, a sofa set on its right, and a vanity with cabinets on the left. The room looked cozy and, at the same time, luxurious especially looking at the king-sized bed.

Hirayon felt uncomfortable and out of place. "Are there any other rooms? Smaller?" he asked while scanning the room with troubled eyes.

"You don't like this guest room, young master? Unfortunately, your room is still under renovation, so all the other rooms available are similar to this one." Veno explained while looking at the room. He was trying to figure out what his young master didn't like. "May I know what you didn't like?" Veno asked politely.

"It's too big," He answered.

"Are you pertaining about the bed?" Veno asked, as that was the biggest in the room.

Hirayon shook his head, "The room. It's too big."

Veno, Larise, and all other maids who followed them looked at each other with surprised looks because the room they were now in was definitely one of the smallest in the whole mansion, aside from the employees' quarters.

They weren't told where their young master came from or why he only appeared now, but Hirayon's small frame and comment about the room gave them an idea that he didn't grow up in a favorable environment.

"I apologize, young master, but this is the smallest room in the mansion," Veno said.

Hirayon looked at them with confusion, not believing Veno's words. He was about to refute, but when he saw the strange looks the maids gave him, he dropped it and nodded, "Alright."

"Are you sure young master? We could renovate another room while you stay here for a bit," Veno offered.

"It's alright. I will use this room," Hirayon said, not wanting to give other people more work.

"I understand. Do you want to take a bath or change clothes?" Veno offered.

"No, I'll do it later."

"Alright, we will leave now. Please press this button if you need anything," Veno said, pointing at a silver button beside Hirayon's bed.

When Hirayon nodded, they bowed simultaneously as they had continually practiced and left the room.

Hirayon didn't know what to do after he was left alone. He looked around first, examining everything, and couldn't help but feel really out of place. It differs from his room in the health facility where he stayed for more than a week. The room was full of decorations and shades of brown. When he checked the cabinets, he was surprised that his clothes were already there, hung neatly by color. Although Hirayon didn't have any clothes at first, Hanan kept buying him things, including clothes during their travels, enough to fill the whole large cabinet of it.

Hirayon then checked the other door near his vanity in the far left corner. Unlike the door of his room, this door didn't need his thumbprint, and it automatically opened when he stood in front of it. Inside, he saw a large bathroom with a sink, tub, and shower, which he had learned to use in the health facility. The floor was also marbled, and its tiled walls were sparkling white.

After washing his hands, he left the bathroom and went to bed. Although the bed was massive, it wasn't too high, so he could climb on top of it. When his back hit the mattress, and he saw the ceiling, Hirayon almost shrieked in surprise.

On top of the bed was a coved ceiling with flowing water. It looked like a small pool that had defied gravity and normally waved, like in the calm sea. The water was clear, allowing Hirayon to see the painted ceiling with corals and plants, imitating the view he imagined at the bottom of the sea.

When Hirayon realized that the water won't suddenly drop, he lay down again and watched the water flow freely. He immediately felt calm and at peace especially hearing the sound the water makes. It was soothing and made Hirayon think he was floating in the water.

After an hour, a knock on the door disturbed the sound of flowing water and woke Hirayon from sleep. He sat up, looking around him, still disoriented from a short but relaxing rest.

"Young master, I apologize for disrupting your rest, but the breakfast is ready now. The chief is waiting for you at the dining table," A manly voice said behind the door.

When Hirayon opened the door, it revealed a young attendant close to Zeno's age. He smiled widely, which was the opposite of Hirayon's expressionless face.

"Hello, young master! I am Elias, one of your attendants. Did you have a good rest?" he introduced himself and asked.

"Hello, Elias. I slept well," Hirayon answered and stepped out of the room.

Elias then guided him toward the dining area, a spacious room with a long table in the middle made of wood. Hanan sat at one end, looking at a hologram only visible to him. He stopped and closed it when Hirayon arrived.

"You slept?" He asked when he noticed the still sleepy look Hirayon had.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Yes," Hirayon plainly answered.

"Take a seat," Hanan said, motioning to the seat on his right.

The moment Hirayon was settled, maids entered the room with plates in their hands. They quickly placed it on the table, moving swiftly but surely without making unnecessary noise.

When they were done, they stood behind the two near the wall and waited to assist. In front of them is Head Butler Veno, and the Head Maid, Larise.

"Eat now, Hirayon," Hanan said, pushing some dishes closer to Hirayon. There was a lot of food for a simple breakfast, and it had most of the food that Hirayon liked.

The child started eating, and the maids looked at Hanan's head with shaky eyes. It is proper etiquette to always let the master of the house eat first. What more of a chief. They've never seen any other person, even children who had dined with their chief before, eat first before their master.

They were ready to hear some scolding from their chief when nothing came. Only the sound of moving utensils resonated in the room, and a picture of a normal father and son eating breakfast could be seen.

It was an unfamiliar but moving scene, especially to those who had been by the chief's side the longest. Veno has served Hanan since he was a teenager. He had witnessed most of Hanan's life, and until recently, he saw the chief as a lonely child who had no family to eat with, but now that child has one of his own, a family.

Veno was already weeping silently when Larise elbowed him hard. She could understand Veno's feelings as she had also served Hanan for a long time and was extremely elated to learn about Hirayon. She also felt emotional but kept a straight face because Hirayon was observing them. The child was even looking at Veno strangely because of his crying.

"I want to let you continue resting, but we should tour the mansion later. I'll be swamped with work for the coming days, so I won't have time to tour you," Hanan said. "You remember the library?" he followed.

Hirayon nodded and looked at Hanan with slightly wide eyes, excited at his question. That was why he came with Hanan in the first place, besides the fact that the chief was his father. He wanted to read many books and learn more about the world.

"It is located on this mansion's lowest floor, which would be our last stop. I would also have to leave you there because I have to work. I'll let you know where my office is later, so you could go there if you want, or you could ask a passing maid."

Hanan looked at the old man, Veno, who was still busy wiping his tears. He stilled momentarily seeing his butler cry but didn't ask about it. He was used to seeing crying because there were times that Zeno would do so as well. To Hanan, they were a pair of emotional father and son.

"Have the renovation of the library finished?" He asked.

"Yes, master. We made sure to put an area where the young master could read comfortably with a great view of the sea as well," Veno explained, returning to his professional character.

Hanan nodded, "Good, work on his room then. I want it finished this week."

"I can stay in the room earlier," Hirayon said, remembering how good his rest was because of the flowing water on the coved ceiling.

Hanan shook his head, "That is just a guest room. Your room is larger and more suited to your element. You said you want to be strong and enter your oddity space fast, right? Your room will provide a perfect environment to enter oddity space faster," he explained.

"Will there be water at the top?" Hirayon asked, pertaining to the water at the ceiling that fascinated him.

"You like that?"

"Yes," Hirayon confirmed.

"Then we will put one in your room as well. You will also have a small pool inside. Do you have other requests?" Hanan asked with enthusiasm. The child rarely says what he wants, and Hanan intends to provide him everything he needs.

"That's all I want," Hirayon said, focusing more on his food. He wanted to eat a lot because he found it really delicious.

After a sumptuous breakfast, the two went to tour the whole mansion. They went to the living room, kitchen, music room, bedrooms, resting quarters of the employees, offices, and many more.

Hanan also showed him his vast office with a magnificent view of the underwater waterfalls. Below his office was their last stop, the library.

When Hirayon finally entered the room, his jaw dropped seeing the massive shelves with thousands of books. They were all as high as the ceiling and were filled entirely with books. There were also splendid tables and sofas that could be used for studying, but Hirayon's eyes were stuck on the books. He didn't even notice the painted and sculpted ceiling, one of the library's most magnificent craftsmanship.

Hanan smiled in contentment. After he offered Hirayon to visit his library, he added thousands of books to impress his son.

"You can read anything here. Ask the librarian for help if you need to get books from high shelves. Also, you might like to read books there," Hanan said and pointed to the righr, where a balcony was enclosed by glass, protruding outside, allowing the people to see the waters in all directions.

Instead of a sofa for resting, there was a mattress, blankets, and throw pillows on the floor.

"You can also ask for snacks here when you get hungry. So what do you think?" Hanan asked, slightly expectant.

Hirayon looked at his father, who was watching his reaction. He heard them some time ago when they were traveling that he renovated the library for him because it wasn't suited for children's use. But now, the chairs and tables were lower. There was even a balcony at the side.

"It looks amazing, Dad, thank you," Hirayon said, making Hanan smile.

The librarian and other employees who were watching stilled and gaped at Hanan in astonishment. That was literally the first time they had seen their chief smile. They exchanged knowing looks, realizing the rumor around the mansion about Hanan doting on Hirayon was true. They wanted to capture Hanan's smile in a picture and share it with Odidily, but they knew better not to disclose their master's doting nature to the world.

"I'll leave you here now, just go to my office if you need something, or ask them directly," Hanan reminded before leaving Hirayon.

When he left, the old librarian named Braha approached the child and greeted him respectfully.

"Hello, young master. Do you want to check the children's books?" He asked.

Hirayon nodded and was guided to the rightmost side near the balcony, which was specially added to the library for him.

"Here are the books. There are storybooks here, but most are educational books for your age. Do you want to have some snacks as well?" Braha asked.

"No, I'm still full," Hirayon declined.

"Alright, I'll leave you for now. Just call if you need anything," The librarian said and bowed before leaving.

When Hirayon was finally alone, he quickly scanned the books and pulled the ones he was the most interested to read. He then settled on the balcony and got comfortable. He looked at the waters first, as there were few fish shoaling, before focusing on the books.

Hirayon spent so much time reading the books that he forgot about the time.

It was almost lunch, and he wasn't showing any signs of hunger, so the Braha approached the child.

"Young master, it is almost lunch. Are you not hungry?" He asked the child, who looked up at him while reading a new book.

"I'm not hungry yet," Hirayon said and returned his gaze to the book to continue reading.

"But it is already lunchtime," Braha informed, but Hirayon didn't pay him any attention.

Troubled that the child didn't want to eat, Braha stared at Hirayon. 'He is definitely the master's son,' he thought, remembering the stubborn attitude of the chief.

He was about to request a snack for the young lord if he got hungry when the library door slid open, revealing Hanan.

Braha immediately bowed while Hirayon continued reading, engrossed in his own world.

"Hirayon, it's already lunch," Hanan said and waved his hand, acknowledging the Braha's greeting.

The librarian scratched his temple when Hirayon didn't answer Hanan, clearly showing he didn't want to eat.

In the report that Hanan received from the health facility, Hirayon had the tendency to ignore people when he was overly engrossed in reading. He didn't even want to eat or do anything but just read.

They didn't have this problem when traveling because they left the books in the car and dined out, but now, Hanan is experiencing Hirayon's stubborn side.

Braha looked at Hirayon and then looked at his chief with wary eyes. Hanan is known to be strict and cruel. The old librarian was scared that Hirayon would get scolded for ignoring the chief.

He stepped back a bit and secretly sent a message to Veno through Oddi. When the latter received the message, he quickly left what he was doing and went towards the library while messaging his son, Zeno.

"Hirayon," Hanan called once again. This time his voice was more stern and authoritative.

Hirayon stilled for a bit but continued to ignore his father. He was reading his eighth book and is still eager to read more. It was his first time having access to so many books, and he was learning a lot from them. Even though he had seen a lot of places and things during their travel, Hirayon felt more ignorant and lacking, which is why his urge to learn more is stronger now than before. He realized that the world is huge, and what he had learned and experienced is not even one percent of it.

At that moment, Veno and Zeno arrived, slightly huffing from hurrying to the library.

They saw Hirayon still sitting on the mattress and blankets while Hanan looked at the child sternly.

They were about to approach the two when Hanan looked back and stared at Veno, "Inform the kitchen to bring our lunch here."

"Yes?"

R E H I L I Y A