"Here you go- master" Yomi sets the cup of tea on the paper filled table and says in monotone with low voice. She quickly steps back and clasps both of her hand on her waist while standing right side of the table.
He didn't even glance at her and kept working without saying anything, the table is coverd with so many papers scattered on it and a pile of papers sits on the edge of the table in his right which he done working on.
The steam coming out of the cup of tea fades into the air as it left untouched. Meanwhile yomi stands there staring at the nothingness without any movement, lost in thoughts. The only noise echo around in that room full of silence was his pen rustling against the paper.
***
It's been over a year since he hired her as a maid. As far she saw him, he is calm and way too silent, sometimes he didn't say even a single word in an entire day.
She never felt unsafe or uncomfortable with him all this time but last winter she got married and the person who promised to give her all of the happiness in the world to her, turns out to be a huge mess itself.
***
The window in the right side of the table and chair where he is sitting and working on, cold and freezing breeze keeps coming through the tiny space between curtains which sometimes sways the curtains too. A bookshelf right beside the window is filled with many kinds of books.
The weather outside wasn't very good since morning and now dark clouds started covering the sky causing a strange darkness appear in the surrounding but despite this dark weather outside, his room is completely lit up with multiple lights sources, that she didn't even realise that the weather is bad right now.
The floor is covered with red and thick carpet which prevents any footsteps and also so soft and warm that you can lie on it and sleep comfortably.
All of the cleaning and helping in his works is been her job for over a year and she had been doing that perfectly but ever since her marriage, she mostly stay so depressed causing the lack of her usual and professional look of maid!
He didn't said anything about it until now, maybe he didn't noticed yet but after working all day she can't even go back to her home because of her husband.
Her husband just leaches on her all the time and gamble everytime she brought some money for their daily use!
She can't even tell about her problem to her parents either, they're old and in the last stage of their life, she just don't want to bother them about anything!
***
She slowly raises her eyes to glance at him, her fingers are twirling around the corner of her frock, the pen he was working with slips from his hand and fell onto the table and that tiny noise was enough to make her gaze to get back straight down to staring at the ground immediately!
She wanted to ask something to him for so long but she just can't get enough confidence to ask, its been over a year but she doesn't even know his actual name, she had been calling him master all the time, all she does is take orders from him and do as he says without saying even a single word, which shows how much insecure she is about saying anything first to him!
***
Her fingers kept twirling with the corner of her frock as she stands there without saying anything and about 15 minutes passed ...
"Yomi..." He calls her name out, like usually to give her an order. His voice was sharp, dull with no extra emotion, like its coming out of a stone!
She snaps out of her deep thoughts at once and quickly answers her call ...
"Ye- Yes, master" She still didn't looks at him at all and says while staring at the ground. Just by hearing his voice all of a sudden after a long silence made her scare so much that her heartbeat went crazy!
"Get me a spoon" He orders without even glancing at her, his hand didn't stop and his eyes didn't even flinch from his work.
A spoon!?
Yomi finnally gazes towards him and saw him still busy with his work, she can't understand what is he gonna do with a spoon but she didn't wasted any time and quickly turns around to rush outside of the room to the kitchen! Her frock swirls as she moves on that thick carpet and even though she is wearing heels it didn't made even a slight noise.
Just outside of his room, at the right side there's a kitchen which is combined with the hallway! she goes around the table in the middle and picks up a spoon from a plastic spoon holder which sits just beside the sink!
The kitchen itself is full of rich materials and structure, the sink is made out of white and violet tiles with black shade design on it and the whole counter is made of black and violet tiles with white shade design on it!
A fridge which is just as the same size in width of the counter sits on the left side of the counter and a line of shelfs on the top sticked with the ceiling! Completely sealed with a thick and expensive looking glass outer layer. Which has design on them either.
The shelfs contains expensive looking plates and glasses! Even the spoon has expensive design on its handle which is made out of pure gold.
She takes the spoon and quickly rushes back towards his room while carrying both corner of her frock to not trip over it accidentally! She comes back quickly as possible and sets the spoon right beside his hand on the plate that has the cup on it and steps back while clasping both of her on her waist.
Just by running from his room to the kitchen twice made her breath rough and sweat her hard!
She kept looking at him curiously for a moment because she still can't understand what is he even gonna do with that spoon! After a few moments he finnally stopped working and his gaze came out of the papers which he has been working on for over an hour since this evening!
He picks up the spoon and dips it inside the tea and started mixing the tea, his eyes was tired which is clear by the looks and his breath was little shaky too. Which she can notice either but her whole focus was on the cup of tea when she saw a sugar cube which he is mixing right now!
Her face became pale as she noticed that and realized that he put the sugar in the tea but forgot to mix it like she always does but today she was so lost in thoughts and thinking about her daily life that she completely forgot about it!
This was the first time that she made a mistake like this ... Her heart was like it skipped a beat as she stands there with her mouth slightly open and wet with her sweat, she was afraid that he might actually notice her lack of professional maid behaviour and say something about it!
Her hands clenches together tightly as she tries to calm herself down, she can't even gaze at him anymore! She looks down immediately and kept trying to avoid any eye contact with him!
Then suddenly, he stops mixing, the only noise in the room was that spoon rattling against the cup stops, as he takes the spoon out and sets on the plate! He picks up the cup and slowly sips from it once ... The cup parts from his lip as he puts the cup back down on that plate and with a little noise of cup setting on the plate echoes, dead silence comes back to the room!
The silence was so loud that she can hear her own heartbeat against her chest, she wants to press her hand onto her chest to calm herself down but she can't stop thinking about what just happened!
Her breathing was so rough and loud it makes anyone notice easily and by looking at her face it also clarifies that she is very stressed out as well but ...
He didn't even glance at her, as soon he puts the cup back down after taking a little sip from it he continues working like nothing! His calmness and silence is still there and he didn't even said anything to her either but she just can't stop herself thinking about it and blaming herself how can she be so careless.
Even though he didn't said a single word or even glanced at her!
What have i done ... What have I done!
Is this really me or not?
I was never like this but now, how can I do something like that!?
Her mind keeps panicking with embarrassment and fear...
Master, never said anything to me ever before!
But what I have done might actually end up me getting yelled by him for the first time!
Her expression is telling this clearly that she is way too lost in her thoughts!
***
In her thoughts ...
What is this, yomi! He says with an loud and heavy tone.
What are you doing? You always be in your usual self but now, how did you forgot to mix the sugar in my tea huh!?
He yells at her while standing tall against her!(imagination).
Master!
Please forgive me, master!!!
I promise, I am gonna be way more careful next time!
She says while crying on her knees with both her hand joint and requesting him to forgive her!
***
I think i should get on my knees and ask for his forgiveness ...
Her head is already filled with imagination about what he might can do, he can cut her salary, he can fire her! which is just so worse that she can't face it no matter what!
She starts bending her knees slowly to get on her knees and bowing her head on his feet to apologise but then suddenly...
"Yomi" He calls her name out!
She snaps out of her imagination and despair immediately, everything inside her mind like almost vanished at his sudden voice!
She straighten up and clasps both her hands on her waist like in usual manner of a maid, as she answers!
"Y-Yes master" The tremble in her voice is clearly visible because she is still thinking that he is gonna yell at her about the tea!
"Did you get your salary this month?" He asks without looking at him, his gaze stays on his works but ... and so on his focus.
She was shocked by what he just asked!
"Huh!?" Her hands were clenching so tightly stopped, her breath was hitching stopped at once. She was expecting him to yell at her about the tea or atleast ask why she is not focused on her work but he asked something completely different!
He then suddenly raises his head out of his works and looks at her directly, the usual calm look and tired gaze when hits her for a very few times! From the tip of her body to her toe a sudden (shock) hit her like a truck!
Her gaze went back down onto the ground and the sweat started coming out already! Just by being under his gaze made her tremble so bad that she started struggling to stand perfectly.
"Did you get your salary this month?" He repeats with his usual and calm tone but this time looking directly at her!
***
His face is something she never dared to look at fully but in that spilt second when he glances at her directly, for the first time she saw his brown eyes, very thin eyebrows, a very small but slightly thick nose and his little rough yet pink lips! His forehead was covered with his pure dark black hair which was long enough to reach almost his left eye.
His expression was dead serious and cold as usual, a look which she can't take out of her head ever!
***
She can't believe what she heard! Instead of yelling at her about her mistake, he asked about her salary? She stays stunned for moment and kept staring at the ground but when he repeats the question and that same sharp and cold voice cuts through the silence she immediately forces herself to look up and while scrambling with words and she tried to make a quick answer with it!
"N-No, ma-master!" She somehow managed to get something out of her mouth with a trembling voice! Her expression is telling that she is so clueless and confused with this situation and then suddenly he bends towards his right while stay sit on his chair and opens the lowest drawer in the table!
The sound of wooden drawer sliding on its frame echoes as she kept staring at him curiously!
A paper crunching noise came as he sits back up and take out an envelope from that drawer and after closing it he places that envelope on the table right infront of her.
She stares at him then at that envelope he takes out from that drawer, her hand releases the corner of her frock which she kept twirling continuosly, nervously. Her hands turns into a little fist as she places on her chest while she steps ahead a bit curiously! When he says ...
"This is your this month's salary!" He says while continuing working on his papers without looking at her this time with his calm and serious tone as usual!
She immediately stops at her position and looks at the envelope and him in disbelief! Her eyes was wide open after seeing that envelope and hearing what he just said!
"My salary!" She mutters, her hands started trembling yet again and the other hand tightens onto her chest!
She was shocked because instead asking her about the mistake she did, he ignored that completely and gave her this month's salary!? This was unexpected!
She slowly steps ahead to pick up the envelope, her steps were trembling and small, when her hand went ahead to pick up the envelope. The tremble was wide visible but he didn't even glance at her again!
She picked up the envelope and holds into her hands and just by feeling the thickness of the envelope made her heart almost stop beating because the weight and the thickness of the envelope was way too much than usual!
The salary he hired her on was ¥30,000 but since he always gave her salary in envelope like these she knows exactly how it looks or feels, the weight, the thickness was never like this ever before everytime he gave her salary!
Just by holding it into her hand made her feel like she is carrying a massive weight, she glances towards him first and when she saw that he is back to doing his work and don't even saying anything she decided to open the envelope and take a little peak into it out of curiosity!
She brings the envelope closer to her eyes while still making sure to not make much movement which made him notice and with her left hand she opens the envelope slowly to peak into the envelope and when she does her heart skips a beat because what she saw in it!
There was a neat and thick bundle of money in it with so many notes of ¥2,000 its definitely way more than the salary she gets every month!
She can't believe this is real, an unusual and very weird noise escape from her mouth even though she was holding it back as much as possible but after seeing that much money first time in her life she almost freaked out and just by holding it in her hand make her feel like she is about to pass out because the weight was clearly shows how much money that was!
Her entire body went numb, she can't contain her thoughts anymore! Her hands holding that envelope so tightly like if she let go for even a single second it might disappear! Her fingers were trying hard to hold onto it tightly but she was trembling so much it feels like an earthquake for her which it is!
To Be Continued ...
