CHAPTER ELEVEN

When Senpai and the others entered the Steward's Hotel, he had immediately asked an attendant to prepare him two more rooms for his additional guests.

That being said, he also asked for two maids to help the guests bathe and followed by ordering them a lavish feast.

Afterwards, Senpai had a word with Cilla regarding whatever happened this afternoon.

When she had filled him with the details, Senpai had rubbed his face in defeat and slumped on the bed.

It was all fine and peaceful until the maids from next door started screaming and throwing curses. Senpai had started enjoying his wine by the window, suddenly sprang up, and ran towards the room where Leila's guests were staying.

"How dare you enter this establishment, you filthy lowlife?!"

"P-please, s-stop! P-please!"

"You're nothing but slaves, and you expect us to service you?! You worthless humans!"

Senpai paused on his tracks. He could not believe what he was hearing. Leila just brought humans along with her and he was oblivious to it because of how they were so securely covered be their cloaks.

He had never held particular dislike on humans but never cared for them as well. As a superior being, Senpai wasn't required to care for anyone other than himself. Spirits are mostly focused on playing with people and searching for suitable masters to bestow them names.

Though he admit that he had eaten people before, Senpai never participated in any sort of abuse to humans and will always act indifferent towards them.

Thinking about it, Senpai had forgotten that even the weak and pitiful humans were also an essential part of Candor. Actually, they are in every other kingdom.

Though they were not considered legally as citizens, it doesn't change the fact that their existence holds value. In both service and manpower.

However, another peculiar thing about Leila was that-the word discrimination doesn't exist in her dictionary. No matter how the public view you as, or how dangerous you are, as long as you would swear loyal friendship to her, she would forever treat you like family.

Like how she had treated him. And these people she had brought with her.

Senpai gritted his teeth; whatever his master's principles or wishes are his priorities. And if Leila treated these humans as friends, as her servant, he would gladly do so.

There was a loud sound of hand colliding on the skin, followed by a child's cry. Senpai snapped to his senses and slammed the door open.

The inside of the room was a mess.

Chairs and tables were overturned; bed, sheets, and pillows either scattered or torn; the two servants stood upright, annoyed, with their hands on their waists or crossed over their chest, and Leila's two guests huddled on the corner with clear physical signs of abuse.

The servants were slightly surprised by the loud sound caused by the door. They stood next to each other, composed themselves, bowed to show servitude.

"What do you think you're doing?" he snarled.

The two female servants flinched and trembled against Senpai's authoritative and powerful presence. "We are very sorry to have disturbed milord's rest. We were only showing these slaves their place, we beg your pardon."

"You," Senpai growled, his ebony powers started emitting from his body. "Do you have any idea what you two have done? These two people you called slaves were my guests-important guests."

Color drained from their faces and the servants started shaking terribly from fear and extreme tension in the atmosphere. Clearly, they have now realized the damage they have caused to Senpai, who clearly had authority and high above their level.

Cilla, who had just finished her bath, heard about the ruckus and came running into the room.

She took one glance at the state of the room, their abused human guests, the pale and trembling servants, and the snarling tone and molten fury coming from Leila's butler, and clicked her tongue in disgust and disapproval.

She immediately went over the human woman and the sobbing child, and gently ushered them out of the room to let them temporarily stay in hers.

Afterwards, Cilla sent out one of the servants who had helped her bathe and demanded to immediately summon the owner of the hotel.

She then instructed the remaining servant to attend to their human guests and serve them-strictly, with respect, as if they were nobles.

"Answer my question." Cilla turned her head towards Senpai's ferocious growling, "Are you saying you-a mere common class, possess more authority than my guests?"

"N-no, sir."

"W-we only m-meant to s-show the h-humans-"

Senpai pointed a finger towards the room where the woman and child were staying, "Those humans you disrespected right now are greatly favored by a noble. Even if you two are superior than those two in terms of races-if they talked about this issue to my master, who favored them, what do you think would happen, huh?"

Cilla looked down and scowled at both of the trembling servants, who had now urine flowing on their legs from the pressure of the frightening situation.

Moments later, an anxious-looking man came hurrying towards the commotion and was cursing inwardly his worthless manager the whole way.

Gavin was spending his time at the brothel, being served and entertained by beautiful women and enjoying lavish food, when his assistant came to inform him there was serious trouble at the hotel.

Afraid of ruining the reputation of his business, Gavin irritatingly forced himself out of his oasis. 'What on earth is Stefan doing? I told him to bring me money, not trouble! That useless idiot!'

Even as the owner, he had no talent for business whatsoever, which is why he had left all the work to his stepbrother, Stefan, while he profited from all his brother's hard work.

Their unfair share of the money, being 15-85, Stefan had no choice but to be the mature one, as his brother Gavin, is the most pompous and selfish jerk he had ever met in his life.

Gavin, all sweaty and panting, bursts through the hallway and greeted his two guests, nervously. "Sincerest greetings, Milady...Milord. My name is Gavin Steward."

Senpai stared down the small, chubby man resembling a toad with an ugly mustache. His skin was tinged with pink, sweaty, and reeked of alcohol. With Senpai's sharp senses, he picked up a heavy musk that can only be women's perfume.

"You're the owner?" He noted Gavin's outfit and the number of rings and bracelets he was wearing. An image of a big-headed fool who does nothing but flaunt his wealth. Senpai's lips curled into a sneer. "How fitting."

Gavin wiped the sweat trailing down the sides of his face with a handkerchief. "What may be the problem, milord?"

"Good question. I was wondering if you're running a hotel or a circus. I heard this is the best hotel in this town and yet your employees disrespected and abused my guests"

"W-what?" Gavin furiously whipped his head towards the direction of his employees, cowering at the corner of the room. He gestured for his assistant, "Where is Stefan?!"

"He went to some merchant, there seems to be a problem with the orders." His assistant replied.

"Tell him to come here, now!"

***

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Leila held the bags to her chest and gave a nod at the cheerful girl employee who had accompanied her as she chose clothes in the boutique. "Thanks for your hard work. I'll visit again soon."

Leila took a step outside of the establishment and took a deep, satisfied breath. The scent of various street foods and the bustling noises of people-this is the life she always wanted.

Her time in her palace sure was peaceful but it never felt complete. It was too quiet, too isolated, it's almost unsettling.

Shadows emerged as the sun sets, Leila took her time dog trotting through the streets and taking in the scenes.

Drawing the hood of her newly bought cloak, Leila stopped at every food stall to take a sample and drank various drinks.

Munching on deep-fried chicken skin, she surveyed her surroundings looking for signs of humans. Apart from her two mortal friends, Leila was surprised to not see more of them. She can't help but wonder where they've gone.

Leila had learned new things amidst her exploring. At first, she was surprised to see aged common class immortals, so she inquired a nearby vendor the reason why.

It was a nice dessert store with three sets of mini tables outside and the word 'Delights' printed in a playful rainbow font. Behind the counter, right next to a glass container filled with delicious looking cakes and bread, the owner named Annie had offered company and answered her questions.

The friendly, slightly chubby, woman in her forties and a short stature explained to her that common class aged up to 60s whilst noble class stopped aging when they reached 30s.

However, there were circumstances wherein the level of power a noble possess affects the process. This is why it was believed that the stronger your power, the longer your beauty is preserved.

"Do nobles...glow? I mean, because of immortality?" Leila asked she took the plate of cake and a cup of iced tea Annie had handed over.

"What? No!" Annie chuckled, "The nobles are immortals with exquisite appearances, yes, a bit taller than us, common class, and wields terrifying powers. But they don't, under any circumstances, glow. Though I'm not quite sure how they work exactly, I apologize for the inadequate answer."

"Oh, no. It's fine." Leila took a sip from her lemonade iced tea and chewed a spoonful of chocolate caked.

The sweet, addicting taste of chocolate and whipped cream combined with soft and fluffy cake exploded in her mouth, Leila moaned with bliss. "By the way, these cakes of yours are marvelous! They're absolutely delightful."

"Thank you! Though it's still not up to par to high-quality cakes baked by professionals but mine are quite popular with common folks."

"Are these your recipes?"

"Why yes, they are." Annie puffed her chest proudly. "I don't sell copied recipes as they are common and lack originality. Besides, new ones tend to sell better. Gotta make money for the kids."

Just as she said it, two young girls raced towards Annie and gave her a bone-crushing hug. The action was so sudden that Annie let out a surprised "Oh!"

"Oh my, who are these beautiful young women?" The girls giggled and shyly hid behind Annie's body. Leila gave them a friendly wave and a smile to say hello.

Annie smiled at the exchange, "This is May and April. Say 'hi', my dears."

As the girls mumbled their hellos, the younger one, April, looked at Leila's face shadowed by the cover of the hood. "Why is your face so dark? Are you a bad person?"

"April! That is no way to treat our customer." Annie scolded. "Apologize."

"No, it's okay." Leila smiled. The loveliness of April's small actions reminded her of Liese when she was young. The memory of it filled her chest with warmth. "Do you want to see my face?"

April gave a shy nod, half of her body behind Annie, Leila placed the bags down and slowly pulled back her hood.

At first sight of her features and the power thrumming around her, that was also released the moment she unveiled herself. Annie gasped and her knees collapsed to the ground as she kneeled, "Oh my goodness! I am truly sorry to have disrespected milady. I was ignorant and spouted nonsense; I beg your mercy!"

Leila immediately helped Annie up, the color had drained from her face and she started sweating from uneasiness.

Leila clasped her shoulders to show she bear no harm. "Don't do that, you have done nothing wrong. Truly. Others might harm you for what you had, however, in my case, I absolutely detest people who blow smoke up my ass the most. Besides, I should be the one apologizing for deceiving you. I am truly sorry."

Annie was astonished to see a noble lady bow her head to a commoner. The aristocrats were known for the arrogance and constant abuse of power. They would rather frame someone innocent rather than admitting their faults for the sake of their pride.

She inwardly sighed with relief, Annie was usually a very careful person about such things and was never a chatterbox. However, the cloaked lady, despite being a total stranger, had been very warm and friendly. She praised her works and admired her children despite being exposed to luxuries of noble life.

Annie blinked, her gaze turned warm and loving. This lady who bowed her head before her, a mere commoner, had everything a true dignified noble should possess. In Annie's eyes, Leila had held herself higher than any aristocrat with the power to affect the balance of the kingdom or with the money to do so.

Annie did something a commoner should never dare to do, she raised her arms forward and carefully cupped Leila's beautiful face. "Milady, a noblewoman should never bow to a commoner, no matter how grave her actions were. To us folks, even the simplest 'Thank you' and 'I'm sorry' is more than enough. I may have panicked a little bit, but I am truly alright now."

Leilah gazed at the kind-looking woman. She was a bit uncomfortable by the sudden display of warmth and affection. Leila used to have something similar to it once. But she had forgotten the feeling of it since it was so long ago. Leila got used to the cold and loathing gazes of most people involved in her life, but this was something that made her heart squeeze a little bit.

'What was it again?

Ah right, a mother's touch.'

Leila smiled and carefully pulled herself out of Annie's hands. "Thank you, Annie. By the way, I believe I haven't introduced myself. My name is Leila, as for my last name...well, let's just say it's a bit complicated."

"Oh, don't fret my dear. Everyone has their own secrets."

Leila laughed, "Annie, you sound like a wise man."

"Why, thank you."

As Leila conversed with the loving family, a cart filled with masks passed her sight. It had immediately piqued her interest seeing how intricate the designs were.

She stood from her seat and gestured Annie she'll be back before bouncing off towards the cart.

The merchant, a young man with slit-like eyes wearing a red-scarf around his neck, stopped after seeing Leila approaching. "Good evening, Madam. See anything you like?"

Leila reached for the mask that had caught her eye the first time. It was a beautiful full-face Venetian mask with a speck of darkness in it, sort of like a demon hiding beneath the form of an angel.

It had gold intricate embellishments adorned with oval-shaped diamonds covering the face and chin like an Athenian helmet which symbolizes a crown. Underneath, a porcelain face of a beautiful woman covered with cracks, a pair of seductive black eyes and lips painted blood red.

It was a face Leila would often see every time she glanced at the mirror.

Leila inspected the mask once more and smiled, "This one."

For a brief moment, an amused expression contorted the young man's face and disappeared as quickly as it came.

Leila, who missed the look due to fascination with the mask, turned towards the young vendor. "How much is this?"

"You have a great eye for quality, madam. That would be seven silvers."

"Here you go." Leila dropped eight silvers unto the man's outstretched hand. "Keep the change."

"Thank you, Madam."

"No prob. Have a safe journey."

The young man bowed as Leila quickly returned to Annie's store, where her cake was waiting and sat down to finish it.

'It was late at night and the twins were probably worried I got lost' she thought as she gulped down her drink. 'Gotta get back before they start panicking.'

Leila waved Annie and her daughters farewell and dropped more tips at the table before she pushed the glass door open.

She was about to travel back to where the hotel was when she saw a silhouette collapsed nearby on one of the alleyways.

'What's this?'

'Aren't I meeting with random strangers too much?'

Amidst the loud bustling of the crowd, Leila heard a faint rumble of a hungry stomach coming from the same direction of the collapsed figure.

In normal circumstances, Leila could've chosen to ignore the pitiful person and walked away without looking back. However, her experiences had taught her things a normal person would've have known.

If she was in the same pitiful state, she would want someone to help her out of it. Like asking her if she was alright or drop coins in front of her. Such little things would already make great differences.

Moreover, Leila had too much money with too little things to buy for. Like in the past, she was never that fond of extravagance as it always tends to attract the darkest of people.

Sure, with enough money you could garner all the luxury and power you want. However, Leila was never one for power that she know full well, would only bring harm to others. What she truly wanted was the strength to protect herself and her remaining family, as well as the money for their necessities.

Leila had already lived her life labeled as a monster. She didn't need another cause for people to prove it.

Such, like she always did in the past, Leila would always remember to share happiness with others, no matter how little, as to at least bring more light to her cold and miserable world.

Therefore, Leila ordered two dozen meat skewers from the next stall, two cakes for dessert, and a large bottled water back at Annie's. The prices were relatively cheap, so no matter how much Leila would spend, it wouldn't affect the amount she had in her purse.

Leila hissed at the slight pain in her hand, one of the skewers had poked through the bag and stabbed her hand. She immediately lifted her arm to not smear it all over the bag and furiously wiped it with her handkerchief. After seconds, the wound disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

Covering her face once again with her hood, Leila carried the food she placed on a large paper bag and carried over the exhausted figure.

It was dark in the alleyway and the silhouette had his-or her head facing down. As Leila stopped before the peculiar being, who flinched at her sudden appearance. Even with the cover of the darkness, Leila didn't fail to catch the feeling of someone who was suddenly on guard.

The figure low growling like a feral beast. Leila stood there, calmly watching the poor display of intimidation before placing the bag before it.

She felt a predator's gaze directed towards her but its' attempt to scare her away was futile. Leila glanced once more at the silhouette and noticed its' body shivering.

The night sure was chilly and the figure was wearing poor clothing and barefoot.

Leila sighed, 'There goes my brand-new cloak.'

As a substitute, Leila slipped on the mask she had just bought, unclasped her cloak and she draped it over the figure's freezing body.

Feeling the chill of the cold night in her thin outfit, Leila turned on her heel and walked away without taking another glance at the figure, whose eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Unbeknownst to Leila, the wheels of fate creaked to life and had begun to turn.