Midnight

 She took her eyes away from him calming her breath, the rest of the day was eerie, everybody went about their work quietly through the day, even fenfang had been shaken, Li Guang had helped her with most of her work that she could take up with hers.

 When it was time to serve dinner everyone had run away leaving Li Guang to take up the role, her legs were shaking but she kept up a brave front, 'I have done nothing wrong ' she said to herself.

 The lord was passing the information to all the maids of the dangers of going against him;

  'Poison! , what was she thinking?' she exasperated, who could dream of it, going against a man as the lord, one who confess of his sins when they met him without him even speaking a word.

  When she got to the dinning room he was already seated, his eyes following her every move, the candle light adding a soft glow to his features, with his eyes following her while she set the table she didn't want to make any mistake but her hands felt like it was made of butter the way it was focused on her.

  She heard a low chuckle coming from the lord

 ' Why is this beast chuckling'

 Even though is his presence was not overbearing unlike earlier in the morning, him chuckling was like a beast finding his prey an amusement before eating it up. she didn't dare to raise her head;

 'Who does he think he is setting a trap for, i am not falling for any of it' she declared inwardly.

 While he had his meal no sound was made, only the click and clatter of glass plate and the golden spoon meeting rang through the room.

  When she got back to the cooking room everywhere was totally deserted, with the low lighting in the cooking room she sat there calmly eating the leftovers while keeping some for Fenfang.

  ''Today's tension was bad for the heart, i hope Fenfang is fine now'' she signed

 After giving Fenfang her share of the food she had kept for her, she saw that Fenfang was a little better now, after bidding goodnight she went down the hall which the fire stand down the hall had been lit earlier, immediately her body touched the bed she drifted off to slumber.

  In the morning she had join in making breakfast for the lord;

 'Why cook all this when he doesn't even touch more glance at them when he eats' she snickered

  And as usual she was sent to serve the lord since she surprisingly came back alive and well.

  The lord had left after he had his meal, she heard he was travelling out of the town, they said he left for days or longer than that even months.

 The tension in the air had calm down, people who had been working on their toes finally kept their feets on the ground.

  She had made friends with the stable male along with Fenfang, at first they had been afraid of the horses, but they loosened up within days.

 Fenfang had learned how to feed the horses without fear, she even chuckled uncontrollable when they eat from her hands, she said their tongues felt ticklish.

  Li Guang found a calming peace in brushing the horses, she enjoyed it very much, she would even talk to them. since the lord and his personal soldiers took most of the horses they were a few and all attention was on the left ones.

 ''Can you ride one?'' she heard Bigan ask her directing to the horses.

 ''Eh? No i can't, it is okay this way'' she chuckled nervously

 It was scary, falling off and getting injured or kicked off by the horse, both were worse, she was fine feeding and brushing them.

 ''Aahh, i would faint if i were on it, be bouncing up and down'' Fenfang added doing the hoping like a rabbit.

 They burst out laughing, Fenfang was a case.

 More days had passed since the lord travelled, she had swept and cleaned the hallways of the lords quaters that morning, she heard was back while she assisted in cooking,

 A new headmaid had been assigned and she was more older than headmaid Chonglin, she was strict but when you get you work done that she had instructed you had no problems with her. 

  After breakfast was made which took longer time since they also had to cook for his soldiers who followed him back home, other maids were assigned to deliver the food.

 And since Li Guang was free for the time been she decided to assist Bigan in taking care of the horses. Since the lord and his soldiers brought back their horses.

 ''Bigan'' she waved cheerfully and the stable male

 Bigan broke into a wide grin when he saw Li Guang, he raised his hands ushering her into the stable, he grapped more hay into the wooden box where the horses where eating from.

 ''Li Guang you are here ealier today'' Bigan stated adding more hay into other boxes.

 ''I am free at the moment, what can i do?'' she asked with enthusiasm bouncing on her heels.

 Bigan chuckled handing her a brush '' here, you can brush anyone of your choice''

 She grinned cheekily, she used her eyes to roam around, when i eyes landed on a black stallion it was huge, the horse whinned shaking its head.

 She chuckled lightly ''Alright naughty you first'' she entered his space brushing him gently he was the only one on this spot, when she raised her head she saw Bigan standing with a shocked expression on his face both his eyes and mouth were open.

 ''He allowed you touch him!!!'' Bigan voice was in high pitch evident disbelief on his face.

  Li Guang laughed at the expression on his she was seeing on his face ''Of course he did, he even whined i should attend to him first and foremost''

 ''He whined''

 Li Guang smiled ''Yes he did''

 ''He did'' Bigan added

Li Guang laughed more ''Hey why are you repeating what i am saying''

 Bigan shook his head '' I am very surprised Li Guang, he doesn't allow people touch him easily, it took me seven months before i could start grooming him'' he was honestly surprised to say the least. 

 ''Maybe he is changed, what is his name? '' she asked interested.

 ''I am not sure about that, he is called Midnight the lord owns him'' Bigan responded.

 ''The lord? no wonder he stands out'' she added

 Bigan wiggled his eyebrows at her '' So the lord stands out in your eyes also''

 Her cheeks flushed '' That's not what i meant'' 

  ''Really? because i clearly recalled what you said'' he teased with a mischievous face.

 ''BIGAN!''

 He laughed out more uncontrollably ''Okay fine, he stands out in your heart'' he winked laughing at her .

 He ran away when Li Guang threw the brush at him. Her ears were all flushed 'this boy is going to put me in trouble'.

  Li Guang along with Fenfang sat under the tree, the sun was up and hot, the tree gave them shade and cool breeze to dry of their sweat, they had just finished clearing the area why had dried leaves all over.

  While they layed down under the tree in silence with a cloth under them, a soldier came standing in front of them, Fenfang immediately stood up dusting her dress.

 The young soldier glanced at Fenfang, he said to Li Guang '' The lord said you should make him his afternoon tea''

 She stood up also ''Afternoon tea?''

  ''Yes he is in the drawing room'' the young soldier replied walking off.

 'Afternoon tea' she was still in thought when she glanced at Fenfang whose cheeks was red 'Is it the sun?'

 ''What's up with you'' she asked fenfang who was also in dreamland but red over.

 ''Huh? nothing '' Fenfang chuckled nervously '' You go attend to the lord'' she said running off.

 When she got to the cooking room, she prepared a tray with three different grounded tea in powder form, a small tea cup and a turner, she boiled some water turning it into a ceramic kettle,

  Before she left another maid added pastries to the tray which had been prepared earlier on which was still warm.

 When she got to the drawing room, the soldier standing guard announced her presence, she walked into the room to see the lord concentrated on different parchments layed at his front on the low table, while he sat on the red cushioned foam with a low back behind the table.

 She greeted him with a bow, she placed the tray on a small stool beside the lord, 

 ''My lord'' she called hesitantly

 ''Hmm?'' came the thick calm voice from the lord his eyes still focused on the parchment in front of him.

 ''Which tea do you drink?''

 He raised his head when he heard her question, holding her eyes with his he replied '' Oolong tea''

  She quickly her eyes away from his heart was pounding fast, she poured the hot water from the kettle into the tea cup, she added the Oolong tea into the strainer on the tea cup allowing it to steep for some before taking it away.

 She cleaned the body of the cup before railing it to hand it over to the lord, she raised her head to see that the lord had his eyes in her, her hands shook slightly out of nervousness , he took the tea from her hands, she took her hands away immediately as if she got burnt.