Chapter 5 - Duties

"Wait till I catch you!" Rose shouted out to Becky.

Becky was quite ahead of her. This girl was a fast runner, thought Rose. Suddenly she bumped into something hard. She tripped a few steps but was quickly gripped by two strong hands.

She lifted her face to see her rescuer's face. She gasped in surprise, took a few steps back, and exclaimed, "Master!"

Zedon let go of her. His eyes were full of concern and his brows furrowed, "Are you alright?"

Becky, on noticing that Rose had bumped into Zedon, thought it better to apologize, "Apologies Master! I drenched her wet. It's not her fault." She bowed her head in fear.

Rose got worried, "No Master! I started it first. I splashed water onto her. Please punish me if you must." Her brown eyes shone in the sunlight.

Zedon's gaze softened as he looked at Rose, a smile formed on his lips. He briefly looked at Becky, "You may go. Be careful next time."

Becky heaved a sigh of relief, gave a brief, grateful look to Rose, and went away.

Zedon's blue eyes rested on Rose, "I see you're having quite an adventurous first day here." He had a crooked smile on. His index finger pushed a dangling hair strand from her face to the back of her ear. She felt her face flush.

"I was just watering the flowers." She spoke confidently, her brown eyes meeting his blue ones.

"I hope you're right because I'd hate to see you taking a bath right in my garden rather than in the privacy of your room." He gave a mischievous smile.

"I have no such uncivilized habit, I assure you, Master." She retorted angrily but then quickly realized that she was talking to the owner of the mansion and calmed herself. It was her first day and already she had back answered him.

Zedon just laughed out loudly, "I'm glad to have someone well-mannered in my house then." His eyes went over the droplets on her forehead and her cheeks. He looked at her face intently for a few seconds. Noticing his intense gaze on her, Rose shifted uncomfortably.

"You should get changed." His voice came out smooth and velvety.

She brought her hair to one side and gently squeezed them letting water drop. She then pushed them back, her black hair strands now giving a slightly wavy look.

Her clothes were completely drenched and hugged her skin tight, revealing the pink bra that she was wearing underneath the white, transparent top. Her white, flat waist was very visible under the bright sunlight.

Zedon's eyes smoldered for a second.

"As you say, Master." She replied and turned to go.

That brought him out of his little trance, "Rose?"

She turned back, her face showing surprise at having been intervened like this.

"Take care not to wear white the next time you decide to play in the water." He looked amused and started to walk away.

Rose looked confused and looked down at her white top. She quickly saw what he was talking about. Stunned, she turned once again and ran towards the mansion.

She straightaway went to her room and opened her luggage. Her hands started rummaging through the neat pile of clothes. She found a pink dress. She heaved a sigh of relief, the dress was not see-through. She quickly changed into it.

She then saw herself in the mirror. She looked lovely but her hair was still half wet.

What a maniac! She thought angrily. The man could have told her a little earlier about it. He waited for full fifteen minutes before he told her about her see-through top.

What else could be expected from a man whom she'd caught alone with a woman only a few hours ago?

Her face turned pink at this thought. Exasperated, she placed both her hands on the dressing table.

Just then there was a knock at her door, "Rose?" It was Martha's voice.

She quickly composed herself and dashed to open the door.

"Miss Martha! May I help you with something?" She spoke hastily, nervousness evident in her voice.

Martha looked at her sternly, "You were supposed to clean up Master's bedroom and I have just taken a round. It's still a mess! May I know what's taking you so long to complete such a simple task, young lady?"

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I was just going to clean it up." Rose replied in an apologetic tone. The room had to be a mess after what had transpired between him and that lady today. She thought to herself, half annoyed.

"I want it clean in the next 5 minutes. I hope that's clear?" Martha warned.

"Sure, Ma'am." Rose bowed slightly.

As soon as Martha left, Rose started towards the fourth floor. She reached the front door and was about to give it a push but stopped. She thought it better to knock first. She didn't want to go through another shock of her life! She gently gave a knock.

"I see you've taken a liking to my room." She heard Zedon's voice from inside.

She opened the door and saw him standing near the window. He wore a cocky grin.

"I have come to clean your room, Master. " She stated.

"Ah! I see. Come in." He stated.

Rose entered with slow steps, she ran her eyes over the room. The room was large with a big double bed in the center. There were fluffy pillows and cushions on the bed. There was a table and a chair with a table lamp in one corner. A huge dressing table adorned the other corner of the room that had a huge mirror. She noticed that there was an attached living room as well. So it was a suite!

She noticed that the bed sheet was crumpled, and the blankets were lying on the floor. Of course! This was the result of what she witnessed in the same room earlier.

Zedon chuckled and moved towards her. He slowly bent down and whispered in her ear, "My apologies for the view."

An electric shock went up her spine at his words. His angelic face was only inches away from hers. His blue eyes resembled the depth of the deep blue sea.

"Like what you see?" He tilted his head and gave her a sideways smile.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat. "I wish to make it clear that I am here to gain a financial standing for myself. Though I do not approve of the way you selected me for this job as it was done without my consent but I will fulfill all my duties responsibly." She tried to speak with as much confidence as she could muster.

"Really?" Zedon made a mock disappointed face as he tilted his head, "I thought it was a great proposal."

"Great it maybe but my consent was not taken." She spoke softly with her eyes cast downward.

Zedon lifted her chin and looked directly into those brown eyes, "Tell me that you don't want to stay." His voice was laced with seriousness.

Rose looked into those blue orbs. They were as blue as the ocean. There was something mysterious about them. She couldn't help but get drawn to them.

As the cool breeze coming from the window touched her face, she whispered, "I wish to stay."

A smile tugged at his lips, his fingers traced her lower lip and he bent forward. Rose slowly closed her eyes then suddenly he backed off, stood straight, and spoke with a cocky grin, "Remember! I like my room spotless."

With this, he was off.

Rose was jolted back to reality. What did just happen? She touched her lower lip with her fingertips. Heat rose in her body. She felt a little lightheaded and fell back on the bed.

How could she have lost control? She hated that man. He was a rich, spolit brat. Moreover, she was a maid in his mansion. She couldn't allow herself to lose control like that. She quickly steadied herself and decided to start working.

Zedon was grinning to himself as he walked along the corridors. That girl was so innocent. There was something about her though. She was mesmerizing! He had never felt that way for a human. Forget about humans, he hadn't felt that way for anyone. He discovered that he enjoyed teasing her.

Suddenly he felt something glowing in his pocket. He put his hand inside and took out a beautiful, white sea shell which was now glowing blue.

Someone was trying to contact him. Someone from Aquata! He thought for a while then put it back in its place. The sea shell continued to glow for some time and then became normal.

His brows furrowed in deep thought. It was only temporary, he wouldn't be able to ignore it for too long. He knew what he had to do and brought out the sea shell again.