16

Tit!

Tit

Tit!

Tit!

He put a stop to the noisy alarm. He lazily stretched out on his bed, with eyes still closed due to drowsiness.

Xie's eyelids quivered before he slowly opened his eyes. In a daze, he swept his surrounding. A question mark emerged inside his mind.

"Huh? It seemed that I had a nightmare last night. But, what was I dreaming about?" He mumbled. Xie felt that he had forgotten about something crucial.

But, no matter how hard he pushed himself to remember, he couldn't recall anything. There was only blankness.

A soft knock on the door came soon, and Alaric's voice sounded from behind the door.

The door opened, Alaric's small and fluffy peeked out at him. His cheerful smile had dispelled the gloominess inside Xie's heart.

"Good morning, madam. It's morning already. Are you up?"

Xie beckoned him to come closer.

Alaric slowly trudges towards the bed, fiddling with his fingers, and there are two pink tints on either side of his chubby cheeks. This kid gonna be the death of me. So adorable! Xie squealed mentally. He playfully ruffled his head.

"Pack up. We're going for a vacation starting today."

Alaric's ears perked up. Vacation?

"Where? For how long?"

Xie pretended to think.

"That's a secret. Just prepared necessary things for our ten days holiday."

Alaric excitedly nodded his head. He turned around, eager to do his job.

"Ah, wait."

Alaric stopped. He looked behind, still waiting for his order.

"Don't tell anyone, especially that jerk."

Alaric tilted his head. There was something brewing inside his mind.

"Jerk? Who was that jerk, madam?"

"Your other master." Xie gave him a dry response. "Understand? If you tell him, I leave you behind."

Alaric went stiff once he heard Xie's threat.

"I'm not going to tell him. I promise. Besides, Master Arthur had already gone. He left for his work last night. Something happened in the east district."

"East district?" What kind of job does he have over there?

"I don't know the detail. But, due to the harsh weather, a building collapsed, and it's affected the development of the construction works."

"Oh." A lightbulb instantly switched on inside his mind. Was this the right timing to secretly leave? Of course, this was his opportunity to go! If that person was here, he might ask him many questions, and the cat will be out of the bag in no time.

Arthur's behavior from yesterday was strange, and he showed the same symptom as the other capture targets, which put him in a cumbersome situation. He should leave this mansion as soon as possible. The uneasy feeling doubled and made him restless.

Today, Xie felt it's better to leave in silence rather than boldly announce his plan. Or, there will be adverse effects for his unwise action.

-------

He takes a look around the living room, searching for something. But, the divorce paper he was eager to have in his hand was not there.

Does he still not sign the divorce agreement? That jerk! He kept delaying the inevitable divorce. Why did he do that?!

Xie ushered Alaric to go first, bringing alongside him was their luggage.

"Good morning, madam." The steward greeted him with respect. He gave him a polite smile, but something about that smile made him shuddered. "Where are you going so early in the morning and bringing a lot of luggage with you?"

Xie was startled by the steward's sudden appearance. Where did this man come from, and why didn't his ears discern his movement?

"Huh? I...I wanted to go for a vacation somewhere. Yes. I will go with Alaric. No need to inform your Master. I'll be back soon." He nervously scratched his neck.

The steward stared at him with a skeptical look. His face was impassive, but Xie could feel the intensity behind his stares. As if he wanted to gauge the truth from his mouth. He clearly didn't believe his words but couldn't do anything to stop his madam from going out. As a servant, there was a line he was not allowed to overstep.

"How soon?" After a dreadful silence, he asked again. "How many days will your holiday last?"

Xie pursed his lips. The steward was loyal to Arthur and disliked Xie for forcing his way into the Vermillion Household. He cleverly concealed his feeling and never let them show on his face. He would not take any presumptuous action toward him because his employer still regarded this man with respect, albeit half-heartedly.

"T...two weeks." Xie honestly replied. He didn't want to complicate the situation, so he told him the truth. Regardless he believed his words or not, that was not his concern. "After two weeks, I'll be back."

The intensity behind the steward's gaze had diminished ever slightly. He finally smiled.

"Then, I wished you a safe journey, madam. Let's meet each other again after two weeks."

Xie understood the underlying meaning behind his latter sentence. 'Make sure to come back in two weeks or else.'

Xie dismissed him and walked away.

The steward stared at his departure's back and started to call someone.

The phone rang for a while before the receiver picked up his call.

-What's wrong?- Arthur's icy tone sounded at the end of the other line. The coldness even seeped out from the phone. It was crystal clear that the man's mood was terrible.

"I'm sorry for bothering you while you're busy, Master Arthur. I needed to inform you something." He politely apologized.

-Speak faster.-

"Madam had gone out for a two-week vacation, starting today."

He heard a loud noise at the end of the other line.

-Where?!-

"Pardon for my incompetence, but madam didn't divulge me with further information."

-.....

-Was he alone?-

"No, Master. He went with Alaric, the young servant."

-I guess that's okay, then. Are you sure Xie will be back after two weeks?

"Yes, Master. I'm sure because madam said it himself."

-Then...is there anything else?-

"No, master."

-I'm going to hang up first. Goodbye.-

"Goodbye to you too, master."

The steward threw a solemn look outside of the window. He sighed.

He realized something this past two days. On top of madam's strange behavior, after he woke up from his fainting session, he also noticed Master Arthur's abnormality.

Did Master Arthur had finally realized his feeling toward madam? If he did, what should he do? He needed to fulfill his promise with the late Master William.

To preserve the bloodline of the Vermillion family.

This same-sex marriage, he had turned a blind eye on it, and he could allow it to such an extent because he knew Master Arthur hated his spouse.

Sooner or later, they might divorce, or maybe, Master Arthur would take a concubine and give birth to the next heir. But, if Master Arthur does love his wife, he might not reconsider the option mentioned above since he is a loyal man who will only love his significant other. No one would dare mention divorce in his presence.

He might explode if someone proposes he taking another wife, especially for the trivial reason of having a child.

The steward hated this cumbersome situation. He massaged his temples as he felt his head throbbing with a headache. What should he do?

----------

Isaac patiently waited for Xie's arrival at the cafe beside his office.

Every five minutes, he would glance at his reflection on the glass window beside his seat, checking his appearance or tidying up his crumpled clothes.

He was nervous. Last night, he was too excited that he couldn't get even a wink of sleep. Fortunately, the dark circles under his eyes could be well-hidden with a concealer.

Ting Ling!

He whipped his head once he heard the ringing of the bell. Two persons entered the cafe, but his focus was on the first one.

His silky, silver hair fluttered elegantly behind his neck as the soft breeze from outside gently caressed his face. His emerald eyes languidly swept his surrounding before settling on him.

Those eyes brightened immediately as his lips curved into a spring-like smile that seemed to dispel the winter away. He could see flowers blooming behind him.

Isaac felt butterflies flutter inside his stomach. His heart thumped wildly.

Isaac cannot tear his eyes away from this man. They were separate for only a day, but he felt an overwhelming longing for Xie Winchester.

"Sir Isaac, good morning!" Xie greeted him with enthusiasm. He was clearly excited about today's meeting, and the shimmering light of anticipation within his eyes is pretty discernable.

Isaac was bewildered by such a beautiful smile that he went stiff for a moment.

"Sir Isaac? Are you alright?"

Isaac snapped from his reverie.

"Huh? Me? I'm okay!" He was flustered. Gosh, what's wrong with him?! Why was he acting like a high schooler that met his crush for the first time in his life? How embarrassing, Isaac Killian!

Alaric in the sideline.

"....."

He skeptically stared at the handsome man that sat adjacent to his madam.

That man was adopting a frosty look. However, one cannot deny the excitement and anticipation within his eyes. The tip of his ears was red, and the redness spread into the back of his nape.

Madam looked calm and composed. But he couldn't say the same thing for the stranger since his behavior made him suspicious.

Did madam go out today to elope with his new-founded boyfriend?! Was that the reason he wanted to divorce?!