Chapter 57: Offered Up On A Silver Platter

After Chase quietly left the area and went back to his room and got the special sauce, he returned to the busy, bustling kitchen.

Dazed and distracted, he managed to speed cut a slab of beef into thin 2-centimeters slices without even grazing his fingers under the frightened eyes of his subordinates. 

Pouring an appropriate amount of oil in the flying pan, Chase waited for the oil to steam and bubble on the wooden chopstick that was poked in before gently placing the thin slices of meat inside.

While doing all this, it was like he was on auto mode. His eyes were dull and his movements were half a beat slower than usual. 

At last, just as the beef slices were cooked thoroughly with the topping of spices and the addition of the special sauce Chase had prepared, Chase's dull eyes brightened with a shine.

Determination and resolve shone through those dazzling red eyes resembling burning flames rather than a lake of fresh blood.

Chase had made up his mind. 

As for what he had made up his mind about, it will soon be revealed.

And the result of it… will be witnessed tonight by a select few under the moonless windy cloudy night. 

After the sun rose into the middle of the sky, the only path it could go next was down.

As hours went by, lunch was served and then ended, soon dinner was prepared and was now about to be served onto the master table that seated only Ian and Levi, the only two masters of the mansion currently present.

At the master table.

Ian and Levi were sitting at the table with their backs straight as pine, waiting for the hot, freshly prepared meals to be served up by the maids.

"I see you've recently grown a tail. I wonder how that happened," Ian mentioned in mock curiosity.

Knowing that Ian wasn't actually interested despite the intrigued and gentle, deceiving look on his face, Levi brushed it off lightly with a giggle. 

"I have no idea what you are talking about. It is simply impossible for humans to grow tails like animals. As much as I look like a gorgeous, charming fox, I'm afraid to disappoint you but I do not possess such animalistic ancestry," Levi joked. 

"Yes, I'm aware. But who says tails have to strictly grow out from the body?" As Ian said this, he glanced covertly at Blake who was standing behind Levi.

If it was before, Blake would only show up behind Levi for one of three meals per day. After all, Blake was not the only servant or maid around Levi. 

But now…

He's always there whenever Ian sees Levi today. He was also there for every one of the meals, which honestly surprised Ian and gave him a realization. 

Ian couldn't believe that Levi had somehow taken down that iceberg that doesn't melt even in the most extreme temperatures.

Ian thought that that would be the greatest surprise of the night, but goodness was he wrong for once. 

For tonight, many surprises lay in store for him.

One of them is just about to arrive.

It was time to serve the nightly meal.

Maids carrying trays of not just exquisite but flavorful and mind-blowing tasting dishes came into the dining area one by one.

With every whiff of each dish's unique but equally enticing aromas, Levi's eyes lit up brighter and brighter like the gathering of stars as he gazed at the delicacies to be eaten. Although none of them were particularly fancy like the ones at an ancient emperor's table, they were appetizingly arranged nonetheless and their fragrances were simply entrancing.

The maids carefully took the steaming dishes spreading their fragrance off their silver platters and placed them in front of either Ian or Levi. As they did so, their eyes never left the plate, they too couldn't resist salivating over the mouthwatering food.

Step. Step. Step.

Suddenly, the squeaking sound of a pair of slip-on crocs was heard as they were lifted up and then stepped down onto the smooth marble floor. 

It was an unusual sound mixed among the clicking and clacking sounds of the maids' heeled shoes colliding against the hard floor tiles.

Ian lifted his head up from the spread of dishes in front of him once he heard this suspicious noise.

Looking over to the entrance where the maids came out from with trays of food.

Ian raised a confused yet surprised brow.

Squeak. Squeak.

Moving out from the entrance to the dining room, a firm pair of masculine hands connected to two strong and flexible arms held a silver platter in their grasp. 

—It was the last element that was needed to complete Ian's meal tonight.

Revealing himself from the shadow of the light, his bright orange and yellow hair energetically flared in the air like fire.

A serious and solemn expression replaced the usual sunny grin on his face.

With powerful, steady steps, Chase drew near to Ian, the silver platter gripped tightly by his hands, with no intention of letting go.

Blake was also there, as indifferent and silent as ever, but there was something slightly different about him that Chase couldn't describe. 

But, in the end, without sparing the other even a single glance even though Chase was aware of his presence, Chase walked straight to Ian.

His target was clear and his heart was set.

Chase had contemplated the best way to approach this, the best way to pledge his loyalty to Ian without coming off too strongly or abruptly or arousing his recognized master's annoyance.

He thought about whether to let Ian make the first move and have the other ask him first or if he should make the first move. 

In the end, this was the solution he thought of.

Under the confused and astounded eyes of everyone—Ian, Levi, Blake, the maids, and the servants—Chase knelt down heavily on one knee, creating a loud audible sound that made the empathetic ones wince from the vicarious pain.

Chase bowed his head. 

Lifting the silver platter above his head, as if what he was offering up to Ian on that silver platter were not exquisite desserts but his loyalty and devotion—his heart.

Chase suddenly spoke amidst the growing silence, "Maid Kari is a spy. I saw her taking something out from the special training building on the night of the blackout incident…"

Chase paused, as if hesitant.

One last barrier before he completely submits to another.

One last word that needs to be uttered, that needs to be heard, to seal the deal.

Chase opened his mouth, a word that sounded natural when Chase used it to call the other before him,

—"Master."

Then he fell silent. Not a word more or a word less.

Ian was surprised. 

And at the same time, a rising feeling of victory and satisfaction took over his mind—Chase was giving his loyalty to him.

'At long last!'

Ian's eyes glowed with a deep purple as a wicked smirk graced his lips. 

*****

Panic was the first thing she felt.

One moment she had been standing in front of Butler Srca requesting pitifully for a day off because her family member was hospitalized and she needed to go see them, the next moment she was facing the young master of the mansion. The current ruler and power-holder of the estate.

However, what really freaked out a trained person like her was the fact that she forgot what happened in the past few minutes!

From what she could recall of her recent memories, Butler Srca had been standing in front of her. They had been face to face as they talked. Yet, once she blinked—just a mere second—she found herself face to face with young master Ian.

Anyone in her position would have panicked.

For something as inexplicable as this to happen, and especially to a spy, it naturally tugged at their alarm bells. 

"Y-y-young master Ian…?!" Maid Kari stuttered in exclamation as her eyes widened to a point where it would be normal for those orbs to fall out. Her heart suddenly sank for an unknown reason.

Ian merely smiled. It was just his usual gentle and polite smile that made every staff and guard working here comfortable to be around their lovely and kind young master, but for some reason, it gave Kari the chills.

A cold shiver ran up her spine causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

Thinking back to the blank episode in her mind, she felt even more nervous and scared.

Gulp! She swallowed dry saliva as she tried to control her body's involuntary trembling and asked with a barely stable voice, "Young… master Ian, i-is there anything this m-maid can do for you-u?" 

Ian's smile widened, like a piece of stretchy plaster. "Of course!"

With one elegant backhand, Ian swept his purple hair that fell to the front of his face behind his back, before he distanced himself from Maid Kari with a few steps. His back turned to her.

Kari was still unable to relax despite them no longer being in close proximity and, even without those nerve-wracking eyes on her, she felt as though someone was staring at her.

But all her prior training as a spy before being sent out into the field had her force herself to calm down and not attract suspicion.

Unfortunately for her, Ian has long since confirmed that she was a spy and that she was the cause for his bad mood a few days back. Or more precisely to say, what she had stolen and what he had lost gave him an unpleasant feeling that irked him for days. And it still irked him now, after all, what she had taken was something of significance to him.

On that note, Ian still has no idea why she was given the order to acquire them as they had no value anywhere else, except perhaps to be sold for a huge sum.

"You know, I kind of want to thank you."

Inexplicable words with no head or tail.

Kari stared at Ian without blinking, afraid that the moment she did so, she will never be the same again. 

She had a bad premonition. 

And it was about to come true.

"Since everyone within this estate obeys my every will and whim, I rarely had to use my powers to get what I want. It seems… I've gotten a bit rusty." Ian rubbed his right thumb, index finger, and middle finger together as if rubbing non-existent dust. "I almost forgot I could do… this!"

Ian suddenly whipped his head around as his body turned, startling Kari who didn't have the time to even scream.

A pair of brightly glowing deep purple eyes stared into her, as if seeing through her thoughts and secrets. It swept from her eyes to her hair then down to her feet before it swept up again to look her maliciously yet indifferently in the eyes.

A hidden anger could be detected within those captivating and bewitching eyes. It was not directed solely at her alone but to all of her kind who dares to have ideas on Ian and his people.

Kari was frozen in her spot, unable to move, unable to make even the remotest of sounds. 

But her thoughts were still with her, and that was what tormented her the most.

She felt as though she were but a lonely soul dwelling in another person's body when clearly this body was hers and will be hers from birth to death.