Chapter 33: Work For Your Stay.
He walked towards the tub, water was already filled inside of it. ’I told Leon to fill the tub a while ago, for the first time, he didn’t ignore his tasks’
He dipped his finger inside the tub in order to check if the water was warm enough or not, a strange sensation travelled through his nervous system. "It’s neither too hot nor too cold. The temperature is just right for a bath."
Sylas’s gaze lingered over the tub for a while, then shifted towards Kael. "Dad, I’ll take the bath but only on one condition," he muttered, as he touched Kael’s cheeks.
"A condition? From where are you learning stuff like this, Sylas?"
"That’s a secret, hehe."
"But tell me, will you agree to my condition? Only then will I take a bath."
A small sigh escaped Kael’s lips. "Fine. I agree."
Sylas’s eyes immediately lit up. "Dad, let’s let Sister Sylvia live with us! She looks like she doesn’t have anywhere to go."
Kael didn’t say anything. He simply looked at Sylas for a moment.
Before long, he noticed Sylas’s eyes beginning to sparkle. The child was staring at him expectantly, clearly trying to convince him by acting cute.
Then, a small sigh passed through his mouth. "Fine, I’ll ask her if she wants to stay here or not."
He simply placed Sylas inside the tub and turned around in order to leave from there. "Call Leon or me if you need anything."
Sylas gave a polite nod, agreeing to what he just said.
Without wasting any more time, Kael made his way towards the garden once again. Sylvia was still there, standing under the shadows of the tree.
’I expected her to leave, but she’s truly shameless.’
’I’ll ask her if she wants to stay, but that’s merely a formality. This is clearly for Sylas.’
But before he could even ask, Sylvia’s voice fell inside his ears.
She turned her head towards the left, trying her best not to look into Kael’s eyes. "Can you do me a favour, please?"
"A favour?"
"Yes, can you?" she asked, voice low.
Kael took a few seconds before he finally replied. "Just state it."
Sylvia hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Alright, then. To be honest, I don’t really have anywhere to stay in this county."
She paused briefly before continuing, "If you don’t mind, could I stay here for a few days? Just until I’ve finished the work that brought me here."
Kael’s gaze lingered on her for a while as he took a step forward towards her. "Don’t you think you’re a bit shameless? First, you came barging in here and threw false charges at someone of my family, and then called me a kidnapper." He took a small pause before continuing. "And now you’re asking me for a place to live?"
"Uh... you’re not wrong about that, but I really don’t have anywhere to go."
"Please cooperate for a few days, I’ll leave right after my work is done, I promise," she said, placing her hands next to her chest.
’I can’t reject her. Sylas wants her to live in here.’
"Fine, you can live here for a few days," he took a small pause and continued. "But don’t think that I’ll allow you to stay here for free, you have to work for your stay here."
After saying that, he started walking towards the hall. His steps remained steady, as he didn’t pay any kind of attention to Sylvia.
"Huh? What does he mean by ’work for your stay here’?" she muttered under her breath.
She remained standing there, trying to fathom what Kael just said. But then she heard someone approaching her. The footsteps were steady, yet carried a casual, unhurried rhythm.
"Didn’t you hear what mansion lord said?" Leon asked.
Sylvia’s gaze turned towards him, and she noticed that Leon was walking towards her as if he was completely carefree. A bucket remained in his grip, and a stinky smell was erupting through it.
Without wasting any other second, she instantly covered her nose as she muttered. "W-what’s in there?"
Leon directed the bucket towards her and continued. "The unwashed clothes,"
"Go and wash them properly. Make sure they’re clean and tidy when you’re done." His tone was like that of someone who’s talking to someone below them.
Sylvia’s face twisted, lips twitched as she muttered. "Ewww!! Why would I wash them for you?!"
"What do you mean by why? Didn’t mansion lord tell you to work for your stay?"
"...So he meant that when he told me to work for my stay." A faint smile appeared on her face.
Then, a vein popped through her forehead as she clenched her fists. "Ahhh! How dare a civilian tell the captain of an Imperial Army division to work for her stay?!" she exclaimed loudly.
Leon simply shrugged as he continued. "Did you think asking for a favour from someone is that easy, huh?"
"Such a freeloader person you are, woman."
Sylvia stepped forward, grabbed Leon by his collar, and her grip remained firm. "I dare you to repeat that."
A sudden smack landed on Sylvia’s arm as Leon struck it with his fist.
Before she could even react, he spun around and rushed toward the hall where Kael had gone. As he ran, he faked his voice to sound panicked as it echoed throughout the mansion.
"My lord! The woman is trying to kill me!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Hey, wait a second," she directed her hand forward to catch him, but eventually failed.
"I didn’t mean it like that..." she muttered under her breath, as she bit her thumb.
Then, her gaze shifted towards the bucket filled with clothes. "Ugh... do I really have to wash these?"
She leaned down towards it as she picked one of the clothes kept in there. A strong, stinky smell erupted through it, and she instantly grabbed her nose to block the flow of smell. "Ugh... this is actually too much."
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A/N
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