Retribution

III - pedigree

Chapter Three - Pedigree

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"Youn....mas..er?"

Who..?

"Yo.... mas- Oh my!"

What? Who's there? Their voice sounds like they're speaking in a cup. How irritating, trying to make out what they're saying- speak up! Now they won’t talk? Did they leave? It's quiet. Too quiet...

~~3rd pov~~

A newly appointed maid, Tilly Weilding, was given the most god-awful task: waking up young master Ezra. The young man was known for his rather villainous ways. He was rude, disrespectful, and downright creepy. It was a surprise he was still allowed to be a Kingston! The Kingston's were a mighty family, recognized by the royal family of Bane, with many members serving on the Royal Council. The current head of the Kingston family was on the Royal Council. He held a predominant position in high society but, the master was a bit of a player. He had many lovers when he was younger, which created the problem of Ezra, a maid's child. Ezra wasn't supposed to live, he was a stillborn child, yet here he is. Alive and spoilt as ever.

The girl sighed and shook her head. He would’ve been killed like the rest of the master’s love children if he wasn’t born with black hair. Black hair was an abnormality in this world. Unnatural colors like Tilly's lavender hair were considered normal. Only the royal family and the Kingston family had black-haired children. As the maid walked towards the young master's room, her heart began to beat wildly. The last maid to have woken Ezra lost a finger because her voice was “too loud”! Fear rattled through Tilly like an earthquake. The feeling only grew when she reached the young master’s bedroom door. Slowly she took a breath and knocked on the door with a delicate hand.

....

"Young master?" She spoke gently, afraid to be too loud. "Young master, it's time for school..." She tried, a worried expression on her face. She was concerned for herself rather than Ezra. "Young master... I-I'm coming in..." She stuttered, gulping down her nerves. For a brief moment, she stood there, staring at the door as if it would burst open and her life would end, but it didn't. So she, very slowly, opened the door. When her eyes first landed on an empty bed, she feared she had made the wrong decision, but when she saw the young master's body curled up on the floor, she became concerned. "Oh my... young master?" She asked hastily, hurrying to the black-haired boy.

She crouched down and reached out a hand to check the male's temperature but paused... was she allowed to touch such a boy? Her honey-brown eyes scanned the male's face, and, for the first time, she doubted the gossip from the other maids. Ezra was beautiful. His black hair looked like the gentle flow of water, soft peach lips and long black eyelashes adorned his porcelain face. He looked like some outer-worldly being. "P-pardon me," She muttered before gently gliding her hand to Ezra's forehead. His temperature seemed just fine, so what could be that matter? Why was the young master in the middle of his room curled up like a baby?

With her thoughts running wild, Tilly failed to notice that Ezra was waking up. But when bright red eyes looked into her soul, she quickly realized Ezra had woken up. As the young man stared up at her time seemed to stand still. He was insanely pretty with his eyes closed but now, gazing at those red eyes: Tilly was star-struck. Her daze of wonder shattered when her wrist was grabbed by the male's long, pale fingers. "Ah- F-f-forgive me, y-young lord!" She screeched, yanking her hand back in fright. Oh god- she was doomed! Not only did she touch master Ezra, but she also yelled at him AND ripped her hand away. Her wide eyes meet equally wide crimson eyes.

As Ezra sat up and touched his forehead, the maid thought of the many, many ways this young man would kill her. The silence lasted for a very long time. It took everything for Tilly not to run away. "Uh-"

"I ACCEPT ANY PUNISHMENT, YOUNG MASTER!" She yelled, almost smashing her head onto the hardwood floor. Unbeknownst to the maid, Ezra’s face looked as though someone had just kicked a puppy and laughed. "Miss...are you alright?" Ezra's mellow voice tinged with worry. The maid had hit the floor quite hard with her head. He slowly shuffled closer to the girl but stopped when she spoke up again. "PLEASE PUNISH- eh?" Looking up quickly, she discovered a pair of pretty, red eyes staring back at her. Her face flushed with color before quickly muttering a reply. "Y-yes? Ah! But the young mast-" She stopped mid-sentence and stared at the male in front of her. Tilly’s heart fluttered with surprise as the young master's cool fingers brushed her bangs to the side. Was this the evil young man everyone painted him to be? He was kind and very gentle, almost like a kitten.

His concerned eyes made Tilly feel like a human and not some servant. His gentle touch warmed her cheeks, and she longed for more of his sweet warmth, but he pulled away and said something about it only being a bruise. "A bruise..." She muttered before her eyes popped open. "Young master, you're going to be late!" She yelled and bounced up, rushing to the large walk-in closet to grab the male's uniform. Once again, she had surprised Ezra to the point of speechlessness. This maid was very energetic...

Soon the maid ran back out with some rather stuffy-looking clothing. Before Ezra could even ask about his day, Tilly pulled the male up and pushed him to the bathroom. "Please hurry young master. You may get in trouble if you miss another day of school!" She exclaimed just before she shut the door to give Ezra some privacy.

~~Ezra~~

"Oh..." I muttered and turned around, half expecting to see a line of servants ready to bathe me. Instead, what I saw was an empty, oversized bathroom. "Oh..." I muttered again, looking around for a moment. The bathroom looked well-kept but nothing like the 21st century. The technology was old, I was a little afraid to use any of it. In any case, laying on the floor made me itchy so a warm shower wouldn't hurt! As I got undressed, I curiously looked over Ezra's body, I had felt a bit stronger compared to my other body but... D A M N. Did this kid live at the gym? Everything about him seemed to have been sculpted by a master craftsman. This discovery only made me wonder about the other men in this book.

As I got over my daze, I undressed the rest of the way and started to bathe myself. Despite my uncertainty, it was easy to use the appliances. I thought they'd work like something in the middle ages, but this was modern, maybe even futuristic! I decided on a bath and filled the tub, watching as the water climbed up the white marble. I hadn't had time to think about my situation or the fact that I was dead in my other life... why did I show up here? This wasn’t my body or my world... I don't belong here.

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UPDATED 10/22