The Kings Personal Joker (boyxboy)

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Seven

[A/N] Sorry for not updating this book in a while, I have been a little sick recently. ( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;)  Turned out it was just allergies !  ʷᵒᵒʰᵒᵒ  But the new schedule is very good for me, because it means if I delay a lot of things I have a period of time to finish them in. 

Thank you for being patient everyone. ⸝ ♡˚

Time neither moved fast or slow, and the marks on my legs were the only measure I really felt in place. When I undressed and bathed and saw them slowly healing. Since they were whisper thin cuts, and I was training constantly, they took longer than usual to turn into pink strips that were still a strong red in hot water.

I worked hard. My servant brother Alkimos was friendly, but not too much so, and did not instruct me on all the things I was expected to take care of. While I did my best figuring out how exactly certain things must work, I would occasionally be rebuked for my lack of speed, and Sergios, in particularly, made a point to stop and tell me off for certain things in front of everyone.

When I extinguished the candles incorrectly, or used too much polish on the silverware, or brushed the carpet with the wrong brush.

Sergios, when there to notice it, would announce to everyone ese that I had made this mistake and dolled out his punishments loudly.

Luckily being whipped or flogged was not a common punishment in Panemorphy, so I spent some time on my knees cleaning the latrines instead, and I put effort into making sure that the jobs I knew how to do, were done properly, no matter how tired I was.

"He's not that bad when you get to know him..." Mentor smiled at me while we were sat together in the warm cluttered kitchen, with rosemary hanging just over his head, during dinner one day, while Sergios was busy with duties.

I nodded, though finding it hard to believe. "It's my fault, there is a lot I need to learn."

"You stayed in the palace..." Alkimos hummed. "What did you do there?"

Another servant nodded keenly. "Is it quite different from here? I heard the place is so large that one would need a map to get around..."

"I stopped by on my way," Alkimos nodded to the servant. "He gets on with the servant master there, so he can't have suffered much."

Without me every saying a word they all continued. The footman leaned in curiously. "Did you ever see the King then?" 

I started at all of the questions, they hadn't asked them so far so I had assumed someone had warned them not to ask, instead the flood came all at once and I sat there like my lips were glued shut, feeling my ears burn a little as I frowned hesitantly and pretended to chew my bread slowly.

"Come on Gabriel." A cook replied to the footman, rolling her eyes. "The palace is twenty times the size of this estate, and he keeps to himself, how would he have ever met him?"

"He could have seen him, I didn't mean that they should be friends." The footman argued. "He isn't a ghost. He has to be present at functions, and there's been a few celebrations recently."

The cook looked unsure, and eventually turned to me. "Have you met him? Or have you only seen him? Not that either matter ah... I'm sure he's not terribly kind, people with money usually aren't. We're lucky here."

Alkimos laughed and raised his glass.

I struggled to speak for a moment, then cleared my throat. It would feel strange to pretend not to know him, and when I returned, even if I was just an entertainer by his side, it would be revealed as a strange lie, along with the false name I was to give them.