One Choice

Chapter 2

Life in the mansion was fairly solitary with the exception of a butler — to be more precise, a guard — to watch over the house and her. Just like Shiro had promised, he never came to visit her and he never infringed upon her living. All she needed to do was be his doll and follow that one order and in return, he would give her anything she wanted and ask for. She couldn't quite a hold of his personality which troubled her for the way he was treating her right now so — if she would dare say — precious, she really was beginning to think of him as a creepy.

However, she was not one to forget the contract forged between them and remembering those that had sacrificed themselves to save her, her heart weighed down with guilt and her expression darkened. Her heart cried out for them but she didn't dare show her weakness.

"Lucy-sama."

Lucy gazed out the window pane of her room as she sat there, her back leaned against the cushions and the carpeted fur along the wide, windowsill grazing her leg. Her long, blonde hair flowed down to the side as she wore an elegant, simple, white nightgown.

She continued to focus her gaze at the weather outside, the rain gently beating along the windows. Having been cooped up in the mansion for a week, she had grown used to his presence and though he didn't express it on his mouth, he was content with serving her. After all, he had been hired to serve this young girl and as a man of relatively old age, he couldn't help but pity her. During the first week, he had seen her test out the limits of her body and power and to say in the least, he went into an extreme state of panic when she used too much power at once and ended up half-destroying herself. Despite the fact that she could regenerate quickly, he still didn't want to see that nonchalant side of her again. Closing his eyes, he dedicated himself to serve her and though he was originally one of Shiro's men, he decided to align himself with her.

"It's a little early but it's time for dinner," he brought the cart over and placed the dishes down onto the table. "For today, we have a pot-roasted beef in red wine with a light helping of mashed potatoes and vegetables on the side. A bowl of chicken soup has also been prepared to help ease the strong flavor of the beef and dessert for today will be vanilla strawberry cake. Shall I have tea prepared with it?"

Lucy nodded her head as she brought her legs down from the window sill and stood up, her hair trailing along with her.

"Then I'll have it prepared right away," he bowed before excusing himself to prepare a batch of freshly brewed earl grey tea.

Dragging herself towards the table, she looked at the plates of food that Sebas had prepared and smiled herself; it was the first time that anyone besides her friends had cared for her. Picking up the fork, she noticed how thin her wrist was and looking at the rest of her body, she wondered when was the last time she had eaten properly. With her other hand, she picked up the knife and began cutting the roast beef into bite-size pieces before eating it. For the first few bites, she was fine but as she began to finish half of it, she felt the urge to vomit. Her face paled but she continued to force her trembling hand to her mouth and gulp the meat and vegetables down. During the first day, she couldn't digest anything and she could only vomit everything up. Hearing of this, Shiro had ordered for the chef and servants to be killed and if it weren't for her pleading, who knew what would've happened. For fear of his anger, she forced herself to eat and as the days passed, she had slowly grown accustomed to having three meals a day — sometimes, with a light dessert.

Finishing only three-quarters of it, she set her utensils down and wiped the corners of her mouth. Picking up the spoon, she finished half of her soup before leaving it at that.

"Was it to your liking, Lucy-sama?" Sebas returned with her dessert as he began cleaning the table.

She nodded her head.