What Makes a Monster

♱Six♱

Two days pass without further issue, and it's only on the second day that I see His Grace again. Luckily, there's no blood involved this time.

He's inspecting the replacements in the hall. Higra is with him, watching quietly while he looks over the work. There's no stains or any sign of the struggle from days prior, even His Grace comes across as the everyday man; standing in the hall with his arms crossed in a fine burgundy suit with silver cufflinks. If not for his unnaturally pale skin and the deep red of his eyes, he could blend in with the rest of us.

"It still reeks," Lord Makai says with a face of disgust. When his lips pull back, the tips of his fangs are visible. "Clean it again."

"As you wish, Your Grace." When Higra catches me staring I already know what she's going to say. "Wallace, clean this hall until His Grace is satisfied."

I'm tempted to ask when that will be because even now the hall smells of bleach, but when Lord Makai looks to me out of the corner of his eye, I immediately bow.

"I'll get to it right away, Your Grace."

When I return with cleaning supplies, Lord Makai is gone and I must return to the floor to clean. I have to wear a face mask, the smell of bleach is too overpowering. From time to time, I peer down the hall to the rooms I've never been. I know one is Lord Makai's study, another is his bedroom, but a few more doors remain. Higra and Layne are the only ones to frequently work down there.

When focusing on a task, it's hard to tell how much time goes by or what's around you. So when a pair of silver shoes appear before my eyes, I'm surprised. Slowly raising my head, I go wide-eyed upon finding Lord Makai staring down at me. I didn't even hear him come out of the office.

"My Lord." I bow my head but remain on the floor since, I don't know, I'm kneeling and that's what most do in front of a noble, right? Who knows.

I remove the mask so my voice isn't muffled when I ask, "Do you need anything?"

"No."

He's staring at me. The look is neither cold nor warm, more an observation. I wouldn't say I'm unsettled or comfortable because I have no idea why, especially when we're this close. From here I notice the sharpness of his cheekbones and the pointed tips of his ears and heart shaped face. I'd say that's not very fitting, but he pulls it off well. Not that I would ever have the guts to say that out loud.

I offer up a smile in the awkward silence until I remember I'm not supposed to smile. I shake my head to remove it. Smiling is a sort of knee jerk reaction to me at this point.

"Leave," he finally orders.

"The hall no longer reeks then?"

He nods, but twists his nose for some reason. It isn't until he glances to my hands that I realize why. I'm bleeding. I scrubbed until my hands were raw. Great, so I scrubbed away the smell of blood only to replace it with my own.

"I'm deeply sorry, Your Grace. I probably just ruined the whole job. I can request—"

"No." He interrupts and waves his clawed hand. "Just leave."

He walks away without another word, going downstairs for some reason. Obviously I don't ask. I'm more than happy to be done cleaning for the day and now that I'm aware of my hands, the slight sting settles in. So I clean up my workspace and request some bandages from Elamir who happily helps wrap my injuries.

When Hael hears that I had to clean the second floor hallway, he snorts but also seems apologetic.

"That must have been rough," he says. "You've spent too much time there."