(Part 6)

"Kyrano." The call came once more in the student council room, and the servile butler stepped forth from where he had been arranging the files on the nearby shelf. "There appears to be a letter for you."

Despite the familiarity of the situation that seemed to be repeating itself, Kyrano didn't question his mistress this time as he wordlessly received the pink envelope from his mistress's outstretched hand. This time, his mistress did not bother keeping her eyes on him.

"Miss Louise?" Kyrano asked with a hint of curiosity, but his mistress did not raise her head.

"Update me after you've read it." She answered in dismissal. "I've dealt once with letters addressed to you; I'm not going to do so once more."

Kyrano allowed only a small smile to express his inward amusement at the meaning hinted behind his mistress's words, bowed to excuse himself and returned to his table where he unceremoniously opened the letter. As expected, the pink paper that hid in the envelope was well-folded.

Kyrano read the long contents without showing much of any emotions on his face, but if Louise looked properly, she would have seen the glint of satisfaction and amusement in his black eyes. She knew that her butler had revealed a side of him that he often refused to show to anyone in this whole mess, but Kyrano was unremorseful.

Ever quick to react, Kyrano flipped the pink paper over to meet its plain side, and scribbled.

The only favour you do for me is to love well. Burn this and leave no trace.

Once more, he folded the paper, tucked it back in the pink envelope and held it back with some light glue. Cleaning striking off the name on the envelope that declared its recipient as Kyrano, he wrote another address on it with a foreign name.

"Miss Louise," Kyrano reported as he held on to the pink envelope, "I have a letter to deliver. Please excuse me. I will return in a short moment."

The busy woman absently nodded, and Kyrano took his chance to walk briskly to the door. Things would get ugly if anyone else knew what he was doing.

"Kyrano." His mistress's call of his name stopped him just as he were about to open the door. "Take the route close to Music Room 3."

"As you wish, Miss Louise." Kyrano could not help but let a small smile draw across his face. She knew exactly what he was doing even though she seemed so caught up in her student council duties.

The route close to Music Room 3 was, after all, the route where the least ladies would walk past, for fear of some 'ghost' that had been rumoured to be hanging there. Even the teachers avoided walking past the route as best as they could, and it was the best way for Kyrano to walk. He was undisturbed in his journey to the mail room and back, finding his mistress already packing her things.

He checked his watch, realizing that it was almost time for dinner. His mistress was definitely a perfect lady, for she didn't have to rely on him at all to know when to stop in her student council duties and move on to the next activity for the day.

The topic skirted them entirely as they proceeded through the rest of the day's activity, and Kyrano was almost sure that his mistress had forgotten all about it. But, like always, Louise didn't forget about things like these, as she called her butler into the bathroom. The lady was soaked to her shoulders in the elegant bathtub, elegantly lathering soap over her smooth skin. There was no bit of embarrassment at all, even as Kyrano stood by the door.

"Is there anything you require, Miss Louise?" Kyrano enquired, not sure why his mistress had called for him. She usually liked to spend her bath time in relaxing silence. After all, a hot bath was usually the only way his lady was able to unwind and relax from the pressures of the day. Kyrano always did his best to refrain from intruding on his lady's bath time.

"Stay and chat with me, Kyrano. I do not have much studies to complete tonight; we can afford some time."

"As you wish, Miss Louise. What is it that you wish to discuss about?"

"How about you start with what Amelia sent you?"

"Miss Louise, Miss Amelia did not send me anything." Kyrano answered in a matter-of-fact tone, not bothering to pretend being surprised. However, if the question had been posed by someone else, he would have done a very good job pretending nonchalance.

"Yes, you are right. I correct; what did Amelle and Jack send you?"

"They are doing fine. It appears that they have enrolled themselves into a high school there; Amelle as a Second Year foreign student, and Jack as a teacher. Both of them are finding it hard to adjust to a new life, but they are willing to try. Amelle seems to be enjoying the learning process."

"Yes, she always did seem to be someone who preferred to try things out on her own." Louise agreed with a hint of a smile, drawing on her memories of the woman she knew.

"Jack seemed to have a slight problem with the introduction of Amelle to the boys of her class, though." Kyrano added in with a rueful smile, which was replicated on his mistress's face on the thought.

"Indeed, it would be hard on him. Did she say anything about her family?"

"It appears that they have received the call. The family is willing to forgive her."

"Of course. Given that if they don't, they would be destroyed. How terrible and unfortunate it must be for them."

Kyrano nodded in his agreement, though behind both of their pitying smile, they understood something deeper.

"Is there anything more that Amelle might have said?"

"Simple professions of gratitude for things that I do not recall executing. It would be rather terrible if I did do those things, though. I am not one to condone eloping like how Miss Amelia and Jet did." Kyrano answered with an indignant tone, but Louise merely replied with giggles, creating small ripples in the water with the vibration of her laughter.

Her butler could not be a better actor. If the man was not a butler, then would he have made a good actor? Though she appeared to knowing nothing about it –at least to the general public –she definitely knew of the many faces of the man that followed her. Of course she knew of them; she had watched them develop, watched them show briefly on his face before the usual mask slipped back on.

It was the same way with her; how the different sides of her were born, and how they escaped to hide behind the mask of a perfect, elegant and emotionless lady. Only Kyrano knew of the many depths beneath the almost-flawless mask, and it was the same vice versa.

"They are in a good place, aren't they?" Louise asked after a short pause in the conversation, leaning against the side of the tub and sliding down till the water reached her neck.

"Yes, as they have wished."

"How... No, what I want to ask is why."

"My role as butler is to help you when you have problems, Miss Louise. The problems of those acquainted to you will escape my notice until they become directly related to you."

"Even if they might be using you to their will?"

"I do not mind being a tool to others as long as you are not disturbed. I am your butler; it is forever my role to serve you and protect you."

Kyrano's expectation of a reply from his mistress was not met, and he was partly surprised to find his lady's eyes far away, as if she were already in her own world. Knowing not to break her out of her reverie, he simply remained silent as he watched her in her own world. It was the same view of a woman who always looked ahead, always unafraid, always knowing what was in her path. It took a lot to drive his lady out of line, and watching her always gave Kyrano the same strength.

Thinking briefly of the occurrence that had happened recently, Kyrano reflected on his relationship with his own mistress. He had fallen as far as Jet had, and it was obvious to him that Louise hadn't fallen like how Amelia had. They were both safe from the vice that came when a teenage girl lived with the same man that had watched her grow up and accepted her for who she was. Though it was a butler's job to accept all mistakes and accomplishments of their mistress, a young girl's heart might not think the same way.

His mistress's heart was probably strong enough to resist such a vice; Kyrano reasoned. Growing up had made his lady more secretive and less open to all that she felt, particularly when she was already closed up during her younger years as compared to everyone else. It had given off the impression that Louise was a woman with no feelings, but Kyrano knew that was untrue. It was simply that she didn't trust many.

Yet, to Kyrano, the man whom she had declared that she trusted the most, Louise still kept secrets. Kyrano, as a respectful butler, had refused to ask his mistress about those worries that creased her brows occasionally.

Still curiosity was a trait no one would suppress well. What if her secret meant something to her safety? What if her secret meant that Kyrano would not be able to perform as well as her butler? What if her secret was that she actually disliked something that Kyrano did in his servitude?

The endless doubting questions could be there, but Kyrano had learnt to press them down. His mistress would tell him when she trusted him; he reasoned. They had, after all, grown up together. There were some things that she simply needed time for.

"Kyrano." Her call of his name broke the both of them out of their deep thoughts, and he stood up, ready to receive his orders. "Come here for a moment."

He obeyed without a second thought, and though he was a young man with straight sexuality, and she a woman with the perfect endowment, Louise reached up and pull her butler's head down, making him bend over the tub. His surprise protest was sealed when soft lips pressed against his lips.

The kiss was fleeting, and a gentle smile hung on moist red lips when he drew back, blinking.

"Stay forever where you are, beside me." Louise said all of a sudden, the beautiful smile creating the vision of a goddess sitting in the bath in his eyes.

Then, as if deciding that she had taken enough rest, Louise picked herself up from soaking in the tub, no shame in her movement as she got to her feet, body on full display. It was not as if Kyrano had not seen such a figure before, after all. Kyrano had seen the woman naked through her growing up years. Without the slightest perverted intentions, Kyrano could easily say that he had watched the physical growth of his lady from a girl into a well-endowed woman with full curves and beautiful contours.

"Come, Kyrano." The woman invited with a rare full smile. "Wash my back."

Kyrano let out a soft sigh, resignation flooding him.

What had he expected?

It was after all, a kiss of gratitude.

What was he thinking? Certainly not anything romantic. He was just shocked. Yes, there hadn't been even the slightest trace of an electricity. It definitely had not hit him in his core and shaken the ice loose in his heart.

Kyrano's fingers definitely weren't trembling when they reached for the loofa. Louise had her back turned to him, and Kyrano was glad that she could not see the pathetic rigidness in his arms.

Kyrano wasn't affected all. This was his mistress, his lady.

This was Louise Crawford.

Just his mistress.