(Part 7)

"Miss Louise, I honestly advise you against this. You have better things than to spend your time like this." Kyrano spoke worriedly, but it was of little use, for they were already in a cab, on the way to their destination.

"Instead of wasting your saliva," Louise started, adjusting her hat impatiently, "how about you tell us how far away we still are?"

"If you're tired, Miss Louise, I can get the cab driver to turn around-" Kyrano quickly jumped onto his mistress's words –basically anything that could potentially motivate her to change her recourse. Then again, he should know better, for his mistress was known to be a stubborn woman whenever her mind was set.

"I'm not going anywhere else and that's that, Kyrano. Don't make me repeat myself." Louise spoke with finality in her tone, not turning to look at the lost-boy expression that Kyrano was showing. The young man rarely showed such expression, but she had begun to realize that her butler was more human when it came to his family. But of course; she wouldn't have expected anything else.

While his work required for him to be a heartless and emotionless man, he must definitely find his recharge within his family. It was the only way, after all, that Kyrano still survived in this world.

"But the place is quite shabby and undignified for you, Miss Louise."

"There is no place related to you that is undignified for me, Kyrano. If the Head Butler of the Crawford family could accept it, then it must be dignified enough for the family of Crawford." Once more, the tone silenced the lost butler, and he remained looking desperately outside the window, as the cab soon left the bustling town to a relatively quieter countryside.

Louise offered no more words as well while both of them watched the scenery fly past outside the window. The protests that Kyrano tried to find lost themselves quickly as he sighed internally, giving up the fight with his mistress's obviously adamant self.

He could not deny; even though he had been trying to protest against her course of action, a small part of him had looked forward to it. It was almost too long since he last went back. He had missed them terribly –but only in his personal, private moments. Of course, as a butler he was not allowed to think of them during his work, but he was still human after all.

Kyrano finally seemed to understand why the father that returned home from work when he was younger was so much more expressive than the Kyrone that went out back to the Crawfords to work. The house was their emotional touchstone, after all. The inhabitants there was their battery, always waiting for them to come back to its warm welcoming doors, to recharge. Kyrano remembered walking back with Kyrone before his father passed on, the both of them silently, but steadily changing back to their human self as they walked.

Now he was coming back, not with his father, but with his mistress.

"Do I turn in here, sir?" His soft reverie was broken with the polite question posed by the cab driver as Kyrano blinked to find familiar grounds.

"Just a little further down. You can drop us by the road." Kyrano tasked, receiving a polite acknowledgement as he waited for the cab to slow to a stop.

"We are close by, Miss Louise. The rest of the way has to be traversed." Kyrano informed as he paid quickly for the fare, rounding the cab to open the door for his mistress quickly. It was no place to open the door for his mistress, but Kyrano found that he no longer had the say in such things anymore as he watched his mistress step out, hair and dress breezing softly in the wind. His lady had asked him to fix the most appropriate attire for her, and he was glad that he had chosen a demure one-piece dress for her with simple and practical walking shoes.

"This is nice." Louise's comment came mild. "The air is cleaner here in the countryside."

"That it is." Kyrano agreed. "It has a certain therapeutic air."

"Do you come back often?"

"Not much. The butlers occasionally get time off, but Kyrone and I didn't get much since he was serving your uncle, and I am serving you." Kyrano answered honestly, then realized that it might have sounded a little accusative. "But it is fine with us, Miss Louise. We had the chance to come back occasionally."

"Your mother and sister must have missed the both of you so."

"They always did their best to spend time with us whenever we came back. We had no time for bad moments; so we only have good memories."

"But don't you feel like a stranger to them if you don't go back often?" Louise seemed simply innocently curious about the reality of Kyrano's family, and he figured that it was simply natural, for the woman was unfortunate enough to have only her uncle as family left. Master Oscar was not the most sociable of men, and tended to be rather harsh and strict with his niece, particularly when Louise was placed in the light of being an heir to the family seat.

"It is perfectly fine with my mother, and it used to be okay with my sister. But now that Kyra is in her puberty years, I'm not very sure..."

There was a light laugh, and Kyrano turned to find his mistress smiling gaily. "My, my, we have a protective brother with a sister complex here, don't we?"

"I am only concerned over the welfare of my sister!" Kyrano rushed to protest. "This feeling of insecurity is made worse when I cannot see her nor reach her easily."

"So you do feel insecure as well, Kyrano?" Louise asked, surprised at how much her butler was letting her know. She guessed she should have done this much sooner; she would have known so much more about her butler sooner. In fact, she was slightly ashamed that she hadn't even thought to ask Kyrano about his remaining family members now that his father had passed on for 7 seven years.

"Of course, Miss Louise. I am only human, and they are my only kin left." Kyrano answered in a matter-of-fact tone, but Louise was too busy admiring the change in her butler. The young man that had always been polite and servile to her was now suddenly becoming a more and more charming emotive young man with words and feelings. It wasn't that Louise thought that Kyrano was emotionless –she knew that he had feelings hidden beneath the surface –but never had she thought she would be able to see a Kyrano who was unafraid to say anything that came to his mind, particularly to her.

"But I am blessed, Miss Louise. I am blessed to have a very obedient younger sister and an understanding mother. They understand that I am in need of fulfilling my duties as a man of the Reyes family, and allow me to serve you daily despite no longer having a man in the household to watch over them. I am fortunate that Kyra has no complaints about taking care of our sickly mother, no complaints about our father's wish for her to attend St. Luna." Kyrano continued as they took the pace casually.

The young man who had been protesting and stupidly suggesting ways of turning back to St. Clair Academy was gone entirely now as Louise found herself with a strange new Kyrano that she didn't really know existed. It was still her butler alright, but his words were coming out clearer and happier, unfettered and uncontrolled. It was a certain air of carefree Kyrano that was somehow becoming more interesting than the butler that always hung by her side.

"There." Kyrano stopped suddenly, and Louise stopped in surprise beside him as well, looking over to the young man who was pointing, an easy happy smile on his face. How often did Kyrano wear such a smile on his face without care? Louise wished she had brought a camera along to capture this very moment that she was looking at.

Still, she forced herself to look towards where her butler had pointed at, not surprised to find a small country-side cottage hidden amongst bushes and trees. Still, the garden was well-kept and it spoke for a homely atmosphere that Louise almost could not imagine her butler growing up in.

"It's pretty." She commented even before her mind came to the same conclusion. The house was small –not what Louise was quite used to –but she immediately understood why Kyrano's smile was bigger, his words easier. The house was like a fairy tale; a place where a tired and weary traveller could stop by and be cared for by kindly family members.

"Come, Miss Louise, hurry." Kyrano began walking again, this time his pace faster. Surprised at how her butler was now stepping before her, when he normally either kept obedient beside her or a few steps behind her. This was also the few times where Kyrano had urged for his mistress to hurry, and she unconsciously picked up pace to match his, still reeling in her surprise.

This was truly not her butler, was this? This was not the Butler in Black. This man was simply Kyrano. Not even Kyrano Reyes. Just Kyrano.

"Just a little more, Miss Louise. We're almost there." Kyrano urged, turning back with a blinding smile. Unable to help herself, infected by the same excitement that was taking over the young butler, Louise smiled back as they rushed down the gravel path towards the cottage.

This was the Reyes house.

Louise didn't know any other house that seemed as homely as this.

______________________________________________________________________________

"I apologise beforehand, Miss Louise, but please wait outside first. I fear my mother's frail heart might not be able to take the shock of both of our arrival at the same time." Kyrano whispered to her at the front steps of the house, and she nodded carefully. Kyrano was fast to take off his boots, made sure that his mistress was entertaining herself by admiring the exterior decorum of the house, then went to the door, giving a few gentle rasps on the door before opening it.

"Mother, I am-" Kyrano's greeting was cut off as he dashed into the house quickly, through the uncluttered living area into the kitchen in a second. "Watch out, Mother!"

The woman who had been in the process of pouring steaming porridge into an unstable bowl from a lower height of her wheelchair froze as hands closed over hers, stabling the weak arms holding on to the heavy weight of the pot. Surprised brown eyes swivelled to the intruder and froze there.

"Mother, you should at least put the bowl on something stable! It is dangerous if you try to pour it like that." Kyrano admonished lightly as he deftly poured the porridge cleanly into the bowl without making a single splash, scraping the last off the bottom of the pot easily before dropping it in the sink.

"My sweet child..." Karima Reyes whispered in her happy surprise. "My dear Kyrano, you are home!"

"Yes, Mother, I am back." Done with placing a clean spoon into the awaiting steaming bowl of porridge, Kyrano turned back to his mother with one of the truest smile that would ever grace his face. "I am so happy to see you once more."

"Give your mother a hug!" Karima demanded, and was immediately replied by the strong pair of arms of her son reaching forth and reaching for her underarms. And though the woman was weak from her arms to her feet, Kyrano pulled his mother's weight up with his strong arms, and wrapped himself to his mother, breathing in the scent of the woman who had loved his father, who had given birth to him, and had allowed him to pursue all that he wanted.

"You are back, my son. I am so glad to see you once more! You did not contact us for so long that your sister and I were beginning to be a little worried." Karima admonished lightly, but Kyrano refused to let go of his mother, squeezing her tightly to him. He missed this place so much, missed his mother so much.

"I'm sorry, Mother. My mistress had attended school recently. I could not leave the school as and when I liked, even if I might have been on a break." Kyrano explained. "Enough about me; are you well? Do you feel fine? Have you been taking your medicine?"

"Yes, my good son. I am well. I have been taking my pills as obediently as you are." Karima answered with a light-hearted laugh. "Now do let me down, Kyrano. You are making an old woman like me blush."

"Old woman you call yourself. But even if you are a hag, I will still hug you with all my might." Kyrano declared mischievously, but gently let his mother back on the wheelchair.

"I fear you might crush my frail bones if you do." Karima Reyes teased back, still holding on to the strong wrists of her son, refusing to let go. The fact that she was touching him meant that her son were here; in real life. "You have grown so much taller now. You are almost your father's height."

"Of course. I am in my puberty years, aren't I?" Kyrano answered with a grin. "But you have become even prettier since I last saw you."

"I see your flattery hasn't lost its edge as well." Karima's replying grin would have lit the world up. "My little boy is all grown up."

"Hardly a little boy now." Kyrano answered easily, but shook his mother's hand away, turning to the bowl of porridge that he had set on the counter. "Your porridge is turning cold, Mother."

"Cold porridge can wait. Tell me: Why have you come back without warning? You have come at the wrong time. Your sister is still in school. Will you stay long enough to meet her? She misses you terribly so."

Kyrano shook his head, carefully carrying the bowl in his hands, then scooping a generous spoonful.

"If you neglect your health again eating cold porridge, then I will not answer your questions." Kyrano insisted, and Karima simply laughed. Her little boy –the young boy who used to be the one who wouldn't eat his porridge on his own –was now trying to feed her. Still, she obediently opened her mouth, letting her meticulous son feed her.

The mixture of pride and happiness threatened to make her heart burst, but Karima wouldn't want to pass out, or she would miss the sight of her Kyrano. The mother-and-son duo was so caught up that Kyrano had completely forgotten about his mistress waiting outside the door until a polite knock came on the already-open door.

Kyrano looked up from his happy job of feeding his surprisingly obedient mother, and froze for the slightest moment before he straightened hastily.

"Miss Louise! I am so sorry! Do come in and make yourself at home. Please pardon the messy state of my place!" Kyrano rushed to say, but the young lady simply nodded with a gentle smile, closing the door behind her and walking to join them at the kitchen.

"I was wondering why you dashed into the house upon opening the door, but intruding after you seemed rude." Louise explained, admiring how charming her butler looked when he had been smiling so happily. Like a robot that had been animated into life, Kyrano looked like he had been injected with an elixir of energy.

"This lovely woman here must be your mother." Louise continued without so much a pause, turning to face the shocked woman, bowing softly to the elder. "It is nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Reyes."

"Mother," Kyrano said carefully, watching the frail woman's brown eyes tag on Louise's presence, confusion clear in her eyes. "This is Miss Louise Crawford, my mistress. She is the reason why I am able to come back today; because she said she wanted to visit you."

"Miss Louise!" Karima's voice was shaky with shock, and the woman seemed to struggle with her weak legs on the arms of her wheelchair. Kyrano rushed forwards quickly, leaving the bowl of porridge quickly on the counter as he held on tight to his mother's weight, knowing that Karima was trying to stand up to greet the young mistress. "My deepest apologies, Miss Louise. I had heard many things about you, but never has my husband or son shown me a picture of you. Please do excuse me for being unable to recognise you."

Karima shamelessly took the strength of her son's as her support, forcing her old, stiff back to bow before the dignified young lady.

"Mrs Reyes, its fine. You don't have to bow to me. Do sit down." Louise rushed to say, and Kyrano offered a rueful but thankful smile to his mistress as he once more lowered his mother back to the wheelchair. His mother was still very weak –not having improved much at all since the last time he saw her. It appeared as if the medicines might not be working too well, but Kyrano wondered where else in the neighbourhood could he find another physician to attend to his mother's condition.

"My dear Kyrano, go attend to your lady. You don't have to fuss over an old woman like me. Make Miss Louise feel at home." Karima instructed, and though Kyrano felt the nostalgia at being ordered by his mother once more, he shook his head lightly.

"Mother, you must finish your porridge before I am asked to do anything else." Kyrano said with mock-severity, instantly reminding the elder woman about her late husband. Kyrano was definitely almost a direct reflection of his own father –those brief moments of severity that Kyrone displayed from his sturdy role as a Head Butler of the Crawford household. Kyrano had grown up to resemble very much of his father, and even though looking at her own son made her miss her husband very much, she still loved the both of them despite their frequent absence.

"Please listen to your son, Mrs Reyes." Louise spoke up with a kind smile as well. "I feel at home here."

Karima seemed to swallow her protests, obediently turning towards her son who was already waiting to spoon her more porridge. Though Karima knew she could feed herself with her shaky hands, she definitely loved the fact that her son was here, feeding her gently. Were those gentle hands trained from his butler training? The domesticity that was inculcated in her son was showing so much now that she could not help but admire.

Kyrone looked exactly like that when he did the housework occasionally as well. Kyrano's father had had the same set of gentle hands and fingers, the efficiency of every movement.

"Miss Louise, you are welcome to wander around as you like. The Reyes household has little to hide from you." Kyrano invited, and the woman nodded in acknowledgement to the invitation.

"Then please excuse me. I would like to explore this place where a young Kyrano grew up in." Louise said, and wandered off light-heartedly.

The first place Louise wandered towards were the row of photo frames that were placed on top of a chest of drawers at her waist level, sitting in a neat line that ended with a pretty vase. Not wanting to disturb the arrangement, Louise bent to look at the pictures on eye level, smiling uncontrollably when she first caught sight of a picture of young Kyrano –no older than 5 years old –carrying his baby sister in his arms and sitting her butt on his small forearms. The young boy seemed to be grinning happily at the camera, as his little sister was caught turning around to laugh at the camera as well.

The utter cuteness level displayed in the picture made Louise's heart melt, but she moved on to the next few pictures, admiring the happy smiles in each picture. There were some of Kyrone as well, as the Head Butler that she knew well in the Crawford household appeared to be someone else entirely smiling genuinely back at her through the picture frame. Admiring the pictures of the Reyes family came to a stop at the last picture of the family taking a picture by the beach, behind a sandcastle that was probably built by joint effort.

What perked Louise's faint curiosity was a piece of white paper that was wedged beneath the vase, most of it hidden. Louise figured she would not have spotted the edge of the paper poking out from underneath the vase if she hadn't been looking closely at the pictures, but still reached forwards to pull it out just in case Karima Reyes had wanted it, but couldn't find it beneath the vase.

Turning the small paper around, Louise was surprised to find it to be actually a picture of young Kyrano standing alone before a paddy field, smiling gently to the camera. It was the only photo with a solo shot of the butler she knew well who was probably ten at the time of the shot.

Louise was about to return the photograph back underneath the vase when she spied a small handwriting in a corner of the photograph.

Do you love the son you named Keyron, Mother?

Keyron? Louise wondered briefly about what the words could have meant. The handwriting on the photograph did not seem like Kyrano's –that much Louise knew.

But the boy in the photograph was definitely Kyrano when he was ten. She still remembered clearly how he had looked like when they were both ten years old, and the boy in the photograph smiling gently to the camera was him. Perhaps Kyrano's real name was Keyron?

Making a soft mental note to ask her butler about something new that she discovered about his family, Louise left the photograph back under the vase, a little more obvious this time, before she wandered off once more.