(Part 2)

He walked with steady steps towards the Master's Office, certainty only in his steps. He had been here for the most of his life, and there was nothing to be afraid about. He had worked and now deserved where he stood. The short trip away from the Main House had been a welcome distraction, and he had enjoyed himself very much with his lady and the growing man-to-be. Hiding a smile within himself at the recent memory, careful to keep his emotions hidden and separated from his duty, he continued his relatively undisturbed journey to his master's office.

He knocked on the door politely, and waited patiently for the calling reply. He was not sure if his master was expecting him, for he had not informed his master of the exact time of his return. Perhaps the Head of the house was busy in matters?

"Come in." The light-hearted call interrupted his pondering, and he opened the door, stepping in and bowing quickly at the sight of his master standing behind the desk.

"Ah, you're back just in time." The smile that greeted him was warm and welcoming, and he struggled not to smile at the same face that he had watched grow up, even while he grew up as well.

"I hope you did not miss me too much." He replied seriously, but both of them understood the tease behind his stern words. His master, after all, had grown up to be rather reliant on him, and he had heard of how his master was usually rather grumpy whenever he had to take a break to go back to his own home. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that his master's reliance on him made him proud of his achievements –that he had served his master well enough that he was becoming irreplaceable.

But it was not supposed to be in a butler's role to be irreplaceable, and thus he refused to let himself get complacent.

"Oh, to bits. You filled my every thought every waking moment." The reply made was sarcastic, and he looked up just in time to see a playfully sarcastic roll of eyes. "My thinking of you aside, you're just in time to attend to my dinner. I'm having it with Oscar today."

"Master Oscar has come for a visit?" He answered with surprise. "Did he send a letter?"

"Right after you left." His master answered, as he stepped forwards to the desk to clean it up now that it was obvious that he had caught his master in the act of preparing to leave the office. "It is rather rare that he decides to visit, so I cleared some time to tend to him personally. We've both been rather busy recently."

"Yes." He agreed with his master. "It was rather worrying when we heard rumours about his involvement with Italian mafia, was it not? It is much a relief that he was cleared of any connections to them."

"Yes, and it is also a good time to see how much he has changed since the last I saw him. Come on, Kyrone. Let us make haste."

"Certainly." He answered as he stacked the last of the files on the corner of the table neatly, ready to be tended once more when his master returned to the office again.

"How is Karima? Is she doing well?" Luca asked conversationally as they took their walk casually along the corridor towards the dining hall. Had Kyrone known that his master's little brother was coming over for a visit, Kyrone would have personally attended to Master Oscar's comfort before coming to fetch the Head of the household. Still, Kyrone hoped that the stand-in butler for him while he was absent was trained enough to have been attending Master Oscar when he found his own master.

"She is doing very well. She is still the same." Kyrone answered, a little grateful that his master cared enough about his wife to ask. Kyrone had met many other masters of different households, and had seen the way the Head Butlers were treated. Kyrone dared to say that Luca's treatment of him was perfect and flawless. It could be attributed to the fact that they had quite literally stayed by each other's side as they grew up, learning every bit about each other as they did. In fact, Kyrone didn't doubt that his master knew more about his body than his own wife did.

"And your young prodigy?" Luca continued with distant interest, and this time Kyrone could not resist his outward smile. Still, he did his best to tone it down to something more polite and acceptable for a butler of his status.

"Kyrano has displayed a surprising aptitude at butlerhood at his young age during this visit home." Kyrone announced, hoping he didn't sound too boastful. "He has already memorized most of the rules that a butler must follow, and seem to display a complete understanding majority of them."

There was a distant sound of surprise from Luca, and Kyrone turned to look at his master to make sure that nothing had cropped up all of a sudden. What the Head Butler saw, instead, was the man smiling with pride.

"A perfect little Reyes butler in the making, I see." Luca patted his shoulder as they walked side by side to the dining hall. "Do bring him over to play sometimes. I'd like a reminder of what you were like in the past."

"It wouldn't be very appropriate to have him coming here to play when he will be serving this household in the future." Kyrone observed, but Luca simply shook his head.

"Nonsense. He is just three years old. Besides, Louise needs a companion. It would be good for her to meet her butler-in-the-making early and get to know him well as a play-mate first."

Kyrone was the one making the sound of surprise this time as he stopped walking on instincts. Luca, sensing the surprised stop that his butler had made, stopped a step ahead as well, turning back with a curious glance.

"You plan to have Kyrano serving Louise as her butler?" The Head Butler clarified, and the simple honest matter-of-fact nod of head that replied him warmed his heart in ways more than one.

"It is natural in the family, is it not?" Luca answered, as if not understanding his surprise. "A son of Reyes must serve Crawford. A young boy of Reyes will serve the young master or mistress of Crawford at a young age. That was you and me years ago, and it'll be Kyrano serving Lousie soon."

"Yes, but I didn't..." Kyrone drifted off a little, struggling to find the most appropriate words to explain himself. "I did not expect you to accept my son in serving your daughter, considering the last time you saw Kyrano was while he was still an infant."

Luca chuckled, then turned and continued on his walk, clearly expecting his butler to follow along as well.

"Well, he looked like you back then, and he has you for a father. He's going to make a good butler for Louise. There's no doubt for that." Luca continued.

While it was rather rude to be talking about his own son to his master, and while it was terribly inappropriate of him to boast about his son at this timing, Kyrone still found himself giving a rueful smile to his master's back, though Luca did not turn around to catch it.

"Yes, there is little doubt that Little Kyrano will grow up to be a fine butler."

"As will your angel in the Greaves family. I just got off the phone recently with Henry Greaves. It seems like Brandon and your little one are doing just fine."

The suddenly reminder from his master made Kyrone hesitate a little. Of course his master knew about the second twin baby that he and his wife had sent away to the Greaves family. In fact, it had been Luca who had recommended that family to him when Kyrone had been searching desperately for a place that would both accept and would be willing to treat a one-week old infant well. Luca had accompanied with Kyrone and Karima's lie of Keyron not being able to survive the infection that the newborn had contracted shortly after birth, and sympathised with the parents when they had to send their own flesh and blood away from the family, disowning the young child even before he knew his own name.

"It is good to hear." Kyrone agreed, but his statement was simply not enough to describe the gratitude that he had for his master. It was hard to hear had it been anyone else, but Luca understood Kyrone's simple sentence immediately.

"I hope you don't mind me giving the young one a toy to remember me by." Luca continued as they made their walk towards the dining hall.

"You didn't have to." Kyrone expressed quickly with alarm.

"But I wanted to." Luca half-turned to face his butler with a small smile. "And when Kyrano comes over, I'd like to give him the other half. It'll be nice that the both of them have something similar to play with even if they might be far apart."

"You don't have to put in so much effort for them." Kyrone begged, too humbled to accept, but innately wanting Keyron to receive something nice because he simply couldn't give the young one a gift even if he wanted to. After all, Kyrone had promised to cut off all ties from his son when he promised Keyron to the Greaves. He could never recognise his son as long as he lived, and that meant he couldn't give Keyron any gifts for no good reason.

"You and I have grown up together since we were 5." Luca replied with a pat on his butler's shoulder. "Your sons are mine as well. Perhaps they do not hold the surname Crawford, but in my eyes, they are already family."

"Luca, you shouldn't." Kyrone's words escaped his lips before he could catch himself, then bit his lip in hopes that his master hadn't caught his words. Unfortunately for him, Luca did as the man replied with a voracious grin that suddenly reminded both of them of brighter days; of easier lives and more smiles between them.

"Shouldn't it be 'Master Luca' for you, my stupid butler?"

"I apologise." He rushed to reply with a short blush of embarrassment, but Luca only laughed and thumped him on the back, finally reaching the end of the long corridor and emerging to the dining hall.

"Apologise? What for? That's why you're here aren't you? You are more than a butler, you're my best friend."

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"No." Luca repeated with finality in his tone, and Kyrone recognised that his best friend and master was serious in everything that he was saying now. None of the joking and laughing man that had accompanied him here was around anymore, and all that was left was the clear Head of the Crawford Household as he repeated a sharp, "No."

"You're not thinking about this clearly, Luca." The man who had the luxury of sharing the dinner with his master sat to the right of Luca at the dining table, food barely touched. It was quickly becoming clear to Kyrone that Luca's little brother had come to visit for reasons more than simply updating himself with the Master. The dinner was not turning out as how Luca had initially thought it would be, and Kyrone himself was suppressing his frown at the visitor. "Evers Construction is suffering not only from financial fault, but their fault lies down in the core of their management. The people there are perfectly incapable of running a company. If we do not absorb them, then it is only a matter of time before they are absorbed by someone else, and we will be losing out on saving much more costs in the future!"

"Then do you consider yourself having thought of it clearer than I have? If you consider the management incapable, then can you tell me why? On what grounds have you heard of such news? I have had Kyrone go down personally to assess the workings and the members in the management, and I am assured that there is nothing wrong with the people. They simply happen to have met into a series of bad luck, and they are only waiting for someone to help them out of their rut." Luca answered with grating patience –so much that even Kyrone could almost hear the man biting out his words. It was easy to see that this intense talk about business was ruining the master's appetite, but Kyrone could not interfere because the man was arguing with his little brother, and Kyrone had long agreed that he would allow the brothers to argue whenever they did.

Unfortunately, it happened rather often during their growing up years and Kyrone had watched the arguments of the brothers cover a variety of issues that changed along with the years. It spoke for a rather tiring communication between the two, but it still appeared to him that his master was still trying his best to connect with his little brother despite the obvious fact that Oscar did not share the same sentiments.

"Well, my people told me that the son of the president was embezzling the company funds, and that most of the management staff was in the loop. The president covered up for the embezzlement to prevent public shame, but it meant that the company now officially has not enough money to fund its own operation." Oscar argued, not even trying to pretend to be engaged in his food now that his hands were completely off the utensils that had been laid out nicely before him.

"Kyrone." The sharp order had the butler stepping forth from his position behind his master's seat so that he now stood by his master's side. "Report to Oscar what you reported to me about the Evers."

"As you wish, Master Luca." Kyrone gave a short bow to show that he understood, then turned to face the obviously unhappy expression of the younger brother.

"Master Oscar, upon orders from Master Luca, I went down for a surprise visit to the Evers Construction's Headquarters without warning in hopes to catch them off-guard. Firstly posing as a customer, I made basic enquiries and had myself speaking to the higher management with my demands. They appeared to know exactly what they were talking about, and are rather well-informed of the market trends. When I expressed afterwards that I was actually an investor looking to place my funds into the company, I was referred to the son of the president, Mr Suoh Ever. I asked him for a copy of his company's credential and credibility and questioned him carefully upon the management of his company. It is only after I have made everything clear, and satisfied that Mr Suoh has met the capabilities of an heir to the company, I revealed my identity and asked to meet the president, Mr Saori Ever. I assure you that they are upright individuals, Master Oscar."

It was completely easy to see that Oscar was completely unimpressed by his lengthy description, for the doubt on his face did not change at all throughout the entire explanation. It was clear that Oscar definitely did not trust him, but to Kyrone, that hardly mattered.

Having made himself useful, Kyrone bowed politely once more and resumed his position behind his master as a way of gesturing that they should continue the conversation where it had stopped.

"I trust my men." Oscar declared, and Kyrone didn't even have to look to know that Luca's face had simply gone icy.

"And I trust Kyrone." The reply was so simple and yet held so much truth that Kyrone did his best to suppress the surge of gratitude that rose through him. While he did know that his master trusted him to do things, hearing it said aloud in vindication to someone who would question his trustworthiness was much different from simply assuming the knowledge.

"And I'm telling you that you will be losing out if you don't seize this opportunity, Luca. Take over the company and name it under another of Crawford's various company. You will save much more costs in the future when you build other headquarters." Oscar insisted, easily glossing over the root of the argument –whether who was the real person to trust in the situation.

"And I'm telling you, Oscar, for one last time: No. Do not let me repeat it again."

"But-"

"I am the Head of the Crawford family." Luca interrupted the imminent protest with a glare of warning to his younger brother. Kyrone knew how much his master hated using his birthright and title in subduing arguments, but whenever Luca pulled that trick out of his hat, there were very few people in the world who could say no to that. "I will decide what is best for the family, and I say that extending financial help and gaining their trust is better than doing a hostile takeover."

Kyrone knew that the sour relationship between the brothers had only gotten worse when Luca rested the utensils he had clutched tightly in his hands loudly on the table and stood up.

"I'm sorry that this dinner could not have been more pleasant than I thought it would be. I will see you some other day, Oscar." Luca announced with obvious displeasure, though there was a hint of disappointment that Kyrone detected –only because the faithful butler knew how to detect it. Kyrone knew that his master was rather sad that his effort of clearing his schedule to meet up with Oscar had not ended well, but it was nothing that he as a butler could do. Matters between the brothers were out of his hand –Luca had already made it clear when they were mere teenagers. After all, boys always fought for attention.

The only problem was that now both 'boys' had grown up into men, and still the fighting was going on.

Quite unfortunately, there was nothing that Kyrone could do anymore as he bowed hastily to Master Oscar, chasing after his master, who had stomped off.