A yelp escaped his lips, as a fresh wave of pain shot up from the cuts.
The maid instantly recoiled further, her face paling.
"Eeek! My apologies, Young Master! I-I am terribly sorry!"
She stammered, looking utterly terrified.
Ethan gritted his teeth as the throbbing pain flared.
He wanted to shout, but caught himself.
"Dammit, clumsy! And now she looks even more terrified."
Ethan wanting to calm the maid and himself, tries to force a reassuring, if slightly pained, smile and his teeth gritting slightly because of the pain.
"It's... it's alright."
He repeated, his voice still a little strained.
"Hmm..."
He paused, making it seem like he was trying to recall something.
"Now, what was your name again?"
Trying to sound casual, like a noble who simply had too many servants to keep track of.
"Time to get some basic intel."
He thought, hoping she will be helpful for him.
The maid's eyes, already wide with fright, blew even wider.
A deep tremor ran through her, causing her to visibly shiver.
She answered his question, but her voice was a thin, desperate whisper, thick with terror.
"E-Elara Dale, Young Master! My name is Elara Dale!"
"P-Please, I-I beg you! I swear I did not mean to! It was an accident!"
"Please don't punish me! I will be more careful! I-I will do anything, just please, please don't—"
Her voice cracked, and she slammed her head to the floor, her watery eyes squeezed shut, unable to meet his gaze as she continued her desperate pleas.
She clearly thought his question about her name was going to lead with a punishment.
Ethan stared, bewildered. His forced smile faltered, replaced by a look of stunned dismay.
"What... What in the world did this guy do to her?"
The realization of the true depth of the previous owner's cruelty, and the immediate complication it presented for his 'information gathering' plan, hit him hard.
He hadn't just inhabited a body, he inherited a reputation.
He quickly recovered, shaking his head slightly.
"No, no, Elara, it's fine,"
He said, trying to infuse warmth into his voice, but it likely sounded awkward.
He even reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
Elara flinched violently at the touch, her body tensing as if struck.
But then, feeling only a light, gentle pressure, she slowly, cautiously lifted her head.
Her watery eyes, wide and bewildered, met his for a long second, a mix of profound fear and utter confusion swirling within them.
The Young Master had never touched her like this, not gently.
Seeing no immediate anger from him, she hesitantly lowered her head again, though not back to the floor.
Her hands, though still a little shaky, moved with renewed urgency and extreme caution. She gently, almost gingerly, lifted his injured left foot again, this time supporting it firmly with both hands as she repositioned it carefully on her knee.
Her eyes, wide and focused, stared intently at the cuts on his sole.
Then, with a deep breath to steady herself, she carefully uncorked the shimmering red vial.
The liquid inside seemed to shine with glitter, casting a faint, warm glow on her fingers.
With utmost precision, she slowly, deliberately, poured about half of its contents directly onto the cuts on his sole.
The moment the shimmering red liquid touched the tender sole of his foot, Ethan felt a sharp sting from each tiny wound, exactly like the searing sensation of alcohol being poured onto an open cut.
He instinctively tensed, but before he could react further, his foot began to glow with a faint, soft red light.
To his utter amazement, the minuscule shards of glass still embedded in his skin slowly, visibly, began to pop out one by one, shimmering faintly before falling onto the polished floor with tiny, almost inaudible clicks.
As they detached, the bleeding from his cuts gradually, steadily stopped.
He watched in silent wonder as the magic worked, but noticed that while the bleeding ceased and the shards were expelled, the wounds themselves did not completely close, they were still shallow, reddish lines on his skin.
After carefully making sure every last shard had left the sole of his foot, Elara wasted no time.
She reached for a clean, white cloth from the metal tray beside her, soaking it thoroughly with the clear water that carried a distinct herbal scent.
With delicate precision, she carefully cleaned his sole, wiping away the remaining trickles of blood and gently cleansing the slightly open wounds.
Once his foot was clean, she expertly unfurled the roll of clean white bandages.
Her movements became fluid and practiced as she began to carefully and precisely apply the bandage, wrapping it neatly around his injured foot.
As she finished securing the bandage on his first foot, Elara gently lowered it to the floor.
She then looked up at Ethan, her gaze still tentative, and spoke in a quiet, deferential tone.
"Young Master" she said, her voice careful.
"May I proceed to tend to your other foot? It is still bleeding."
"Alright."
Ethan replied while still observing her.
The instant healing was impressive, even if not perfect.
He gestured subtly to his other foot.
Without a word, Elara quickly and perfectly repeated the entire process on his right foot.
Again, the familiar sting, the faint glow, the tiny shards popping out, and the slow stop of bleeding.
Again, the careful cleaning with the herbal-scented water and the precise application of a fresh, clean bandage.
She moved with efficiency and skill that contradicts her earlier nervousness and terror.
Once both feet were carefully bandaged and resting comfortably, Ethan leaned back in the plush armchair, a genuine, if small, smile touching his lips this time.
"Elara," he said, his voice softer, "that was... done amazingly."
"Your hands are very skilled, thank you."
Elara froze, her head snapping up, her eyes wide with open surprise.
Her cheeks flushed a light pink, and she stammered.
"O-oh! T-thank you, Young Master! I... I merely did my duty, sir. Y-you are too kind."
She quickly looked away, clearly unaccustomed to such direct praise.
"Hahaha.."
Ethan chuckled softly at her reaction, a faint, amused smile playing on his lips.
It was clear this body's previous owner had been quite the terror.
But his gaze then drifted around the room, taking in the chaotic scene of shattered glass, stained sheets, and spilled wine.
A grimace showed his face. He still smells of vomit and stale alcohol, and the lingering discomfort of the hangover, though lessened, was still present.
"Right," he said, pushing himself to stand up.
"I need to take a bath. A long one."
He then looked back at Elara, offering her a more natural, gentle expression.
While gesturing vaguely around the messy room Ethan said;
"Elara, could you please clean this place up? It's... quite the mess, isn't it?"
Elara's eyes widened, and she straightened up instantly.
"Yes, Young Master! Of course! Immediately!"
Elara's voice is filled with a renewed eagerness to please, almost forgetting her fear in her master just to fulfill the request.
As Ethan slowly began to rise from the armchair, careful of his newly bandaged feet, he paused.
Just before heading towards what he assumed was the bathroom door, he turned back to Elara, a soft concern in his tone.
"And Elara, please be careful with the glass shards. Don't cut yourself."
Because Elara was particularly weak to compliments and acts of care, even a simple warning like that from her Young Master was overwhelming.
Her face, already a light pink, flushed a deep reddish hue, and she instantly averted her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
"Y-yes, Young Master! I will!"
She stammered, her voice still a little breathless.
She then quickly, almost frantically, turned and headed towards the door.
"I'll go get the necessary cleaning equipment for the room!"
She said while disappearing through the doorway with remarkable speed.
As Elara's hurried footsteps faded down the hall, Ethan let out a soft, amused chuckle.
"Man, she really thought I was going to beat her earlier when she dropped my foot on the floor."
This 'Young Master' must have been a real piece of work.
He'd initially just reacted instinctively to try and calm her down, but he now recognized the profound impact of his unexpected kindness.
The subtle shift in her demeanor, from cowering terror to surprised deference, was fascinating.
He decided, then and there, to push it a little further.
It was, in a way, like a game, a little social experiment.
By continuing to lighten what seemed to be a very detached and dark connection between the original body he inhabited and his maid, he might gain her trust, and with it, crucial information to understand anything around him.
A small, almost mischievous smile touched his lips as he pushed open the bathroom door.
He had a lot to figure out, but first, a shower. A long, hot, glorious shower.
***
/I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If its alright, please drop a comment or a powerstone to help me keep making this world bigger!