Chapter 17

Chapter 17
After waiting until everyone was asleep, Rory decided to go ahead with her plans to search through Mr. Lewis's studies for clues in the middle of the night. She was careful to be quiet as she made her way down the hallway. She stopped at the closed door, picking the locks with her hairpin before quietly opening it. Quickly setting the lantern she was holding on the table, she hurried to the closed cabinet to start looking.

When she opened the top layers, nothing seemed suspicious. They were merely files and papers related to the hospital. She had heard that Mr. Lewis had been responsible for managing the hospital after the death of Eren's parents. Rory groaned when nothing could be seen. Had she overthought everything? Scanning the room, she couldn't find anything suspicious. She picked up the lantern and got out from between the table and the chair she was stuck on.

On her way out, her body had collided with a book, which then fell to the ground. She didn't notice the book when she went inside the study. Rory placed the lantern back on the table. A picture dropped from it as she knelt down to pack the book. Eren's uncle and a person who resembled him could both be seen in the photograph. Rory believed the second man to be Eren's father. When she picked up the book to look through it, she set the picture down on the table.

Mr. Lewis was gay? As she continued to read the note, a little gasp left Rory's mouth.

The man she saw was therefore his partner, and perhaps he felt humiliated to see him in the open.

She understood why he had met the man in secret. No one in the town that includes Sections A to C could accept that kind of love. Perhaps they would in the bigger city.

Rory was unable to continue reading. She feared getting caught. All along, she had not been right. Mr. Lewis posed no threat to Eren. Instead, he was a man who was actually in love with another man. He was a man who couldn't see his lover in public and was ashamed of what people would say if they found out.

Rory made sure to get up early the following morning to take care of Eren, which surprised Eren that she could come to get him ready for breakfast early. He had anticipated her tardiness and was prepared to yell at her.

At the dinner table, she couldn't stop thinking as she observed Mr. Lewis eating his meal. She shivered when the thought of him being gay crossed her mind. Everyone ought to be able to love whomever they choose. Nobody should be denied the freedom to stay away from the person they love just to appease the wider community.

"Young master, I hope you have a good day today." Before stepping away from the table, Mr. Lewis stood up from the chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Eren didn't start speaking until after he had finished eating. "I'll be getting ready to leave the mansion and go for a walk. Visiting parks and listening to the lake's sounds were two of my favorite childhood activities. I missed it. In a very long time, I haven't heard any kid sounds.”

He was referring to the time when he was a young boy and Mr. Lewis took him for a stroll. At that time, he had lost his vision and made a scene. He’d complained that he wanted to leave the mansion and eat some ice cream outside the building, despite Mr. Lewis' suggestion that he could have anything he wanted inside the mansion. Right after that, he’d also asked for a dog, and the saddest part for him was that he'd received the ice cream but not the dog.

Mr. Lewis would say. "If you can't see what is wrong with it, you won't be able to take care of it and it could die." Referring to his blindness, Eren never asked again. He had thought about the health of the dog he wanted. He had to follow his butler's orders considering that he didn't want to be the cause of a dog's death.

As he aged, however, his butler was no longer able to keep him safe outside the mansion. He had doubled the security at the mansion and educated him at home. Mr. Lewis made sure to hire lecturers from prestigious universities so they could teach Eren everything he needed to know about medicine.

“And what made you stop going?” asked Rory.

“Mr. Lewis claimed that it was for my own good. I had to remain in the mansion for my own safety.”

“Young master, you are an adult now. I believe you ought to get a dog. I've heard that dogs are both people's best friends and their companions.”

Eren could hear the excitement in her voice. She appeared joyful.

"Since you woke me up this morning, I've noticed you've been excited. Has something interesting happened?”

Rory was unable to inform Eren that his butler was gay and that her doubts about him were not true. She wouldn't like the results if Eren discovered she was looking around in his butler's office. She kept everything she had found to herself. She could only continue working at the mansion in this way.

"Not at all. Just getting ready for the day. Eren held out his hand, and Rory took it. As soon as Eren stood up, she led him back to his room. Eren was about to climb into bed when she uttered a word that caused him to stop. “Does Mr. Lewis know that you're leaving the mansion?”

“Does he need to be aware?” Eren spoke over his shoulder.

Rory shook her head. “No, young master.”

"You work for me here. What I say must be followed. Nobody outside there has ever seen me. If I told Mr. Lewis I wanted to take a walk outside the mansion, he would object. And if he finds out that I left the mansion, you are dead.” He let out a breath. "You understand what I'm trying to convey to you. Don't you?”

“Do you intend to leave secretly without his knowledge?” asked Rory.

“You are a smart girl, I must say.”

which she was aware of.

"I don't believe that's possible,"

“What makes that impossible to do?”

“Young Master, the guards. How could you avoid being seen as you pass them by?”

Her statement perplexed Eren. He needed to inquire. "Who said I'd be traveling by myself?"

“You mean to say that I will accompany you?" asked Rory. “I-I don't think I can pull that off. I mean, I'm your maid, and if you die, so will I, but young master, I think we should let him know. There are still enemies out there.”

Eren sat on the mattress. He smirked and said, "You are afraid.”

She is, of course. Who among us is not afraid of dying? She was terrified of dying in addition to Mr. Lewis firing her after learning that she had left the mansion with him. It alarmed her that Eren wasn't. She just wanted to give him a little bit of hope so he could start to fear again.

She stumbled, saying, "Y-young master. I still believe we should…”

"Go get my coat, and help me figure out how to get us out of here. You also cannot wear that dress.” She was unable to finish her sentence before he interrupted to mention her uniform.

Rory checked herself out. "Apart from this, I don't have any other clothes. You established the rules stating that we couldn't bring any other clothing into the mansion.”

Eren agreed and nodded. "That's why you're going to wear one of mine. You ought to be able to see the appropriate one.”

“One of yours?” She walked up to the closet and flipped the door open. “One of yours?” Again, she questioned.
She looked through his closet and picked out the black coat. Even though all of his clothing appeared to be too big for him, Rory made sure to choose a fit that she thought would look better on her.

She approached Eren and helped him into his coat. The clothes were indeed too big for her when she went into his bathroom to get dressed, but she had no other option. She had to follow her boss's orders and carry out his requests. Right now, all she needs to do is devise a stealthy escape route for herself and Eren from the mansion.

Caroline came to Rory's mind. Since the previous day, she had not spoken with or seen her friend. If she told Caroline, she would convince her otherwise.

She exited the restroom and moved to the door, opening it just enough for her to peek out so she could determine how many people she would need to pass by in order to successfully exit the mansion.

Eren grinned menacingly. He was already making her experience the suffering he wanted her to. She needed to fear him so that she wouldn't believe he was treating her any differently than other maids.