“Hey, bro, how about you being my escort instead?”
Rose’s words sounded, causing not only dreadful expressions to surface from Karas, even fear!
“You… want me… to be your escort?” Karas couldn’t help but ask.
Rose nodded her head innocently with wide clear blue eyes: “Sure, why not right?”
“You’re my brother, nothing wrong with that, but if you’re busy, I’ll try to search for somebody else.”
Karas choked for a bit as he tried to compose himself: “Aren’t you embarrassed dragging me along there?”
Rose tilted her head innocently as she looked at Karas: “Embarrassed? Why?”
Karas didn’t know how to explain it, but before he can even think of anything, Rose spoke: “Brother, if you’re asking me if I’m embarrassed about your physical appearance, don’t bother.”
“Just with you being able to have a deal with my father is already enough to prove that you’re more qualified than those young masters out there that could only rely on their family’s influence and wealth.”
“I’d rather be escorted by someone like you than being escorted by people like them.”
“If they can only brag something that they’ve not worked hard for, then, they aren’t that much different than a homeless person being taken care of?” With her two little hands on her waist, she said with a voice filled with dignity.
Karas couldn’t help but be speechless for a while before laughing: “Interesting, well, since you want me as your escort, I’ll definitely be at your service.”
Rose chuckled, she nodded her head: “Nice! I’ll definitely wait for it!”
Karas nodded his head and left the father and daughter duo to their own: “Well, see you next time.”
Karas made his way out immediately after bidding his farewell to them.
Roan could only look as his daughter that blocked his path when he tried to escape: “Yes… how much do you need?”
Rose smiled: “I just need five.”
**
Karas made his way out, he decided to return to the mansion, for now, his priority is to slim down as much as possible, not to look great, but to fight better.
Arriving, Karas was immediately approached by the head maid Qoni: “Master, everything was settled properly, also, since the servants had been vacant yesterday, they decided to build something for you in the garden.”
Karas hearing this nodded his head, letting Qoni lead the way.
“Oh, a garden pavilion?” Karas couldn’t help but smile: “Thank the servants for me.”
Qoni smiled, she bowed and nodded her head: “As you wish, master.”
Remembering something, Karas brows lifted up, he pretended to take something out of his pocket before handing it over: “Right, Qoni, I have here a warm tea, I only need a full teapot, so you only need to use a single leaf.”
Qoni hearing it couldn’t help but tremble as she received the exquisite cylinder tea container, for a person that gives a hundred thousand gis like it’s nothing to say that she should only use one, it means, it’s extremely rare and also really expensive.
She nodded her head and immediately went inside.
Karas sat on the chair in the garden pavilion: “Maybe I should relax once in a while.”
He had been busy for a while now, and the only rest he got was from sleeping, he never had leisure time for himself since his rebirth. Deciding that, maybe, he can really do so, at least once in a while.
After fifteen minutes though, a strong aroma made its way to Karas, he couldn’t help but have his eyes open in shock: “This is… it’s kind of calming, is this the tea?”
Just like to answer his question, Qoni arrived with two maids behind her.
“Master, the tea is ready.” She placed the cylinder tea container with utmost care together with the tea set on the table.
Knowing the value of a tea without asking is the virtue of being old with experience.
Karas nodded his head: “Thank you, all of you can return now.”
“Yes.”
Karas grabbed the tea, a frown etched on his face as he sighed: “To give me these tea leaves rather than anything beneficial to me…”
Out of all the drinkable things in the world, he was given the one that he really didn’t like.
Karas sighed: “Maybe I can learn to love it at least.”
At the very least, even if he doesn’t drink it, he could make use of it as a calming aroma, more like an incents.
As he was absorbed into his own world, half an hour later, he heard some chattering just outside his mansion’s walls.
“It’s growing stronger here.”
“Uh, yes, I think so as well.”
Karas didn’t know what it was all about, but he tried to ignore it, but the commotion persisted instead.
“Ten, do you know who lives here? I think it’s coming from this mansion.”
“Grandpa, I think so as well, but we shouldn’t be bothering our neighbors for something this insignificant?”
“Insignificant your head!”
Toink! The grandfather seemed to have knocked on the boy’s head.
“This… Grandpa, I think it’s Roan who had bought this mansion.”
“Roan? That little kid? He wouldn’t know what I’m talking about even if I talk to him personally!”
“Go on and ask the guard if we can have a chat with the new owner.”
Hearing this, Karas didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, he sighed, looked at the gardener not far away from him: “Ah, can you help me relay an order? I need two teacups here, and kindly bring the two guests that… were talking earlier to me.”
The gardener also heard the two talking, he could only smile wryly at them and obeyed his order.
***
After a few minutes, the gardener arrived bringing the two guests over, the gardener immediately bowed and left them to do his work.
Seeing the two guests, Karas smiled: “Please take your seat.”
One is an old man while the latter at the age around 20~25, for some ‘unknown’ reason, the two of them were attracted to this place.
The old man smiled; he nodded his head and took a seat: “Thank you for receiving us although it was unannounced.”
The young man just stood behind the old man without saying anything.
Karas smiled at the old man: “To whom do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
The old man coughed a few times, seeing where Karas is sitting around now, he’d definitely heard the two of them earlier, he smiled awkwardly as he answered: “Truth be told, I was drawn by the smell of your tea.”
“My tea?” Karas couldn’t help but ask as he looked outside the walls before returning his gaze at the old man: “Was the smell too offending?”
“Offending?” The old man nearly keeled over, his arm slightly slipped from the arm chair, trying to steady his breathing before replying: “Ah, that wasn’t the case, actually, it’s too soothing, it calmed me even when I was a mile away, hence, I followed the smell to here.”
“Followed… the smell… here?” Karas was rendered speechless before he continued: “Are you a dog?”
“Pfft!” The young man couldn’t help but laugh, but before he could even notice, a cane flew over to his head.
The old man coughed a few times awkwardly: “No, well, you can see the other mansions as well, look for yourself.”
Karas looked, and yeah, it’s usually hot at this time of the day hence, all of the windows are usually closed and their air conditioners are all up and running, yet, today, all of the windows are actually opened.
The old man continued: “It’s because of the smell, it’s actually calming, soothing to one’s mind.”
Karas nodded his head, he then poured tea to the two teacups: “Then, I guess it must’ve been this tea of mine.”
Seeing this, the old man couldn’t help but smile, as the tea was poured, the aroma grew stronger, assaulting the duo’s noses. The old man took the teacup and sipped a tiny bit of tea, afraid that he’ll sip more and would have nothing left.
“Fine tea.” The old man couldn’t help but close his eyes, he savoured the smell as much as he can: “I’m already feeling regret for drinking this one teacup.” The old man couldn’t help but remark before drinking a few more sips.
Karas smiled, since he’s decided to take this day for leisure, he wasn’t in a rush to do anything, at all. Since two people decided to accompany him, he’s not in the rush to drive them away nor does he have the intention to do so.
The old man’s eyes brighten in shock, complete speechlessly at the flavor of the tea: “Such great tea…”
Slowly, warmness started to enter his body, from his throat down to his stomach, then, staying for a bit in his stomach before slowly spreading all over his body.
The old man couldn’t help but have his curved back straighten up: “This tea…”
The old man couldn’t speak after that, noting his behaviour, the young man behind him frowned and took the teacup.
Seeing this, the old man grabbed his hand with a glare like saying: ‘Omae wa mou shindeiru!’
The young man didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “This… grandpa, you can have it.”
Only after hearing those words that the grandpa finally calmed down and sipped on the other cup of tea, looking at tea with a glint on his eyes: ‘My precious…’
