After being forced to reveal my status screen to Mavis, she was currently leaning in her chair with a heavy expression, sipping on a cup of my blood while staring at me. Obviously, I was also required to explain all of my skills, traits, and titles to her, including my Class, which left her very shocked, after all, she hadn't spoken for several minutes.
As she finished her cup, I outstretched my hand, cutting my wrist just above it, refilling her cup, and prompting her to continue drinking it. The only thing about me that was still secretive was Zartha and Trina; besides that, she knew next to everything about my strengths.
"Alexander. Could you escape from me?" Slowly, Mavis narrowed her eyes at me, the aura around her turning increasingly dangerous. Mavis was smarter than I, but I would be stupid not to realize what she was thinking; if she discovered that I could escape from her, she'd most likely kill me right here.
She's learned all of my strength, so she knows just how dangerous I could, no, I will become in the future, and she's probably worried I'd return to enact my revenge. 'Such a cautious woman.' I folded my arms, staring at Mavis while her mana filled the room, worsening my own mana control.
"If I could escape from you, Mistress. You'd most likely be dead already." Mavis continued to silently stare at me, only for her gaze to soften, her mana to retract, and her dangerous aura to dissipate. "Fufu, is that so? That must mean you have more things hidden from me." I remained unmoved, but I was sweating internally.
'Such a stupid move, Master.' 'Yeah, why did you say all that, Master? Such a stupid Master.' 'Shut it, you two!' Internally yelling at Zartha and Trina, mainly the latter, I continued looking at Mavis, who downed the cup before slowly rising to her feet. "For that, I'll have to punish you… Marston, the leash."
Instantly, I narrowed my eyes, glaring at Marston, who reached into his jacket, retrieved a black leash, and handed it to Mavis. "Um, Mistress, I don't think punishment is necessary? I've listened to you, have I not?" It was a prick at my pride to act so subservient to my captor, but if it were to avoid what was to come, I'd gladly do it; however, unfortunately for me, Mavis ignored my words.
"Kneel." Scoffing, I folded my arms and averted my gaze, refusing to kneel, though that only caused the temperature to drop by a few degrees as I felt several tendrils gently rub against my body. "Don't make me repeat myself for a third time, my pet. Kneel." Glancing at her, Mavis's cold expression, I gritted my teeth, glaring defiantly at her.
In response, several blood-tendrils instantly hardened, hovering a few feet from me while a cruel, practically sadistic, smile made its way onto her face. "Se-" "Tch, FINE!" Swatting away the blood tendrils that were probably moments away from skewering me, I approached Mavis and kneeled, causing her cruelty to vanish, but her sadistic smile remained.
"What a bad pet." Leaning down, Mavis hooked the leash onto my collar, causing me to flex in anger. "On all-fours." Leaning forward, I pressed my hands onto the floor, while fingers dug into the wood; Mavis grabbed my hair, yanking it back, forcing me to look up at her. "Gentle, pet." Snorting in response, she released me before plopping onto my back, using me as a seat.
"Marston, the door." "Yes, Mistress." As Marston opened the door, Mavis pulled the leash, tightening the collar. "Walk, my pet. Do a loop around the Estate." Furious and deeply humiliated, I reluctantly crawled out of the room and down the hallway; it wasn't long until we reached a busier part of the mansion.
I crawled past servants and knights; none of the servants seemed to care about my situation. The non-demonic servants, Elves, humans, and beast-kin, just looked at me with pity, as for the vampire and demon servants ignored me almost entirely, treating me almost as invisible as I crawled down the hall. The Knights were the same; they didn't laugh, snicker, or mock me; it was complete indifference. They would bow to Mavis and continue with their duty.
Honestly, the reactions slightly eased me, but it also made me realize the demons and vampires genuinely viewed other species as beneath them; they didn't react to me crawling through the Estate, as to them, this was how they naturally viewed us. To them, it was only right; it was the natural order of things.
'Just like Asckbon and Nesmo… Terrible places.' Scoffing, I continued the crawl of shame, going through kitchens, random rooms, outside through the front courtyard and the back garden, and a few more places before finally ending it by returning to Mavis's office over an hour later.
"A refreshing ride, you're a glorious pet, Alexander." Mavis stood up from my back, gently slapping my cheek while unhooking the leash, prompting me to stand up in silence. "Marston, today onwards, teach Alexander." "Yes, Mistress."
Nodding, Mavis promptly entered her office, leaving me with Marston, who immediately turned around and walked down the hallway we'd just come from. "Follow. I will teach you to be the Mistress's attendant in one week." Reluctantly, I followed him, my hands in my pockets as I did so. 'Hmph, it's just tea and being obedient; like I'd need one week for that.'
___
___
A Month Later
So, it turned out, being an attendant wasn't as one-dimensional as I'd first thought. I was required to learn the layout of the mansion, a given, how to speak, how to bow, how to dress, and how to behave; however, those were just the simple stuff.
I was also forced to learn to schedule Mavis's day, to deal with the allocation of resources and supplies for the manor, to direct other servants, to check around the manor, and to ensure things are being done correctly; I also have to deal with corruption, spies, and other matters of a similar nature.
To learn all of that in merely one week, I wasn't allowed to sleep; every waking moment I spent doing something, whether it was learning from Marston, putting what I learned into practice, or tending to Mavis.
Because of my status as a Human, none of the other Vampires welcomed me; to them, it was like an ant telling them what to do. However, that was an easy fix; besides Marston and Mavis, no one else was dangerous. Sure, the Captain of Mavis's knight order was pretty strong, but it wasn't quite on the level of Marston and I.
So, after proving my strength, beating a few of them up, they finally started listening to me; I may still have been an ant to them, but I was an ant bigger than them, one they had no hopes of defeating.
'I hope everyone is doing okay back at home.' Slicking my hair back, I gently knocked on the door before entering. "Mistress, dinner." Softly closing the door behind me, I carried the tray to Mavis and transferred the food over to her desk, causing her to finally raise her head from her papers.
"Smells good. Since you arrived, it's my first time eating regularly." Faintly smiling, Mavis leaned forward, grabbed the sandwich, and took a bite. "Your praises are unnecessary, Mistress." Bowing slightly, I backed away and rolled my sleed up, before cutting my wrist, an act I've gotten incredibly good at, pouring my blood into a cup for her to drink.
"Your culinary skills are incredible, but this is what I truly want." Licking her lips, Mavis grabs the cup, taking a long sip, drinking nearly half of it, causing her to shudder in delight before shifting her focus back to her sandwich.
"You received a letter from Quvan, Mistress." Reaching into my breast pocket, I handed a letter to Mavis, who waved her hand, signalling for me to read it to her. Opening the letter, I read its contents: three pages of stuff I cared little about. To sum it all up, Quvan had submitted to Mavis, joined her faction, and was moving as she desired, fortifying her footing for the battle for the throne.
"Fufu, you see that, Alexander. That is why your blood is so important. After just a sip of your blood, Quvan is now unable to survive without it; he's become addicted to it." Using a handkerchief to wipe her face, Mavis twirled her cup. "Well, I've always been told I'm tasty." "Hehe. I should punish you for that, but your sense of humor is quite appealing. Marston is pleasant, but he's like a wet brick."
"A wet brick can have a sense of humor." "Oh, is that so?" "Yes, Mistress. They just need to tell dry jokes." "... That pun was terrible. I am punishing you for that." "It was worth a try, Mistress."