It was early in the morning when Sir Harold called for me to come to the garden. I went straight to him, and when I arrived, he told me what needed to be done. I was to water the plants and clear away the dead leaves on the ground. I nodded and headed to the tool shed to get what I needed.
Inside the shed, I was surprised to see a small boy covered in oil. I asked what he was doing and why he looked like that. He was startled and quickly ran out of the shed. I couldn't just let him go, so I chased after him and eventually caught him. He looked scared and begged me not to tell Sir Lucas about what he had been doing.
Not long after, Sir Harold came running over. As soon as he saw the boy, he recognized him as Sir Brent Wilburton, the youngest master of the house. I was shocked. I had no idea that the boy I had just tackled was the young master. I quickly apologized, but Sir Brent only laughed and said what I did was fun.
Sir Harold explained that the young master was supposed to be asleep and never allowed to leave his room without his personal maids. They were assigned to him to keep him out of trouble. We soon learned that he had woken up early, escaped his room, and gone to explore the shed. He had tried to climb the shelf to reach something, but he knocked over a can of oil, and it spilled all over him.
Sir Brent apologized and even tried to make a deal with Sir Harold to avoid punishment, but Sir Harold was not in the mood to entertain him. Soon, the young master's personal maids arrived and apologized for losing track of him. They took him back to his room to wait for breakfast.
Sir Harold turned to me and apologized for the trouble. He said the young master always caused mischief. I told him it was alright and returned to my work. Sir Harold nodded and walked away.
After watering the plants and cleaning the garden, the bell rang. It meant it was time for the servants to eat. I went to the servants' dining area and ate a simple breakfast. Then I returned to the kitchen to clean my dishes.
Bethany found me there and gave me my next task. I was to do the laundry. She told me to go to the utility room and start at once. I followed her directions and got to work.
While I was washing clothes, I heard a splash. I ran to check and found Sir Brent again. He had jumped into the cask and was now soaking wet and covered in bubbles. His personal maids arrived moments later and scolded him for wetting his school uniform. They also reminded him that he was late.
But before they could take him back, he sat on the floor and said he did not want to go to school without me. Everyone was surprised. The maids told him he could not bring me because I was a slave and not assigned to go with him.
He began throwing a tantrum and begged to bring me along. Soon, Sir Harold arrived and asked what was going on. After hearing the situation, he turned to me and asked if I would be alright going with the young master. I nodded and said it was fine.
Sir Brent changed into a new uniform, and we waited by the carriage in the front yard. The ride to the school was quiet. It was my first time seeing such a place. The school was large and filled with noble children and their servants.
When we arrived, the young master ran off with his friends toward the school entrance. I stayed behind with the other servants in the waiting area. A while later, a teacher came and said the servant of Sir Brent Wilburton was needed at the headmaster's office. I followed her.
When I entered, I saw the young master sitting with a black eye. Another boy was beside him, bruised and looking nervous. I was confused until the headmaster asked me to sit. Shortly after, the other boy's servant arrived, clearly worried.
The headmaster explained what happened. The boys had been playing outside. Sir Brent wanted to climb a tree, but his friends said it looked dangerous. He went up anyway and called them cowards. One of his friends got upset and tried to climb after him. But when the boy grabbed a branch, it broke. Both of them fell.
The boy was scratched by the branches, and during the fall, he accidentally hit Sir Brent's eye with his elbow. Luckily, neither of them was seriously hurt.
Both boys apologized. The other maid accepted it kindly. I also apologized, feeling responsible, but she said it was alright. The headmaster warned them to be more careful. He told Sir Brent that he needed to behave and avoid getting into dangerous situations. It seemed this was not the first time something like this had happened.
As we were about to leave, the office door opened again. A man walked in wearing fine clothes. The room fell silent. Even the headmaster looked uneasy.
"Good afternoon, Sir Aurelius," the headmaster said carefully. "What brings you here?"
"I heard my son fell from a tree," the man replied. He looked at his bruised son and walked quickly toward him. Then he grabbed the boy's arm and yelled, asking why he had climbed the tree.
The boy's maid begged him not to be angry and said it was her fault. The man slapped her so hard she fell. I rushed to help her up.
"You useless woman," he shouted. "If you had done your job, this would not have happened."
Then he turned to Sir Brent. His face grew even angrier. "You," he said loudly. "You are the reckless son of that dead Wilburton."
He stepped forward and raised his hand. Without thinking, I moved between them and stood in front of the young master.
"You have no right to strike someone else's child," I said firmly.
He looked down at me and sneered.
"A slave talking back to me?" he said with disgust.
He raised his hand to strike me instead, but the headmaster quickly stepped in and told him to leave. He said the man was frightening the children and causing a scene.
Sir Aurelius looked ready to argue again, but then a woman entered the room. She spoke clearly and told him to leave. Just like that, his anger disappeared. He apologized to everyone and left the office, taking his son and the maid with him.
The woman turned to us and said she was sorry for what happened. She promised to make sure something like that would not happen again. I thanked her and quietly left the room. I did not ask who she was. All I wanted was to keep the young master safe and take him home.
The carriage arrived shortly after. We rode it back to the manor. When we returned, Sir Lucas was waiting outside. He rushed to Sir Brent and asked what happened. The young master proudly said he climbed a tree and fell.
Sir Lucas looked both worried and amused. He laughed and told the young master not to do it again. Then he looked at me and apologized for what happened.
I gave him a small smile and said, "The young master is just being himself."
Soon after, I was helping Bethany prepare dinner. As usual, I delivered the food to the Countess and checked the study room to see if the young lady had fallen asleep. I was on my way back to the kitchen when I noticed Sir Lucas, Sir Harold, and the young master's personal maid all standing together, looking worried.
I asked what had happened. Sir Lucas turned to me and said the young master had run away.
He explained that after we arrived home, he went to the young master's room to scold him for what happened at school. The young master got upset and started yelling back. Their argument grew louder until the young master began to cry. Then he kicked Sir Lucas out of the room and locked the door. Sir Lucas decided to give him space and left him alone.
Later, the young master's personal maid went to check on him, but when she opened the door, the room was empty. They searched all over the manor, inside and out, but he was nowhere to be found.
Sir Harold grew impatient and asked for updates. The maids told him they had searched everywhere but still could not find him. Sir Lucas overheard and asked if they had checked outside the manor grounds. They said they had, but there was still no sign of him.
That was when I arrived.
Sir Lucas decided we should search again, but this time we would split into groups and bring more servants to help. Sir Harold quickly organized everyone and divided us into teams of two. I was placed in a group with Sir Lucas.
Then we all set out in different directions to find the young master.
It had been an hour. Sir Lucas was starting to grow impatient. He stopped walking and began to think about where the young master might go if he were in his shoes. Then he remembered a place their late father used to bring them after long and stressful days. It was a lake hidden deep within the forest.
Without saying another word, Sir Lucas suddenly ran off in that direction. I followed him as quickly as I could.
When we arrived, the lake looked beautiful. The water was calm, the stars above reflected softly on its surface, and the quiet sound of crickets filled the air. The peaceful scene was soon broken by a sound. We heard someone crying.
It was the young master.
Sir Lucas rushed to him and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"I'm sorry for making you cry. Please don't ever run away like that," he said with a trembling voice.
The young master cried in his arms. The two of them stayed there for a while, holding each other as they let their emotions out.
After they calmed down, they sat by the lake and talked. It took them about half an hour before they finally decided to go home and have dinner together.
We began walking back toward the manor.
When we entered, there was a woman standing on the stairway. It was the Countess. She had overheard that the young master had gone missing and had gotten up out of worry. As always, she looked pale and fragile, as if she hadn't eaten in days. She was leaning on the banister, barely able to stand.
Sir Lucas rushed to her side, concerned."Don't worry, Mama. Brent is safe and well," he said gently. "Please go back to your room. I don't want you getting sick from being out here."
The Countess let out a tired sigh of relief."Thank goodness young Brent is fine. I'm sorry for making a fuss."
"No, Mama," Sir Lucas said softly. "We're the ones who should apologize for worrying you."
The servants helped the Countess return to her room.
After that, we went to the dining room, where everyone finally sat down and ate dinner peacefully.
It was morning. The search from the night before felt like it had only just ended. When I went to the living room to start cleaning, the young master approached me. He was holding a small bouquet of lilies, wrapped together with care.
He handed them to me and said it was a gift to say sorry for making me worry. He also said that since my name was Lily, he picked lilies from the garden just for me.
After giving me the flowers, he quickly turned around and ran back to his room, clearly embarrassed.
As I looked at the flowers, a memory came to me. I remembered my mother. The only thing I could recall was the reason she named me Lily. I was born during the time when her lilies were blooming, and she named me after them because they were her favorite flower.
That was the only memory I had of her before I became a slave.
For a moment, I stood there in silence. I remembered again that I was a slave, but also realized something else. The Wilburton family had treated me kindly, even though I was still a slave. That kindness felt strange, but comforting.
I held onto that feeling for a while. Then I gently placed the bouquet to the side and went back to cleaning.