The smile faltered on the assistant's face, but she quickly recovered. "My apologies," she said, forcing herself to continue smiling as she waited for him to reveal his true purpose for approaching her.
"Hmm, where is Mo Kori?" Mo Seris said.
He had a look of disinterest in his eyes, as he cleaned dirt from beneath his fingernail.
"The master is off on assignment," the assistant said, pretending not to notice his behavior. "Would you like for-"
"Are there any more births expected today," Mo Seris interrupted.
"No-no more expected today," the assistant said, stuttering over her words slightly.
"Hmm," Mo Seris turned his eyes away from his fingernails and looked to the side, as he considered something. He had never looked directly at the assistant during the conversation.
She waited for him to speak, carefully studying his face for signs of annoyance. She did not know what she had done to cause offense, but she did not feel indignant. She just hoped he would not hold a grudge.
Finally, Mo Seris spoke again. "Tell Mo Kori when he comes back that I need to discuss, ah…a certain matter with him."
Mo Seris did not want to air out the situation with Song Horo in front of the assistant, so he kept his words vague.
"Yes, Master Seris, I will-"
"Tell him that I will be at the Flower Visiting Pavilion," Mo Seris said, interrupting the assistant again. He turned around and left towards one of the hallways without waiting for a reply.
Behind him, the assistant was stunned into silence by his last words. Seeing that he was already walking away, she quickly spoke up.
"I will inform the Master," she called after him.
She hoped he had not been further offended by her slight delay, but she had not been able to control herself.
The words 'Flower Visiting Pavilion' were not thrown casually, particularly not in front of women. And yet, he had said them so freely, as if she was not sitting right in front of him.
She shook her head as she watched his retreating back.
Only an assistant steward could speak so freely.
She was growing worried that the master held a grudge against her. If this was the case, it would not bode well for her fate.
In the Sixth House, nobody held more authority than the deputies, except, of course, for the Lord Steward.
If Master Seris wanted to, he could meddle with her life on a whim. Dismissing her would be an easy matter. He could even consign her to undesirable tasks according to his mood.
With a word, she could become a bed warmer, a dung cleaner, or even worse.
Despite how unpleasant a person Master Seris was, she felt envious of the woman who would catch his eye. She could not help herself.
In the Mo Estate, social standing was power.
It was the beginning and end of all pursuits.
It was the ability to control one's life and the lives of others.
With it, every convenience in life was assured. Without it, one was subject to the will of others.
After walking down the hall, Mo Seris took a series of turns, before arriving at the storeroom wing of the Sixth House. It was where they housed the infants that were collected throughout the month.
At the end of the month, they would send them all to the Grand Elder, and begin the collection anew.
It was the most important location in the Sixth House, and so it was always guarded by four retainers, with an assistant steward on duty at all times.
The retainers were standing in front of a door. They gave Mo Seris respectful nods and moved out of the way when they saw him coming.
He nodded back and passed by, slipping inside.