"Please… please, let me work here. I promise I won't cause trouble!" he begged, his voice cracking with every word he uttered.
He shivered in the cold, the wind blowing through his skin. Yet, he tried to withstand it as much as his body would allow.
The sky rumbled, and rain poured on his wounds. Blood dripped down his right arm as he held the wound firmly to stop the blood from flowing. One couldn't distinguish between his tears, sweat, and the rain. His grey shirt, matching his silver hair, was torn, exposing slightly his skin. His red, ruby-like, eyes glimmered by the light hung on the wall, under the dark blue sky, filled with tears.
"I told you. We can't! And… You reek of blood! Did you fight with someone… or maybe… murder—?" a servant hesitantly demanded, shielded under an umbrella. Despite the pouring, his white shirt and black suit remained completely dry. He was merely passing by until he saw this strange man lurking near the border.
The guards told him he asked for work.
What work?
If anything, he looked no less than a filthy beggar.
"What is going on here?" the head maid, Hannah, asked.
She heard from the maids that a man stood before the gate. He wouldn't leave no matter how many times he was told to. Curiously, she came to check who was stubborn enough to stand under this heavy rain, and what could be the reason behind such behaviour.
Jian flinched, quickly rushing toward her, extending the umbrella for her.
She stepped closer to the iron gate; the guards' postures straightened at the sight of her.
"This young man wishes to work here. I told him we can't hire anyone now. Not when it's someone as suspicious as him… He is injured. Surely, he fought with someone—"
"Do you wish to taint the general's reputation? He might be suspicious—even an enemy—but are our knights so weak they can't handle one injured man?"
Jian froze for a moment and shook his head, his face flustered. General Zayden's knights were the strongest army in the kingdom. There was no way they wouldn't be able to handle a wounded fragile looking man like this one.
"He is injured. The lord always instructed us to treat anyone injured. Bring him in and put him under watch until his identity has been cleared."
"What if he escapes after hurting someone?"
Hannah smiled.
"Bind him by chains if needed, then."
Having said so, she signalled the guards to open the gates, letting Ren inside.
"T-Thank you so much," he whispered under a heavy breath of relief.
But he didn't get to take another step.
His knees buckled instantly. The strength he had clung to, the resolve that had pushed him this far, shattered like fragile glass under the weight of his body he could no longer bear.
His body hit the wet earth with a dull thud, his face down and his limbs unmoving.
Mud splashed against his cheek. The rain didn't stop. It pelted him harder now, soaking into the torn fabric and the open wound he no longer had the strength to clutch. His fingers twitched once before falling limp. His blood mixed with the rainwater, running through the thin layer of the soil.
For a long second, no one moved.
Everything fell silent around his collapse. Only the thunder dared to shriek, louder than before, accompanied by the sound of the rain.
Hannah clicked her tongue in disbelief. Then, she glared at the servant beside her.
"And you thought this weak, fragile man would hurt someone? It seems your eyesight might be decreasing."
The man stood there silently. He hadn't been scolded the past few years by anyone as much as he was today.
Because of this man…
He gritted his teeth, glaring at the unconscious young man laying on the muddy ground.
"Bring the man inside and treat his wounds," Hannah ordered, grabbing the umbrella from the servant, and walking back into the mansion.
***
He jolted awake, cold sweat running down his forehead. He looked around, his eyes widened in horror.
"W-where is this?" Ren mumbled, gripping onto the bed sheet. He looked down, shocked to see himself in a bed. It was soft and warm. Nothing compared to the cold he felt for the past few weeks when he had to stay outside.
Just then, the door opened. As if to answer his questions, a young lady walked in.
"Are you awake?"
He suspiciously examined her. She didn't carry any weapon because he couldn't see the strange silver lining coming from her. However, she had that scarlet thin thread tied to her neck—
Demonic energy…
He thought, and with slow movements he stepped on the cold floor, barefoot.
"Wait, let me get a—" she was about to hold him incase he fell.
After all, he had been unconscious for three days already. His body was undoubtedly weak. The headmaid instructed her to take care of him as soon as he was brought to the servants' quarters, and to make sure his fever would decrease and his wounds healed.
Ren gently placed his hand on her, then swatted it away as if he just remembered something.
"What's wrong?" Emily asked, extending her hand for him to hold.
"N-Nothing. Wh-Where is this?"
"This is the servants' quarters. I heard from the headmaid that you wish to work here. Well, before that, she asked me to verify your identity. We can't just hire anyone," she chuckled. "I mean, this is the general Zayden's mansion."
Ren almost chocked on the air. He shallowed hard, blinking at her without being unable to say a word.
"You seem shocked to hear his name… Don't worry! He isn't as mean as people say."
Ren raised an eyebrow, doubtful of her words.
"Trust me. But for now, let me bring you to meet the headmaid properly," she paused. "Do you feel well enough to walk?"
Ren nodded. He slightly recalled an elderly lady instructing the servant he begged for work to bring him in. He needed to meet that person, show his gratitude and…
She wouldn't let me stay without an identify proof… would she?