The following morning I was woken up my Gwendolyn and the other maids. Now that I think about it, I need to stop referring to them as “other maids”. I’ll make sure to ask Gwendolyn for their names later. Since today was the day their master was coming back home, a lot of preparations were made the day before but there was still a lot going on in the morning. After having breakfast, Gwendolyn picked out my clothes and helped dress me. Today I wore a white blouse with a black bow-tie adorned with a silver broach, followed by black dress shorts with long socks and leg garners to keep my socks from falling down as well as expensive black shoes. My hair was slicked back neatly and Gwendolyn added a beautiful ring on my index finger. I remembered that this was Simuel’s most treasured accessory because it was an heirloom passed down to him. It was the first gift and probably only personal gift his father had ever given him. Standing near the vanity and looking at my reflexion I noted that this boy truly was a sight for sore eyes. He’s definitely going to be a looker when he grows up. Or I guess when I grow up since I’m currently taking possession of this boy’s body. This is something I really need to get used to. 

“This is my life now.” I thought to myself. Once I finished getting dressed, Gwendolyn and the 3 other maids in my room expressed contentment at the final result. 

Yvonne one of the maids I recently became acquainted with sighed and said “You really are just adorable Young Master, an exact copy of Master Grey.” 

Everyone else seemed to be in agreement with her and kept staring at me. I couldn’t help but blush at the compliment. This scene was definitely not something I was used to, so I couldn’t help but be embarrassed. Gwendolyn noticing my discomfort , nudged Yvonne slightly and told everyone to stop teasing me. I looked at her gratefully. 

We made our way outside and all the staff lined up in front of the mansion with me at the forefront. Gwendolyn who could sense how nervous I was, gave my shoulder a light squeeze and a small smile. I looked up at her and threw back a smile as well. I was very nervous actually. This will be my first time coming face to face with Earl Donellan Grey, the Earl. My father. The novel briefly described what kind of person he was and what he looked like but like when I first saw Simuel’s appearance, I felt as though the novel really was downplaying his beauty. The novel described him as a handsome stoic ice king with looks that could kill.  I decided to steal my nerves and bury the slight fear that I hadn’t noticed at the time deep down inside me. Whatever comes my way I would deal with it. If my 17 years of abuse has taught me anything is how to be tough. I already died once, what’s one more death. Not much could scare me at this point. 

We soon heard the sound of countless horses and the clinging of armour towards the distance. I looked straight ahead and the group of over 20 people could finally be seen crossing the gate. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and soon came face to face with the man I would now be calling father. He looked absolutely majestic on top of that horse, with silvery grey hair that shined brightly under the light of the sun, his skin was clear and fair with almost no signs of age even though he was in his mid thirties, his grey eyes looked cold and devoid of any emotion. I almost gasped out loud at how handsome this man was. Words couldn’t even describe his beauty. Anyone would fall into a trance just by looking at his face. As I looked around me I could tell that a good majority of the staff were trembling ever so slightly. I couldn’t blame them, even I was trembling because this man’s aura made you want to fall to your knees. The mere sight of him made you want to look away but you also couldn’t bring yourself to turn your gaze away either. The novel really didn’t give this man justice. As soon as he got off his horse, I immediately became on high alert. I could tell just from a single glance that this man was dangerous and could not be messed with. 

“Damn dude”, I thought to myself. “This guy is suppose to be my father?! How in the world am I going to get closer to him???” 

It was like there was an impenetrable force surrounding Donellan, that no man could ever dream or hope to enter. It’s no wonder Simuel always felt uncomfortable around him. But there was nothing poor Daus could do. It was an absolute must for him to create a connection with his father in order for him to even have a remotely happy life. Taking another deep breath,  I stepped forward and was ready to greet my father when suddenly Gwendolyn pulled me back. I looked back at her in confusion and realized that the head butler who I remember being called Emille was giving his greetings to Donellan. 

“Welcome back your grace” Said Arthur. After that everyone also bowed and greeted Donellan in unison: “Welcome back your grace.” I stood there frozen for a second. Donellan glanced at everyone for a moment, not once changing is facial expression. As if sensing my presence he turned to the side to look at me. He looked me up and down and said nothing. I decided to take it upon myself to finally greet him. 

“Welcome back father.” I said, looking straight into his eyes.