"Oh yikes, you're meeting the Baroness today?"
Bianca chuckled. Both arms were tucked behind her lower back. She danced across the kitchen floor with elf-like grace. Her long, blonde hair had been tied up and draped with a hairnet. She was a servant of House Norver, just like Riley.
Riley was a new servant to the noble house. He was small - standing at a mere 5'4". He had jet black hair that curled especially around his ears. His bangs covered his forehead, and even his eyes if he tucked his chin low enough. His pearlescent skin didn't have much hair growing on it - so little so that he occasionally was mistaken for a girl. Sure, his body was defined, but it nowhere had the physique that would offset his rather feminine appearance.
"It's not technically the first time, Bianca," he said, blowing some of his bangs away from his eyes. "She met me yesterday. She just seemed a little... distracted."
Bianca leaned back until her back was resting on one of the kitchen islands. Her feet dangled and happily kicked the air. "Sooo, she didn't see you then. She's honestly been on edge, recently. Well, the Baron, too. I think something's up." She tapped her nose.
Riley only gave Bianca a side gaze as he continued his task. He was to bring the Baroness some tea. "People have bad days, you know..." He pulled the tea strainer from the cup. It had steeped exactly five minutes. One tablespoon of honey. Top it off with cream.
Methodical. Proceedural. Just as he liked it.
"Bad days? Call it bad months, Riley." Bianca leaped onto the ground. Riley wiped away any stray hairs on the countertop with a napkin.
"I think it's something sex-related. Heard it through the grapevine," Bianca said casually.
Riley nearly gagged. He politely reached up and padded his lips with the napkin. "D-don't spread such unsavoury things, B-Bianca...!" The boy almost immediately lost his composure. His cheeks were lightly blushed.
"Awww... too much for your virgin ears?"
"I-I have to go deliver the tea before it gets too cold..." Riley mumbled. He picked up the tea, placed it on a wafer, and finally on a tray with some crumpets.
---
When he arrived at the Baroness' door, he knocked. One deep breath. "Hello? Lady Ronelya? I've brought your tea." Silence. Riley took another deep breath. "Lady Ronelya?"
He set the tray aside and creaked the door open. Riley had half-expected the Baroness to be elsewhere. He retrieved his tray and pushed forward. "Lady Ronelya?" He called out for a third time.
Before he could even register her presence, Riley found himself the target of unfathomable rage. Almost immediately, his fingers quivered. He felt strength immediately sap from his legs. His eyes watered up and his face scrunched, almost as if he was on the verge of crying. "I'm sorry...!" He whispered. "I'm sorry!" Riley wasn't even sure why he was apologizing.
He stood there, awkwardly and on the verge of tears. Then, George came in and dismissed him. He hurried out of the room with his head hung low.
Riley set the tray on a side table. He leaned against the wall and pressed his fingers to his sternum. His heart was racing so much that he could hear it echo in his ear.
I'm fired. I'm so fired. I'm so dead.
Riley couldn't comprehend what he'd done to get such a visceral reaction from the Baroness. But it must've been something he'd done. Maybe his attire wasn't up to code. Or, perhaps he took too long chatting with Bianca in the kitchen. Riley spent a few minutes to calm his breathing down before George emerged from the Baron's room.
"I-Is she okay? Did I do something wrong?" He asked, blinking away any remaining tears.
Finally, he re-entered the room. Riley opened his mouth to speak but noticed that something was off about the Baroness. Not quite something wrong with her, but that there was something on her mind - something troubling her. Riley remained quiet and still, only making enough noise for his presence to be known. He quietly set the tea in front of her and held the tray against his hips.
With the situation finally calming down, Riley could finally look at the Baroness. Yesterday, he'd been too shy to even keep eye contact - and her dismissive nature didn't seem to encourage him, either. But now, his eyes gazed upon her tall, curvy form. She looked graceful as she sat there. Perfect creamy white flesh, long black hair...
She was beautiful.
Riley wasn't sure if his heart was racing from the earlier scare, or if he had been swept away by the Baroness' beauty. He suddenly felt conscious of his body. He was small and tiny. No matter how taken away he was with the Baroness, there was no chance in hell that he'd ever be worthy of her. But that didn't matter, right? For he was just her servant.
"Right away, my Lady," he said, taking a seat beside her with his tray suspiciously over his lap. His heart was still thumping like mad. Riley looked out the window. "The lilies are beautiful this time of year," he remarked. He could feel something of his poke up against the underside of his tray. It tensed and throbbed.
Riley gulped. "May I ask, what seems to be troubling you, my Lady? Anything I can do to be of service?"