The longsword lay on the cold floor undisturbed. Oddly enough, unlike the other antiques in the storage, there was no dust covering the sword.
'Maybe it was due to it being covered by a cloth.'
Lifting the longsword up with his two hands, Olive studied the sword carefully. Not that he could help it, but Olive was mesmerized by it.
Its sheath was pristine white, and its smooth surface was free of flaw — in this case, dents — clearly untouched by stains, unlike the other antiques being stored in the storage. It was made from wood, which confused him a bit. Since he didn't know any wood as white as a marble.
Then, Olive shifted his gaze to the handle. The handle, however, was obsidian, black, unlike the sheath. An intricate line intertwining with each other was engraved on the pummel and the crossguard. Truly, the person who carved it really dedicated his life to craftsmanship.
It was not only Olive who was studying the longsword. Beside Olive's kneeling figure, Eddie also studied it with interest, although with a less enthusiastic face than Olive.
He raised an eyebrow.
"That is one intricate carving."
Olive didn't show any reaction to Eddie's comment and just nodded.
"I know..."
Then, out of nowhere, he unsheathed the sword completely, revealing the sword's snow–white blade. If the sheath was pristine white, then it was safe to say that the blade itself was glowing, permeating a radiant glow. On the side of the blade, he saw a runes engraved on it.
The runic was... odd. Never in his life had he seen runes like this. He wanted to say that it looked like a Viking's runes, but it didn't seem like it. Hell, he even doubts that the runes were written in any runology inscription at all. But then again, he did not study runology nor was he specialized in it, so it could very well be.
Pointing the tip upward, Olive saw his face reflecting the blade's surface.
...Was the sword really an antique?
No matter how he looked at it, the sword didn't seem like something that could be called old. Rather, it looks like it had been forged yesterday, not even a rust was seen on its pristine blade.
Sheathing the longsword back, Olive asked Eddie without looking at him.
"Hey, do you think I can keep this?"
He didn't know why, but he wants to keep the sword more than anything. Has he always been interested in relics? Maybe not... but there's always a first time for anything.
Eddie placed his hand under his chin after a moment of silence and contemplation.
"Go ahead, but ask Father first. The sword is too clean. It could very well be father's prized relic. Who knows?"
'A prized relic?'
Olive glanced at the longsword doubtfully, then at Eddie.
"If it's a 'prized relic' then why was it in the storage in the first place? This is not a place for a beautiful sword to be. How blasphemous!"
With a rolled eye, Eddie turned his face from interest to an annoyed expression, his brows lightly creased with each other, almost resembling a scowl, followed by a clicked tongue.
"Tsk. How should I know? I'm not the one who put it here... And why are you still here? Go upstairs and take a rest for goodness' sake, I don't want you falling and passing out again."
Sighing, Olive got up and slowly walked away from Eddie toward the stairs with his hand tightly holding the sword. As he was heading there, Eddie shouted:
"And watch your step! You might trip again!"
Olive scoffed without a reply and proceeded his way toward the stairs.
***
'Dear me, just how long had I cleaned those boxes?'
...Outside, the sky was painted with greyish–blue hues, casting shadows upon the urban and the suburban areas below. No stars were decorating the night sky above except for nebulous clouds moving toward its trajectory guided by the winds. A pity, really... if not for the light pollution, people could have enjoyed the beauty of a night sky filled with constellations.
That would be a fun activity, wouldn't it? Identifying a constellation on the roof with friends and family.
Of course, other than the starry sky, there was also the city. Skyscrapers, buildings, countless of them, were covered with yellow lights on most of the windows. Sure, an image of a building covered with a few lights doesn't sound attractive. But what if there were myriads of them? The sight would be magnificent. Other than that, there were also a few buildings decorated with colorful lights on the ground level, mostly billboards and decorations for the plazas.
Past midnight, those plazas filled with pedestrians would be empty no doubt. And all its decorations and colorful lights would be turned off — except the billboards maybe — and the only thing that would furnish the scenery would be the sea of lit windows.
Sadly, this type of vista was only for those who had access to a building high above the skyscrapers or a building parallel with the skyscrapers.
Which was why it could never rival the natural scenery of a sky filled with stars, since anybody — above or below — was able to enjoy the beauty.
After all, nothing could beat god's creation...
Olive turned to a wall clock in the living room and observed the hour hand. It was currently a quarter past nine to Olive's shock. Turns out he had been in the storage for a quite amount of time.
Olive was surprised... but at the same time, he was not.
The school ended at half past three in the afternoon, and considering that he had spent almost an hour eating at the café and going back home, he would undoubtedly have passed his time in the storage by a lot.
A bitter sigh escaped his lips as Olive put the longsword aside, drank a glass of water, and sat down to eat the takeout food that Eddie ordered before, as an add-on.
Say...
'What kind of butler orders takeout anyway?'
Wasn't a butler supposed to cook dinner instead of ordering it? So how come Eddie didn't?
Olive took a glance at his dinner with a deadpan expression while letting out a long hum. With a shrug and letting out a 'meh', he continued shoving a huge chunk of it in his mouth.
Who cares if he ordered a takeout? If Olive wants to attack how Eddie orders a takeout despite being a butler, then he should very well try to clean the storeroom for ten hours straight...
The penthouse was empty — other than Eddie that is. All around Olive, only silence and empty air accompanied him as he ate his dinner.
His father was late, just like he had said in the morning. Which means that he would have to wait until morning before Olive could ask for his permission to keep the sword, or make sure if he, his father, wants to keep it or not... probably not.
Which was fine by him — the waiting he meant — since tomorrow and the day after were a weekend. So he has all the time he needed.
After Olive finished his dinner, he took the longsword back, headed towards his bedroom, and lay on his soft bed, but not before showering, that is. Those hours cleaning the boxes and lying on the ground left a few stains and dust on his clothes and skin. And he prioritizes his tidiness.
Satisfied, he closed his eyes and enjoyed his soft mattress embrace. The silence covering the room worked as a lullaby for him to ease his rest. Shadows enveloped his room, only the window became its source of light.
After that, he was pulled by a dreamless sleep.
***
The morning came in a swift. Sunrise began to pour down between the curtains, thus banishing the shadows that had formerly veiled the room. However, light was not the only source that had covered the room. For there was a second source that had come from the shower, a sound of water falling, a hissing...
When the sound stopped, however, a short figure came out of it minutes later. His shirt, sticking to his torso due to how soaked his body was. His hair wet, still being dried by the towel around his neck...
Stretching out his hand forward, Olive let out a satisfied murmur.
"Ahhhh..."
Then, he hurriedly went down to the kitchen with a bright look on his face.
His father was back, and he would finally be able to ask him about the longsword... Excitement swelled up on his chest, with a kind of feeling that a child would get when they were about to receive a new toy.
He arrived at the kitchen's counter where Eddie was currently putting down a plate where his father sat and another plate for an unoccupied chair.
Sitting down in the chair, he looked toward his father instead of his food with a beaming face.
"Father! I found a sword in the storage while I was cleaning — actually, it was more like while I fell — and I'm hoping for permission to keep it!"
His question was straightforward and came out suddenly, which earned him a weird glance from both Eddie and his father. But that was his plan — the straightforward question he meant! Olive wants a straightforward answer, so he asks him the moment he caught sight of his father without engaging any small conversation.
His father looked at Olive, then his food... then at Olive again.
"Ummm... Sure, but can I eat my breakfast first before answering your question?"
His face was strangely caught between confusion and surprise, which made him look... unusual.
Olive stared at his father for some time before he turned and ate his breakfast.
"Very well."
So, both of them ate their breakfast. But not without Eddie giving Olive a weird look.
When they finished their breakfast, Olive asked again:
"So, your answer?"
His father put down the utensil slowly and turned to him, this time, his face free of any surprise and confused expression.
"What kind of sword are we talking about?"
Olive memorized the sword's appearance.
"A longsword. White sheath, white blade, black hilt, this and that."
As Olive explained the sword's appearance, his father's eyes looked upward — slightly to the side — taking in the information that Olive gave.
Then he looked at Olive again and said:
"Go ahead, keep it. I don't remember storing any sword that I had treasure in that storage. I didn't even know that I kept a sword."
That last sentence came out as a whisper, barely anyone could hear it.
Olive's face beamed even brighter than before. He stood up abruptly and ran off toward his room.
"Thank you Dad!"
When he reached the stairs halfway, he stopped.
"Oh, and Eddie!"
Eddie barely turned his head toward Olive, only keeping his figure from the corner of his eye.
"The breakfast was amazing! It's the best!"
Eddie blinked. Then he turned his head toward Olive fully. But Olive had already left, leaving both his father and his brother perplexed.
Eddie looked at his father and pointed to where he had been.
However, his father was just as confused as he was, so instead of an answer, he just received a shrug from his father.