Knock… knock… knock…
The sound of knocking echoed in the early morning. I rubbed my eyes, yawned loudly, and reached out to open the door.
"Hi, my name is Cao Ni Ni. I'm only seventeen years old," I mumbled out of habit, "I'm very innocent, you know, because I've lived alone in this giant mansion ever since I was little. Just me and the maids. No men at all."
I thought it was Sister Lilies calling me down for breakfast like every other day. But when the door swung open, I was met with... a man?
A tall man, with white hair and calm eyes, stood neatly dressed in a crisp white shirt like he had just stepped out of a noble manga.
"My name is Dong Huyen," he said with a deep, steady voice. "I'm the new butler of the young lady."
I froze.
"But... what's a butler?" I asked, blinking in confusion. I had never heard that word before, and I definitely had never seen a man around here. This was strange.
Still, I followed him downstairs. The mansion felt... off today. Too quiet.
"Where are Lilies and Anna?" I asked.
He just smiled without answering.
I climbed onto my usual seat at the dining table, swinging my legs while waiting.
He returned with a plate of hot, steaming steak.
I scrunched my nose. "I can't eat steak. I'm scared of the blood and stuff..."
As soon as I said that, his face twitched — just slightly, but I noticed. My heart jumped. I felt scared. Really scared.
I slid back from the chair, tears welling up in my eyes.
Suddenly, he walked over and wrapped me in a hug. His arms were big and warm, but too strong. I guessed he was around 190cm tall, while I was only 150. He felt like a wall.
"It's alright, young lady. Don't cry..." he whispered gently. I didn't know whether to call him beautiful or pretty, since I had never interacted with a boy before.
He adjusted his glasses and said, "Let me take you back to your room."
I hesitated, but let him help me up. Back in my room, he locked the door. Click. Then turned off the light.
"I'm scared of the dark!" I cried. "Please turn the lights back on!"
He didn't respond. Just stood there in the darkness and said in a low, unreadable tone:
"If the young lady won't behave, then don't blame me for being harsh."
My stomach dropped.
"W-what are you talking about? I… I just want to see my maids. They're supposed to celebrate my 18th birthday with me tomorrow..."
He didn't answer.
He turned away, stepped out of the room, and quietly shut the door behind him.
I was left in pitch-black silence, swallowed by a darkness that even my voice couldn't escape.