"Hey."
Ruby tapped her fingers against the tabletop, her pretty eyes curving into crescents as she smiled sweetly at the alarmed man.
Receiving her sly signals, Mario immediately dropped his chopsticks and stiffened. "W-What is it?" He stammered, a handful of noodles still in his mouth.
Ruby's smile widened at his silly look, her voice as sweet as honey.
"Do you enjoy the food? It must be hard on you, having to watch over me even after bedtime. Look, next time when your stomach gurgles, don't hesitate to find me. I'll make something good for you."
"Y-You will?"
Mario was almost moved to tears. But then, his awareness heightened.
That's not right. Weren't they on bad terms? Why the sudden show of kindness?
"Of course!"
Ruby chuckled, her stance sincere and enthusiastic. "We're basically acquaintances now! Let's get along, okay?"
Slowly though unsurely, Mario nodded, repeating after her. "We're acquaintances."
"Right, what's your name? You looked really young! Have you been working here since you're a child?" Ruby immediately followed up, shifting herself closer to the man.
Mario was unaware of her sudden initiation. Instead, her question brought up the memories of his past.
"Yes, I've served the Master for a very very long time. You can say that we're almost childhood friends."
Ruby's curiosity was instantly triggered. "Why almost?"
"Because the relationship between us was of a master and servant."
Mario answered stoically as if he was stating a fact everyone knew. And yet, he sounded a bit nostalgic… and sad.
"He must be a good person then."
Ruby suddenly said, catching him off guard.
"W-What?" Mario stared at her as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Ruby smiled. "I said, for you to care for him this much. He must be a good person."
Mario didn't respond. For a brief moment, he stayed silent, his fingers tightening against his sides. The chair then screeched loud as he abruptly stood.
"It's getting late. Let's return."
Without waiting for her response, he took his mask and turned to make his leave, ignoring her surprise.
"W-Wait, I haven't cleaned these up–"
"Leave them. The maids will do it for you. Follow me."
Ruby hadn't even reacted when a pair of masked handmaidens appeared out of nowhere, urging her to leave with the man.
She left them a quick thank you and rushed after Mario, her beating heart a mess.
"What's that about?"
Returning to her room, Ruby threw herself onto her bed.
"He's such a strange man. No, everyone in this house is weird, even their master."
She hugged her pillow and hid her face behind the sheets. She hadn't dug out much information from the silly man.
'Would this even work?' She couldn't help but doubt herself.
Ruby then yawned. With her stomach stuffed full, she could no longer resist sleep, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier as if turning lead.
5 minutes later, a long quiet snore drifted out of the room.
Outside the room, Mario had his head lowered, his long soft bangs veiling the incomprehensible darkness in his eyes. After confirming twice that she had truly fallen asleep, Mario left the hallway for the Master's bedroom.
"Master."
He knocked on the door, waiting for his permission to come in.
"Come in."
The door creaked open. The room was dimly lit, with not a speck of light other than the soft glow of the moon.
Julien sat against the bedpost, his entire silhouette swallowed by the darkness. Cans and bottles of alcohol never left his side, however tonight, he hadn't touched a drop of them. It was as if he was deliberately waiting for another person's presence.
The clock ticked against the brooding silence. It was three in the morning and yet, the pair of master and servant were wide awake.
Mario sat beside Julien, wordlessly opening a can before offering it to his master.
"How about it? What do you think about her?"
Julien took the can but didn't immediately drink them. Instead, he directly questioned the man, his pitch black eyes staring so close so as to not miss the smallest change in his servant's gestures.
Mario looked away, popping his own can with one hand and tilting his mask slightly to down them all in one gulp. The strong liquid burned against his throat and yet, the heat never reached the frost of his limbs, what more of the chill in his heart.
"Master, that girl said that you must be a good person."
Mario finally opened his mouth after so long.
Julien fell silent, his movements pausing before he raised his can to his lips. Mario knew that wasn't what his master wanted to hear.
Mario hugged himself and buried his head into his arms, his voice low and weak.
"Sir, the girl is quite simple-minded. She poses little to no harm. She has good cooking skills and is well-versed in her words."
"What else?"
Mario could sense the chill in his voice. The current master… wasn't fine at all.
No, his master was never fine. He was never in a good condition to begin with, he never let himself to.
He never allowed himself peace. Why?
"Sir."
Mario's expression was entirely hidden behind the mask. But, Julien didn't need a glance to see just what was riddling his mind.
"Mario, do you think I'm a good person as well?"
Mario didn't answer and Julien laughed, his voice full of ridicule.
"Don't think of useless things and say something you shouldn't. There's a limit in my patience."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Mario finally opened his mouth and stood to his feet. "I understand, Master. I might need a little more time to investigate the girl deeper. Before then, I'll keep a close watch on her."
He then made his bow, before leaving the room with swayed footsteps.
Cold silence once again returned to the room. Julien shook the empty can in his hand. With a frown, he dumped the can straight towards the trashbin, and missed his shot.
'How annoying.'
Julien clicked his tongue out of irritation, his hand stretching out to grab at another bottle of stronger whiskey. He downed it all as if he was drinking water.
"A good person is it? He hiccuped then sneered. "How laughable."
"You knew nothing about me."
"None of you."