Cleaning

Shaya was much younger than Alicia had imagined, but just as handsome as she'd pictured.

Shaya's past foundation was already good. Perhaps it was because he inherited the power of Destiny, or perhaps it was because the protagonist of the Destiny he inherited was a pretty boy. His skin condition had improved, his teeth were whiter, and his features were more harmonious.

Without a heart, his mentality of being close to desireless had also made his temperament steady and mysterious.

Shaya walked down the stairs, took out the copper kettle for boiling water from the cabinet, filled it with some water at the sink, and placed it on Cassifa.

Then, he looked at Alicia again, sizing her up with a hint of curiosity on his face.

"Have I met you before?"

"No, we've never met."

Alicia lied with a poker face. In a sense, it wasn't entirely a lie, as she hadn't truly "met" him, and she was different now than she was before.

She didn't want the person in front of her to know she was the princess from the ball. It had nothing to do with secrets or hearts; she simply didn't want him to know.

"Then, can you tell me why you are here?"

Shaya continued to ask. He took the boiling copper kettle from the fire, poured himself a cup of hot water, and placed it aside to cool.

"I was just staying here overnight," Alicia replied truthfully. "Your magic fire was very respectful of the elderly; it took me in because it pitied me."

"Is that so?" Shaya glanced at Cassifa.

"But now, I feel I must stay here for a long time," Alicia said seriously.

Shaya looked at her with amusement. "Why?"

"Don't you notice anything, child?"

Alicia's voice was hoarse and aged. She slowed her speech, trying her best to act like a wise elder. In fact, she looked like one even without trying.

She walked to a workbench, wiped the surface with her wrinkled hand, and then showed Shaya her dusty fingers.

"See, it's so dirty here, it's practically uninhabitable."

Shaya looked around and nodded. "It does seem a bit so. So, what are you trying to say?"

"You need a cleaning lady here!" Alicia declared.

"Are you good at cleaning?" Shaya asked Alicia.

"You can try me out for a month!" Alicia said confidently. "I won't charge you."

"That sounds pretty good," Shaya said.

"That would be fantastic," Cassifa chuckled from the side. "Shaya can't afford to pay you."

Alicia asked curiously, "Do Sorcerers run out of money?"

"I haven't been here long," Shaya replied. "I don't have the currency of this country yet."

Alicia suddenly remembered what she had heard from the maid in the palace.

Haven't been here long... could that mean he hasn't been in the human world long?

What exactly is he? He enslaved a Demon... could he be a Demon too?

Eating hearts also sounds like something a Demon would do.

Alicia felt she was getting very close to the truth.

However, this also gave her another bargaining chip to stay.

She continued, "In that case, I can help you. I have a lot of money."

Shaya raised his eyebrows, lifted his water cup, gently blew on the steam, and took a sip without speaking.

"When people get old and don't have children, they always save up some retirement money, don't they?" Alicia raised her eyebrows.

"You mean, you'll not only work for free, but you'll also give me money?" Shaya teased.

"You need to understand, child," Alicia said in an old-fashioned tone. "At my age, money is the least important thing. But people always need self-fulfillment.

For example, I really enjoy cleaning. Honestly, your place is the dirtiest I've ever seen, so I can't possibly leave here."

Shaya nodded. "A very good reason."

"Does that mean I can stay?" Alicia asked happily.

"I don't like making choices, but if you want to stay, I won't chase you away," Shaya said.

Alicia let out a sigh of relief. If she couldn't stay with this reason, she really didn't know what other excuse she could find.

However, her joy didn't last long as her stomach rumbled. She had walked so far yesterday and only eaten some bread; she was now starving.

She looked at Shaya. "I don't suppose you'd be stingy about providing a poor old lady like me with breakfast?"

Shaya stood up, walked to a cabinet, took out a plate with a cover, placed it on the table, removed the cover, and revealed a slice of cake, the same kind Shaya had eaten at the banquet.

Yes, he had packed it.

Although the cake had a short shelf life, it had only been a day, and the castle wasn't very warm inside, so it was still edible.

"Eat up," Shaya said.

"Thank you," Alicia hobbled to the table and sat down. Shaya handed her a fork, the only one he had washed.

Despite her journey and hunger, she ate with a proper demeanor, possessing an undeniable nobility.

After finishing her meal, Alicia put down her fork and said, "This is delicious, just like the pastries made by the royal pastry chef."

Because they were made by the royal pastry chef, Shaya thought.

"Where are the brooms here?"

"Are we starting already?" Shaya chuckled.

Alicia rolled up her sleeves, revealing her bony, aged arms, "I'm full of energy right now!"

To be honest, she hadn't paid much attention to her living environment during her blindness, but as someone who had lived in the royal palace, the dust that stirred up with every movement was unbearable.

Thinking she would be living here for a while, she couldn't wait to clean the place.

She had cleaned before when she was younger. Although she was a princess, she had lived outside the royal palace until she was eight.

At that time, her father had some conflict with the royal family. She couldn't recall the specifics, but it was likely an old, common story.

The house she lived in then wasn't much bigger than this one. Those were the happiest times for her.

She tied an old cloth strip around her sparse white hair, made a simple mask to cover her face, and then found an old tablecloth from the broom closet to use as an apron.

She planned to clean the first floor today. The rooms weren't large, so it wouldn't take much time.

She drew a bucket of water from the sink, picked up the broom, and began to work.

The castle was frighteningly dirty. As the broom swept, dust filled the entire room. Cassifa, choked by the dust, coughed violently and complained to Shaya.

"Hey! Shaya, can't you make her be a little quieter?"

"Never interrupt a woman when she's in high spirits," Shaya said.

Then, he picked out a book from the pile of books on a workbench nearby, ignored Cassifa, who was coughing incessantly from the dust, and walked up the stairs.