Nikolai slept for most of a day after his brief checkup with Lazgrim. Kaelith had insisted on sleeping in the same room as him, but Lazgrim’s furrowed brows and stern words had finally convinced her to take the room next to his instead.

  Nikolai was honestly glad for it. He felt attracted to Kaelith, but their whole master–servant relationship made things complicated for him. Even with his firm determination that nothing romantic would happen between them, it would still have been distracting to have her in the same room, and he needed to rest.

  One day of rest was nowhere near enough to recover fully, of course, but when he woke, he felt a lot better despite it. Nothing a good night’s rest couldn’t fix, and all that.

  As he opened his eyes, however, he felt a presence in the room with him. It was faint, but having been on constant edge—looking over his shoulder every waking minute in the dungeon—he had developed a sort of sense, an instinct that told him he wasn’t alone.

  Nikolai mentally prepared himself for a fight and, without moving, spoke.

  “I am sleeping. You are disturbing me.”

  The presence moved, and Nikolai was about to react when the figure stopped a few steps away. Nikolai opened his eyes and found a man—bowing.

  What the hell…?

  Nikolai sat up slowly, his eyes never leaving the figure. “What is this?”

  The man straightened, and Nikolai immediately noticed the ephemeral beauty—something unearthly about him.

  “I am Sevrin, young master. I have come to serve, as per the agreement with… well, with you-know-who,” he said, his voice melodic and professional at the same time.

  Nikolai’s still-drowsy brain kicked into gear, and his eyes widened. “The butler…”

  The man—or more likely, the fae—in front of him smiled. “Indeed, young master. I have recently become free to take a new charge, and so I jumped at the chance to serve our newest—” his face twisted into annoyance for a second before he continued, “—candidate.”

  Nikolai studied Sevrin closely. He had long black hair neatly tied back in a tail, a sleek suit very much resembling the old-school butlers from Nikolai’s world, and a face so pretty it made him want to punch him, briefly. He tilted his head. “You do not seem pleased at the prospect.”

  Sevrin bowed slightly. “Oh, on the contrary. It is my honor, young master. I am right where I wish to be, I assure you. My annoyance, as you say, is not directed at you nor my duties, but at the silent watchers.”

  Nikolai frowned. “Come again? Silent watchers?”

  Sevrin nodded. “Indeed. Would you mind if I… blinded them?”

  Nikolai was more confused than ever. “You are saying someone is watching, and you want to blind them?”

  Sevrin smiled. “Not in the literal sense, of course. I am not allowed such action. I can, however, ensure that you cannot be scried upon or otherwise magically observed.”

  Nikolai shivered at the thought of someone watching him—and was pretty damn sure who that someone would be. The idea of Vitzer’s angry scowl if his sneaky spying was foiled brought him immense satisfaction.

  Nikolai gave Sevrin a firm nod. “Do it, please.”

  Sevrin’s smile was brilliant. “Thank you, young master. It will only take a moment.”

  He turned and stared at a spot just above Nikolai’s door, then smiled politely. “I regret to inform you that the show has come to an end. Please refrain from repeated attempts to spy on young Master Travelion in the future. Thank you.”

  Sevrin snapped his fingers.

  Nikolai felt it.

  He had never noticed it before, but in its absence, the sensation of being under constant surveillance was gone. A hunch in his shoulders—one he hadn’t even realized was there—relaxed, and he let out a deep breath.

  “Thank you…”

  Sevrin turned and bowed once more. “Of course. It is only my duty to perform such trifling tasks. Now, how may I serve you, young master?”

  Nikolai looked at Sevrin, then gestured toward the chair. “Please, sit down.”

  Sevrin didn’t hesitate. He pulled the chair from the corner of the room and sat, looking at Nikolai patiently.

  Nikolai’s mind was fully awake now, a million thoughts crashing in all at once. He had a butler—that was the first thing. Why had he asked for one again? It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but now that Sevrin was here… what was he supposed to do with him?

  No. First things first.

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Mentally organizing his thoughts, he met Sevrin’s eyes. “I have some questions, Sevrin, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not. Ask away.”

  Nikolai smiled. “Alright. First off—you said you were not allowed to take direct action against my watchers. Are there other limitations I should know about?”

  Sevrin nodded. “It would be easier to list the things I am allowed to do, rather than those I am not. I am Vassari, young master, and like all fae, we are bound by rules and laws. We serve our master’s needs as required, but may not perform martial tasks.”

  Nikolai nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

  “We can, however, take measures to safeguard our employers. Blocking magical spying, erecting magical barriers around your confirmed residence—in this case, this room. I may even delay a direct attack toward you if you are within the confines of your confirmed residence, but I may not directly harm any assailant. Beyond that, I am here to manage your daily needs and act as an adviser when called upon.”

  Nikolai took a moment to digest that, then said, “So just to confirm—you cannot act as a combat asset in any way because fae law won’t allow it. Is that correct?”

  Sevrin smiled. “Yes.”

  “Alright. That’s fine. Next question—will you follow me everywhere I go? I ask because suddenly showing up with a butler out of the blue will definitely raise questions.”

  “As a butler, it is my prime directive to never be the cause of complication. To answer your question, I will return to your estate within the In-Between when my services are not directly needed. You may simply utter my name, and I shall be available at any time.”

  Nikolai’s eyes widened. “Wait—go back a step. What do you mean my estate?”

  Sevrin looked confused for a moment. “You are a noble of the Duality Court, young master. Of course you were assigned an estate.”

  Nikolai rubbed his temples, trying to hold onto logic through the surreal haze. A noble. An estate. A butler who stepped through reality. Just a day ago, he’d been trying not to die in a moldy dungeon.

  “Okay… I’ll need to process that. Wait—does that mean I can go there?”

  Sevrin nodded and stood. “Of course. Once it has accumulated sufficient energy, you will be able to open passage through any door. I regret to say, however, that it will be some time before that is possible. I can come and go through my bond to you, but your connection to this world—and your humanity—is still strong. We will have to rely on the mansion’s energy stores if you wish to visit.”

  He held out his hand. “May I have your hand for a few moments, please?”

  Nikolai offered it, too stunned to be wary. Sevrin turned his palm upward and gently touched it with a finger. An intricate symbol appeared, glowing faintly in the dim room.

  “This is the key. It was entrusted to me by the king. Simply focus on it, and you will know whether passage is possible.”

  The symbol faded into Nikolai’s skin, disappearing as if it had never been there.

  He sighed in relief at not having to walk around with a glowing palm and nodded to Sevrin, who sat back down.

  “Thank you, Sevrin. I suppose we’ll revisit the estate thing later. Now—what kind of payment are you expecting for your services?”

  Sevrin chuckled, a light, melodic sound. “None at all. Our connection is part of a bargain with the king, and he will cover any expenses I may incur. They are quite generous, so you need not worry.”

  That was a relief.

  “Alright. A few more questions then.”

  Sevrin nodded patiently.

  “First—can you protect Kaelith from prying eyes as well?”

  Sevrin considered for a moment, then nodded. “I can. Kaelith is a fellow servant, and as such, she is entitled to the same protections, should you wish it.”

  Nikolai smiled. “Good. I would appreciate that. Please do so when possible. Second—and probably final—can I give you items, food, clothing, and so on, and have you bring them back to the estate? More importantly, can you bring them back to me when I need them?”

  Sevrin’s smile widened. “Naturally. It would be my pleasure. You also have a rather extensive wardrobe already prepared at the estate—the king provided it. Simply ask, and I shall provide appropriate attire for any situation. Ah—but not armor or weapons, I regret to say. Those you must acquire yourself.”

  “Alright. I think that’s all for now. I’ll definitely have more questions later—probably a lot more. I’m very interested in learning about the fae courts, but I’m not quite ready to dive into that rabbit hole yet.” Nikolai yawned as he finished.

  Sevrin bowed and stood. “Of course, young master. You are still in need of recovery. If you do not mind, I shall remain nearby, unseen, for a time. Would you care for some refreshments?”

  Nikolai grinned. “You know, refreshments would be nice.”

  A few minutes later, Nikolai sat alone in his room, enjoying iced tea—with actual ice cubes—and despite his discomfort with the whole master–servant thing, he couldn’t deny that having a butler had its advantages.

  --

  When he left the room the next day, he wore the white robe of a hospitarium healer, which made the black cane he carried stand out rather starkly. He would have to do something about that. If only he could find someone to unlock the damned spatial pouch…

  Then he had an idea.

  He stepped back into the room.

  “Sevrin?” he said, feeling slightly foolish addressing an empty space.

  Moments later, the butler appeared with a soft pop, already bowing. “Yes, young master?”

  Nikolai winced. “Two things. First—can we do something about how you address me? The ‘young master’ thing feels a bit weird.”

  Sevrin smiled. “Of course. Perhaps Master Travelion?”

  “How about no ‘master’ at all—just Nikolai?”

  “That will not do. My apologies, but etiquette is important in these matters. I shall continue using ‘young master,’ if that is acceptable.”

  Nikolai sighed and nodded. “Fine. Second—would you mind holding onto the cane for now? I probably won’t need it, and it looks odd with the white robe.”

  Sevrin accepted the cane and bowed. “I shall have it ready when you require it. Is there anything else?”

  Nikolai smiled. “No, not for the moment. Thank you, Sevrin.”

  “There is no need to thank me, young master. It is my pleasure.”

  “You’re wrong,” Nikolai said. “Giving thanks for services rendered is a sign of respect and gratitude—of which I have both. I insist.”

  Sevrin bowed a little deeper. “You humble me, young master. I shall take my leave.”

  With another soft pop—and the surreal image of him collapsing into a single point in space—he was gone.

  Nikolai couldn’t help it, he smiled to himself before leaving the room.