A Bedroom Attendant?
The pungent stench of rotting straw stung his nostrils.
Even after opening his eyes, Siu did not rise immediately. Beyond the iron bars confronting him, muffled voices drifted through the damp air.
"Quiet over there."
It was a woman's voice, harsh and grating. The clatter of heavy keys rang out before slowly fading down the corridor.
When he moved to push his upper body off the ground, a sharp tug caught his wrists.
Clank.
Heavy iron shackles bound both hands, their iron links trailing back to an iron ring embedded deep in the stone wall. He twisted his wrists, but there was no slack to slip through. Groping at the cold inner rim of the cuff, he felt raw, chafed skin sting with a dull ache.
Siu looked down at the hand braced against the floor.
Were my fingers always this slender?
He turned his hand over and spread his palm, but it bore no resemblance to the one in his memory. Even as he rubbed the back of it, the throb in his wrists persisted unabated.
His memories of living twenty-one years in Korea were crystal clear. He could recall the vivid glow of his smartphone screen, yet he possessed not a single shred of memory regarding the life this body had led.
What on earth is going on?
As he tried to piece his thoughts together, approaching footsteps echoed down the stone hallway, prompting him to lift his head. They were still some distance away. Siu tested the chain with a low, firm tug, but the iron ring in the wall refused to budge. When he rose to his feet and moved toward the bars, his wrists were yanked back after barely two and a half paces. It was three steps to the cell door—the chain fell short by exactly half a pace.
Cages lined the opposite side of the corridor, and every single person locked inside was male. One who caught Siu's eye flinched in terror and immediately turned his face toward the damp stone wall.
As the jangling keys drew nearer, the other men bowed their heads. One even pulled a thin, ragged blanket all the way over his head to hide from view.
A woman clad in leather armor strode into the corridor. She stood a full head taller than Siu, her shoulders broad and thick, with a heavy wooden baton and a ring of iron keys swinging at her waist.
"Heads up. We've got a guest coming."
Clang! Clang!
She struck the iron bars with the butt of her baton.
"A noble house has come to pick today. If any of you cry or cause a scene, consider yourselves thrown straight back into the deep cells."
Several men hastily straightened their backs, brushing straw from their hair and scrubbing at their filthy faces with their sleeves.
"Um... if we get sold, will they take off the shackles?" a young man across the hall asked timidly.
"That depends on your new owner. How should I know?"
The baton cracked against the bars with violent force, sending the young man stumbling backward in silence.
Sold.
Siu kept his mouth shut, fixing his gaze on the far end of the corridor, where a reinforced iron door stood. The man opposite him pressed his back flat against the wall, staring fixedly at the guard's baton in terror.
"You. Get out front."
The guard thrust an arm between the bars. Before the captive could even stand, she jerked the chain, dragging his full weight across the floor until he crashed against the iron frame. Watching the brutal display, Siu quietly let go of the chain in his own grip.
Voices filtered in from beyond the iron door.
"We require a male attendant to receive guests within the estate."
"Oh, of course, Head Butler! Among the batch that arrived today, we have several with quite pleasing faces."
A woman stepped into the corridor, her black uniform buttoned tightly up to her throat. She was followed by an obsequious woman carrying a ledger and two armed escorts with swords at their hips.
The Head Butler came to a stop before the cage across the hall. The slave merchant with the ledger bowed low, pointing toward the trembling captive inside.
"He is thoroughly obedient and has already received basic training in domestic service," the merchant urged, beckoning toward the man. "Go on, greet her."
"I-I shall serve you with all my heart, Master."
"Do you intend to tremble like that in front of our guests as well?"
When the man failed to offer a response, the Head Butler turned away without hesitation. The merchant hastily pointed to the next cage, but the woman's polished black boots came to a halt directly before Siu.
The Head Butler's calculating gaze swept down from his face, past his worn, tattered clothes, all the way to his bare feet. Siu held her gaze, waiting without bowing his head.
"This one was brought in just at dawn," the slave merchant offered smoothly. "Completely unblemished, and entirely untouched by any hands. His price is somewhat higher than the rest, but... well, one look at his face and you'll understand why."
"Let me see him properly."
The slave merchant thrust her hand between the bars, but Siu tilted his head back just before her fingers could clamp onto his chin.
"Where will you take me if you buy me?"
"How dare a mere slave—"
Siu parted his lips, then closed them again. The merchant's hand remained frozen in midair between the iron bars.
"Open it," the Head Butler ordered.
At her word, the dungeon guard retrieved a key. While the lock disengaged with a heavy click, Siu took measure of the women before him. One of the armed escorts immediately positioned herself to block the entrance, while the guard stepped inside to unhook his chain.
"The door opens, yet your eyes go straight to the guard," the Head Butler remarked coolly.
Siu looked back at her.
"Well? Did you find a path out?"
The doorway was thoroughly blocked by the escort's broad, armored frame.
"...Not at the moment."
A single eyebrow rose on the Head Butler's face.
The guard unhooked the chain from the wall ring, gathering the slack firmly in her fist. Before she could drag him, Siu stepped outside the cell on his own two feet. A gloved hand seized his chin—this time, there was no pulling away. His face was tilted firmly to the left, then back to the right.
"Look here."
When their eyes met, the Head Butler inspected his cheekbones and the clean line of his jaw. When her fingers parted his collar slightly, his shoulders instinctively stiffened. Siu nearly reached up to pull the fabric back, but stopped himself after catching the escort's watchful gaze.
"Hands."
He held out his palms. The Head Butler inspected the joints of his fingers and his clean nails before finally releasing him.
"Any defects or damage?"
"None at all. His age of majority has been certified, and his brand is completely intact. The official inspection seal is right here."
A crimson stamp was pressed at the bottom of the open document, and next to it, a brief entry caught his eye.
Anti-Pregnancy Brand:COMPLETE
Siu could not tear his eyes away from that single line. Why on earth would they brand something like that onto a man?
Before he could ponder it any further, the Head Butler turned the page and spoke.
"The price?"
The slave merchant named an exorbitant sum, watching the Head Butler's expression like a hawk.
"I will pay it in full."
The escort behind her handed over a heavy pouch. At the rich clink of coins from within, the merchant's face broke into a broad, satisfied grin.
"A truly splendid choice! You would be hard-pressed to find a face of this caliber even in the capital."
The Head Butler tapped the final line of the ledger. "There is no name."
"He had none when he was brought in. Nor could we trace his previous owner."
"Do you remember what you were called?"
Siu hesitated. If she was asking for the name of the body's previous owner, he had no way of knowing, but...
"...It's Siu."
"Siu," the Head Butler repeated, and the merchant hastily scribbled the phonetic spelling into the empty box.
"A face like this will suit the house well. I shall take him."
The guard handed the end of the chain and the key to the iron cuffs over to the escort. Beneath the newly recorded name, Siu read an unfamiliar noble title:
House Wintergard.
"Ready the carriage. We depart before it gets any later."
"Are we heading straight for the North today?"
The Head Butler's gaze swept over Siu's thin rags and bare feet once more. "Just make sure he doesn't freeze to death on the way."
The slip-on shoes provided were far too large for his feet. Siu curled his toes to keep the heels from sliding off as he boarded the carriage. The thick cloak draped over his shoulders smelled faintly of stale fur.
The Head Butler took the inner seat, while the escort holding his chain positioned herself by the door. The other escort mounted the driver's box outside.
As the carriage lurched into motion, Siu lifted the heavy chain pooling over his knees.
"Will you remove these once we arrive at the estate?"
"Provided you do not attempt to flee and carry out what you are commanded."
"What kind of work will I be doing?"
"You will dress properly and receive guests in the main estate. Guide them where they need to go, and serve tea. The rest you will learn once we arrive."
Guiding guests and serving tea. He had never done such a thing, but if he was expected to learn, he could manage.
Siu nudged the iron band slightly to keep it from rubbing against the raw skin on his wrist. "Will I be permitted to move about inside the estate?"
"Only between your quarters and the main hall. If you approach the front gates alone, you will be shackled once more." The Head Butler's gaze dropped to the cold iron around his wrists. "Once you learn your duties and prove you cause no trouble, the places you may go will naturally expand."
"I understand."
The carriage swayed violently. Steadying his posture, Siu looked through the frosted windowpane. Beneath the rhythmic clatter of wooden wheels, the city gates receded into the distance.
The snow flanking the roadway grew deeper and more unyielding the further north they traveled. The driver gripping the reins, the escorts guarding the supply sleds—every single one of them was a woman.
Siu drew the cloak tighter around his frame. Frost crystallized thick along the window frame, and the flesh pressed against the iron cuffs tingled with a dull numbness. Yet when he flexed his fingers some time later, they felt surprisingly less stiff than before. The escort seated across from him had tucked her gloved hands under her armpits against the biting chill, her breath puffing in white clouds within the frigid cabin. Siu tapped his thumb and index finger together. Even when he drew his bare hand out from beneath the cloak, it did not tremble in the least.
What is this?
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the carriage ground to a halt before a colossal estate.
Long, jagged icicles hung from the eaves of the grey stone edifice like frozen daggers. Siu ascended the stone steps and crossed the threshold of the grand entrance. The crimson light of a roaring fireplace stretched across the polished stone corridor floor.
"Release him."
At the Head Butler's gesture, the escort produced the key.
Clack.
One cuff sprang open first, followed shortly by the lightening of his other wrist. Siu looked down at his freed hands. The cold clatter of iron was finally gone.
As he rubbed the red, bruised welts on his skin, two women dressed in matching black uniforms approached.
"Is this the newly acquired slave?"
"Wash him and take his measurements. He will be assigned as a reception servant in the main estate."
One maid took the fur cloak from his shoulders. The other, catching sight of his face, hesitated for a fleeting moment before reaching out to brush stray bits of straw from his sleeve.
"This way, please."
Just as Siu moved to follow them, the Head Butler called out, bringing the servants to an abrupt halt.
"And this boy will also be assigned as a direct bedroom attendant to House Wintergard."
The woman holding the cloak jerked her head up in shock. The hands brushing straw from his sleeve froze instantly.
"A... bedroom attendant?"
"The young ladies must learn the nature of men sooner or later," the Head Butler said flatly. "Yet we cannot simply bring in just anyone." Her calculating gaze lingered intently on Siu's features. "And one would be hard-pressed to find a face finer than this."
Siu stared at the Head Butler. In the carriage, she had told him he would merely be serving tea.
"Aside from the duties I permit, ensure that no one outside the direct bloodline lays a finger on him," she commanded firmly. "Inform everyone."
The servant asked with palpable hesitation, "Head Butler... a direct bedroom attendant is a post that has never existed until now..."
The Head Butler peeled off her leather gloves, gathering them into one hand.
"Then it exists starting today. For him alone."