2-1: Brainless Hamster-I

Victor's blue eyes settled on her and a shudder unwelcomely shook her body. Jane knew that the man couldn't see, at least that's what they have told her, but his eyes seemed to be staring at her neck when his lips curled.

Death.

Jane had always been close to a brush of death.

The first time was when she fell off a cliff during the time she was gathering for herbs. The second time was when she saw that man raised his hand which was holding the shovel.

Two times weren't a lot but when it comes to brushing close against death, it was more than enough practice for her to be more aware of danger better than others.

And this time, she could feel it, a strong sense of death impending, like a shadow looming on her.

"Hic."

A small hiccup slipped from her mouth.

Hiccups were always her biggest weakness. Every time she felt fear, this reaction always comes out from her. It had came to the point that it became an obvious weakness for people who wanted to take advantage of her fear, just like now in front of this frightening man.

When she met Victor's blue eyes, her eyes narrowed sharply into a glare. Deep down, her small little heart was crying out why are you provoking him? Anyone who have worked in the servitude for long like her would know that no one appreciates to be glared. Maybe because she heard that Victor was blind or perhaps because her instinct was telling her to, Jane wasn't sure.

"I- I heard the rules," she finally chirped out the words from her trembling lips.

The tail of Victor's eyebrows raised, "But you still dare to test me." 

Jane's face fell. She could hear his playful tone but the light in his eyes had dimmed. No matter how obtuse someone was, there's no way they couldn't feel the kind of gravity that Victor's glare has to her. It was a look that seemed to question who she was for daring to go against him. 

"Hic," she let out a hiccup again, seeing him curling the corner of his lips as if pleased by her reaction. 

"Hands," he then ordered and she saw his hands raised towards her. 

Jane stared at his slender fingers, pale and almost bluish. Is it even a human's hands? She realized that something was wrong about his complexion but before she could dwell, she heard a sarcastic tone coming from the man towering beside her. 

"What are you doing?" His vexed tone slipped. "Hold my hand now. Didn't you say that from now on you're going to be my eyes?"

<I will be your eyes. I will be your servant and... no one else's.>

Jane's eyes blinked as she recalled the words she had said last night out of desperation. She wanted to live and so she had said those words which Victor seemed to take as a promise.

A strange thought wandered into her where she questioned if she failed becoming his eyes... would she get rid of her as he did with that severed head?

Seeing how the butler seemed to know this... it seems that even if Victor was to kill her, no one would bat an eyelid.

She gulped, staring at the sculpted long fingers, sinking in the thought that if she wants to survive, obeying now was the only right choice.

"First you let my meal ran away, then you talk back to me, and now when I told you to guide me with your hands you're quiet." Victor's fingers seemed to slightly crack as he asked her chillingly, "Do you want me to teach you a lesson?" 

That lesson doesn't seem to be anything good. 

She slowly reached out her hands towards him, the cold sensation biting down on her that she flinch, almost wondering if she had just traced her hand on the surface of an icy lake. 

"I- I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologize," he said, almost sounding kind only to add a cutting remark, "Do better if you appreciate your life." 

And at this, Jane frowned. She stared at Victor for a moment, still with fear but also annoyance. This man... was rude. But as rude as he was, he's scary. After all he had killed! 

"Young master." 

A voice came from behind them and turning around first, Jane saw it was Stanley. He seemed to eye her for a moment but then turned his attention wholly on Victor again. 

"The woman who ran-"

"Gave her some money that should be enough," Victor replied coldly, "Tsk, ruining my appetite. If you had taught the new servant not to barge into my room then I might have a fulfilling meal, Stupid Stanley." 

Jane raised her eyebrows inwardly at this. Meal, meal. Was he talking about the woman who ran away earlier as his meal? What a pervert... to call his sexual activity with women as a meal. 

When Stanley's eyes fell on her, his disapproving glare made her feel small. For some reason why she had seen a severed head inside Victor's room, the way Stanley looked at her seemed to be weighing when the right time for him to "dispose" her. 

Going back is death, going forth is death. 

Jane balled her fingers into a fist, the resentment of being sold by her own aunt and uncle filling her heart. She was too focused in her thoughts that she didn't hear as Stanley continued to speak, "Then would you like to take the tea in the sunrise room, young master? It should satiate you." 

"Tea," Victor repeated dully before nodding. He then nudge her hand that was holding him and this time, quickly, Jane held his hand. 

She was used to being ordered around in a mansion of the wealthy so she knew better than to speak her mind out and simply turn herself into the object that they demand. 

This time, she's used as a living walking stick. 

As she helped Victor toward the sunrise room, following three steps behind of Stanley, she noticed that Victor was really blind. 

This tall, frightening man, beside her fumbled when his shoes hit the crumpled carpet on the floor. He had clicked his tongue, his annoyance palpable as he warned Stanley to make sure the maid who doesn't know her work to learn her lesson. 

Although he had an imposing air, there was time when he looked frustrated and though she tried not to ruffle his feather, when she didn't pay attention enough and caused his hand to hit the wooden staircase, a sharp click came from his tongue.

Jane was ready to be scolded yet oddly, Victor didn't. 

She felt somewhat relieved for a moment, her head lifting to look at the silver haired man and wondered if the head she saw was just a figment of her imagination as so far he could have killed her but he hadn't. 

Just as she was thinking so, they arrived at the sunrise room where Stanley had opened the door first. She helped Victor to sit at one of the chair, noticing that the sunrise room was actually a room located at the corner of the mansion with all the two sides of the wall made out of glass. 

The name sunrise room made sense as seeing there was a lake visible from the sunrise room, it was a perfect location to watch as the Sun descend to the horizon. 

But this wasn't dawn, so she couldn't see it yet. 

"Sir Smith will come soon, young master," Stanley said before his eyes moving towards Jane. His eyebrows seemed to raise for a moment as she found herself standing as a quiet furniture right beside Victor's chair. 

She didn't know what the look on Stanley's eyes meant but for some reason, she felt something odd about it she couldn't name. 

When Stanley left the room, he wondered why this maid doesn't seem to suffer even though she had talked and even saw Victor twice. 

It's odd. This wasn't the reaction Stanley was used to. 

Truthfully, this wasn't he first time for Stanley to push a new maid he bought into Victor's room late at night. 

But the difference was that none of them had all came out alive. 

None, except now there was one exception which was Jane.