Arriving back home, the first thing that happened when he entered his house was the sudden and unexpected presence of Yumi leaning on her back against a wall near the entrance, staring angrily at him as he turned to meet her gaze.
"Where were you last night?"
Her tone was sharp as a razor, lacking the usual affection she had whenever she talked to him. Her arms crossed over her chest, keeping them closer to her body from the growing chilliness in the air, making her master worried and terrified at the same time.
"Well, you see—" He couldn't finish his words when his loyal servant immediately grabbed one of his hands before being forcibly pulled to a bathroom, leading him down the hall while passing several rooms and doors in order to get to their destination.
Once they are inside, the place has a sink, shower, bathtub, and toilet. The floor was a soft carpet, and the walls and ceiling had a stylish wallpaper that reflected the sunlight and moonlight. There were several shelves full of various types of soap, shampoo, and other hygiene products, as well as a cupboard with clean towels and rags.
Removing her hand from his, she took a step back before announcing an order that surprised him: "Take off your clothes." She instructed her beloved as her expression remained firm and serious, refusing to back down or show any mercy in her words or actions.
Despite Carter's reluctance to get undressed in front of her, he followed her orders in the end, feeling both nervous and embarrassed about revealing himself naked to her while his cheeks flushed red. As he finished unbuttoning his shirt, she leaned forward and took care of his trousers. Once he was in the nude, she placed her hands on him.
Finding any source of wound or possible sign of foul play, her delicate hands travel all over his exposed body, resulting in his entire face becoming crimson red. Seeing no blood or wounds on his pale skin, she decided to release a sigh of relief as she stood up straight while moving away to give them space.
"You're not injured," Yumi commented with a relieved voice and smile as she gazed lovingly into his eyes, causing him to relax. "Thank goodness," she said, the worst thing that can happen to her is having her soon-to-be husband harmed in some way without having her eyes on him.
How stupid was she to let her guard down without keeping him in check? She is his maid after all. It was her duty to ensure his safety at all costs, no matter what, and letting herself have a moment of sleep could result in the unfortunate death of the man she loved dearly.
"Um, Yumi?" His flustered yet confused face and words got her attention as she raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going with you?" He questioned while his eyes darted towards his own private parts, feeling slightly ashamed as he covered his manhood.
"Just had to make sure if you didn't have any injuries," she confessed to her love as a matter of fact, "wouldn't want anything happen to you under my watch." She smiled as she stroked his cheek gently, causing him to lean onto her palm with a warm smile of his own, though the blush on his face never faded away.
"Thanks, but can I have some privacy, please?" He politely requested with reddened cheeks, wanting to hide his shame that could be seen by the person who is romantically attached to him, It's rather embarrassing and uncomfortable if you stared too long."
She stared at him in dumbfounded silence, not understanding the reason behind it: "Master, why? I already saw it before, so why are you shy now?" She asked while tilting her head, "Besides, it doesn't matter to me what it looks like; all that matters is that you're safe and sound," she claimed, meaning every word as she cupped his face in between her palms.
Seeing no use in arguing or pointing it out, Carter sighed in defeat: "Fine, so what are you planning to do with me since we're in a bathroom?" He inquired curiously, hoping it was something harmless like giving him a bath or anything along those lines.
Without hesitating, she gave her answer as she clapped her hands together. "A bath, of course," she chirped with enthusiasm while her grin became wider. "Yumi will start the bath and put you in the tub so that you can relax," she stated excitedly as she moved to the said tube before twisting the faucet open, resulting in water pouring out through the spout.
It wasn't long before the water began filling the bathtub up, making a sound that echoed through the walls. Within mere seconds, the surface of the liquid became warmer, making it hotter; she felt the temperature with one hand before turning to her beloved, walking up to him as she suddenly swung him into her arms.
"Hey! You know I can walk and stand, right?" Carter blurted out of nowhere while being carried in bridal style, unable to break free from her strong hold, "You don't have to go this far; it's not like I'll fall down or anything like that."
Smiling sweetly, she reassured her beloved with the sweetest words she can express: "I know that master, it's just that I love taking care of you; so let Yumi spoil you rotten, okay?" She asked gently while kissing his forehead, making him feel all warm inside.
Knowing what was going on, Carter responded with a nod: "Okay, fine, but just this once." He gave up, knowing how persistent the pinkette can be whenever he disagreed with her: Don't tell anyone about this, his expression becoming a shade redder as he turned away.
"Don't worry, master, I won't, Yumi promises." Giggling cutely, she went to the water-filled tube, slowly lowering him into the rising hot water, allowing it to fully engulf him up to his neck. She moved to the side of the tub, kneeling next to the edge with her right hand resting on the rim.
As she went to a nearby shelf just to grab a bottle and sponge to scrub his back, she thought, "what did I miss this morning?" She innocently inquired in the casual conversation, trying to sound nonchalant despite feeling worry in the back of her mind about having lost her attention to him.
His eyes widen for a moment, blinking in confusion from this question. "Nothing much, just took a stroll around the neighborhood, that's all," he replied while taking a deep breath, relaxing his muscles from the gentle massages. "I managed to find an interesting person as well; I thought it was just a coincidence, but it seems like life is full of surprises after all." He ended his story with a small chuckle, sounding nostalgic about the recent encounter he had.
Noticing this, she expressed her interest in it despite the fear of seeing him interact with other women: "Who was this individual you met exactly?" She curiously wondered about it, hoping it was simply someone who wasn't worth her master's time.
"He goes by the name Sato; he's a nice kid, but it's hard to understand him sometimes. Anyways, he seemed like a kid who needs guidance of some sort, or just support rather than being judged because of his circumstances; he has problems with himself that may need some time to solve," explaining his encounter with this boy as best he can, seeing him as an individual needing someone to be there for him even with how depressing his situation was.
This piece of information has made her relieved but, at the same time, worried that this person might be interested in the same sex as she has someone else to worry about: "Is he into men?" The sudden question slipped out of her lips, making him surprised to hear it.
"Huh? No, he's probably straight anyway," answering her question, he answered in a deadpan manner, "although, when we spoke, I couldn't help but feel like I was speaking to an old friend." His voice lowered at the last sentence, catching his servant off guard by its sincerity, "in any case, hopefully he can figure things out; no one deserves such a terrible life like this."
Thoughtfully, she hummed in agreement. "Ah, I see; Yumi will keep an eye if he ever causes trouble," she said before her thoughts of concern took over, making her ponder if Sato would steal her man from her. "If that happens, I'll make sure he stays away from you, just to make sure he doesn't ruin your day at work or anywhere else for that matter."
"What?! No! He's not like that at all, and besides, he's going through a tough time right now. What do you expect him to do? Kidnap me or something?" Carter hissed in disapproval, believing she should be reasonable with this matter rather than assuming the worst from this stranger who was going through a difficult time right now. "Besides, I almost see him like a son to me."
The last sentence made her tense up in response: "A son?" Repeating what he just said in a calm manner, she tried to suppress her negative feelings while processing this in her mind. After a few seconds of pondering, she decided, compromising with her master, "I apologize for assuming such a conclusion, master, please forgive me."
Carter softly sighed, "Don't sweat about it; you were just being overprotective as usual," while sympathizing that she just wanted to do whatever is necessary to protect him even from unseen threats that he knows nothing about. "I just hope things will go well with him," he mumbled, not noticing the smile forming on her lips.
She was thrilled that no one had stolen her yet, thus making it her mission to win him over by becoming the best wife material by giving him nothing but bliss in life. However, that won't change her goal of finding those responsible and erasing them from this earth for attempting to seduce what is rightfully hers for eternity.
Because no one except her is allowed to claim him as their own, she will find them throughout the world just to kill them until no one else is left. Every day she is thinking of ways to ensure no other female will ever think of stealing her darling's heart as hers only; she wouldn't let anyone else hurt her beloved in any way, or she will tear them apart with her bare hands if she has to.
Out of nowhere, a loud couple of knocks from the doors interrupted their peaceful session: "Excuse me, sir Carter." It was his second loyal servant and faithful butler, Sebastian, who was behind the wooden frame waiting for his master's answer, having been alerted of their absence due to their long duration of staying inside the bathroom.
Hearing the familiar voice, "What is it?" Calling out to his subordinate, wondering what he needs at a moment like this.
Opening the door, Sebastian, holding firmly at the cellphone, was astonished by the sight of his master being washed by no other than Yumi herself—the pink girl with the maid attire washing the back of master Carter, who was bathing in the hot water while also being half naked, in his opinion.
"My apologies," he said, excusing himself out of respect in this situation, ready to close the door until Carter ordered him to continue as if nothing was amiss, even though his expression was red from being discovered like this.
"Wait, Seb! Its not what you think!" The billionaire casually asked, trying to appear calm and collected despite the situation he's in at the moment, "What were you planning to tell me?" He impatiently waited for his butler's answer, curious about what he wanted to say. Holding up the phone, Sebastian then showed it to him.
"It's from Koyoshi, Master Carter; he wants to speak to you about an important topic concerning a new case."
