The Reincarnated Villainous Young Master's Guide to Happiness

Chapter 40: Rainier p.2

Then he opened his dresser with rows and rows of rolled-up ribbons in shades of black and grey, organized by color, material, and opacity.

If this was three months ago, Rainier would have gone for the black cotton. It covered his eyes, and would basically render him blind, but it was safe and familiar, and Young Master Nazareth would not throw anything at him.

Rainier was not blind.

The thought was a constant reassurance to himself.

The Young Master Nazareth might have preferred him to be, but the boy he once knew was gone, and in his place was a man who knew too much and too little and swore he would fix everything wrong with the world.

If Rainier were a man with a pride bigger than himself, he would have claimed he needed no one to fix him–that he didn't need anyone to save him from the hollowness he felt when the first ribbon was thrown at him.

But he was not a man of pride. He couldn't eat that.

Mama and papa taught him better than to let a mindset of pride and honor get the best of him.

Rainier only needed color, but that was taken from him long ago by a selfish boy who didn't know how much he really took from him the day he demanded he cover his eyes.

While his vision remained perfectly fine, it was the shame he felt at the shackles etched into his skin that broke him.

Both freedom and color were taken, and in time, he learned to serve as a blind man, occasionally wearing sheer ribbons, just so he could have a glimpse of the world beyond his personal quarters.

He got used to wearing the ribbons around his eyes. It was better to wear them than to show the world the marred symbol on his face.

Mama and papa would be so disappointed.

On this particular morning, however, Rainier did not reach for any of the black ribbons. He even avoided reaching for the grey ones as well. Instead, he dug out a soft blue cornflower fabric from the very back of the dresser.

The material was soft silk, thin enough to be near-transparent, and trimmed by intricate white threads on the edges that were near invisible, but pleasant to touch.

Today was going to be a good day...

He thought to himself as he wore the fabric and made his way out.

Thirty seconds later, he nearly tripped on his way down the stairs.

The only downside of living in the tower room was the numerous flights of stairs he needed to climb. The ground floor was four flights down.

He would have almost taken a painful tumble if Eun-Ki, the gardener who was once a shadow guard from the Hangul Kingdom, hadn't caught him in time.

"You can put me down."

"Rest. I will bring you to the Eldest Young Master."

"..."

---

"Rainier–"

Rainier heard the greeting before his Young Master cut himself off.

He pretended not to notice the distinct silence, plastering on the usual smile he knew was artificially charming.

(Not that it actually worked on his Young Master. The man probably believed it was his default expression.)

Despite knowing his Young Master was no longer the Nazareth he once knew, Rainier remained careful.