The Lady's Butler

A Girl's Love Arc {Part 1}

(A Girl's Love)

(Part 1)

Keyron Reyes often enjoyed taking morning runs in the early hours before the sun rose to get his spirits for the day up. The refreshing morning air, paired with the dimly lit surroundings always gave him a sense of a new beginning. His route often brought him around the perimeter of the school and dormitory, and occasionally, he met a butler or two, doing their morning runs as well.

What met Keyron Reyes this morning as he rounded the corner of the school building to run back towards the dormitories was not a butler. Instead, Keyron found a young girl with midnight-black hair, standing right at the open gates underneath the lamp lights, looking into the school with a worried expression.

Butler instincts made Keyron slowdown in his jog, and he unconsciously found himself hiding behind a tree as he assessed the young girl who looked as if she were thinking about her next course of action.

From his distance, Keyron could easily tell that the girl was much younger than the expected age of ladies studying in St. Clair Academy. Her simple frilly dress and worn-out walking boots seemed to suggest that she was not one of the dignified members of society as well. Without a butler hovering close beside her, as well as the fact that she seemed to be carrying a well-worn backpack, Keyron quickly confirmed that the young girl definitely did not belong as a lady in the academy.

Still, the morning was dark, and it was dangerous for a girl of such a young age to be standing in the half-darkness, looking as if she were trying to look for someone in the academy.

Keyron checked his watch to decide on his course of action. He had gone out for the morning run slightly later than normal, for he had almost overslept. He had tried to make up for the lost time by going faster during the run, but he clearly needed to dash back to the dormitories soon if he wanted to wake his master up on time. Considering the fact that Brandon slept like a pig and was a terrifying sleepyhead monster when he woke up, Keyron knew that he needed to get back on time if he didn't want his master to be late for lessons.

Still, Keyron could not bear to leave a young girl like that alone at the gates. It was still too early for anyone else to spot her, and something might easily happen to the girl if she remained standing there.

Making up his mind to quickly deal with the girl, Keyron stepped out from behind the tree and made towards the young girl in a brisk run.

Her shock at his sudden appearance before her was easily recognisable in the way she jumped a little, getting into a defensive position in a bid to protect herself. Keyron breathed a silent sigh of relief to know that at least the young lady knew to be cautious of anyone who approached in the wee hours of the morning in the darkness.

"Young lady, it isn't safe for you to be out here in the early morning." Keyron addressed respectfully, offering a half-bow out of sheer instincts. "May I ask what are you doing here at the gates of the academy?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak, but closed it before a word could come out, blinking her soft brown eyes at him in surprised silence for a long time.

"I'm here to see you!" She suddenly broke out in a bright grin, throwing out her arms in welcome. Keyron instantly got the sense that the young girl seemed to be demanding a welcome hug from him, but froze instead of complying.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Keyron asked in frozen surprise, but the one who froze at his statement was not only him, but the girl as well. The grin seemed to turn brittle in a single moment, and tears seemed to glint in the soft brown eyes. The child-like quality of the young girl did not fade even as the conflict and confusion seemed to appear across her face.