[Attack and Escape – Part 3]
The call picked up on the third ring.
"Kyvan? Please tell me that everyone is okay." The sound of a worried mother's voice came through the phone, and despite all the dangers that he had braved through, there was still a warmth that came from hearing the desperate concern of his mother. Both he and his brother might have been praised over and over again for being stellar butlers, for having shown potential of being great individuals responsible for assisting the future heir of the Greaves-Crawford Household, but to Kiera Reyes, both Kyvan and Kylar were simply still her babies.
"Mum, we're fine. We can't talk for long because we don't know if anyone is tracing our call right now as we speak. Is Dad there?"
"Everybody's here, sweetie. You're on speaker." Kiera understood the seriousness of the situation as she answered quickly. Though Kyvan himself was standing in a dark alley, speaking as quietly as he could to avoid being heard, he could easily imagine his parents, his master and mistress all sitting in Miss Louise's office, crowded over the phone on the table. There was no doubt that his father was furiously on his laptop as well, trying desperately to track where his call was coming from.
"Miss Louise and Master Brandon, Kyren and Miss Kaylen are fine. Miss Kaylen escaped without harm, and while Kyren received some minor cuts, they have been dressed and he is still doing well. Is Master Brandon and Dad doing well?"
"Your father was messed up a little, but he's still doing well. Brandon has been going mad with worry, so your call will hopefully put him in a proper shape befitting of a Master of this Household." The steady, stable reply of Louise Greaves-Crawford was something Kyvan could not help but have to hold back his smile on. Kyvan had never seen his mistress being fazed by anything before –she had never been taken by complete speechless surprise or shock, never been so taken aback that she could not compose herself to continuing being in control of the entire situation. "Tell us of your situation."
"We managed to escape, but we are not sure if there is any immediate danger. In two hours, we will wake Miss Kaylen up, and bring her somewhere safe."
'Somewhere safe' was a location agreed long ago between the butlers of the Greaves-Crawford Household specifically for situations like this in which their conversation could possibly be tapped by any third party.
"Your father has noted and will act accordingly." Miss Louise's reply was short. "What about... Kyren?"
The hesitation was the only sign of struggle that came from the Mistress of the Greaves-Crawford Household. Kyvan didn't even want to start imagining the emotions that his mistress must be going through. She had sent her son to exile, but had panicked and sent both him and Kylar out to make sure that he was safe, and in the process of doing so, all three of them –and Miss Kaylen included –had gotten into a real dangerous situation.
"He is doing very well, Miss Louise."
"And the man named Kay?"
This time, Kyvan did hesitate. It was clear that –like them –Miss Louise had assumed all these years that the man named Kyrano Reyes was dead. Kyvan had no idea if Miss Louise had found out about Kay's real identity, or is she was simply curious about the man who had apparently 'taken in' Kyren during his exile.
"We lost contact of him, Miss Louise, when we escaped." Kyvan hoped that his lie was convincing. He didn't know how much his master and father might have told Miss Louise about Kyrano, but if his instincts were right, the Head Butler must have had given a very good excuse to forgive the disappearance of this man named Kay.
"Is that so..." Kyvan wasn't sure if suspicion was what he heard in his mistress's voice.
"Kyvan, you boys just sit tight. We'll be down to fetch you in 2 hours." Brandon's voice that interrupted anything more that his wife could have said could be a coincidence.
Kyvan briefly considered telling his master and mistress that their son wasn't planning to return home, and that both he and his brother intended to disobey Miss Louise's order to remain by Kyren's side. His instincts as a butler begged for him to report everything to ease his master and mistress's worry, but rationalities as the childhood friend of the young man named Kyren Greaves-Crawford spoke otherwise.
"We will be waiting, Master Brandon. Please rest assured that we will let no harm come to Miss Kaylen or Kyren."
"Until I see all 4 of you safe in front of my eyes, I won't stop worrying. Especially for you and Kylar; I've been with Keyron long enough to know that the two of you will be putting yourselves in danger to keep Kyren and Kaylen out of it. I know it's your job as butlers to do so, but please, try to be safe."
The concern of the Master of the Greaves-Crawford Household over his and his brother's welfare was touching, and made his guilt at keeping the secret even heavier.
"We will try." Kyvan promised as best as he could. "I will dispose of this phone after this call, so please come for Miss Kaylen in two hours. I must go now before my location is tracked."
"Very well." Miss Louise's steadiness was definitely a requirement for the current situation. "Stay safe, Kyvan."
"As you wish, Miss Louise." His humble greeting was a bid goodbye, and the call ended as quickly as it was picked up. Without losing a single beat, Kyvan immediately put his phone on factory reset, and once it was done, he set it carefully on the lid of the nearest bin. Glad to find a broken half of a baseball bat within the mess of trash in the alley, Kyvan squared his shoulders, took in a steadying breath, and swung his weapon as hard as he could.
The loud crash was accompanied with the splintering of an already-broken bat. The wound on his back screamed in protest at his sudden large movement, and he prayed that he had not accidentally torn the wound open. Kyvan checked the phone to make sure that it was completely no longer operational before leaving it in the bin, stepping out of the alleyway after checking his surroundings carefully.
The early morning mist was cooling, and more importantly, it provided him with some cover to move as he kept his head down. Throughout his journey back to his temporary shelter, Kyvan made sure to make detours and buy multiple essentials at different convenience stores. If there was anyone tracking his card's expenditure, they would not be able to pinpoint the neighborhood of his temporary shelter based on how erratic he was making his route.
Once satisfied that he had gotten enough supplies to last a few days more –along with some change of clothes –Kyvan returned to the abandoned building before the beginnings of the morning crowd began.
Kyvan wasn't sure what to think when he returned to their safe room to find it empty save for his young mistress. His confusion did not last long, however, when a quiet call of his name made him turn his attention to the apartment across the hall, to see his brother's head peeking out.
"We moved here just in case Kaylen woke up early to find us still around." Kylar explained as he opened the door to allow Kyvan in with his groceries.
"Did the two of you drag him?" Kyvan answered by pointing at the still-unconscious man who was sleeping on the empty bedframe.
"He was still somewhat out of it, but he moved there on his own two feet." His young master answered.
"Why are you not asleep yet? It was a long night for you." Kyvan questioned, setting down his groceries and silently handing a pack of bandages to his brother. Kylar had insisted that both he and their young master's wounds were much more severe than his –despite the fact that Kylar's head had been bleeding for quite some time. It was the natural instincts of the elder brother talking, and Kyvan had not bothered to argue because he knew his brother would win in the end. The only thing he could do as the younger one was to make sure that his elder brother took care of himself after everyone was done being taken care of.
"It was a long night for the two of you as well. You two haven't stopped moving since this whole mess started." His young master answered, but his speech was followed equally quickly with a yawn.
"We went through training once where we survived five consecutive days without rest. Besides, Kylar and I burned midnight oils often back when we were at the Imperial Academy studying. And back then when Miss Louise first gave you the Princeton tender, we-" Kyvan's honest answer was cut off by a warning tone from his brother, before the young butler realized his mistake, though a little too late.
"The Princeton tender? How many nights did you two stay up for that tender?" Unfortunately, their young master had inherited the same sharp instincts as his mother.
"There's no point wasting saliva talking about something that has passed." Kylar put in as Kyvan continued to unpack his goodies, passing a set of clean clothes wordlessly to his young master and praying that Kyren would make no comment on the quality of the cloth.
"I asked a question, Kylar." The sudden sternness surprised Kyvan into short hesitation. There was really no doubting it –there was nobody in the world who could mimic Louise Greaves-Crawford's stern tone and stare as well as her son did.
"Did we not agree that while we are in this current situation, we are past master-butler relationships, Kay?" Kyvan quietly wondered if he was actually an adopted son of the family, because he didn't realize he was blood-related to a brother named Kylar who seemed to know no fear or repercussion from speaking up against his young master.
"Kylar, remind me of the Fifth Rule of the rules of butlership."
"Obey the wishes of your master and mistress, both spoken and unspoken." The subservient reply came as Kyvan watched as his brother's eye contact fall to the floor. "There is no point in trying to know about something like that, Kyren. It is a matter long past. The effort we put in became futile since we weren't awarded the tender."
"That's where you're wrong. The effort you put in became futile, because I didn't recognize and acknowledge it. I didn't know the two of you were doing your best supporting me, and I didn't know I needed the support. We failed in the tender because I failed the two of you. And now, I need to know exactly how much effort the two of you put in for me, and how much I have failed before I start to apologize."
The alarm bells rang as Kyvan exchanged a look of surprise with his twin, his hands slowing down to a stop in the unpacking of the groceries.
"There is nothing to apologize for, Kyren. We are your butlers, and we are expected to put in effort to support you, regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not. In fact, there was failure on our part for not explaining to you the reason behind the things we did and allowed you to think that we were being complacent trying to act on our own behalf behind your back." Kyvan spoke up quickly. Where in the world had he ever heard of a master apologizing to his butler for things that they failed together in? If his teachers back in the Imperial Academy heard about this, both he and Kylar were going to get their ass served to them so bad.
"The two of you are more than just my butlers. If you keep coddling me and telling me that it's alright to take you two for granted, then Mum was right. You two really deserve to be punished for letting me be a terrible young master. I've learnt a lot while I was outside, and I've seen the things I've been doing wrong all this while. But have the two of you really learnt anything while I was away and suffering on my own?"
There was absolutely no denying the fact that their young master had learnt and changed a lot while he was in exile, but Kyvan was still not sure what he and his brother was supposed to have learnt while they awaited their young master's return to the Household.
"We did as we were taught." Kylar answered, always ready to recite the rules of butlership like a bible. "It is natural for butlers like us to support our masters, and cover up for the misses that our masters make. Their failure is ours, and their reliance on us is our proof of importance and strength."
"The 43rd Rule, Kylar." A strange raspy voice intruded in their serious conversation, and all of involved turned their heads to find the conscious man not having moved much except turned his head towards where the three of them were sitting. "A butler is responsible for the upright bringing for his young master and mistress. A butler's presence influences the personality of a young child, and a butler shall strive to support them in their growth, even if certain transgressions in the butler's rules may be made."
"You're awake. Do you need some water?" Kyren jumped to his feet, rushing over to the man's side.
"I'm fine. I have been through worse." The man's hoarse reply came, though he wisely did not try to move to sit up. "Is everyone doing well?"
"You're in the worst shape amongst us all." Kylar informed. "Get some more rest."
"Where is Miss Kaylen?"
"In your safe room. We moved here to let her sleep. We're sending her home first later. Don't worry, we're not abandoning you." Kyvan answered, watching as his uncle blinked blankly.
"The three of you are not going back to the Mansion?"
"We can't leave you here like this. And besides, I don't think Mum still wants me back. What we did with Lyca Trading wasn't just my doing, it was you as well. I haven't done enough to prove that she wants me back."
"Foolish boy." Kyrano closed his eyes briefly. "The fact that your mother sent your butlers looking for you in town was a good enough signal that she wants you back."
"You don't know that. People always think that Mum is soft towards me because of all the pictures of her smiling when I was younger, but if she was that soft, she wouldn't have exiled me in the first place. She was just sending Kylar and Kyvan down to make sure that I was alive and fine."
Kyvan wished that he had something to say to assure his young master that Miss Louise truly wanted him back in the Mansion, but even after desperately sieving through his memories, he could not remember his mistress ever showing a sign of accepting Kyren back. In fact, Miss Louise had told both him and Kylar to pick up groceries in town, and they had assumed that she meant that they check on Kyren. She had not given them any instructions about whether to receive their young master home at all.
"You're forgetting who I am, Kyren."
"What does that have to do with the price of butter?"
"I am Miss Louise's butler, and only Miss Louise's butler. I was by her side since we were five years old, all through her teenage years until we were 20. I might not have been by her side since, but I have still been her butler this whole time even if she didn't know it. Do you truly think that I have no idea what your mother was thinking when she sent your butlers out to town?"
The proud declaration from a weak man made all three young men in the room speechless. It was a speech that only someone of Keyron's caliber could say, but not one of them doubted the authenticity of the words spoken.
"But Mum doesn't care about me. She hadn't been keeping tracks on me and she stopped Dad, Keyron, Kyvan and Kylar from trying to find out about me." Kyren protested, though he knew that his conviction was wavering against the man who had been by his mother's side since she was young. This man in front of her, Kyrano Reyes, knew more things about his mother than Kyren could ever hope to know. Kyrano knew his mother inside out, and for some reason, Kyren could not dispute that knowledge at all. He knew that claim to be true, even before any justifications could be made.
"Quite the contrary. She tried to keep track of you, but I restricted what she could see. The reason why Kylar and Kyvan was sent to town yesterday was because she panicked after I cut off all eyes on you. You had achieved enough with Lyca Trading, and once Miss Louise finds out the full extent of what you have done with Lyca Trading, she will have no protests of you calling yourself the heir of Greaves-Crawford again." The man who was his mother's butler answered knowingly, and Kyren found that there was no point trying to argue against a man who knew his mother better than Kyren himself did.
"Regardless, we're not abandoning you, and we have no plans to return to the Mansion just as yet. I'm going to put a stop to James Hague first before we go back. If I get back to the Mansion, Dad and Keyron will never allow me to hunt him down, so I'm going to make sure he's out of the way before I get back to being the heir of the Greaves-Crawford Household." Kyren excused. "Whatever it is, Kylar and Kyvan have agreed to join me, so you're going to have a hard time dissuading me."
"Good." Kyrano closed his eyes and turned away slowly.
There was a short moment of silence in which the young men looked at each other in surprise.
"You weren't planning to stop us?" Kyvan questioned in surprise.
"I am Miss Louise's butler. I know how stubborn she can be, and by extension how stubborn your young master can be." The answer came with an evened tone. "I am in no position to stop or help you. I only ask that you be prepared to do anything to make sure that Kyren returns by Miss Louise's side at the end of the road."
More could not be said when the sound of a scared, trembling voice calling for her brothers came from outside the door, from a nine year old girl who had woken up to find herself alone. It was a miracle in itself that Kaylen had yet to burst into tears at the situation that she had woken up to find herself in.
"Stay safe and keep Kaylen safe." Kyren instructed in a soft whisper as Kyvan rose dutifully to his feet to start on his mission to bring his young mistress to safety.