The spacious center room was crowded with men and women that sat idly, chatting as they waited for the person they were going to serve. Some whispered rumors that the man was quite young; apparently his father died unexpectedly so he inherited the mansion early.

I tapped my foot on the marble floor impatiently. I wasn't new to this family, in fact, I've been serving them for years, right after I replaced my father who had retired and in my service, I guess you could say that I'm well-acquainted with their household, unlike most of the people here who came here for the money – they pay generously, after all.

Silence drifted and all chattering came to a halt, to be replaced by slow, rhythmic footsteps echoing in the large house as gazes searched and suits and dresses were dusted off while people composed themselves. I brushed my blonde hair away from my face, watching as the figure ascended to the center.

None of us were expecting is when he made his presence known. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect in the first place. A middle-aged noble man wearing a fake smile? Yeah, maybe… In my years of serving masters in this family, most of them were snotty rich men who wore their riches with pride.

But this one was of a younger age. Chocolate locks showed no hints of gray hair, and instead of his family's treasures, he wore… a mask. A white, porcelain mask that hid his features with a cartoonish poker face. He was short, unlike all my previous masters; hell, he must have still been in his late teens.

"Gentlemen," he spoke, and I'll admit I was caught off guard by his unexpectedly smooth and low voice. All of us stood up. "I will be orienting you in your service in this house."

"Now, in this house, there will only be three rules." He explained, scanning the faces of each one of us with that mask. "First rule: Always be on time when it comes to social gatherings, dining and sleeping hours, and your assigned chores. Failure to do so will result in a punishment that I will choose."

"Second and most important rule," he stared – or glared, I assume, but obviously I couldn't tell – at two maidens who were whispering and giggling quietly. The two blushed, staring at their feet in shame. The brunette cleared his throat to get our attention once more. "Never, I repeat, NEVER even try to peek at what is behind this mask." He tapped at the round porcelain to emphasize his point. "Or else…"

A stout-looking man raised his hand, and everyone looked at him. The master nodded in acknowledgement, so he stood up to ask a question that little did he know was a very dangerous one. "Why not, Sir?"

Nervous glances shifted to the masked man standing in front. Yet once again, nobody could read what emotion lay behind the white mask. "That's the last rule. Never question the master, which is me. You will call me Master, or Master Cry if you prefer. But of course that's not my real name."

And so the days of yet again serving a new master began.

Months passed and the maids and servants decreased. The house became less crowded and more chores were added to our lists. I, of course, remained and met other servants and made friends. Believe it or not, I also learned a lot about my mysterious master. He was somewhat of a perfectionist and a very spontaneous person, doing things when he felt like it. Just like when he suddenly asked me to be his personal servant. I was confused as to why at first, but I thought that maybe he was told about my father or something…

Despite being his personal servant though, he still refused to open up to me. I'll admit, I was very curious about what was behind the porcelain mask. What could it be that he was so ashamed of, that he had to cover his whole face, shutting it from the sight of the world? Was he scared of the judgment, or was he simply so unconfident that he couldn't come out of his isolative shell. The fact that I was one of the closest to him, one of the people who were so close to see his face, only aided to my building curiosity.

"Master," I called out, placing the tray of food down on the table beside me and knocking gently on the wooden door. Weird, he's usually already awake at this hour. "Should I leave your breakfast here?"

No answer. I gripped the doorknob, softly turning to realize it was not locked. Even with the knowledge that behind this door, he was unmasked, exposed… I guess my own curiosity got the better of me, even though I tried to tell myself that I was just "concerned" about him as a personal servant.

I peeked in his room, the familiar furniture presenting itself to me. Atop the bedside table lay a translucent red container and… his mask. The mask that hid his shame from the world, and I was about to find out what that shame was, now that no façade stopped me.

A moment of guilt came over me. Should I? Shouldn't I? Now that I think about it, I'm betraying his trust, his family's trust, and I'm ruining my father's image.

But none of that would happen if no one other than me knew about it. I mean, he's laid down on the bed, breathing evenly and clueless. I just want to satisfy my curiosity.

That's not a bad thing, right?

I stepped towards the luxurious room, sneaking towards him. After seeing his face, I could just run back outside and pretend this never happened, closing the door and locking it this time so that no other servant or maid would make the same mistake.

Soon, I found myself standing in front of his peacefully sleeping figure. Dark brown locks spread over closed eyes and complimented his pale complexion. Leaning closer, I noticed that something was dripping from one of his eyes. Are those… tears?

Is this why he's been wearing that mask: to hide his tears?

Sympathy gripped at my chest and before I knew what I was even doing, my finger found its way towards his eyelashes, stroking and wiping the liquid away.

Then he opened his eyes.

I flinched, stumbling backwards and knocking the red container towards the ground when he sat up, the liquid which I realized were actually eye fluids still running down his pale cheek as he stared at me blankly. Shivers running down my spine, I now knew why he wore that mask: to shut the horror in front of me from the world.

There was a hole on what was supposed to be his left eye.

I felt something warm and sticky cling to the tips of my fingers which were placed behind me. I turned, ever so slowly and there it was: a pale green eye staring back at me with its red fluids dripping from my fingertips.

I felt my stomach clench with sickness. I turned back to the brunette with scared eyes, immediately feeling regretful to have done this. I knew it was a bad idea but only now, as he stared at me with a threatening eye and was suddenly inches from me do I realize the danger.

"I-I thought you…" I managed to say.

"I was testing you." he revealed, knowing what I was about to ask. "I wanted to test my personal servant if he was truly trustworthy like his father."

"I-I'm sorry! That was…" Words spiraled in my head as I tried to form an excuse, or at least a coherent sentence, but my panic was having none of it. "It-It was an accident…"

"You have failed me, Felix." he cut off, bending down to pick up the eyeball and stared at it. "I was expecting a lot from you, too... Oh well."

"A-Are you going to fire me? Is that what happened with everyone else that disappeared?" I stammered.

He gave me a confused look, tipping his head innocently. "Of course not. I'm only going to punish you. Haven't you been listening to the rumors in this house? Geez, I thought you were a smart person, Felix."

My blood ran cold. What does he mean, "punished"? Moreover, rumors? I've heard of some actually, but I never really paid attention that much because, well, they're rumors, why would I believe them? And why was he bringing them up now?

"There's one spreading around that says that no one has ever left this mansion alive. The ones who 'retired' were actually punished. Though it was kind of exaggerated when they said that 'the meat we eat in this house is from the butchered people who disobeyed the rules', because my punishment is nowhere near that violent. You just go down the fire pit and it's done! Painless and instant."

Oh no. He's going to kill me. I shivered, backing away. "I'm sorry! Please, Master..."

Still, like his mask, his expression never faltered. "You were a good servant, like your father. Now, come with me."