The young master let me free. He broke the contract. One day, today, after he'd thought about it for a long time, he released me in a word or two and turned his back coldly, feigning apathy, in typical fashion of the young master. Of course.
Afterwards, for certain, he regretted it severely, and hated himself. It is not hard to read the young boy's emotions, even with him facing the other way and trying to put up a façade.
The young master has shown great strides of character change. It could not possible be expected of him to stay the same way forever, surely. And he, not being heartless, of course feels empathy to my state. Of course. He at this point no longer tried to hide the overwhelming feeling of pain he had for me, and the confliction that plagued him: to free me and be free of grief himself or to be alone for eternity.
He did try to understand how it must be, but still he would not release me up until now. The young master would not, because he has nothing and no one and although he puts the largest amount of his trust in my hands, he still did not suppose I would be faithful to him were there no contract.
And was he right?
In some ways I can say that I could easily leave immediately. I'd get over the boy; in 300 years, he would be but a memory, and further going I would eventually forget, because I do. It is only natural, of course.
In other ways, the more overwhelming of the ways, I wish not to forget the interesting times the young master and I have shared. I wish not to depart from a time and place in my life in which I have been content.
In truth, what I want is for a certain contact to be upheld. Whether it be every decade or so or perhaps much closer intervals which is my preference, but this is up to the reactions of the boy.
For now, I will stay with him as frequently and similarly as had been before. I do feel pity for the darling's state of inadequacy in caring for himself. I as well do not want him to be on his own. Of course I would not leave him to learn proper care on his own either. But he does not think this. No, he still has this view of me as a malicious turned resigned demon and servant willing to escape at any given moment.
What a doll. Even when I tell him I look upon him fondly, he does not believe it.
It was impossible to try to convince the young master without situational evidence. Evidence he deemed too risky to retrieve. At this point though in his mind he has decided that I would certainly go, so he does not even cast a second glance in my direction. Oh young master, it would almost hurt to see you like this if I did not know your true feelings.
Before he lived in a deemed "fantasy world" where in his mind I truly do care for him that he himself believes it not to be true. How naïve the young master can be.
I had trust that the young master would let me go. In the past months he allowed me to leave at set intervals to feed my appetite but only if I return accordingly. This was merely a step on his path to letting me free.
Which, again and of course, is something he should not have worried about in the first place.
I stand next to the young master, who still is facing away from me. I am waiting. Patiently, I am waiting for him to turn around to see that I am still here contrary to all of his fears and resignations.
What he did not believe, regardless, is a simple truth. I will stay by his side. Of course.