The next few days were like a routine. I would do my chores in the day like usual, chatting with other servants and maids sometimes and when dinner was done, we would all go to our own rooms to sleep. But when everyone else had fallen asleep, a gentle knock would echo in my room where I sat beside the window, waiting. Silently, I would open the door, and there he was: my master. Cry. We would sneak to his room, and he would take off his mask. Then we would talk - mostly him ranting to me while I listened and patted his shoulder in reassurance - but I was fine with that. Maybe even glad that I could help him like this.

Sometimes I would fall asleep still sitting beside him and I would wake up on his bed. When I looked over, I would see him sitting asleep on the chair beside me, awkwardly leant forward that half of his body looked like it fell on the bed while the other half remained seated on the chair. I felt bad when it first happened, ashamed that our roles of master-servant had somehow reversed, but of course when I told him about it he just said that it was taken in return for listening to his problems. So I willed myself to walk back to my room or at the very least, sit on the chair when sleep started to catch up on me.

The vase that I broke was pretty much forgotten. Every time I tried to pay for it, he would just decline, using his position as master to his advantage. Eventually, I just gave up trying.

"Felix, could you help me bring these new furniture upstairs? Master will be mad if I don't finish all this up before lunch." I pulled myself from my stupor and looked up at Ken. He was also working here and was one of the servants I became friends with. He was actually the one who questioned Cry's mask shamelessly on the first day; I'm surprised he hadn't been fired right away.

"Uh, um... Sure, yeah." I shuffled over to him, grabbing some small sculptures laid on the table by the window. Ken went ahead upstairs and just as I was about to follow, something outside caught my attention.

Cry was outside, talking - though it seems more like he's arguing - with another nobleman who I presume was a relative. Cry stormed away angrily soon after, shutting the mansion's tall gate loudly and the man merely watched him leave, expression showing boredom. I felt a shudder as he looked up through the window where I was and looked directly at mebefore walking away.

I never saw Cry anywhere in the house for the whole day. Usually he'd be walking around the house like a patrol guard but today, he wasn't. And when I did catch him eating by himself on the long table, he told me to leave him alone for a while. I nodded slowly, hesitantly, confused and wanting to ask what happened, but seeing him with the mask, unmoving and without even looking me in the eye made me feel so far away from him, and I couldn't find the right words to ask him what was wrong.

I thought that maybe he'd tell me tonight like always, so I let it be for now, going about my routine. Soon, dusk quickly shifted to nighttime and as the grandfather clock tolled the stroke of midnight, I was already waiting for his arrival, facing the door as I sat on my bed.

But he never came.

An hour had passed but sleep never laid a finger on me. Probably because I was so used to staying up this late to listen to his honeyed voice venting about his problems in these hours. But more importantly, what's taking him so long? He couldn't have slept already; he could've told me-

Oh wait… He did say to leave him alone for a while, didn't he?

I facepalm and lie down the mattress, blushing at my own stupidity. Of course he wouldn't come, he said he wanted to be left alone! But… why? What happened between him and that man earlier today? What could they be arguing about?

I sat up, unable to sleep with all the questions circling my head. Maybe I should go check on him…

-

I found myself standing in front of his door, having a mental battle with myself just like before. But this time it wasn't out of curiosity, but more of worry. And so with a deep breath, I open the door.

The room was almost pitch black if it weren't for the moonlight that shone through the curtains. Shadows lurked about the walls, sending shivers down my spine but I didn't think on it too hard because my eyes were fixated on the figure sitting by the side of the bed. I could only see the left side of his face, along with the hole that once was his left eye. I closed the door behind me. "Cry?"

"I-I thought you were asleep…" I stepped closer to him, catching a glimpse of a tear as it dropped to his lap. "What's wrong?"

When he looked up at me, I knew exactly what was wrong.

I couldn't help but gasp. "Cry, what happened? What-" The words died in my throat as I tried to understand just why he did that.

There was a hole on the right side of his face, just like his left. Except this one trickled with blood that stained the collar of his shirt.

"You know, I realized… I've been stupid." He began, his voice raspy and uneven, as if he had been crying. He stood up, stepped closer and I shivered at the sight of it up close. My stomach clenched with sickness and I tried my hardest not to throw up. "All this time, I've been criticizing the world, calling it imperfect, flawed… But now I realized, I myself was unbalanced. There was a fucking hole on the left side of my face, but not on the right." He clutched the remnants of his face, letting the blood smear his fingers. "But it's fixed now, so don't worry about it, Felix."

Somehow managing to snap out of my daze, I stomped to the bathroom, looking for the medical supplies much to his protest. He couldn't really do anything now that he was blind, anyway. Fortunately, I found some bandages and a first aid kit in the drawer and so I quickly went back to Cry, who still sat on the side of the bed, seemingly staring at his feet as his head hung low, almost as if in shame. I knelt in front of him, lifting his chin to better treat the… wound.

For a normal person, this would have been an experience taken right from a horror film: wiping blood that dripped down an eyeless man… but I wasn't scared of him anymore; I was scared for him. I was scared that this obsession of his would get out of hand and cause him to do other things that could hurt him more. I was scared, because…

Because I care for him, and he's special.

What's the point of denying it now, anyway? I realized that it was the reason for everything: why I was eager to talk to him every night and when he stopped I couldn't sleep, why I wasn't like this with my other masters, why it felt so right, so perfect to hold him as he cried and to place a comforting kiss on his forehead… It was all for him.

Yet he stayed silent, blank expression plastered on his face just like his mask, especially now, he had no eyes I could search for any emotion in. For a moment, I considered speaking but with him being so unreadable right now, I wasn't sure what response I would get. But I had to make sure.

"Hey, talk to me. What's on your mind?"

Still, silent. After all we'd been through, all those nights he broke down in front of me, why wouldn't he open up to me now? I felt annoyance prick at my nerves. After all I'd done for him, he chose to shut me out now? "Fine, be that way. You're welcome."

I stood up, placing the medical supplies back into the kit, slamming it shut and leaving it on the bedside table. I had finished treating his eye anyway, except for the bandages but his left eye was never bandaged, so I assumed he didn't want to. I stomped towards the door, admittedly slowing down in case he was finally going to say something. He was a last minute type of person anyway, just like back in the fire pit.

He did speak, and I stopped by the door, glaring at him over my shoulder even though I knew he couldn't see it. "A relative of mine came this morning…"

A nobleman is seen exiting his car and approaching the gate, hands in his pocket and a cigarette on the side of his mouth. He has brown hair like Cry, but his is ashen and littered with gray hair, and it had a green bandana below it, just above his forehead. He has narrowed judging eyes that glared at the masked man approaching him furiously.

"What are you doing here, Snake?" The smaller brunette demanded with a glare hidden by the mask.

"I came to give you good news." He said, placing the cigarette in between his fingers. He had a deep voice just like Cry, except his was so low that his voice sounded almost raspy. Cry folded his arms, waiting for the said news. "Your mother is dead."

The younger man was silent, as if he couldn't process what the other had just said. Backing away, he pointed a finger at Snake. "No… That's bullshit! You-You're lying!"

Snake kept composed, calm in contrast to Cry's breaking soul. "Face it. You're going back to your dead parents' house, and this mansion will be mine. You have a week to cry about it, Cry."

He was at a loss for words, emotions spiraling in his head. What was he supposed to say? There was anger that ignited in his eyes, anger for his relatives that kept making his life hell; then there was sadness, sadness for his beloved mother's death. She was always there for him and even when she sent him to the mansion she gave her the mask and Felix to protect him. And there was also sadness in leaving the mansion he learned to love, especially Felix behind.

Not wanting to break down in front of the judgmental man who surely would mock him more if he did, he stormed away, feigning anger when the tears were already threatening to fall down his eyes.

"I looked at myself in the mirror, not knowing what to do, who to blame, and what went wrong. Then I looked up, and I saw what exactly went wrong. There was a hole on the left side of my face… but not on the right. I still wasn't perfect, it wasn't done yet. But even after blinding myself, I realized it didn't change the fact that I was losing everything: my father's respect, my mother, this house… even you."

"Hey, I'm still here, aren't I…?" I questioned, going back to his side and rubbing his arms in a pathetic attempt to comfort him.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I have to leave this house. You'll be serving Snake from now on."

"What are you saying? Can't I follow you there?" My grip on his shoulders tightened as I tried to search for a way. He-He couldn't do this, he couldn't leave me behind!

"The pay here is thrice what you'll get from me. Besides, why would you still want to help me? Can't you see how I've turned into such a beast because of this… this mistake, this-"

"Cry, stop!" I snapped, stopping him mid-sentence. "I promised I'd help you, be by your side… so I'll help you get by without your eyes. Did you really think I cared about what you looked like?" That shut him up. I took a deep breath.

"You're perfect to me, Cry."

His eyebrows rose in surprise, and he seemed to stammer, only managing a flushed "Why?" in response.

I assumed that he was wondering why I would go to such an extent to help him. But deciding that no words could describe it, I leaned forward, capturing his lips with mine in a surprise confession. He flinched, not expecting it at all.

Pulling away, I smiled at him; even though I knew he couldn't see it, I knew he could feel it in the warmth of my palms that clasped his own and fit perfectly alongside it.

And from that moment onwards, I decided that not only will I help Cry get by, but I would protect him from everything that tried to hurt him: his relatives, his own obsession, even from myself if I had to.

"I love you too, Felix."