Chapter 3 - Vicious Amusement

Misaki had gotten up early as the morning came to help Lillian prepare breakfast and clean the ground floor of the huge manor. While the dusted everything in the East Wing, their master finally began to wake from his long and deep slumber. Jeff got dressed in another expensive suit after taking a shower and then greeted his two housekeepers downstairs, praising them for their hard and good work.

Humming happily, Misaki followed his master to the dining room to serve breakfast. He was already in a good mood thanks to all the encouragement he had gotten from the others. Although he was pretty nervous at welcoming their guest in the afternoon, he was sure that it would be all right. Jeff had given him some very clear instructions, so what could possibly go wrong?

Jeff noticed his servant's optimistic mood and smiled kindly as Misaki brought him his food. "I see that you've made something delicious once again," he said as he reached for his chopsticks, "I'm glad to have such a marvelous cook in my house."

"Thank you, master. I hope you'll enjoy." With a bow, Misaki turned around. He was about to leave the room when Jeff called out his name.

"Takahashi-kun," the man spoke, "Akihiko will arrive around half past one, so I suggest you prepare lunch a tad earlier today."

"I understand," Misaki replied and glanced at the clock. It was ten o'clock, so he still had some time left to help Lillian clean. He left the dining room and found Lillian in the hall, watering the flowers and other plants there. She smiled when she caught sight of him.

Together, the housekeepers cleaned the tiny bit of filth around the house. While doing so, Misaki managed to spot the gardener working in the gardens to make everything look perfect. It made him wonder if Akihiko really was that hard to please. Truth be told, he had been wondering what kind of person their guest was for a while, especially since Jeff hadn't told him very much about the mysterious man.

'Maybe Lillian can tell me more about him,' Misaki thought, turning towards the kind lady. "Lillian, can you tell me more about Usami-sama?"

"He's an author like our master, but other than that they are very different. Usami-sama tends to look down on those of a lower class, and he's mostly quiet and close-minded. Even though he has visited us plenty of times already, I still know very little about him."

Misaki frowned at Lillian's description. As curious as he was, he doubted that he was looking forward to meeting Akihiko. The guy he had in mind was an arrogant, rich man who couldn't care less about anything in the world and believed that everything revolves around him. It was exactly the type of person he couldn't stand.

Deep down the brunet felt bad for judging a man he had never met before, but none of the things he had heard about Akihiko were exactly positive. The only person who could prove him wrong was Akihiko himself. Fortunately, Misaki still believed that this would be the case, and with his positive way of thinking his continued doing his chores.

After another hour of cleaning, the West Wing was free of filth as well and all set to welcome visitors. It was just in time as Misaki had to cook lunch and eat breakfast and lunch with Lillian.

Once he had served lunch, Misaki flopped down on one of the kitchen chairs, emitting a loud sigh. Lillian, who was sitting across from him, giggled softly at the sight.

"It may seem like hard work, but it's usually a lot less chaotic," she told him as she took a sip of her tea, "When there are no guests, it isn't common that we have to clean the entire floor in one morning."

"I don't mind, but I need to get used to it," Misaki said with a weak smile. He remembered cleaning the entire apartment he and Takahiro shared in less than three hours, but it was nothing compared to what he was up against at the Honda Estate.

"If I'm not mistaken, master just rang the bell, so he must have finished his food." Lillian rose from her seat and so did Misaki. "After we've cleared the table, I'll do the dishes so you can welcome Usami-sama."

"Lillian, you mentioned yesterday that you don't care for honorifics, yet you always call him Usami-sama," Misaki pointed out.

"That's simply because I know it's disrespectful not to use one in his case. I wouldn't want to insult one of master's friends."

Misaki nodded in understanding and followed her to the dining room, where Jeff was waiting for them to collect the dirty dishes. He beckoned Misaki while Lillian returned to the kitchen.

"Takahashi-kun, I want you to take Akihiko to the library when he arrives," he instructed, "Once I'm all done, I will meet the two of you there."

"Of course, master." As soon as Misaki had said this, the doorbell rang. The brunet hurried to the exit, hearing Jeff mutter something about his friend being too early as usual, and walked to the front door.

The doorbell rang once more before the teen opened the door. He was met with a very tall man in a dark suit and a yellow tie. Silvery hair framed the visitor's face, complimenting his narrow, amethyst eyes. Those same eyes studied Misaki curiously as he held the door open.

Uncomfortable with the silence, Misaki bowed politely. "Welcome Usami-sama," he spoke in a clear voice, "My name is Takahashi Misaki. My master ordered me to take you to the library."

Akihiko closed his eyes and adjusted his tie with his long fingers. "For a moment, I believed that you were a girl, but you don't sound like one."

"Y-yes, that's because there were some problems with getting a male uniform, so—"

"I don't believe I asked for an explanation," the man interrupted coldly.

Misaki stiffened momentarily, but then forced a smile on his face. "Please allow me to escort you to the library, Usami-sama," he offered, feeling relieved as Akihiko entered the mansion. He shut the door quietly and led the way, even though he was sure the author knew damn well where the library was.
As they walked, Misaki could feel that he was being stared at, but he said nothing about it. He could understand Akihiko's surprise to see a guy in a maid uniform, so it was only natural that he was getting some weird looks. Unfortunately, that didn't make it any less awkward and twice as embarrassing. If his brother ever saw him like that…

The brunet shook his head. No way in hell he would ever let Takahiro see him in such a humiliating outfit. If it was just a stranger he could handle it, but Takahiro was nothing like that.

Coming to halt in front of a door, Misaki was about to turn the doorknob when he heard coughing. Turning around, he looked at Akihiko questioningly.

"You've got the wrong door," the man stated, pointing to another door in that corridor, "The library is over there."

A bright pink spread across Misaki's face as he realized his mistake. "Ah—yes! I'm very sorry," he apologized quickly and walked to the door Akihiko had been pointing at. He could hear chuckling come from behind and blushed harder. Only two minutes had passed and he had already made a fool out of himself.

"You are new here, correct? What did you say your name was?"

"Takahashi Misaki," the brunet said softly, "and yes, I started working here yesterday."

"Takahiro's baby brother," Akihiko muttered, "That's funny."

For a moment, Misaki wanted nothing more than to punch Akihiko in the face, but he composed himself. Whatever this guy was talking about was probably none of his business anyway, so why bother? He turned the doorknob and the door opened. After letting Akihiko enter the room, Misaki just stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Are you going to stand there forever?" the other asked mockingly, yet a smirk found its way to his lips.

"Oh, I-I'll go see if my master is ready now," Misaki answered, trying to find a reason to get away. Much to his irritation, it wasn't working very well.

"You said he wanted you to take me here, so I'm sure he will come once he's done. Do you really hate being around me so much that you want to get away from me as quickly as possible?"

Shocked by Akihiko's bold question, Misaki hastily shook his head. Seeing that there was no way out, he moved closer to the sofa where Akihiko was sitting and lowered his head in attempt to avoid eye contact.

"I can hardly believe Jeff is making you wear something so degrading," the author said suddenly, succeeding in drawing the attention to himself.

"Like I said, there were no male uniforms."

"That still sounds like a weak excuse to make a guy wear girls' clothes. Besides, all the uniforms are custom clothing; Jeff always orders them instead of buying normal uniforms."

Misaki was at a loss of words, staring with wide eyes and an open mouth at the other, who rested his arm on the backrest uninterestedly. Surely Akihiko wasn't trying to imply that Jeff hadn't gotten his housekeeper a proper uniform on purpose, was he? Misaki couldn't believe that Jeff would do such a thing.

The events of the previous evening crossed Misaki's mind. Despite his kindness, Jeff was undoubtedly a pervert at heart, but was this for real or was it just an act to scare him? These thoughts were slowly breaking the trust Misaki had in his master and drowned him in questions to problems he could not solve—or at least…not yet.

"Are you worried about Jeff's intentions? I have never seen him flirt with any guy or any other girl than his wife, but that does not prove a single thing."

Green eyes closed and opened in swift gestures. "Don't you trust him, Usami-sama? I thought the two of you were friends."

"That doesn't mean that we don't keep secrets from one another. There are plenty of things I don't know about him, unless Emi tells me about them."

Akihiko's words were truthful and they made sense to the puzzled brunet, but they didn't provide any answers. Misaki wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He didn't want to accuse his master of something he hadn't done, but the information Akihiko had given him confused him to no end. There was no doubt that Jeff would deny everything if Misaki asked him directly, so talking to Lillian seemed to be a better option. That was, unless the lady tried to protect here master as well.

"Sorry for making you wait," someone spoke suddenly. Jeff stood in the doorway and smiled at his friend. "I hope Takahashi-kun kept you company."

"Yes, he did," Akihiko replied in a plaintive voice, "What kept you busy?"

"A phone call from my dearest," Jeff said as he took a seat on the other couch, "Would you like something to drink, Akihiko? You must be thirsty." His gaze found Misaki. "Bring us some tea."

Misaki gave a quick nod and left the library, making his way to the kitchen. With a kettle and a very delicate teapot he prepared some cherry flavored tea and poured it into two cups. He put everything on the tray, but didn't return to his master right away. Instead, the brunet looked around for Lillian, hoping to be able to get some answers from her.

A note lay on the counter, reading that Lillian wasn't feeling well and had returned to her bedroom to take some rest. Understanding her situation, Misaki chose not to bother her with something of such little importance and took hold of the tray. He carried it back to the other side of the mansion to bring the two men their tea.

Upon entering the library, Misaki sensed that something was different. Jeff and Akihiko were no longer exchanging pleasantries and both wore frustrated looks on their faces. Although Misaki wanted to know what was wrong, he knew he was in no position to ask.

"Honestly Jeff, I don't see why Emi would ever cheat on you," Akihiko spoke to break the silence, "She obviously loves you very much."

Jeff scoffed. "Perhaps she does, but she's the biggest slut I've ever met in my entire life. Whenever she goes away, I receive a call from her that her driver is too late or some other excuse why she can't be home on time. Do you think I still believe after God knows how many times?"

Akihiko furrowed his brows. "Since when have become so pessimistic about your love life? Aren't you and Emi still in a very healthy sexual relationship as well?"

"We are, yet she does not seem to be satisfied with receiving pleasure from only one man."

In his current situation, Misaki had absolutely no idea what to do. Walking right into such a hateful conversation wasn't exactly pleasant, not to mention that Jeff's way of speaking took him by surprise. For one, Misaki had never once thought that his master would ever use a word like 'slut', and then he was also using that same word to describe his own wife. How had things changed so dramatically in such little time?

As Misaki stood near his master to put his tea on the table, crystal blue eyes found him. "Takahashi-kun, could you come a bit closer please?" The man's voice was gentle and calm as he talked to the teen, as if nothing happened.

Obediently, the boy stood right next to Jeff. He gave a little yelp when he was pulled down to sit into the man's lap, facing him.

"Master?" Misaki questioned in a soft, nervous voice.

The usual charming smile returned to Jeff's features. "I could really use some stress relief right now," he whispered sultrily, his hands curling around Misaki's shoulders as he pushed him back slightly, "Do you remember what I said yesterday?"

"B-but I can't…a-and Usami-sama is here too," Misaki protested with a whisper.

"Are you going to disobey me again?"

The poor teen's mind was blank as he looked at his unusually dangerous master. Those eyes were spitting venom at him, even though the rest of his face looked relaxed and calm. This made Misaki wonder what Jeff was thinking and why he was doing such a thing. Perhaps Akihiko had said something about his earlier clumsiness and had made Jeff upset, resulting into a punishment for his housekeeper.

'Is he really angry with me? I don't want to do this, but—'

"I hope you aren't going to disappoint me a second time," Jeff said as he wiped the soft chocolate hair out of Misaki's face. With these words, he knew he had the boy right where he wanted him. Misaki was very scared to lose his job, so he only needed a push in the right direction.

Misaki was falling for the tricks used on him, but he found it difficult to push his common sense aside and do as he was told. Trying to convince himself, he moved from his master's lap and kneeled down in front of him, his pride shattering with every second. His hands were trembling as they moved to Jeff's zipper. The beating of his heart got louder and faster and his breath got stuck in his throat.

Akihiko was watching the scene in disbelief. Although he hadn't heard the words exchanged between master and servant, his mind managed to comprehend what was going on. His gaze followed Misaki's movements, watching how the boy undid Jeff's trousers and hesitantly took his erection in hand. He couldn't help but wonder what Jeff had said to his servant to make him do it.

"Good, Takahashi-kun," the blond mused when his hard length was being rubbed by a soft, warm hand, "Now open wide and suck on the tip." He smirked and patted the teen's head when Misaki reluctantly obeyed. Even with his inexperience, Misaki turned the man on greatly.

Blushing from head to toe, Misaki tried to engulf the thick cock of his master, but he found this to be rather difficult. Fearing to upset Jeff, he fondled the base with his hand as he suckled on the head. He heard a moan and decided to finish it as fast as possible, even though he had no idea how to do so. It wasn't like he knew how to give someone a blowjob.

Jeff could sense how uncertain Misaki was and started to move his hips, thrusting into the boy's mouth. He felt Misaki jolt at the sudden movement and snickered, giving a soft moan when the brunet began to take more into his mouth. Misaki was moving slowly around his length, but sped up gradually.

"Fuck…" the blond groaned hoarsely, "Suck my dick. That's it…harder, Takahashi-kun."

'How am I supposed to do it harder? He doesn't even fit into my mouth!' Misaki was panicking in his head, not even realizing that Akihiko was still in the room with them. He had long forgotten about the author's presence.

Akihiko, on the other hand, surely hadn't forgotten about him and was watching in utter astonishment how Misaki took care of his master. Although he wasn't fond of seeing the two in such a situation—especially since it gave him the feeling as though he was being ignored—it was very erotic to see. It was impossible for him to tear his eyes away from the entrancing sight.

"Would you like some as well?" Jeff asked his friend as he stared at him, "I'm sure Takahashi-kun could pleasure you too." As he said this, he felt Misaki protest with his lips still wrapped around his member. With a smile, he ruffled the teen's hair.

"Thanks for the offer, but no. I can't allow myself to do that even if I wanted to."

Jeff sighed through his groans. "Are you still holding on to that same one-sided love?" he asked, "You should know it will break your heart and make it shatter into tiny pieces someday."

"So you think it's better to be in a relationship with someone who is unfaithful to you than to be faithful to a person who won't love you back?"

"Yes, because there's one small, but very important difference," Jeff explained, "I can be comforted by others, while you just waste away with your pain and sorrow." He looked down at Misaki, who opened his eyes for a moment and met his stare. His face was redder than a tomato and his eyes a bit puffy from when he almost gagged. It was a most vulnerable expression which made him look remarkably cute.

With a tightening grip on Misaki's hair, Jeff thrust into his mouth unevenly. The dumbfounded look on Akihiko's face amused him, but he quickly brought his attention back to his housekeeper.

"I'm coming," Jeff whispered as he panted.

Misaki only squeezed his eyes shut and tasted his master's juices on his tongue as Jeff came in his mouth. A small trail of semen ran down his chin when the man pulled out and watched him with a satisfied look in his eyes. The brunet carefully rose and opened his eyes, even though he didn't want to look at Jeff. What had just happened was too shameful for him to handle, yet he had done as he was told. It made Misaki feel dirty.

"Swallow it, Takahashi-kun," Jeff ordered and saw how the teen obediently swallowed his bitter seed, his face contorting in disgust. "Good boy. You may leave now."

Bowing swiftly, Misaki turned around and practically ran out of the library. He ignored Akihiko as he called out to him and ran to the bathroom, locking himself in there. As he looked in the mirror, he could only see the misery and shame written on his face.

Messy strands of hair stuck to Misaki's sweaty face as he continued to stare at his reflection. Doubt began to cloud his mind and thoughts at the realization that he had made a complete fool out of himself. He rested his head against the cold surface of the mirror and emitted a sigh.

Had he really made the right decision?

"What exactly was that all about?"

"Is there a problem, Akihiko?" Jeff looked at his friend innocently, but the serious expression on Akihiko's face didn't falter. "Takahashi-kun simply did as he was told. Isn't that what a servant does?"

Akihiko folded his arms. "Not if it's anything sexual. Do you have any sense of guilt at all?"

"I suggest you ask Emi that question instead of asking me," Jeff growled angrily, "I have no reason to be faithful to her anymore, and I don't need you to tell me what to do. What would you know about relationships anyway?"

Offended by the other's question, Akihiko rose from his seat. "I'm going out for a smoke," he said, swiftly leaving the room and closing the door behind him. He looked around for Misaki, but the teen was nowhere to be seen. It started to worry him quite a bit.

As he opened the front door, obsidian eyes greeted him.

"Aki-chan, what are you doing here?" the young woman asked, her tone flirtatious as she stared at him.

"It's been a while, Emi…" Akihiko didn't exactly like Emi; he found her way too clingy and he didn't fancy women to begin with. It didn't help that Jeff had told him about Emi's love affairs not too long ago.

"You sound as cold as ever," Emi pointed out, a smirk playing on her red lips, "Are you going somewhere? You're not about to leave yet, are you?" She placed a hand on Akihiko's shoulder and moved closer. "I was hoping you could stay a little longer."

Emi's advances were getting on Akihiko's nerves. "Actually, I—"

"Hello, my dearest." The author and the lady looked at the tall male standing in the doorway. "I didn't think you would be back so soon," Jeff stated, leaning against the doorway, "Didn't you say that you'd be home later?"

Black eyes twinkled happily as Emi walked towards her husband. "I lied," she said with a wink, "The reason why told you I'd be late is because I wanted to surprise you! Did you miss me?"

When Emi was about to embrace Jeff, Misaki carefully walked up from behind his master. The woman eyed him curiously and then looked back at her man. "Is he our new housekeeper?" she asked, not even questioning the fact that Misaki was wearing a maid uniform despite being male.

Jeff nodded at her and then turned his attention to Akihiko, whose phone started ringing. As the silver haired novelist answered, they could all hear a woman yell on the other side of the line. Akihiko emitted a loud sigh while his friend chuckled.

"I believe that's a sign for you to go back home," he pointed out, hearing Akihiko growl in irritation.

Akihiko's stare found Misaki, studying the brunet closely. As much as he wanted to talk to Misaki, he knew that it was none of his business. In fact, the author didn't even understand why he was so interested in the young housekeeper.

"…I'll be going now," Akihiko finally said, spinning around.

"Let's talk again soon," Emi said in a cheerful voice, not noticing the glare Jeff was sending in her direction, "Good luck with your novel, Aki-chan!" She waved enthusiastically until Akihiko had left and entered the mansion, leaving Misaki and Jeff behind.

Misaki looked at his master questioningly. "Is something wrong with Emi-sama?" he asked.

"She's probably angry at me for sending Akihiko away. I'm sure it has got nothing to do with you." The master walked back into the building and Misaki followed, closing the door behind them. "By the way, do you know where Lillian went? I'd like to have a word with her."

"I found a note that she wasn't feeling well, so I think she's still in her bedroom," Misaki replied, shivering as a breeze brushed against his thighs. He quickly grabbed his skirt and pulled it down, blushing as he wondered if Jeff had seen anything. When he looked up, however, his master had already disappeared. Misaki returned to the library to retrieve the teacups.

As the teen walked past the door to the lounge, someone called out to him.

"Excuse me, Takahashi-kun?" Misaki slowly entered the room and saw Emi was sitting on the sofa. "Would you mind bringing me something to drink?"

"I'll get you something right away. What would you like?"

"A cup of coffee is fine," the brunette replied, playing with her long, black hair, "Lillian bought some coffee beans last week. There should be enough left."

Misaki gave a nod and walked out, heading towards the kitchen. He put the tray with teacups down onto the counter and searched for the pack of coffee beans Emi had told him about. After pouring the beans into the coffee machine—which was equipped with a grinder—he placed a cup and pressed the button on the machine. It amazed him how easy it was to make coffee; back at home, he always had to grind the coffee beans himself before making coffee.

The brunet sighed softly to himself. Working in a house of a rich family sure was confusing, but he had already learned many things as well. Still, there were certain matters he simply couldn't understand, such as Jeff's way of thinking. Why had his master asked him to give head in front of Akihiko? More importantly, why would he want such a thing from him to begin with?

Perhaps Jeff was doing those things out of frustration. If Emi was really cheating on him, then Misaki could understand his reasoning a little, but it didn't explain why Jeff hadn't broken up with her yet. Besides, it was weird to ask another guy to pleasure you, not to mention in front of someone else!

Lost in his angry thoughts, Misaki failed to notice that another person had entered the kitchen. He jumped a little when a hand lightly touched his shoulder and turned around.

"Are you all right, Takahashi?"

"Oh, Lillian," Misaki replied in relief, "You startled me."

The kind lady frowned at him. "What's the matter? Were you thinking about something?"

"Well…yes." The teen scratched the bridge of his nose. Perhaps Lillian could tell him more about Jeff's and Emi's relationship. "Earlier, I heard master say that Emi-sama has been cheating on him. Do you know anything about that?"

Ocean blue eyes saddened slightly as Lillian took a step back, lowering her gaze to the ground. "Our master and mistress have been together for a couple of years now. Master moved to Japan after meeting the mistress and they started living together right away. They were so sweetly in love that it seemed as though they couldn't leave each other even for a second."

"What happened?"

Lillian looked up. "Mistress spent more time away from home because of work, and eventually master started accusing her of cheating on him. He's never said anything to her about it, but I can easily see it in his eyes whenever she flirts with another man. Then again, master has been straying from the righteous path as well."

Misaki tilted his head. "What do you mean? Has he cheated on Emi-sama?"

"Please don't tell this to anyone, but I believe master has been taking advantage of the female housekeepers that have worked here. He always hired young, attractive girls, and some of them weren't even suited for the tasks they were expected to complete. I felt like I was doing all the work while those girls just walked around being pretty."

Swallowing, Misaki brought his fist to his mouth. "Do you think that he…has had sex with those girls?" he asked carefully, hoping that Lillian wouldn't suspect anything because of the question.

A moment of silence interrupted the conversation before Lillian spoke again. "If you fear that master will do the same thing to you, you can rest assured," she said in a gentle voice, "I have known master for years and he has never been interested in men before."

'I wouldn't be so sure of that,' was the answer the boy formed in his head, but he didn't have the courage to speak those words. It would only cause suspicion on Lillian's behalf if he said it, and he didn't want her to find out about the earlier incident.

The smell of coffee had filled the kitchen and Lillian quickly took the cup and placed it on the tray. "I will take this to the mistress." She looked concerned. "You look very pale, Takahashi."

"D-do I? I'm feeling a bit under the weather right now."

"In that case, you should get some rest."

Misaki shook his head. "No, I need to help you out. I can't leave anything to you."

"You've already worked very hard, so I think you've done enough for today. I will tell master that you are resting."

There was no forcefulness behind Lillian's words, but somehow Misaki felt as though he couldn't protest. He was actually pretty tired and he needed some time to think about the events that had occurred.

"Good work today," Lillian said as she walked out of the kitchen. As footsteps grew softer, Misaki slowly made his way to his bedroom, passing the lounge room where Emi and Jeff were talking like they were the happiest couple in the world. He didn't understand the situation at all, but nothing could be done about that. All he could do was listen to the sweet lies the master and mistress told.

When the evening came, Misaki started to get ready to sleep. The curtains were already closed and a small lamp by his bedside lighted up the room. Misaki grabbed his pajamas and threw them on his bed while his other hand worked on taking off one of his stockings. He still felt itchy from wearing an outfit made for girls, but it was slowly becoming a bit more comfortable.

Peeling off the other stocking, Misaki's head snapped up when he heard someone knock on his door. "Who's there?" he asked, pausing in his undressing to prevent any awkward situations.

"Takahashi-kun, are you feeling any better?" It was Jeff's voice. "Lillian told me you weren't feeling very well."

"Oh, it's not that I'm ill or anything," Misaki replied, "I…simply needed some time alone."

The door opened slowly and Jeff walked in, moving closer to Misaki in graceful movements. The brunet took a step back, hesitantly staring at his approaching master, and fell onto the bed as he lost his balance. He shuddered when Jeff hovered over him.

"Are you scared of me?" the man asked suddenly, gently running a hand through his housekeeper's hair.

"N-no, but I'm confused…" Misaki admitted, averting his gaze, "Why did you order me to—"

"Emi has been cheating on me for years now and I'm growing tired of it. It's so frustrating that I lose faith in our relationship. That's why I'm trying to distract myself from that pain."

'That still doesn't explain anything,' the teen thought. "M-master, could you please not ask me to do that again? It's really embarrassing."

Jeff showed him a kind smile and got off him, pulling at his slightly wrinkled jacket. "I won't ask you again if that's what you want." Spinning around on his heels, he paced forward. "Have a good night, Takahashi-kun."

Misaki got up and bowed, smiling at the other. "Good night, master."

The door closed quietly, and Misaki felt relief well up. The conversation was awkward, but it had resulted into something good. His worries had been washed away in an instant, making it possible for him to have peaceful dreams. That was one thing less to worry about.