Medicine for the Demon

On the day when Alessio was supposed to leave, Antsifer got up when it wasn't yet in full bloom and went down to the first floor. I went into the kitchen and looked around. There were stoves in the middle of the hall, and tables stood by the window. Kitchen utensils are neatly arranged in tall cabinets. The dishes served to the hosts of the house were in a separate cupboard under lock and key. He took everything he needed for cooking. "I think a light cheese soup is quite suitable for breakfast," the demon decided and started cooking. "Who's walking around here?" The young cook was outraged, entering the kitchen, thinking that one of the servants was scouring the kitchen for leftovers from dinner. "You? Eee... Young master," the girl was confused, seeing the young demon in the kitchen. He had already taken the ready stew from the fire, stirring it. "Good morning," Antsifer smiled. "So who's the intruder?" the head cook was indignant when she came. "Your Grace, are you hungry?" The woman replied good-naturedly. ‘No...I..." the demon replied, looking away in confusion. "And what is it that smells so good here? " asked another cook who came to work. "I'm... here... in general..." I couldn't find what to say to Antsifer. The woman walked over to the pot he was standing next to and opened the lid, inhaling the creamy, cheesy aroma of the soup. "Did you make this?" the cook asked in surprise. "I did," Antsifer admitted. "Well, let's see what you've made," she said, and using a ladle, she scooped up a portion of the hot stew, allowing it to cool before tasting it. "It's not bad at all," she commented. "What's true?" the young cook couldn't believe, and taking the ladle from her, she tasted it herself. "Delicious! Give me the recipe... give it to them," she corrected. "Of course," Antsifer smiled sheepishly. "Now, everyone disperse," the head cook commanded as she approached the pot. "Where did our master learn to cook like this," she praised him as she tasted the flavorful cheese soup. "Well...I often worked in the kitchen...that's how I learned," Antsifer replied. "Can we serve this for breakfast today?" the demon asked. "You want to please your father." the head cook guessed. "Well, let's do it." "You can decorate it with a sprig of parsley, it will look beautiful," he said. When Antsifer returned to his room and began to change clothes, he heard a soft knock on the door. After permission, a tall, slender young man in his twenties, dark-haired with brown eyes, dressed in a footman's uniform, entered his room. "Good morning, Mr. Antsifer. I am your personal servant. I await your orders," he said with a slight bow. "Mine..servant... " The demon was taken aback. "I have my own servant," he couldn't believe his ears. "My name is Albert, and don't worry. I have a lot of experience in serving gentlemen. I served Mr. Alessio before you. But since he rarely comes here now, I was assigned to you," the footman explained, mistaking Antsifer's confusion for disbelief. "Did you serve Alession?" The demon was amazed and, grabbing the servant by the hand, sat him down on the bed. "Tell me about him,"said Antsifer. " And what do you want to know?" Albert was surprised. "That's it...what kind of clothes he wears, what kind of food he likes, maybe he has a favorite activity... for example, horse riding or fencing. Maybe he likes listening to music. If so, which one?" Antsifer bombarded him with questions. "I will answer all your questions, sir, but right now you need to change for breakfast," the servant reminded him. "Oh, right," the demon realized and began to hastily remove the shirt in which he was cooking. Albert noticed that his master's back was covered with various scars, some of which were barely healed. "Let me help you," he said, helping him to put his wings through the slits. "Thank you," Antsifer said. In the morning, everyone gathered at the table. "Has the chef changed the menu?" The prince was surprised to see a new dish served for breakfast. "She decided to add variety," said the footman who served the food. Antsifer occasionally observed the reactions of those around him to his cooking. From the satisfied expressions on their faces, he could tell that they enjoyed it, especially when he saw how eagerly Karmin ate. "Please convey my gratitude to the chefs.The breakfast was delicious," Aldo said, putting down his napkin. "You can thank the chef who prepared it personally. You were sitting at the same table with him," the servant replied. The prince's gaze settled on Anzifer, who was sitting across from him. "Ciri, you cooked it!" Milly realized. The young man blushed with embarrassment. A slight smile touched Alession's lips. "I didn't know you had such talents," the prince replied. "It's said in our kitchen that there aren't enough workers, that you went there," Karmin replied sharply. "Carmine, you shouldn't talk to your brother like that," Lady Sophia said. "He's not my brother," the boy replied sharply, getting up from the table and defiantly leaving. Before leaving for school, Milagros bid her older brother a fond farewell, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’ll miss you,” she said, almost in tears. “You won’t even notice the time passing before I return,” said Alession with a smile, patting his sister’s head. "I can congratulate you. One round is up to you now. You've got a good idea with breakfast. This will cool down Karmin's ardor a bit. But I want to warn you about something else. Now they will try to use you for selfish purposes. When you get back from school, I won't be here anymore, so be prepared for this and don't fall for the bait of sycophants," Alession advised. "I'll keep it in mind. Will it be possible to visit you at the academy?" asked Antsifer. "No. We have very strict rules about this. Visits are only allowed if the student is ill. Even in these cases, relatives are rarely allowed to visit," replied Alession. "It's a pity." the demon sighed sadly. "Have a safe journey." The blond smiled at the kind wish, and the three of the prince's offspring left for school. There, the day passed as usual. They were doing spelling and reading again, and they were also learning numbers and counting. The demons were reluctant to learn this, but they definitely enjoyed the lecture about wild animals. At recess, Antsifer went out into the corridor. His classroom definitely attracted curious children. He immediately noticed this by the abundance of schoolchildren of different ages scurrying past, who every now and then tried to look through the ajar door. The children were also looking at the demon with interest. standing in the hallway and looking out the window. He tried to ignore it. Then he felt a slight tug on his wing. Antsifer turned around. In front of him stood a girl a little younger than him. Blonde curls and green eyes, a dress made of dark but expensive fabric. "You're An Antsifer, right?" she asked. "Yes," the demon replied. "You're the princess's adopted brother and a former slave, aren't you?" she clarified, without even introducing herself. "Yes," Antsifer confirmed. He was not ashamed of his origins. If she was trying to humiliate or offend him, she was mistaken. "Introduce me to Lady Milagros. I have longed to meet her and her brothers, especially Alession. I believe we would be perfect for each other," she said with undisguised arrogance. There was a hint of disdain in her gaze, and Antsifer noticed it. "You'll be used for selfish purposes," he remembered Alession saying. He suddenly felt that he would miss his advice very much. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Antsifer refused. "Why not?" the noblewoman demanded, her thin, fair eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. "Firstly, I don't know if my sister wants this. Secondly, I do not know your name," he replied and walked away, returning to the classroom, followed by the indignant huffing of the blonde behind his back. He told Milagros about her when they were driving home in the carriage. From the description, the girl understood who she was talking about. "I know her. Her father is from the lower nobility, and she wants to make her way to the higher ones with all her might. Therefore, he forces his father in any way to get invitations to balls and routs to aristocrats of a higher title. And the fact that she rolled her lip at Lassie is understandable. The young ladies are crazy about my older brother....the oldest one," Milly clarified, wanting to tease Karmin, who was sitting across from her. He looked at his sister with displeasure and looked out the window, pretending that he didn't care. "Well done for turning her down. I have no desire to get to know this person. And in general, do not allow yourself to be treated disrespectfully. You're the son of a ruler, not anyone else. She dared not even introduce herself, even though she was below you in rank, thus showing disrespect to our family. So he can forget about Lessie," Milagros said. Antsifer was already getting used to Milagros' habit of shortening names. A couple of hours after they returned, Albert came into his room and found him studying. Antsifer had taken one of the children's books from the library and was trying to read it. The old librarian was surprised by his choice, but he didn't say anything. "You're being summoned to the ballroom, my lord," the servant said with a slight bow. "Where?" the demon asked in surprise. Milagros tiptoed to the door of the ballroom, where Albert was standing, and signaled for him to be quiet. She opened the door slightly, and she could hear the slow music and the dance master's displeased voice. "Relax your knees; your legs are like stilts." "Move your weight smoothly from your toes to your heels and from your heels to your toes, you're not on a military parade." "Tense your arms and raise your elbows." "Keep your head up and don't slouch." "But I can't see where I'm going," Antsifer protested. "You have to feel it, young man," the teacher replied. Milagros laughed softly and walked away. Before dinner, Antsifer, having found Milagros' room with Albert's help, knocked on it and, after permission, entered. The girl was sitting on the floor and drawing something on a huge sheet of paper. "What are you doing?" the demon asked. He didn't understand the drawing. "I'm drawing clothes. You need clothes that don't hang on you like a hanger. Because of the slits for your wings, you have to wear shirts that are much larger than your size. I decided to come up with one that wouldn't make you look like a scarecrow. It's strange, I've never seen adult demons with wings. Do they fall off with age?" Milagros asked. "Of course not." Antsifer laughed. "It's just that as we get older, we acquire the ability to make our wings invisible and intangible, so slaves have them amputated in childhood. Not everyone experiences this operation because they can die from pain, blood loss, or infection. If you look at it that way, then your animals are treated better than the demons in the capital of Mystarsia." "Have you been to the capital of Mystarsia?" the girl was surprised. "I was born there," replied Antsifer. Milagros stopped what she was doing and, taking his hand, sat him down on a small sofa. "Tell me about yourself. I don't know much about you," Milagros said. "There's not much to tell. I was sold for the first time when I was five years old in the same place in the capital. I don't know what the point of selling small children is. None of them are employees. My master assigned me to a gardener. I was picking fruit in the orchard, weeding, and watering the garden. I was rarely punished, except for when I accidentally pulled out a radish or something like that. This went on for several years. I didn't complain, even though I had to sleep in the shed with the garden tools. I was around nine or ten years old at the time. I was picking apples, and I climbed to the top of the tree without realizing that the owner's son had set up a camp underneath. It was at that moment that the apple slipped out of my hands and fell on the young master's head. I was severely punished by being flogged and sold to a slave trader. At the market, I was purchased by a visiting nobleman from another kingdom. He was searching for demons with wings, but for some reason, they had not been removed from me, perhaps due to a mistake. And then the hell began. He literally never let go of the whip. I had never seen so many scars on the bodies of slaves. I was assigned to assist in the kitchen. It was not bad at first and I thought I was lucky, until I accidentally stepped on the paw of the mistress's favorite dog, which ran into the kitchen. Then I was severely punished for the first time, injuring one of my wings. The master did it himself, he liked it. The wingless ones were punished by the overseers. And they were worse than the executioners. I tried to escape, but I was caught and returned to the master. I was chained and beaten for three days and hardly fed. After I had recovered from my wounds, I was sent to clean the barn. There were several teenagers there, about the same age as me. There were also adult slaves. Most of them had some kind of injury. Some of them didn't have an eye, some didn't have an ear, and some had a limp due to improperly healed fractures. In short, they were sent there for misconduct or because their owners didn't want them in the house due to the deformities they had caused. Those who were weak and couldn't work were thrown out on the streets to starve to death. I don't know how much time passed, maybe three years or more. The master's nephew came to visit. He didn't have any children of his own. The fool was looking for something near the barn. I was cleaning the manure, and I accidentally stained his coat. He started screaming, and the overseers came running, and I was punished again. The pain was so intense that it felt like the whip was tearing chunks of flesh and skin off my body. I lost consciousness a few times, but they poured saltwater on me, causing me to scream and howl in pain. When I was able to move, I tried to escape again. However, I was caught and brought back. I was beaten again, shackled, and sold to a slave trader once I had recovered somewhat. Sometimes I heard stories from adult slaves about an elusive masked demon who appears out of nowhere and saves slaves and demons in trouble, and punishes those who treat us cruelly. I imagined many times that he would come and save me, but he never did, and I gradually stopped believing in his existence. The slave trader who bought me wanted to sell us in the capital of Mistarsia for more money, so he took us through your kingdom. He didn't want to go to the capital, so he took a mountain path, but he didn't seem to know the way very well. In my cage, there were exhausted, weak, or small animals that he didn't feel sorry for. He didn't expect us to survive the journey. Suddenly, the path began to collapse, and our cage started to tip over. The driver managed to cut the harness and save the horse. Our cage fell down and caught on a tree trunk. Sooner or later, we would have died if it hadn't been for your hunters," Antsifer said, occasionally wiping the moisture from his eyelashes. Suddenly, he felt Milagros touch his hair and start stroking it in an attempt to calm him down. He looked at her and saw her blue eyes filled with tears. Antsifer calmed down and enjoyed her gentle touch. After she had calmed down, she stood up from the couch and knelt down in front of a piece of paper on the floor, where she began drawing again. "In a couple of years, I'm probably going to be able to hide my wings, so you're wasting your time," the demon told her. "And what are you going to wear these couple of years? Besides you, there are demons in the city who are much younger than you. They'll need it too," Milly said. Soon they were invited to dinner. After that, Aldo invited Antsifer to go for a walk with him. They walked through dense alleys of neatly trimmed bushes and trees. "The breakfast was great. I didn't know about your similar talents. However, if you want to be respected and considered, keep your distance between yourself and the rabble. I understand that it's still difficult for you. You can't go from being a slave to an aristocrat overnight. But getting on the same level with them will not win their love, but rather lose their respect. For no matter how much good you do to everyone, it will always be little, and soon it will be taken not as a favor, but as a matter of course," said the prince. "I'm sorry," said Antsifer, a little startled. "I'm not criticizing you. I'm just giving you advice for the future," Aldo quickly explained. "It's just that I like it. Besides, Alession was leaving, and I..." the teenager said quietly. The man smiled in response. "You've also been captivated by Alession's natural charm. All it takes is for him to speak to someone, or even just look at them, and they're instantly drawn to him. I don't know if it's related to his magical abilities, but I think it's from his mother. Can you ride a horse?" asked the prince. "No, My Lord," replied Antsifer. "Well, let's go," he said, and they left the park, heading towards the stables. Once inside, Aldo walked along the clean stalls. The air smelled of fresh hay. "Look at that one," he pointed to a silver-black horse with a golden mane and tail, "that's Favorite, Karmin's horse, and the dappled gray one is Pearl, Alession's horse. That pink and gold isabella mare is Fiesta, my wife's, and that bay roan is Agate, mine." "Which one is Milly's...Milagros's?" asked Antsifer. "Milly doesn't have a horse of her own. She fell off a pony when she was a child, and she's afraid of riding ever since. I don't really push it," Aldo explained. "Choose your horse," he said. "Me?" the demon asked in surprise. The man smiled and nodded. "Just be careful. Your horse is not just an animal you ride. It's more than that. Win its trust and it will obey you without question, even understanding you to some extent," the prince said. Antsifer walked through the rows of stalls, staring into the animals' large purple eyes. Finally, he stopped in front of a chestnut horse with a chocolate-and-copper sheen, named "Whirlwind." "Well, that's a good choice. The whirlwind is the fastest of all, but also the most wayward. You're patient enough, so I think you'll get along. Well, if you have a horse, then you can start learning how to ride next week," Aldo said. Antsifer sighed. Going to school, dancing, and now horse riding. It turns out that the lives of the children of some aristocrats are not as idle as he thought.