Seeing You Not Seeing Me (COMPLETE)

III.what a chatty girl

Smiling, Mari walked inside the room, a big woven basket in her hands, her olive-green eyes wandering around, halting when she spotted Jude, as expected, crouching in his usual rocking chair beside the window.

"I've already washed your clothes and the curtains, Mastering," greeted Mari, crouching down the floor before the mahogany cabinet, her back facing Jude.

No doubt, Jude did not reply once more. Mari has been here in Buxton for a week now yet not once did she hear Jude's voice.

If he did not bother wearing the clothes she washed, using the water she fetched every day, or eat the meals she prepared, she'll think the man doesn't have a clue regarding her presence.

Again, Mari began rambling about everything under the sun, everything she could think of, despite how nonsense it is, periodically cackling in between, all just to fill up the deafening silence in the manor.

Mari is going crazy, for a week, she has not spoken to anyone. Worse, she fears Jude has no plan on conversing with her. Plus, this manor has no household staff, only her.

"Oh, your sock here has a hole, Master, you don't mind me fixing it later tonight, right?" she uttered.

Silence.

Sighing in her head, she lifted her head, turned to look behind her, and saw Jude still facing the wall before him, his face emotionless, if his eyes are closed, she'll think he is sleeping.

"I'll take that as a yes, Mastering," she mumbled.She continued folding the clothes then organizing them inside his cabinet.

"I hope you don't mind, Master but I've used my soap to wash your clothes. Don't fret, Master, I'll try making masculine soap tomorrow," lifting his gray shirt to her nose, she sniffed it. Satisfied with the smell.

"Perhaps you'll prefer lemon? I don't know, really, Master for I've never done such soap for men since my father's fine with the flowers,"

"But hey, it doesn't smell bad, right? Because if so, then it means I smell bad and my father lied to me all these years," she added, chuckling, snorting, shaking her head as she folded the shirt. Quite entertained with herself, really.

When she looked behind her, she arched her brow when she caught a glimpse of him pressing his mouth together despite the unruly beard of his that requires a cut.

Is he...annoyed or suppressing laughter?

Nevertheless, Mari found herself satisfied since she managed to score a reaction from him.

She squinted her eyes when her eyes landed on the shirt he was wearing. The green shirt she prepared for it was worn on the wrong side.

Before she could stop herself, Mari rose to from the wooden floor and was standing beside Jude whose cloudy eyes were still plastered on the front.

"Mister, you wore your shirt in the wrong way," she whispered, her finger lightly touching his shoulder for one second.

At the touch, she at least hopes he'll turn his head or whatever but no, instead, as usual, he did not do anything, just stared ahead, his face emotionless.

Mari was just standing there beside him for like a couple of seconds, awaiting his answer, her hands smoothening her battered brown skirt in anxiety.

Seconds later, she felt herself tugging the ends of her blond hair which concluded an inch and a half after her ears.

"We-well, I guess that's your style, Master," she said, her voice still optimistic as she went back to work.

Again, she folded and folded and folded. Then, when she ran out of clothes to fold, she smoothed the wrinkles in his bedsheets.