There was a part of Joseph that wanted to continue this debate with his master, but naturally, he knew better than to continue speaking after being dismissed. Outwardly, he merely bowed low, and responded with a soft, “Goodnight, Master Mois,” before exiting the cottage. But once he left, and began his trek back to the mansion, his mind was on fire, wishing he had been free to say more.
You misunderstood me, Master Mois. Both you and Master Alexi are very special, and if this insane secret plan of Master Alexi's succeeds, then perhaps the two of you will be remembered in history as the men who ended slavery, assuming his plan even allows for such recognition. In any case, I will not forget what you did, or even what you tried to do, for the magicals, regardless of history's opinion. But even without that, you have both been kind to me, allowed me freedoms and privileges that I never have deserved, and treated me with respect. I will not forget that either, long after both of you have passed.
And though I did not have time to say it, I wish you could know that I do trust you just as much as I do Master Alexi. If I have favored him in my servitude, it is merely because he has asked more of me, not because of any real preference. I don't care what your father decided about this estate; you are both my masters, and nothing can change that. But of course, none of these things had been said to Master Mois, and when it came down to it, that was fine by Joseph. There had been enough heartfelt conversations in the past few days to last a lifetime.
When he reached the room he had been cleaning before, he changed his clothes to a less formal polo shirt and black pants, clothes that still looked dignified, but were a little more suited to the “dirty work.” Then he set to the calming task of polishing the wood furniture and the floors of the rooms in the northern wing. He thought about how Master Mois said that he stacked too much on his plate, but in reality he only did an average of 12 hours of work, 6 days a week. Vampires did not need as much sleep as humans did, and it was not as though he had a commute, so he found that the work was completely reasonable for him. Furthermore, there had been masters in the past which worked him more than that, and so he was accustomed to it.
Besides, he refused to make things easier on himself, for this too, was part of his punishment. Even now that his responsibilities were increased, he would not shoulder the work onto any of the other slaves. He deserved this servitude. They did not. The other slaves served roughly forty hour workweeks, and while several had seen what Joseph was doing to himself and asked to help, he had turned them down. The last time he had asked someone else to take the workload off of him was when he'd been severely injured while serving Tristan Vandros, Mois and Alexi's father, and had needed two days to mostly recover.
It was seven hours before he was finally finished, and so it was just about the break of dawn by the time he packed up the cleaning supplies, traveled to his room in the servant's quarters, showered, and fell asleep. Naturally, he set his alarm clock to awaken him in three and a half hours, so that he would be ready to take Master Alexi's blood at 9 AM.
~*~*~
Meanwhile, Erik finished an hour long bath, one of the longest he had taken in his life, and stepped out of the gigantic tub feeling remarkably content, given his situation. There was an assortment of huge towels and linens in the corner of the room, and Erik selected a fluffy terrycloth robe and a large towel. He had taken the vial of potion with him into the bathroom, for he had been afraid that it would somehow be switched out when he wasn't looking, and now he slipped it into the pocket of the robe.
If only my soldiers could see me now. I've traded my freedom for the comfort of a beautifully gilded cage. Do I really believe Alexi's promises, or did I just want to be free of the hunger and of the chains? Even after he gave me his blood, I knew that if I refused it would only be four days before I would be back to where I was before. Is that why I agreed to this? The former rebel leader wondered as he walked back into the bedroom with his slave clothes in hand. But as he thought back to that moment, he was able to reassure himself.
No. I truly couldn't stand to resist a plan that promised the freedom of my people. He promised me the thing I've watched people die for. Hell, it's only sheer luck that I'm still alive myself. I meant it when I said that I would spend the rest of my life as his slave, if he freed the rest of the world. One life for the lives of many, that's worth something, right? Still, I fear that if my followers saw me enjoying these luxuries, they would think me a traitor. But it does not matter how they see me, only if Alexi's eccentric plan is both real and successful.
Besides, I've already lost their trust. I led them headlong into a trap, got myself and most of those with me captured. They'll think I've been hard broken, even if that's not what this potion even does. Even I I were allowed to leave here, they would never let me lead them again, and rightly so. I've lost that privilege. I've been cell Leader for fifty years, but it's meaningless now. I cannot face them, much less lead them.
However, once again, I must remind myself that it does not matter. This is not about my glory or leadership, and I should not let my own arrogance into this. If somehow this madman's plan works and ends this nightmare, then that's what matters, not my damn ego.
With distaste, he changed back into the slave robe, hung the bathrobe, pocketed the stupid vial, filled himself a glass of cold water, and began to read one of the books he'd selected, in an attempt to distract himself from his own disturbing thoughts.