The One and Only Sami Chapter 11

Tomorrow—if I can just get through tomorrow…

Sami stopped peeling the potato and counted the days on his fingers once more.

One day, two, three…

“It’s the day after tomorrow, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Master Antar!”

Startled, Sami jumped, accidentally dropping the small paring knife. He hurriedly looked over his shoulder to see Antar’s refined face. Antar had been leaning forward slightly, watching what Sami was doing, and broke into a grin the moment their eyes met.

“You’ll be twenty tomorrow, Sami.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

Sami would be celebrating his twentieth birthday tomorrow, yet he was still small and slender, and his workload remained unchanged.

Though he worked under a kind master, Sami was a servant. When morning came, he had to diligently go about his daily chores.

Tomorrow was his birthday, but that wasn’t the biggest deal; it was also the first day of the banquet hosted at the royal castle. To be honest, that was more important to Sami than his own birthday.

“Tomorrow is the day you enter the castle for the first time, isn’t it, sir?”

“Yes. I’ve entered the castle following my father before, but this is the first time I’m going as a representative of the family, as the son of Salif.”

“You’ll do wonderfully, sir. You have the finest character in the country; Ruler Harut couldn’t possibly fail to notice that.”

“Sami, you’re laying on the praise a bit thick today.”

“I’m just trying to give you cour—courage, so you don’t get nervous, sir.”

Despite his words, Sami was clearly more nervous than Antar himself. Antar bit back a quiet laugh.

“It helps that you’re doing the shaking for me, but… this is a bit of a problem.”

“Sir?”

“Actually, for your birthday present, I was going to ask you to come into the castle with me.”

“Wh-what? Me, sir?”

“I can’t bring guards when I enter, but I am allowed to bring a servant. I thought it would be nice if you came along.”

“With me? The banquet lasts for three days… are you really… taking me, sir?”

“Yes. You’ll get to see the banquet for three days. I heard there are dozens of dancers, clowns who breathe fire, and ivory fountains that spray scented water. Ruler Harut is fond of luxury, you see.”

“But the other nobles will all be accompanied by handsome pages or giant, hulking attendants…”

At the royal banquet, every family tended to bring eye-catching servants to stand behind them, just to show off their status.

The Salif family wasn’t one for extravagance, so they might not care about flashy servants, but Sami felt he was too inexperienced and young to be at such a sophisticated gala. It seemed much better to go with a servant who was more seasoned and sharp-eyed.

“I’m most comfortable with you, Sami. Besides, it’s your birthday, so I thought a tour of the castle banquet would be the perfect gift.”

“Well, that’s… I mean…”

Sami fidgeted, tapping his index fingers together. Antar crossed his arms and watched the tips of Sami’s fingers before tilting his head with a slight smile.

“And since our family is attending the banquet, the servant accompanying me needs a fine set of clothes to match our rank. You’re turning twenty, Sami; shouldn’t you have a new set of clothes?”

“Young Master…”

“You got into a bit of trouble with Madame Harna recently, so if you come with me and perform your duties well as my servant, you’ll be able to make up for your mistake. See? So many good things come from accompanying me.”

“Then… I’m really going with you, sir? For real?”

Instead of answering with words, Antar blinked and gave a bright smile. Yes, for real. Sami’s face lit up instantly.

“Thank you so much!”

“I’ve already spoken to my father, so go get your clothes from Harna tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t get so excited that you start making mistakes, alright?”

“Yes, sir! I’ll peel these potatoes with everything I’ve got! I’ll peel them so beautifully that only the absolute finest potatoes make it into your soup, sir.”

Sami hurriedly picked up the half-peeled potato. Antar laughed out loud.

“Right, I’ll look forward to it.”

Sami bowed repeatedly before dashing off into the kitchen. Antar watched Sami’s retreating figure with a satisfied look before heading on his way.

“Gasp.”

Sami snapped his head up and wiped his mouth.

Did I doze off? Usually, he never fell asleep when work was ahead of him, but the last three days must have been exhausting.

“The banquet is tomorrow, and here I am losing my mind…”

Muttering a self-reproach, Sami picked himself up with a rustle. Looking out through the open window, the sky was that color that was neither fully dark nor yet blue.

The boundary between night and dawn. The first hour of ‘today.’

Of course, turning into an adult doesn’t mean a noticeable change happens instantly. Still, once he returned from the upcoming banquet, surely something would be different.

“I should finish this and get back to sleep…”

Sami took out a small oil jar and filled it from the stores in the warehouse. He had to check the lamps lined up in the hallway to make sure the fires in the manor didn’t go out, refilling any that were running low.

They say Jinnis are beings that dwell in all boundaries, so one had to be extra careful during the time between night and dawn. The hallway, where the yellow light spread in soft circles, was still bright and warm; it felt as though the evil Jinnis who lived in shadows and dampness wouldn’t dare move an inch.

Clink.

Sami opened the ornately decorated lamp covers one by one to check the oil. He topped off the low ones and used a thin stick to fish out any moths that had fallen in.

By the time he finished meticulously checking the last lamp, the blue hue of the sky seemed to have deepened. Looking at the dawn sky where white stars still hung, the tight line of Sami’s mouth finally relaxed into a smile.

It looked like the weather would be nice tomorrow. Even better than today.

“…”

Sami looked back down the hallway, clutching the oil jar. Outside the arched openings of the corridor, the blue light of the night surged.

The lamps placed along the floor twinkled, making the area below the railing glow yellow. It was the exact opposite of high noon when the sun blazed. Sami’s shadow flickered dimly against the walls, the floor, and the ceiling.

He readjusted the cloth wrapped around the jar and started walking. The sound of his rhythmic footsteps was clearer than his shadow, which was being torn apart by the lamplight.

“Phew…”

Having finished his work, Sami put the oil jar back in the warehouse and stepped out into the hallway. On his way back, he exchanged a brief nod with a guard on night patrol. Refilling the lamps wasn’t hard work, but his shoulders felt heavy—perhaps because he’d woken up in the middle of his sleep.

The moment Sami opened his door and stepped inside—

“You’re only just getting back?”

“……!”

He realized then that when you’re truly shocked, you can’t even make a sound.

Sami let out a sharp gasp and pressed his back hard against the door. The gardener he shared the room with had gone down to his hometown for a few days, so there shouldn’t have been another soul in this room.

“H-huuh, wha—”

“I found the right place, then. I’m coming in.”

Regardless of Sami’s terror, the person who had been sitting on the windowsill hopped down into the room. Sami lowered his voice and whispered urgently.

“Razard!”

“Yeah.”

With the deep dawn behind him, Razard answered nonchalantly.

The man’s profile glowed reddish in the lamplight. Every time he turned his head toward Sami, the gold earring dangling from his ear caught the light and sparkled brilliantly.

His flamboyant appearance and his heavy, shimmering jewelry didn’t suit this modest room at all.

“H-how did you get in here?”

“There isn’t a place in this country I can’t enter.”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean—that’s a weird thing to say too.”

He didn’t know where to start correcting him. Honestly, every time he talked to Razard, his common sense felt like it was being upended. Sami just blinked, looking dazed.

What kind of man was this?

“Did you climb over the wall?”

“Do I look like some petty thief?”

Razard wrinkled his nose as if offended. Sami hurriedly shook his head.

A petty thief? No way. He saw the man as someone far more dangerous than that.

“At the boundary of night and dawn, even the sturdiest castle gate can be entered easily. Getting into an ordinary manor like this is nothing.”

“…Razard, I hate to say this, but are you a Jinni?”

“…I suppose that’s better than a petty thief.”

Was it really okay to get involved with a man who thought being a Jinni was better than being a petty thief? Sami’s eyes filled with worry.

Ignoring him, Razard strode over and actually sat down on the bed. Faced with an attitude that wasn’t just bold but outright brazen, Sami—the owner of the bed—was left speechless.