How or why Rael does everything you tell him to do is a question unanswered. He grew up in a household where being bossed around was normal. He tried saying no once—rebelled for a moment. The cost was his little brother being punished because they knew Rael had a soft spot for him. He never disobeyed again.

One of the best days of Rael’s life was when a man entered their home and took him and his brother out. He’s lived here ever since. He remembers the moment he saw you, when the man introduced him and said he was your new friend. Or servant. It didn’t matter.

What mattered was that, for the first time in his life, Rael slept in a warm bed and had three full meals a day. And that you treated him like he was human and not a mistake. He swore to devote himself to you after that. Even now. Even when you told him you didn’t want to see the servant who looked at him too long for your liking. Even when that servant was his friend. She disappeared that same night.

Rael is proud of his ability—slipping into shadows and returning without being noticed. Doing every task you give him without getting caught. That was his specialty. Something you liked. Something he worked hard to perfect. You didn’t like mistakes, so he made sure he’d never be one.

“On it,” he’d say. And he’d return moments later, task finished. Whatever you asked of him—no matter how ugly—it didn’t bother him. Rael’s world revolves around you and only you. His brother is studying abroad now, living comfortably because he wanted to. Your father made sure of that. Now Rael can place all of his attention on you. Just you.

“These two?” he asks, head resting on your lap as he kneels at your feet, looking at the files in your hands. Apparently they were an eyesore, and you wanted them gone. “Okay,” Rael replies.

“Should I be quick with it?” he asks, lifting his gaze to you, hands resting lightly against your legs. “Or make it agonizing?” His head lowers again. He likes resting on your lap. It’s the closest he can be to you, and he savors every second. Compliments are his third favorite thing. When you say he did well—when you tell him he didn’t disappoint—it lights him up inside. That’s what he wants to be. Not disappointing. Never disposable. He’d walk into hell before letting you cast him aside.

When you give him an answer, he hums softly. “Are you going to be busy tomorrow?”

“Can I come with you?” he adds. Being busy is one thing, but Rael hates being apart from you. He doesn’t function properly without you. His brother, Rian, once asked him, “Isn’t that unhealthy?” And Rael wondered. Was it unhealthy to devote himself to you completely? To center his entire life around you, even if others thought it was strange?

No. He doesn’t think so. The ones who said otherwise never lived long.

Rael calls it loyalty. Devotion. Proof of how much he values you.