As I walked toward the training room, which was just an indoor gym attached to the mansion that my parents had never used, I became lost in thought again. Could I talk to Sebastian about the contract, or would that just create a really awkward situation that I should try to avoid? I wanted more answers, and he was the only person who could provide them. He was also the only person in this entire mansion that I didn't want to anger.

Once I was able to finally break out of my thoughts, I found myself in the training room. I didn't remember any of the trip there, but I just shook it off and glanced around the large room. It looked like any other home gym, except much larger, and maybe three times as much equipment. There were mats of various colors scattered across the floor, multiple treadmills, electric bikes, jump ropes, exercise balls, Hoola-Hoops, and any other piece of exercise equipment you could think of. The floor resembled a basketball court, and there were nets on either side of the room. The only people that ever really ended up using this room were the servants. My parents had been too busy to use it themselves, but they weren't too busy to swipe a credit card and shove all that money down the drain. I could've had a dozen horses had they not added on the gym.

Sebastian was in the corner of the room, admiring my long swords my mother had left me. They were silver and had black hilts. They had never been used on an actual person, but my mother had always believed that a lady needed to know how to defend herself, so she got the swords, and they became mine after she had passed.

Once Sebastian noticed me, he threw the swords in my direction lightning fast. I jumped just as quickly, caught the handle of one of the swords in each hand, and landed on my feet, swords raised, ready to fight.

Sebastian smiled at me. "That's the first time you've done that successfully, My Lady," he commented, applauding me.

I relaxed my arms, letting the tips of the swords fall to rest of the floor. "I caught them that one time!"

"Then landed on your back and nearly cut off your own leg."

"......I still caught them."

Sebastian shook his head. "Anyway, you've practically mastered these swords. Is there anything in particular you would like to work on?"

I twirled the sword in my right hand, thinking. "Not really."

Then, Sebastian was throwing more swords and daggers at me. I screamed, jumped, repelled some of them with my swords, then landed on the ground, breathing heavily, heart pounding. "Don't DO that!!!"

"I had to be sure you were prepared for anything." Sebastian stated calmly. "It seems that you are."

"What if I hadn't been?! You could've killed me!"

Sebastian suddenly grabbed a small dagger from the shelf and threw it at me. Out of breath, I couldn't move; I just braced myself for what was coming.

But nothing happened. I opened my eyes and saw Sebastian in front of me. I looked down to see that he had caught the dagger inches from my chest. I looked back up at him, and he was smiling.

"I would never let anything happen to you."

I simply nodded. Something about his eyes, dark red and cold, made me believe every word. When I finally glanced away, I remembered the contract, and that the only reason no harm would come to me was that I had something very precious to him: a soul.

I stood and walked back over to the shelves, placing my swords in their proper places, then walked back toward the door. I decided that if all I was to Sebastian was a soul, then all he'd be to me was a servant.

"I don't want to train anymore today, Sebastian. I'm going to my room. Why don't you go clean something."

Without facing him, I left the room and ran to my own.

I didn't understand why, but for some reason, I wanted to cry. Sebastian hadn't done anything out of the ordinary, so why was I acting so rude? I lay on my bed with the lights out and the curtains closed.

I was just so caught up in thinking about how much time I had left. One year wasn't much. How was I supposed to live knowing exactly when I'll die? I guess I could get in a car accident and die before then, but since I hardly traveled, that wasn't likely.

I heard a knock on my door. When I didn't answer, they opened the door. I was expecting one of the maids, coming to tidy up my room, but when I looked up, it was Sebastian, his red eyes glowing in the darkness.

I glanced away as he turned on the light. I didn't want to talk to him. I thought he'd understood that when I told him to go clean something.

"What is it, Sebastian?"

"I just thought I'd tell you that I've cleaned the entire mansion, and prepared lunch. Will you be coming down?"

I shook my head, still not facing him. "No, I'm not hungry."

I heard Sebastian sigh and close the door. I knew he was still in the room. He was probably trying to keep what he was about to say away from the other servants, who didn't know of the contract.

"I believe the contract has been weighing heavily on your mind recently, has it not?"

"Sebastian, I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"Have your nightmares been about the contract?"

"Sebastian."

"Have they?"

"Sebastian, I order you to leave me alone!!"

I heard him sigh. "Don't think of how much time you have left, My Lady. Think of what you can make of it."

With that, he left, and I lay back down. In the three years we've been in this contract, never once have we spoken of it, and never once had I given him an order. I'd always asked for favors and used please. I hadn't thought talking to him about it would upset me.

I laid my face in my pillow, and this time, I really did cry.