Chapter Text
“The relationship between the blood and the disease is well-documented in medicine,” The professor intoned. “Blood— that most plentiful and languorous humor—is even considered the root of all ill-health. Yet man cannot survive without it.”
Leorio found himself hanging on to Professor Zoldyck’s every word, as usual. The man had such a booming, persuasive voice that it made everything he said sound important. Not to mention that he was Leorio’s sponsor. Without the patronage of the professor, Leorio wouldn’t have had a shot at becoming a doctor in the first place.
Professor Zoldyck checked his watch. “It seems our time together has come to an end. Since your oral exam is next week, I will not assign homework on top of that.”
There was a happy murmur from the gathered students in the ampitheater. It served as their lesson space as well as an operating theater. Sometimes, a literal theater, when the public was let in to watch live amputations.
Leorio began to pack up his notes as the others streamed out.
"Leorio? Please stay behind." The professor said quietly. Still, Leorio could see one of his classmates look back at him sympathetically. Professor Zoldyck was a rather intimidating man, as tall and sturdy as a tree with long, wild white hair.
"Yes sir?" Leorio stopped next to his oak desk.
The professor placed his hands on top of the table. "I had an opportunity that I would suggest you take."
"An opportunity?" Leorio pushed his glasses up his nose.
"A job to help you pay off your tuition while gaining experience." Professor Zoldyck suggested. "You don't have another job lined up, do you?"
"No," Leorio said hastily, "Well, not one I can't sacrifice. I was just going to work as a butcher's assistant again." As he had no great desire to get back to sawing pig carcasses in half and slaughtering chicken, Leorio was prepared to take nearly any job the professor offered him.
"I would be willing to provide room and board if you took this opportunity. I have a relative who is incapacitated." Professor Zoldyck lowered his voice. "This relative suffers from weak spells, as well as periods of lunacy."
"Lunacy?"
"Only occasionally. Most of the time he is as sane as you and I. By any means, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer to his condition. It does not respond to any conventional techniques or medications, nor even Eastern medicine. At this point, his parents asked me to fix him up with a caretaker to mitigate the spells as they come and ensure he's in as good health as possible."
"I see." Leorio thought it over briefly. "He's not aggressive, is he?"
Zoldyck shook his head. "Rarely. But even so, he's extremely frail due to his condition. There would be no problems if he did act up."
Leorio didn't need any more consideration than that. The gutter at the butcher's shop ran with so much blood that patrons had to take a big step over it to get inside.
"Thank you so much for this." Leorio said. "I am honored that you would choose me for this duty."
Professor Zoldyck smiled benevolently. "I took you as my patron for a reason. There were many other young men out there who would have taken your place willingly, but I doubt any of them wanted it as much as you do."
Leorio couldn't help but smile himself. He was so lucky to have the professor.
***
Leorio moved into the professor's manor at the end of the week. He knew that most doctors were bored rich men with too much time on their hands, but he was shocked to learn how rich.
The gate of the manor stood twice his height, black wrought iron curling upwards like deformed trees. The manor itself was so far inside the boundaries of the gate that it looked like a dollhouse.
The professor motioned for the gatekeeper, and the carriage bounced inside, the unpaved road doing a number on the wheels. Leorio looked out the window. The forest was dense and untouched. He believed the Zoldyck family could have made a living as lumber salesmen instead of...whatever they did. Most noble families supported themselves with large farms managed by hired workers. Perhaps their farm was on the other side of the house?
At last, they reached the main house. It was a massive, ancient home designed to look like a castle, or a church. There were turrets, flying buttresses, and even a few stained-glass windows. Ivy grew up the ancient stones, practically consuming the manor.
"Welcome to our schloss , Leorio." The professor smiled. "It's been in our family for centuries now. The ancient line, who created the home, were from Styria. They wanted a place which reminded them of home in a foreign nation."
"It's beautiful..." Leorio murmured. It reminded him of an image of a Catholic cathedral he'd seen in a book once. There was a splendor in those decaying ruins.
The servants of the manor home stood attentively outside, an army in black and white.
"Why are they standing outside?"
The professor laughed indulgently. "It's part of their job. It is important for them to see to guests and whatnot."
Leorio blushed. It was strange to be a guest here. It would've made more sense for him to be a servant. In many ways, he was. Yet, he was treated like a friend of the master.
"Welcome back, master." A man in a butler's uniform bowed to Professor Zoldyck. He turned to Leorio. "Mr. Leorio Paradinaito." A tiny nod for him.
Leorio found himself practically whisked off his feet. All the servants (aside from the footmen and grooms) paraded inside. The inside of the manor was no less splendid than the outside, with extensive wood paneling like a lodge, as well as a massive fireplace and paintings on every available surface.
"Mrs. Jefferson," The professor waved his hand to an older lady in a prim brown dress. "Will you have Mr. Smith's belongings taken upstairs now? We can commence dinner now." The lady, presumably a housekeeper, nodded and bustled away to command her foot soldiers.
In a daze, Leorio found himself stripped of his belongings and sat down on the right side of a massive oak table. The professor's three sons were seated on the right as well, with the only occupant on the left side being a woman he assumed was Mrs. Zoldyck. She wore an elaborate ballgown and her face was substantially bandaged, covered from the nose bridge to the forehead with only a tiny slit for her eyes. Leorio tried not to stare. It was difficult. The clean white bandages were tight around her temples.
The son next to Leorio had hair as long as his father's, though it was black as night. His eyes reminded Leorio of the cow corpses at the butcher shop.
"Hello there." The professor's voice echoed in the vaulted ceiling. "May I introduce Mr. Leorio Paradinaito, a protege of mine? He is here to help with our...problem."
"Excellent." The lady of the house said. "Thank you for coming." None of the sons acknowledged his existence.
"My pleasure." Leorio tried to smile.
The professor took a seat at the head of the table. He made an upwards motion with his hand, and a succession of servers entered. There was more food than Leorio could imagine eating in an eternity. It was enough for an army.
A whole roast swan made its way down the table. The oldest son ripped off the creature's wing, his expression unchanged.
Leorio couldn't bring himself to take any; the swan still had eyes in its head.
Instead, he took a slice of bloodied roast beef as his main course. This had been an animal too, once, but it was not so obvious.
The Zoldyck family took their dinner quietly, not engaging in much conversation.
Is it because of me? Leorio wondered. The atmosphere felt off, like there was something they couldn't say around him.
Dinner finished.
He hovered by the table, waiting for instructions.
"What are you waiting for, my dear?" Mrs. Zoldyck came up to him, smiling serenely.
"Oh, I was just wondering what I should do," Leorio admitted sheepishly. "I've never been formally invited to someone's home."
"I can show you your room personally, once you've brought dinner to our relative." she said. "You seem like such a good boy."
"Thank you." Leorio smiled. Her voice was honeyed, but she didn't seem malicious. She was married to the professor after all. It made sense that an intimidating man would have an intimidating wife. "Where is his room?"
"I'll show you. Your room is right next door."
She fetched a platter of roast beef, somehow even rarer than Leorio's slice, accompanied by bread and greens.
Leorio liked the rustic appeal of the schloss , particularly the rough-hewn little stairs, like the kind monks use. It felt like a secret passageway.
Mrs. Zoldyck led him to a suite of guest rooms, high up in the gables. They were a set of two, connected by locked door.
"We call these the lovers' rooms." Mrs. Zoldyck remarked airily. "Because a groom and his bride would share a room, but lovers would need a secret door for their tryst."
Leorio decided not to think about this remark. It was nicest to just ignore when people said weird things. They probably regretted it later.
"Good night, dear." She grinned and retreated downstairs. He bit his lip. She was a strange woman.
Leorio knocked on the door. No one answered. There wasn't even a shuffling sound of retreat.
"Mr. Zoldyck? I have dinner."
Still no answer. He remembered what the professor had said: he's incredibly reclusive. You can go on in and introduce yourself. It won't make a difference to him whether you knock or not.
Tentatively, Leorio twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, half expecting to be assaulted by a lunatic old man as soon as he did.
Instead, he was greeted by a most unusual sight. The window was open, letting the night air in. The curtains billowed like sails. A small bed was tucked in the corner of the room, along with a side table. The only other piece of furniture was a massive armchair by the window.
For a moment, Leorio thought he'd been deceived by the professor. The figure in the armchair had long golden hair which streamed in the wind, as well as delicate features and long eyelashes like a porcelain doll.
A girl?
No. The sitter was definitely a man. A young, androgynous man, but clearly a man. He got up, but didn't approach Leorio.
"Mr. Zoldyck?" Leorio's voice faltered.
"That's not my name." A gust of wind chilled the air. His voice was unexpectedly deep, almost gravelly. His limbs were long and extremely thin.
"Then... what is?"
"Kurapika." Leorio couldn't tell whether it was his first or last name.
"Kurapika. I'm Leorio Paradiniato, but you can call me Leorio. Professor Zoldyck asked me to come help you with your...condition." Leorio tried. "I brought dinner for you."
Kurapika's blue eyes narrowed. "I don't need it."
"You don't have to eat." Leorio placed the tray on the floor, careful not to upset its contents. "But it will feel better if you do."
Kurapika smiled sarcastically. "The old man certainly thinks that."
Leorio's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing. You should go." He turned his back to the medical student and returned to his armchair.
"Alright. I will be back tomorrow though."
"Not if you know what's good for you." Kurapika said flippantly before closing his eyes.