As they passed by the hallway, Elise felt eyes of other maids staring at her with a meaningful gaze and whispered over themselves. Vella frowned at the sight of the foolish maid who aren't doing their work and Carmen crossed her arm. "This must be because of yesterday."
Yesterday? Elise asked herself and found the answer soon enough. It was the time when she had dinner with the Lord. The other maids were jealous that she was being specialized by the Lord. As a servant, the opportunity to eat with the master of the mansion especially with the Lord is something almost close to impossible. But yesterday, Lord Ian had specifically ate with the new maid, a human maid. The jealousy over the servants were normal in the eyes of their view.
"They must be jealous because you ate with the lord." Carmen spoke again, her eyes glaring at the maids who kept on discussing nonsense. Ian had a charming face and for him to have admirers from both humans or mythical beings from different statuses was an everyday occurrence. However as the Lord was cold and rarely talk to any maids other than his personal butler Maroon, once he had a dinner with Elise, everyone who had hidden their intention to seduce the lord felt envious of her.
"That was only because Master Ian is a kind person." Elise replied.
Vella rolled her eyes. "If the Lord is that kind, he would have eaten with all the maids in the mansion but he didn't, he only did it with you and that's why they're envious of you now."
Does that mean she is a special case? That made her time eating with the Lord even more special but she their relationship wasn't like what the maids were envious of.
"Even though it's only a dinner alone with the Lord, they're jealous for nothing. Truly, jealousy is something frightening." Carmen commented.
Elise agreed with her thought. Jealousy is truly something frightening.
"Then, we'll go now. See ya later, Elise" Carmen spoke with a bright tone and brought Vella to the East Wing of the mansion. On the other hand, Elise was quite at lost to what she should do. She went to the Lord's office as what Maroon ordered her to do and ascended the second floor. When she finally arrived, Elise noticed the same patterns of moon stars and other patterns carved to the ceiling. She wondered to herself what does the patterns in the ceiling symbolized? It looked simple but had a meaning on its own, Elise thought.
She continued her steps to come at a stop at Ian's office and knocked on the wooden door twice. Ian's deep voice resonated from the other side of the wall. "Who is it?"
Elise cleared her throat lightly. "It's me Master Ian, Elise."
Ian put down the fountain pen from his hand and a grin appeared again to the corner of his lips. "Come in."
Following his words, Elise turned the knob and pushed the door open to see Cynthia and Austin sitting at the couch in front the Lord's desk. The room was as dimmed as she expected and even though the Sun was still smiling outside to kindle its light with the ground bellow, the room was dark with a few candle lit up.
Cynthia and Austin stood up happily when she saw Elise. "Elise!" They called.
"Cy, Austin!" Elise returned with the same delight and broke to a wide smile.
Austin had his eyes looking at the black uniform that she wore and nodded in approval. "That uniform sure look good at you, Elise. As expected of the most beautiful lady in the town. Whatever you wear, it looks good on you." He praised like how a father do to his beloved daughter.
"I agree for the first time with you." Cynthia added.
Elise rubbed her cheeks lightly with shyness. "That's an over praise, thank you Cy, Austin."
"No need to thank I just stated the truth." Cynthia waved her hand.
Feeling as though he had been treated like an air, Ian cleared his throat to gain the three people's attention and reminded. "Austin, your matter."
Austin turned to sulk from Ian who butted into their merry conversation but dared not to do anything and walked over to the side of the couch. Pulling a large rectangular frame, he brought it to Elise with a gentle smile. "This is what you asked before, my lady"
Elise took the frame and brushed her finger carefully on the painting that had been wrapped by a thin parchment. It was the painting that she asked Austin to bring for her. The last painting of she and her family. Her eyelashes shook down like the wings of a fragile butterfly that seemed to be shedding sorrow. Elise pulled a smile, she turned her face up. "Thank you very much for the help, Austin."
"You're welcome." He placed his hand to rubbed her head. "If there's anything else you could ask me."
He had just finished his words when he heard the crow of the Lord who had been sitting like a statue on the left side of Ian's desk cawing thrice as though it was giving a warn to the cat. He turned his head, seeing the Ian's smirk growing stale and retract his hand in haste. Although it was faint, as a werecat, Austin had a strong instinct and at the time he placed his hand on Elise's head, he could feel a cold glint passing to send chill down to his back.
"You two still remember your works don't you? It's time for you to go now and do your job." Ian stated and the two bowed at him. They spared a time to bid goodbye and left the place with dissatisfaction written over their face to Ian.
When the two left, Ian continued to do his work. His red eyes read the documents on his desk unrushed. It was Elise's first time to see the Lord working and she saw that regardless of his playful behavior when it comes to work, he adept seriously in a leisure manner. The sight of Ian working in the silent room, Elise found herself immersed in gazing at him to the point she didn't realize that she had been standing there gazing without moving a single step. Ian who feel the passionate staring coming from Elise stopped his pen. He propped his chin on his left hand, grinning sweetly as he asked. "Is it fun to watch me from there, puppy?"
Did she offended him by watching to intently? Elise evaded his eyes and heard him talking again. "I have no objection for you to continue watching me but isn't it tiring to continue standing there? Take a seat." Ian pointed the couch in front of him.
Elise glanced down at the couch he offered. Should she sit there? She is a maid should she sit there doing nothing? She contemplated a little and asked. "What should I do to help you, Master Ian?"
Ian hummed. "What do you think you should do to help me?"
Replying question with another question, Elise paused and discussed. "Brew a tea?"
Ian seemed to agree with her words but then he spoke again. "What else?"
What else? That's her question too. Elise looked around the room and spotted the documents staying on his left hand and asked. "Tidy up the room?"
"My room is quite clean at the moment so I don't think it's needed. What else?"
Again with the riddle. Elise thought of all possibility but as it was her first time to work as a maid and stationed in the Lord's study room, she couldn't find the answer to Ian's question. "I'm sorry master Ian for my lack of knowledge but I don't know what else."
Ian chuckled with mirth. At that point, Elise finally realized that he had been trying to hook her expressions and find amusement to the little change happening across her face. The Lord was a man with his quirk, one of that being that he like to study or learn the expressions that humans have, Elise noted to herself. She gave a little accusing gaze at him unknowingly for the riddles that he gave. Seeing new expressions that Elise made for him, Ian had a satisfied expression. "Then, brew me a tea, puppy." Ian spoke.
"Yes." Elise replied quickly and received her first order from Ian diligently. She went to the food trolley that had been prepare in beforehand and check the temperature of the teapot. As she had been helping in her house, Elise knew better how to brew teas and felt quite confident on the tea that she brew at the moment. Ian was still staring at her, leaning his chin on his arm to see the girl carefully pouring the red colored water to the teacup and brought it over to him.
"This is the tea, master Ian." Elise spoke and placed it in front of him. She retracted her hand waiting for him to comment of the taste. Part of her were worried that her tea doesn't taste as right like how Maroon, the butler would often brew. But unexpectedly, Ian was very much satisfied by the delicious tea that she brew. With a smile, he praised. "It's delicious."
It was a simple two words but it weighed heavily to her heart. The time with them together alone inside the room made her to feel unnerved and her heart thumping loudly. She often gazed at the Lord, doing nothing and when Ian moved his red gaze at her, she avoided it so he wouldn't notice her watching him intently but little did she know that the crow with the crimson eyes had been gazing at her who was staring at Ian. Having a little amusement on his room certainly wasn't a bad thing. As with the small presence in the corner of his room, he felt distracted from his work and before he knew it he had finished more works than usual.
Author had combine two chapters at once. Please do consider voting if you want more chapter releases~~
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At noon, Elise's stays at Ian's study room ended when Maroon arrived at the room. The man glanced at Elise sharply. For some reason, Elise didn't think of the man as a bad person, however, he did made her feel unsettled with the gaze that he gave. Elise didn't wait for Maroon to keep staring at her and quickly bowed to Ian to excuse herself.
"Wait, puppy." Ian called from his desk attaining Elise's questioning gaze when she turned her face. "What can I help you with, Master Ian?"
"You forgot your family's portrait." Elise looked beside the couch and noticed that Ian's words were right. Because of the sudden arrival of Maroon, she felt flustered and forgot the important portrait of her family. Feeling embarrassed by her own clumsiness, Elise went to take the painting sitting on the couch and bowed to Ian. "Thank you very much for the reminder, master."
"I told you not to be formal didn't I? Well, old habits die hard so I would let it pass for now, but next time be yourself." Ian spoke waving his hand faintly. His words were gentle and tender. Elise took his kind words deeply to her heart and broke to a smile from the words that he lightly spoke.
"I will try my best." Elise returned softly and passed Maroon's left side to leave the room. After the light thud from the door, Elise placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heartbeat that continuously racing and something in the core of her body feeling heated by Ian.
Elise stopped by her room for a moment and opened the wrapping of her portrait to gaze upon the smiling faces of her small family. Her gaze mellowed but she didn't want to dwell in sadness for long. She chose a place for her to hang the portrait and stared at it for a minute to leave the room and proceed with her job for the day with a spirited smile.
Ian was a busy man, unchanging like how he was nine years ago. In fact, Elise felt that he actually became even busier now. He often went out from the mansion over to some places for his work. The morning greeting before Ian left the mansion was the only way Elise could see and greet him in the morning. Meanwhile, Elise who is often partially judged by the servants didn't made much advances in making new friends. Though she did talk with some of the maids who didn't judged her in a negative spot.
One afternoon, Elise woke up in the early morning and had her job to clean the West Wing of the Mansion. Partly due to the fact that she's the only human after Mila at the mansion and the slowly growing jealousy and envy of the other maids that saw her to have a close relationship with the Lord, Elise didn't have that much people talking to her. While sweeping the long hall, a senior maid with a long curly brown hair named Tracey spotted her and called. "Elise."
Elise turned her head, as she was a new maid, she doesn't know most of the maid's names and thought it would be rude for her to ask thus she replied briefly while hiding the her nescience. "What can I help you with?"
"Do you know how to cook?"
Elise nodded. "Yes, but I only know how to cook-" human's food. Before she finished her words, Tracey had clapped her hand. "Good! Come with me now! We are in a hurry for dinner preparation. Let's go!"
Elise didn't get her chance to ask whether the dinner she's supposed to help with is a normal food like what humans normally eat. When she arrived at the kitchen, Tracey lead her to peel some potatoes and she sat there with a small knife. She followed her normal way of peeling the potatoes skillfully and noticed the woman beside her peeling carrots with a very slow pace. She peeked between her bent head and saw the skin of the carrots was very thick like a pieces of small cuts carrot. Worriedly, she asked herself. Does the woman beside her could peel a carrot?
When she turned her head, she met another pair of black eyes and a silky Raven locks of hairs streaming down to the woman's shoulder. "Vella."
Vella turned her head, her left hand was holding the same small knife that Elise was holding and on the right, she was holding to a very small piece of carrot that looked like a very small chunk of a leftover carrot. "Oh. It's you, Elise." She glanced down at the perfectly peeled white skin of the potatoes on Elise's hand and looked down to re-examine her own peeled carrot and muttered, "You're very good at peeling the vegetables." She didn't meant to be saracastic but due to her cold and snappy tone, she sounded like giving a harsh criticism to other's ears.
Elise who had seen the girl beside her as a good person didn't took her tone to her heart and smiled back. "I used to help around the kitchen back in my hometown. Do you want me to teach you?"
Vella didn't say anything for a moment, she glanced at Elise's hand and inched closer next to her. "I'll take your offer then. How do you peel this carrot?"
Elise smiled, Vellad seemed to be eager and a type of a diligent person. She raised her knife, teaching the girl the easiest way to peel the skin of the vegetables. After watching Elise's performance, Vella rose her beautiful straight brows, almost furrowing she asked. "But isn't that too little?"
Elise looked down at the peeled skin that Vella mentioned to be "too little" and let out a chuckle. "No, the skin isn't that thick." But as she finished speaking with her soft chuckle, she noticed that perhaps her laughter offended Vella and explained. "I'm sorry, my little brother used to ask me the same question."
Vella turned her eyes back to the carrots, seeming very concentrated but she still replied. "You have a little brother? How old is he?"
Elise felt a little pain on her heart. She shook her head a little. Sorrow isn't something good, if her family up in heaven saw her getting gloomier each day, they would surely be saddened. "Fourteen years old this year."
Vella sang an 'oh' as she answer and mumbled. "I'm the only child, so I don't have any siblings but having one sound fun. Carmen is the eldest at her house, so she always complained about how rowdy her family is, but in truth she didn't seem to dislikes it."
Elise remembered how bright Carmen was and thought that her being the eldest child really do fit her image. Hearing Vella's words, she could imagine how her friendship with Carmen was closer than how it looks in the surface.
"You two seemed to be a very good friend." Elise muttered aloud.
Vella shrugged her shoulder, giving a complaining tone opposite to her feeling. "We've been roommates for seven years what could you expect? She glued herself to me most of the time."
Elise chuckled and saw that the carrots in Vella's bucket seemed to have grown its quality. She praised heartedly, "You've improved."
"Thanks to you." She spoke in a clipped tone but her gratefulness could be felt.
Elise who have finished peeling the potatoes stood up but remembered something that she hadn't yet asked. Her hand fidgeted upon the bucket of peeled potatoes that she peeled and turned her had to ask. "Um, Vella."
Vella lifted her chin with her eyes still focused on her carrots. "What is it?"
"Can you-" Elise tried to find the right words but didn't know what to say or how to say it right. She took a very deep mouthful of breath and braven herself. "Please be my friend?"
To her words Vella lifted her chin fully with her pair of black eyes. She gave a little frown that made Elise to rethought of her own question. But unexpectedly the woman spoke with a profound tone. "Hadn't we become friend since we eat together?"
Really? Elise asked to herself. Since at her small town she never made a friend that have the same age as her, she didn't know whether or how to make friend. She tilted her head at Vella's question and nodded.
"Carmen also have already think of you as a friend. You need not to worry and ask the same question to her." Vella shifted her eyes down to the last carrot she had peeled on her hand and placed it to the bucket, adding, "I have also finished my batch. We should give this to the cook and our work should finish here."
Perhaps Vella was a cold person outside but for someone to take her request as a friend, Elise doubted her to be a cold person in heart. She smiled happily, saying. "Thank you, Vella."
Vella rubbed her cheek feeling a little embarrassed by Elise's words and stood up beside her. "You don't have to thank me. Let's go."
After Elise and Vella finished their work in the kitchen, they went out of the room to proceed their next job at the mansion when a woman with a tanned skin stopped in front of them to block their path. Her eyes traveled at bitte Vella and Elise before her sarcastic tone came out from her lips. "The cold woman and the slut new maid. What a perfect match."
Elise was surprised by the word coming from the woman. Even though it was their first time meeting, she had called her and Vella in a very crude nickname. Perhaps the rumor had turned sour? Without her awareness, the rumor had snowballed heavily for her to be accused as a slut who slept with the Lord for her position.
Vella rolled her eyes at the stupidity and chuckled mockingly. "Are you jealous because she ate with the lord, Nancy? And now you came to mock others, how embarrassing."
Nancy, the maid clicked her tongue. "I would t loose in matter of being an embarrassment to you wouldn't I? Ms. ex-convict-" then the woman gave a surprised tone, "Ah! Pardon me, I forgot that your name had changed to Ms. Vella Tune. Or perhaps Ms. Vella Goone? Because you kept on changing names, I forgot which was your real name."
Elise saw Vella's face changing to an ashen one. Her brows knitted and her palm had balled to a tight fist. "Bringing my past into this, I still think I'm not lower than the woman who loved to sleep everywhere. In term of embarrassment like you said, I would come to the last place than you."
"How dare you!" Nancy raged. Being a half human and mythical being, Elise could see the pupils of her eyes contracting to a sharp oval. She's a werecat! An agitated werecat would first change to a form of half-beast cat, making them to have a very sharp claw that is far fiercer than a normal knife, a dangerous weapon that could even take a person's life. Not to mention, she was in an agitated state, a state where usually mythical beings would become stirred with anger and in worse cases, lose themself to anger and attack everyone to dead. Elise thought in a split of second and shielded Vella with her hand.
"Pardon for my rudeness, Ms. Nancy." Elise spoke with the same gentle tone that she always used but today her tone was guarded to protect her friend. "Please calm down. At the moment you are the first one who brought up the matter in a very impolite way."
Nancy's eyes calmed down for a moment, she rose her brows. "Then what?"
"In the laws of the Church, article twenty three part four: those who attacked verbally and lead to a fight between mythical beings deserved a maximum seven years in jail and also three years as to psychical labor. Also, article four part ten: those who show aggressive behavior as a mythical beings by all rights deserved a maximum of five years in jail. By this two rules, Ms. Nancy, you are accounted and are at fault at the moment. Please rethink of your behavior now or you would be regretting the consequences of your action." Elise spoke the rules fluently with a firm eyes. Hearing the jail time that Elise muttered, the woman silenced down instantly. Her eyes still bore the same annoyance but it had lessened from Elise's brave comeback.
"I'll remember this!" Nancy harrumphed and stomped her feet to storm away of the place.
Vella saw the woman left and scoffed. Elise, on the other hand felt lucky that the woman was still someone she could still reason with. If she didn't and come to a psychical fight, she would doubt a human like her could win from their enhanced powers.
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