Chapter 20: Young Master

"Mm. They should be around here somewhere"

She said as she made her way through the thick crowd of the bustling city. Her blue eyes scanned around the busy street for a café that should have been in sight right about now.

"Belvedere? This, seems to be the right place"

Looking at her phone, she confirmed this to be the place she was looking for. As she approached the place a street away from her, her shoulder length blonde hair caught the light of the afternoon sun.

This place definitely was a lot busier than usual. At least from what she remembered; it could have changed over the years she's been gone. Also, Nicholas did inform her there was going to be a political rally and Sect Leader candidates were supposed to gather nearby.

This explained why it was so crowded. Since she wasn't interested in any of that stuff. She continued to her main destination.

She reached the café, and her eyes were immediately drawn to a cozy little spot tucked away beneath the shade of a large umbrella table.

"Found you"

The young lady smiled softly as she spotted two figures under one of the many canopies. Although only one of them looked familiar. The one she was mostly familiar with held an appearance of a woman with neck length beige hair and orange eyes. As usual, she was wearing a maid's outfit.

'I really shouldn't be surprised. A maid's uniform is all I've ever seen Nelda wearing wherever she went. Well, since I'm planning on staying, maybe I can do something about that'

Next to the seated Nelda, was another maid standing attentively. She had a slender build, medium length reddish brown hair and cyan eyes.

She didn't recognize her, but her maid uninforms clearly indicated she was part of the hotel. Also, there was no way she would be able to remember everyone from that huge place, save for the ones on top or those who actually stood out to her.

'Whenever she leaves the hotel, it's usually with Tess's dad. That's usually when they're on a mission. The other time is when she leaves with Vivi to run an arrand. But I don't see her around. Unless this is something she can do on her own. Does that mean…'

Uncertain, she approached the pair. The standing maid caught glimpse of the young woman approaching and her eyes immediately lit up in surprise as she exclaimed.

"Young master!"

"H-hey there"

She forced an awkward smile after hearing that.

'I don't remember the last time someone's called me by that title'

Back in the SAA, most if not everyone referred to her as 'Princess'. There were only a few that called her by her actual name, specifically close friends. This was mostly due to the fact she held the last name of a once revered assassins' family back in the old days.

—Decades back.

With the rise of powerful organization, big assassins' families began to shrink in influence and eventually most of them disappeared. Her family name still had influence since it also established its own and became one of the Major Assassins Organizations.

So, nothing much changed for her. And besides, there was someone else in the SAA that was also being called princess. In her opinion. That girl deserved the title more than her since she was ten times talented and cuter than her. Even though she's only seen her twice or thrice.

—Also, she is Tessa's oldest sister.

"It's been ages! You've sure grown up a lot, the last time I saw you was when you were an adorable teenager but look at you know. A full fledge woman"

"I-its good to see you too"

Her eyes left the maid and fell on Nelda, who gave a slight bow while remaining silent. Her gaze fixated on the young master with the same emotionless intensity she remembered her for.

'Still as creepy as ever. This is not going to be easy'

Nelda's demeanor hadn't changed at all even though it's been years since she's seen her. The thought she might stay like that forever caused a shred of pity to flicker in her mind, because if this kept up, she might not even be able to find a spouse to settle down with.

Even though Nelda worked as an assassin, a profession with a very low life expectancy, the thought of her dying in battle was the last thing anyone who knew her thought of. This was because, out of 10 battles she's involved in, victory was 100% guaranteed.

—Every time.

The standing maid quickly pulled out a chair.

"Please, take a seat young master"

She cheerfully said while gesturing a hand wave as the young master gracefully sat down, appreciating the maid's courtesy.

"I'm so happy to see you again. You disappeared all of a sudden and everyone acted like nothing happened, including the Miss. So, we just assumed you were away on a trip or mission"

'Of course she would do that'

"Yes, I was on a trip, kind of a mission. There's something I need to take care of. But still, I've missed being around. It's good to be back"

"Me and the girls missed you too! I'm sure Lady Nelda missed you as well. Though, as you can see, she's still as quiet as ever. Please don't be offended by it, it's just her way of expressing herself"

She winced at her and gave a light laugh. The young master gave a small knowing smile but kept her thoughts to herself.

"It's ok. I already know she's like that. I'm frankly quiet used to it now"

Her eyes flickered briefly to Nelda who sat still and silent, not even looking down at the steaming cup of tea in front of her.

Nelda had always been like that.

Silent, reserved and never speaking unless it was absolutely necessary. It wasn't a surprise to see her relying on others to communicate, it was one of the reasons this maid was accompanying her. Given her position in the hotel, it was absolutely necessary.

Even today, she still questioned why she was given such a position as an Operations Manager.

She had hoped for some sign of change however subtle. Still, she knew better than to dwell on it. That was something she accepted at this very moment.

"Is Vivi still around?"

"Oh, right! Where are my manners? Vivienne unfortunately can no longer fulfill her duties, so I was appointed to fill in for her as a replacement. I'm Daphne by the way. I've only recently started with Lady Nelda, but we've become close friends!"

She gave Nelda a fond look, but she didn't respond at all. Her expression hadn't changed one bit.

"Oh, that's a shame. Never really did get the chance to thank her for playing with me back when I was little. But still, it's a pleasure to meet you, Daphne. My name is—"

"—Your name is Geraldine Belle Sardes! The one and only daughter of Miss Sandra. You may not remember me, but I've always been by your side too. It's such an honor to talk to you face to face like this as an adult. Ahhh! I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to say that out loud. Please forgive me young master!"

Daphne's spontaneous interruption and immediate changes in behavior stunned her for a bit. For a moment, she felt a bit flustered from that display, but she managed to smile warmly to her.

"Uh. I. Mm. Right. It's okay. I'm glad you feel that way. Also, you can stop calling me young master. Instead, you can call me Geraldine and I'll call you Daphne so we can be friends, how's that?"

"Seriously?! Do you really mean it? I get to call you by your name and be your friend too?! Eeeek!! They're going to be so jealous when I tell them"

"Hehehe you don't have to do that"

Daphne couldn't hear her. She had exclaimed with such enthusiasm that it almost made her look like a crazy person. That crazy look on her face and the twirl she did started to draw the attention of the other customers.

Nonetheless, Geraldine smiled. For some reason that made Daphne happy, and she was fine with that even though she herself did not understand it.

The behavior the maid displayed was almost the exact same one she always received from the other students in the SAA, in turn she was extremely popular. Not because of her average looks as a woman or academic and practical skills.

—It was all because of her last name in which she had done nothing to earn.

That gnawed at her.

It was one of the reasons she didn't take pride in the attention she was getting. It also made it difficult for her to tell whether someone was being genuine or not.

"Oh, I almost forgot"

Daphne snapped out of her trance. She leaned in closer to Nelda, for a moment, she seemed like a different person from the one Gera's been exposed to. Daphne was more discreet and graceful.

She whispered something to Nelda's ear.

Whatever she said to her seemed to have triggered a reaction. Without uttering a word, Nelda reached for the cup in front of her. She brought the cup to her lips and began taking small sips with her eyes still void of emotion.

Then again, there wouldn't be much of a response if you are drinking cold tea. The steam had long vanished from it, but Nelda didn't seem to mind.

Geraldine watched this unfold, trying her best to suppress her own internal reaction of this.

"Anyways, how is my mother doing?"

She asked with a hesitant tone. Daphne immediately straightened up and a broad smile played on her face.

"Oh Miss Sandra? She's doing wonderful! I mean what else can you exp—"

⟨ Belle, it's begun ⟩

A sudden voice drowned Daphne's praises. Geraldine's breath hitched as her eyes widened. She knew that voice, and when she turned her head. Standing next to her she saw a woman.

'Angel?'

It was uncanny. Angel looked exactly like Geraldine. Same shoulder length blonde hair and the same clothes she had on currently. The only difference was that Angel had golden eyes and her face had strange markings that gleamed with the same golden color.

—They weren't tattoos but were etched into her very being.

No one else could see or hear her. It made Geraldine think she was going crazy or was being haunted by a ghost when she first saw her, but that wasn't the case, sort of. But the fact that she only existed in her head still gave her the impression that she was going crazy.

The woman faced Geraldine with an intense look and said with a calm voice laced with urgency.

⟨ I've deduced their location. They are close by, however I cannot accurately pinpoint their exact position. Also, it seems to be too late I'm afraid ⟩

Geraldine felt a shiver run down her spine, her senses suddenly heightened. She glanced around the café, trying to spot any signs of danger. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just people enjoying their day and the rally that's starting to build momentum.

"Where could they be?"

"Lady Geraldine, are you ok?"

Geraldine barely heard her. Just as a thought crossed her mind, a sharp sound cut through the air.

Bang.

A gunshot.

It was loud, too loud for an assassination. Geraldine shot up from her chair, her body moved on instinct. Her heart began to pound faster, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

"I'm already too late"