Capítulo 8: Foolish As Her
Seraphina Marlowe, perched cross-legged on the bed, had a stern expression on her face, her tender toes curled in agitation.
The sweet fruits arrayed on the table would have been devoured by now under normal circumstances, yet the silver-haired girl bore no appetite.
At the room's center, Marlina knelt in prayer. The Marlowe family held no belief in any deities, but at this precipice, anything that could possibly aid Seraphina, no matter how nebulous, she was willing to undertake.
Thud, thud, thud.
The brief, assertive knock startled Marlina into opening her eyes. She immediately rose, dusted off her skirt and hastened to the door.
"Miss Marlina," the tall, graceful, conservatively dressed lady's maid greeted softly, "It is time to depart."
"Thank you for the notification... Seraphina, come here!"
In lieu of her usual endearing nicknames for her sister, Marlina hoped Seraphina would comprehend the gravity of the situation.
"...Alright, alright."
Albeit unwilling, the young wolf curled up on the bed had no choice but to pout, leap down and stride barefoot towards the door.
She glanced at her sister, then at the maid, and muttered, "Lead the way."
"Please wait, Miss Seraphina, there are preparations to be made before we proceed."
The maid, holding up an arm laden with clothing, spoke gently, "Please change your attire."
"What's the deal, I need to change clothes to fight?"
Seraphina, oblivious of what was expected of her, first stared at the maid in puzzlement, then became alert, "He didn't deliberately get an expensive dress for me to ruin and then ask for money back, did he?"
The experienced lady's maid didn't exhibit any emotion at Seraphina's rash remark, she calmly explained, "You are required to accompany the master to a banquet tonight. Your current outfit would tarnish the master's reputation."
Marlina was taken aback, and Seraphina, needless to say, was flabbergasted and immediately shrieked:
"A banquet? Not a fight? Why is he taking me to a banquet?"
"...The master requires a bodyguard," the lady's maid sighed, "It was Miss Marlina's recommendation that has afforded you this opportunity. Please do not squander this grace of destiny, Miss Seraphina."
"A... a bodyguard?"
Marlina hadn't anticipated Ansel taking such a direct approach. But could Seri handle such a role? What if there were any accidents...?
Marlina's only weakness in her otherwise impeccable personality, her timidity, rendered her indecisive in this moment.
It was Seraphina who broke the silence, "Fine, got it. Hand me the clothes, we'll change ourselves."
She grabbed the clothes from the maid, glanced at her sister, "Help me get dressed, Marli."
"...Ah? Oh... sure." Regaining her composure, Marlina inhaled deeply and turned apologetically to the maid, "Apologies for the inconvenience. We will be quick."
The lady's maid nodded slightly and closed the door behind her.
Meanwhile, Ansel, now garbed in a new silver-grey wolf fur cloak and leaning on his serpent-headed scepter, descended the stairs. Seeing the lady's maid waiting patiently by the door, he greeted her warmly:
"Meli, how is our miss bodyguard?"
Maid Meli responded after a respectful curtsy, "She is changing her attire. I apologize for the delay, master, for wasting your time."
Before Ansel could utter a word, a loud squeal emanated from the room behind him.
"What kind of clothing is this! I refuse to wear such a thing!"
Meli frowned slightly, about to turn and knock on the door, but caught sight of Ansel's amused expression.
Seeing the young lord's mirth, she chose to remain quiet, standing vigil at the room's entrance.
"No, I'd rather dress myself in bear fur than wear this... Marli, I won't do it!"
"I! I..."
Whatever conversation transpired between the sisters in the room, the distinctly naive yet sweet voice of Miss Seraphina, tinged with an odd irritability, gradually diminished.
By then, Ansel was at the door. He knocked, a smile on his face. "Miss Seraphina, are you ready?"
"Wait!" A somewhat terrified cry came from within. "Just wait, I... I..."
"You seem to not favor that dress?"
"Only a shameless person would wear such a thing in public!" Miss Seraphina's anger was not something that could be contained by walls and doors—nor was the aura of foolishness that she exuded.
"Lord Hydral! Seraphina was speaking nonsense just now, please do not take it to heart! She'll have her clothes changed soon!"
Marlina's anxious voice came from within the room, accompanied by a clatter of noise.
Ansel leaned against the door, responding lightly, "If she dislikes it, she needn't change."
The expression of the maid standing beside him changed instantly, though she refrained from voicing anything.
A moment of silence ensued in the room, followed by Seraphina's hesitant voice, "Really?"
"Of course, Hydral never lies. If Miss Seraphina is so resistant to the dress, she can wear casual clothes instead."
In less than two minutes, Marlina opened the door, looking nervously at Ansel, "Lord Hydral, but this would cause you to—"
"—Lose my noble demeanor at the party?" Ansel chuckled, "Having already resolved to take Miss Seraphina to the party, how could I care about such a thing?"
Despite discerning no mockery in Ansel's tone, Marlina still blushed, unable to refute.
"You talk as if I'm bound to embarrass you."
Squeezing past her sister, Seraphina, dressed in a hunter's outfit, looked defiantly into Ansel's eyes.
—Even though not long ago, she was slapped by Saville and dared not meet Ansel's gaze.
"I'm to be your guard, right? Let's get one thing straight, I don't know how to protect others, only how to take down prey. Are you sure that's acceptable?"
"Seraphina !" Marlina, both anxious and angry, interjected, "You cannot speak to Lord Hydral in such a manner!"
Seraphina cast her eyes down to the floor. Regardless, the words had been spoken, and she couldn't take them back now.
Ansel, meanwhile, observed the future heroine with a smile.
Her petite face and slender figure were far removed from the tall, mature woman in his memory. The hunter's outfit he had procured for her fit her body perfectly, emphasizing her youthful curves without hiding them.
Complementing her physical beauty, Miss Seraphina possessed a face that even the finest artist could not fault. Her prominent features hinted at a seductive beauty, even at this young age.
But she was RETARDED.
To reiterate, Seraphina Marlowe, at this time, could best be described as foolish and impetuous. Having read about Seraphina's life, Ansel believed that only the term 'retarded' could accurately describe her current state.
Arrogant, conceited, self-righteous, lacking in decorum, short-sighted... Most criticisms applicable to fools could be attributed to Seraphina at this moment.
But Ansel was neither irritated nor impatient. He had been prepared for this for a long time. So long, in fact, that all his hostility towards Seraphina had nearly evaporated.
What remained was a dark desire.
—The desire to tame this brutish, wild young wolf into a fanatically loyal hound.
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