章 15: Always try to Lend an ear, you might save a friend.
"Fabian...*knocking* Fabian!" Colin called from behind the door as he knocked for like the hundred time.
"This is not working!" Wolfgang said feeling hopeless.
Grown impatient, Safa turned to Gertrude, "Is there anything like a cane or something of the sort that could be used as such?" She asked the elderly maid.
Safa with the help of Wolfgang's and James, was still standing on her two feet.
Surprised, "Safa what do you plan on doing?" Wolfgang asked.
"I will explain everything later.
Now please I need your help Gertrude." Safa replied.
"No! I was against it when you asked James and I to help you walk! You said this would only take few minutes but it's been already over few minutes and you shouldn't be on your feet!
If you still plan to talk to Mister Kainz then i will get you the wheelchair!" Wolfgang said firmly.
Desperate, "Listen Wolfie please, let me use the cane just this once, afterwards I promise I will only use the wheelchair until the doctor says I do not need it anymore." Safa replied.
"But Safa!"
"Please! This is important to me, Wolfgang!"
"Wolf, let her be just this once." James interfered.
Sighing, "Fine, but if anything happens to you, I will be very angry at both of you!" Wolfgang replied to both James and Safa.
Smiling, "Thank you Wolfie! Gertrude please get me a cane if there is one." Safa requested.
"Uhh! Alright! We got The late lady Stuart a walking stick when her health began deteriorating and she became unable to move around easily...
It is still amongst her belongings, I'll go get it!" Gertrude hurried off to go to find the cane, "What are you scheming?" Colin asked.
"Scheming? Did your past travels help you gain more imagination dear Bridgerton boy?" Safa replied sarcastically.
Colin scoffed, "You might be a beautiful woman, but you seem to have a rather nasty attitude." He said.
"I advise you to watch your mouth Mister Bridgerton." Wolfgang replied, "I forgot! You are her protector." Colin said sarcastically to Wolfgang.
"Alright, Take a bow all of you! This is all one big misunderstanding, the three of you need to calm down and think carefully about what you're saying to each other." James butted in.
Safa scoffed at him but when James gave her a stern look that was unlike other, she sighed, "Lord Teaton is right, I apologize for what I said, Mister Bridgerton." Safa said.
Not expecting her to actually apologize so quickly, "Oh...well, apology accepted!" Colin replied, "And I also apologize for what I said." He added.
Then James glanced at Wolfgang, "What?" Wolfgang said then rolled his eyes at James.
"I know what you want him to do Lord Teaton, There is No need for the manservant to apologize...he was just doing his job." Colin spoke-up.
Wolfgang opened his mouth to speak but Before he could utter a word, "M'Lady, is this what you need?" Gertrude said after she came back with a fancy looking oak wood cane.
Safa received it gratefully in her hands, it took her few seconds of adjustment to the new cane before she signaled to her two friends helping her that they can finally let her go.
So James and Wolfgang released Safa from their arms, "Thank you Gertrude, this is perfect...I hope you do not mind me using this." Safa said standing on her own now, "No...at least it won't go to waste." Gertrude replied.
"Now please, I have one more request and it is from all of you." Safa said.
"What do you need?" Colin asked, "I need all of you to leave me and the future Lord alone, go downstairs for now.
And no eavesdropping." Safa replied.
"No! I'm not leaving you with another man all by yourself!" Wolfgang outright rejected the idea, "Why do you need us away lady Vega?" Colin asked.
"Just trust me, all of you...please." Safa replied, "My lady let me stay with you, it's highly inappropriate for you to be completely alone with a man." Gertrude said.
"I appreciate the chaperoning offer, but you already know that I already live all by myself with a man." Safa replied.
"That's true, it had slipped my mind that you and Wolfgang live together, although your situation is different and Wolfgang is loyal to you." Gertrude said.
"Yes I am well aware, but I doubt that anything would happen, have a little faith in your new lord Gertrude.
Now please, just give us some space." Safa replied.
"Fabian would not even as much as open the door for me, so I highly doubt he would be willing to talk to you." Colin said, "But I respect your courage, I will be downstairs if anyone needs me." He added walking away.
"Right...Let's head downstairs! Come on Wolf!" James said suddenly grabbing Wolfgang by the hand.
Taken by surprise, "Huh?! What are you doing?! Let go of my hand there's people around!" Wolfgang said, he was so surprised he didn't put up much of a fight as James dragged him away, "Just come with me! She'll be alright." James replied.
Chuckling, "Those two seem to be quite friendly with one another, I mean Wolfgang and Lord Teaton." Gertrude said.
"Oh yes! As historians have always said, best of friends!" Safa joked but Gertrude didn't seem to get the joke as she said, "I will allow you some privacy with the young master.
However, should things escalate, take this to protect yourself, make sure you aim well." Gertrude said before she put her hand inside the top of her dress, she then pulled something the length of a hand that she was hiding close to her chest.
"Oh my!" Safa exclaimed as Gertrude handed her A silver dagger.
"Goodness do you want me to kill the man?!" Safa asked, "Only if he tried to harm you! I may serve young master from now on but I am a woman before that, I don't trust a man even if he was a priest.
We ladies should have each other's backs." Gertrude explained.
"Well said, disturbing a little but well said." Safa replied accepting the small gift, "You can keep this one, I have another stashed in my dress just in case." Gertrude said.
Nodding, "Remind me to never anger you, I prefer to remain 'Unstabbed to death'." Safa joked making the old woman laugh.
"Now go on, do what you have to do, I will wait for you downstairs." Gertrude replied before she hurried away.
Safa quickly hid the sharp gift bestowed upon her in the same fashion as Gertrude, she giggled a little at the thought of having a knife hidden in such location before she began knocking on the study room's door.
...Meanwhile...
Laying still on the chaise lounge, Fabian was beginning to calm down a little, he started to feel sleepy from all the crying he did.
But he didn't allow himself to fall asleep yet, He felt guilty since he has been hearing Colin knock like a dozen times, but then there was silence for a minute.
Fabian figured that Colin must've given up and left, he considered whether he should sleep now that the knocking has stopped.
But just when he was about to drift to sleep, there was another knock, but it was a rather loud and strong one, it sounded different from Colin's knocks so a worried Fabian sat upright, pondering whether he should open the door Or not, it could be something serious.
But then he thought of Safa's words once again, "She is right...I deserve to mourn in peace...I shall sleep!" He said before he layed once more.
But unfortunately for him, whomever's on the other side of the door had no problem knocking repeatedly, in fact they were enjoying it, like seriously.
The person knocking started doing it in rhythm, they tapped on the door as if they were playing classical music.
This went on for a good minute to the point where Fabian couldn't handle it anymore, "GODDAMN YOU! WHO IS DOING THIS?!" He shouted and jumped angrily to his feet, marching while stomping towards the door that was still being knocked at, and unlocked it.
He opened the door so fast, and without even clearly seeing who was standing in from of him, Fabian shouted once more, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?! ARE YOU BLOODY MAD?!"
Shocked, Safa stood silently with wide eyes.
Fabian realized that it was Safa he just yelled at, he got surprised and embarrassed to see her, his whole face turned red in an instant.
"Uhhh...miss Safa...?"
Clearing her throat, "You should have a screaming match against Wolfgang, because that voice of yours nearly popped my ears." Safa joked.
"I...I am sorry..." Fabian apologized, "No need to apologize, I was annoying you on purpose by knocking so you would open the door for me." Safa replied.
Her honestly stunned Fabian once more, "Were you the one knocking earlier then?...where is Colin?"
"I sent everyone away, I asked them to allow us some privacy." Safa responded.
"Privacy?"
"Do you mind inviting me inside?" Safa asked.
"You would like to speak with me?... Is it about earlier? Then I must apologize first, I said something rather unkind before I left, I am sorry." Fabian said, "You mean when you said and I quote 'Solitude is for ladies such as yourself miss Safa.'?" Safa replied making the man feel more ashamed.
Laughing, "Haha! I find it amusing that you feel guilty for such words When most men utter them with no remorse." She said.
Shyly, "Uhh...I am not most men..." Fabian replied.
"I can see, now? Am I invited or should I leave?" Safa asked, "I am surprised you wish to be alone with me." Fabian replied.
"Oh please!" Rolling her eyes, "I will invite myself since you are taking forever to decide!" Safa said pushing gently past Fabian and going in.
Suddenly, something hit the future Lord Struat, his eyes widened when his head finally registered the fact.
"Miss Safa?"
"Yes Fabian?"
"You can walk?" He asked.
Smiling, "Oh yes I do, although as you can see I rely on a cane to do so.
The wheelchair was a thing of my past that the doctor recently recommend I should try again." Safa replied, "Did you think that anyone using a wheelchair, cannot walk or stand by default?" She added asking.
Shaking his head, "No...it is just that I never really met many people in wheelchairs before." Fabian replied.
"I see...well, it does not matter now, please close that door and come join me here." She said as she took a seat.
...Some minutes later...
Fabian was back laying on the chaise lounge, while across from him, a sitting Safa with a paper and feather in hand, was scribbling notes of what Fabian was saying.
"I Believe the man hated me, why else force me to marry!" Fabian said.
"I see...So your current source of distress is the 'forced' marriage condition in the Will." Safa said while writing someone down.
"It is more than just That! Because I have no money and no other source of income, I feel a great deal of shame...I want to be an independent person who makes his own legacy." Fabian replied.
"And the shame, I suppose it stems from the fact that you have been depending on your aunt's husband wealth to live so far, and if you do get a wife, you would be continuing your life in shame because you went as far as seeking matrimony in exchange of money." Safa said.
Amazed, "Yes! This is brilliant! You were correct! It does feel good to tell someone about my feelings, I already feel much better...Although you do promise everything I said remains between us?" Fabian asked.
"Absolutely, my lips are sealed." Safa replied.
クリエイターの想い 
QW_JiHi
QW_JiHi Fun fact about therapy: Many agree that therapeutic-seeming practices have been documented since ancient Greece. However, “psychotherapy,” the official term for mental health therapy, officially became a term in the early 1800s (the 19th century).
Before the 1800s, individuals who experienced mental health symptoms or deviated from the norm in any way were commonly considered “witches.” Although there are still mental health stigmas today, many of these ideas are now considered outdated in modern psychotherapy.
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