章 10: Warning?
Mireille
The door opens with a "Bang!" as a four-way flasher for me. I almost get a heart-attack thanks to my intense position but, I'm quick to calm down. The person coming inside the parlor is wearing fine, black fabric suit with identical shining black shoes. His gloves, which were perfect clear white, were contrasting with his decent suit. He adjusts his square-rimmed spectacles before giving me the look of utter disdain, enough to make me highly guilty. The person standing in front of us, judging our position and passing me despising looks is none other than Sebastian Rhodes. The Duke's personal aid.
"Will you mind loosening your grip around me?" I hear a petite voice from the below.
"Uh..." I willfully release my grasp around her. I'm still thankful to her for breaking this awkward silence. But that doesn't mean there is no hint of discomposure in the air.
Focusing my attention on lady Fiore, I help her get away from our close proximity. With her nimble movements, she calmly straightens herself and her gown. After a few touches at her overall appearance, she starts walking toward Sebastian. Meanwhile, I glue my sight on the Lady, averting my gaze from the sharp, burning shoots from Sebastian. I stand fixed on my spot when I see her walk to Sebastian.
I don't understand why Lady Fiore has not yet debuted till the age of seventeen. Debuting as earlier as possible is a wish of every petite girl, willing to make a name for themselves. You can debut only when you learn about enough “etiquettes” at presenting oneself in the duplicitous ton, which inarticulately means being sagacious. In simple terms, it means being shrewd, crafty, cunning and not forgetting, the capability of 'cleaning' the mess you create accidentally or intentionally. Being a younger debutante is also a boasting for competing families for having raised such a “smart and knowledgeable” young maiden and the other nobles become wary of such maiden.
If it is “knowledge”, I'm sure she can get precious information on nobles as the “Eagle's” sister. Even her etiquettes earlier were highly refined. The fact she didn't debut till now must mean she doesn't want to indulge into the snaky society. And that can only be possible with the Duke's influence. Now, isn't Allen Barnhart Ferdinand a really doting brother? Will it be alright to think of his little sister as a vulnerability? I can't help but smirk at my inaccurate thoughts.
"What a rarity!" lady Fiore greets Sebastian, wrapping her words with surprise and a hint of temper. Her words makes the latter flinch slightly. So slightly that if it weren't for my keen eyesight, his change would just go unnoticed.
"My apologies... " Sebastian replies with an 'oh-so-guilty' look. His stoic expression soon changed into a warm and compassionate one, which startles me. 'Is he the same person? - the one who was welcoming me with heated glares' I can't help but come up with my own queries.
"Did that idiot brother send you here on another one of his silly games?" Lady Fiore cuts between Sebastian's apology. Her tone are filled with anger, but that's just what she thinks. In actuality, her voice still maintained the mellow and lovable feel to it. It looks just like a frustrated student asking her teacher about a problem she didn't understand. Despite being a butler- master duo, these two are verbalizing with such awe and respect in their eyes. So much such that their ambiance is just like a loving father-daughter duo.
Hearing her remarks makes me chuckle. Why? That's because the “Rapacious Eagle” - feared among the ton as well as the common populace is being referred to as an “idiot” by his meek younger sister and also, the “silly games!” referring to the “cleansing” the Duke does whenever he sees any flith wandering in the aristocratic society! Pfft. What could be more embarrassing than this insult!? Overall, That's an impressive remark I've heard today. Lady Fiore may be a useful resource. Better get on her good side.
"Please don't say it like that" Sebastian politely rejects the insult directed to the Duke. He seems rather troubled by the remark, after all, the confusion is evident on his face. After replying to lady Fiore, he glares at me- giving me a warning for laughing at the insult to the Duke. Fearing for my life, I soon give up on laughing in front of him.
After a mild sigh, Sebastian continues "In any case, please avoid meeting with weird kni- any knight in general. Without informing." - it must be my imagination that I could see Sebastian eyeing me when he said “weird”.
"I had to take care of a tight-lipped matter, Sire Sebastian" she replies, beaming. Trying to brush his warning under the carpet. Using 'Sire' is a respectful way to address someone, if lady Fiore is using it for a butler- that can mean Sebastian has a good title for himself. After all, not anyone can become a butler to the Ferdinand house and not to mention, a personal aid to the Duke, himself.
"This humble servant isn't worthy of such title" Sebastian says, extremely soft-spoken and modest. It is making me wonder, how great this man is in acting??
"Then, Co-" lady Fiore's words remain unfinished when Sebastian hastily cuts her words.
"Pardon me, your Ladyship. I must take my leave now. Some matters need to be addressed right now" Sebastian reminds, glancing my way. He wants to deal with me first before continuing this seemingly father- daughter conversation.
'Honestly though, don't mind me. I'm just enjoying the talk between a beautiful young lady, who doesn't like sweets with a handsome gray butler, who is double-faced; by being a silent onlooker'- is what I wish to say. Yet I know I can't. I wonder what his reaction will be if he hears something like this? Judging from his stoic personality, I'm sure it won't be a pleasant reaction.
I push away my thoughts when I see Lady Fiore looking at me with a hesitant look. After excusing myself, I walk away from the parlor together with Sebastian.
A stiff silence is encompassing us as we walk along the far-flung isolate hallway. I take a peek at Sebastian, whose warm expression now changed into the previous stoic self. I want to ask 'where are we heeded to?' but I don't, when I see a scowl on his face after my repetitive peeks.
"So troublesome" I hear him whisper under his breath. After a sigh, he finally looks at me. His face isn't filled with irritation or dislike, but there is a slight presence of annoyance in his eyes. 'When did I annoy him?' I wonder, I didn't really interact with him much.
"You are to accompany me to the book repository, you are in need of some educational knowledge" Sebastian answers my questioning face.
His answer isn't really appeasing. I was able to get away from the tedious knight training, then I was able to get away from lady Fiore, only to be stuck with an influential apathetic gray butler, who wrongly hates me. I'm feeling so conflicted right now. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped the training. Maybe then I wouldn't have gotten such arbitrary frowns.
He said 'Book repository', in simpler terms a library. I'm not a fan of books but I think a library may help me in avoiding Sebastian. And in the process, I may read some latest articles which are an atypical presence in the Asrak region.
Wordlessly, Sebastian takes out a small gilded hand-sized timepiece. He removes the covering over the timepiece to look at the time. It is already quarter past twelve noon. My posture erects with alarm. At noon, Aunt must be getting ready for her departure. I hastily look at Sebastian, to ask for my leave. Sebastian gives an exhausting look while staring at the timepiece, as if contemplating on his undone work. "I have to meet Au- Baroness Clara" I blurt out, careful about picking her name "She may depar-" I do not complete my sentence as Sebastian cuts in between.
"Baroness Yorkiel has already vacated the Duke estate"
He just said what!? My eyes double in size as a stirring shock bumps me. Baroness Yorkiel left? You mean, Aunt left me? Without even informing me? Wasn't she so paranoid on coming to this estate? She knew the manipulating Duke was up-to-no-good when he easily agreed to make me one of his Knights. After all, accepting me as a knight will mean accepting the much backlash from the people if my identity gets accidentally exposed as a female knight. Who would willingly destroy their image? Yet, my biggest concern is 'did she really leave me?'
What? When? Why? From all the questions I wanted to ask Sebastian, my mouth choose to be quiet while my face muscles make a dubious look.
"The baroness left after a benevolent conversation with the Duke Ferdinand himself" he fields my questioning face while calmly walking along the vacant hallway "I assume you were lazi- no, you were busy 'courting' the lady" he adds, sarcasm hidden in his answering tone.
I'm confident on not being guilty about being alone with a high-class lady, for nothing could have happened between us, like what could possibly happen between two females?? Also, she was the one who initially came up to me, alone, while I was busy talking to myself. But no, Sebastian's tone really makes me guilty for something I haven't done? Does that even make sense? Am I finally nuts? My thoughts become a wreck as I try to solve them.
Sebastian keeps on walking, leaving me behind. I quickly catch up with him, though a thick silence sways in our surrounding air. Did Aunt really leave me in this estate? I pout just like I did the first time when Aunt left me in the book room with my mathematics teacher. That day marked the first, since I have been born, my very first urge to murder.
However, it seems Aunt really left me. I'm not a five year old brat to cry for separating with her, but what I'm really regretful is that- my safe means to flee away to Asrak is gone. Now, I'm so much in danger for being called out for my insolence. If my narcissistic side pops out while talking with a titled someone- that had cause a huge blunder. Or like today, if rumors were to spark about me and lady Fiore, I was ready to spring up in a carriage and blast off to Asrak with Aunt. Yet Alas! My only safe option is out.
However, my actual concern should be - why in the whole wide world did Aunt suddenly decide to turn into Casper and leave without any word? What was the use of such paranoia? I roll my eyes while concluding my analysis of Aunt's sudden leave.
"Sir Radford" Sebastian decides to break the monotonous silence. 'Sir' he said, I'll admit, his apathetic tone made me forget I'm a knight needing proper addressing. "Heed my words, as you should" he continues, his tone is rather.... concerned, his words really catch my attention and I listen to him with erect ears "be prepared.... For anything and everything" he ends his 'advice' if that's what he calls it, exhaling a sigh here and there.
"Is that supposed to be a warning?" I retort, utter confusion and doubt in my tone. The Duke Ferdinand is an infamous information-broker in the underground, yet on the other side, he acts as a hero of justice or a paladin and dishes out the many corrupt nobles, while exposing their heinous crimes. And I demand on being a mere knight in the Ferdinand estate- to get the information by the many tricks I have and also to not stand out and get dragged into the Duke's petty games. This is the way I want my life to play out, so I don't really want to relate to Sebastian's 'advice'. My circumstances are already 'extra-ordinary', and all I want is that my life to be ordinary from now on.
In response to my question, Sebastian halts his steps for 5 seconds before continuing with his steps. I just follow him without demanding an answer.
We finally reach the library. The doors were huge with some golden colored carvings on the lever, which is normal for every door in the manor. The guards, standing near to the entrance, open the doors while we step inside. A dank-musty smell greets us, realizing the smell of books, I look up. The inside is even far-reaching than I thought, there are neatly arranged books on every shelf. Wherever my gaze fell, I could see a book. All the walls are decorated with wooden brackets, all of them are filled with papers or books. There are many writing desks organized evenly in the middle of the room.
Without getting swayed by the sturdy architecture, Sebastian leads me to one of the writing desks. There are some booklets and journals recklessly piled in a topsy-turvy manner on the desk. There are many highlighted notes sticking out the Pell-Mell pile. Whoever was reading from the journals must have left in a jiffy. The desk is at least neat, only a small messy pile is present on one of the end. As if proceeding to disturb the already disorganized journals, Sebastian tries to take out some notes from the pile.
"My lord" a rational male voice calls out, I jerk my clueless gaze towards him "His excellency requests your presence" a Footman avow.
Without any reconsideration, Sebastian dashes out the library together with the Footman. Before going completely out of sight, Sebastian signals me "Please, behave". That's what he meant? I'm not some rowdy 5 year old brat to start some ear-popping fights every time. I sigh while changing my focus on the books that lay on the desk.
* * * * *
It hasn't even been a whole one hour since Sebastian left and here I am, exchanging hostile arguments with this midget!?
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