Capítulo 7: A Noble Named Guiche
The warm sun beamed down on the gathering of students and creatures. Servants moved about quickly passing out refreshments and setting up tables.
Today was bonding day for the second year students that had just summoned their familiars. They all spread about the yard either talking amongst themselves, no doubt bragging about their familiars, or they spent the time doing as the day was intended and actually getting to know their familiars.
Guiche de Gramont was a case of the former. Sitting down at a table under the shade, he was accompanied by his fiancé Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency, as he went on and on about his familiar he named, Verdandi. Verdandi was a cute and large mole for those with strange aesthetic sensibilities like Guiche.
Montmorency's familiar was an orange frog she named Robbin. Montmorency, casually pet the top of its head as she listened to Guiche drone on and on about his familiar. Inwardly she was bored out of her mind. Of course she knew what the day was supposed to be about, but really there was only so much she could take hearing about how elegant, cute and powerful the ugly little mole was.
Looking around for literally anything that could save her from her current predicament, she noticed her two acquaintances, Kirche and Tabitha nearby spending time with their own familiars. Seeing a possible out, she mentally ordered her familiar to get Kirche's attention and her adorable little partner hopped along to do just that.
Thankfully Kirche was already vaguely familiar with her Robbin and with a bit of silent back and forth she was able to get Kirche to drag herself and Tabitha over to relieve her of her boredom.
"Guiche! Mon-mon! Fancy meeting you two!" Kirche exclaimed with mock surprise.
"Ah, Lady Kirche, Lady Tabitha. A pleasure indeed." Guiche said, looking visibly discomforted. It wasn't that he disliked either of the girls, he was a gentleman after all. It's just that Kirche was a bit…intense for him. She wasn't the type to easily fall for his charms. Something he figured out during their first year when he tried to flatter her. While Tabitha was as receptive to his advances as a deer was to being eaten.
This left him not really knowing how to deal with either of them so he generally avoided them. Of course, with them being his fiancée's closest friends he rarely had a choice but to interact with them. Plus it was kind of his fault they got close in the first place, Montmorency had heard about his attempts to woo the Germanian and ended up confronting her not long after. He really didn't want to know how that turned into a mutual friendship afterward. Women were mysterious creatures to him.
Guiche had no choice but to quiet down a bit as the three girls, well two plus Tabitha at the side reading, began discussing the various gossip going around the school. From who was dating who, to some of the stranger familiars they'd seen during the summoning ritual. He didn't find it all that interesting and only chimed in here and there to confirm bits and pieces he had heard himself, just to feel included.
His full attention was finally gained when they moved onto a topic he was curious about himself.
"Speaking of, have any of you seen Louise today?" Kirche asked the group while looking around curiously.
Both Guiche and Montmorency had to take a moment to ponder and realize that they hadn't in fact seen her today. While Tabitha just shook her head without lifting it from her book.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since the summoning ritual. Louise is many things but she certainly isn't one to slack off. Maybe something happened?" Montmorency questioned seemingly more out of curiosity than genuine worry.
"Well, it is bonding day. Perhaps she's just bonding with her familiar in her room?" Guiche commented without thinking. His mind drifted to images of said familiar and how absolutely beautiful she was. Although she was lacking in many areas, he couldn't help but desire to have her under him, something all of the other boy's he'd spoken to since then could relate to.
There was just something about her that drew them in. In fact it was a similar effect that Kirche herself had. Like a flame attracting moths to its light. He truly wondered where it was she came from and if there was anything he could do to either have her himself or at least someone like her.
Although he truly cared for his fiancée despite all the fears he had about committing to a relationship and the responsibilities that would follow, he was under no delusion that he would not firmly abandon Montmorency if he had the chance to have Lady Zero for himself. Consequences be damned! It was a thought that made his stomach churn but one he nor any of the other boys could deny.
"My, Guiche! How scandalous! Are you implying Louise is too busy ravaging that poor commoner girl to even attend a mandatory gathering!?" Kirche exclaimed in feigned shock.
"What!? No! Of course not!" He denied, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, seeing the narrowed eyes of his fiancée and the thinly veiled amusement in the Germanian's.
"Ah~ Don't get so worked up, Guiche. It was just a joke. Though I wouldn't mind getting a taste of her either. She really was beautiful, wasn't she?" Kirche responded with a laugh and slightly dreamy look in her eyes. Kirche was rather openly bisexual and had been rumored to have spent the night with more than a few boys and girls in the school already.
Of course asking for confirmation with any of them was met with conflicting accounts so it was really hard to say, but Kirche herself never denied any of the claims so no one really knew what to think.
At first Guiche wanted to deny any attraction to the silver haired girl so he could save face in front of his fiancée, but never did he expect her to also agree with a slight blush on her face, making him feel more than a little panicked. Still if that was a shock, he was down right flabbergasted when even the ever quiet Tabitha nodded her head in confirmation, showing that she was in fact still paying attention to the conversation.
This left Guiche at an impasse. Either he denied attraction to the girl and came off as a lier, or he admitted to it and ended up in hot water with his fiancée. He really didn't know why he did this to himself. He could barely handle one woman and yet he constantly tries to drown himself in others as well. He'd already made arrangements the previous night to try Katie, his new girlfriend's soufflé. He really couldn't afford to have Montmorency suspicious right now.
'Oh, wait! Oh No! Katie!' That's when Guiche remembered that he had in fact asked Katie to meet him later today for a date since he had the time off. He hadn't expected to be here this long, having lost his chance to leave the conversation earlier once Kirche and Tabitha sat down.
Trying to discreetly look around, he noticed the sole brown cloak amongst the gathering of students looking around idly as if searching for someone. It was Katie! Crap!
"O-Oh, would you look at the time? M-Montmorency, we really should be going if we want to do that thing you wanted." Guiche said, grabbing her hand to lead her away from the table and gathering all together. Trying to make it seem as if he just didn't want to answer the obviously trap question from before.
"Huh? What thing? Really, Guiche. Is there anything wrong with stating an objective truth? Even I wouldn't fault you for that." Montmorency questioned confused at first before rolling her eyes as she came to her own conclusions about his swift exit strategy.
"Yes, yes she is quite attractive! But there really is something I must show you so maybe we can discuss it another time?" He said, again trying to get her to leave. He couldn't allow her to stay and have Katie run into her and question if she had seen him.
Thankfully she just huffed and made to follow after him. Perhaps she just assumed he needed help "attending" himself again after being reminded of the attractive familiar Louise had summoned and the state she was in when she arrived. If it came to that later he wouldn't mind even if she wouldn't allow him to go all the way until their marriage, he wouldn't turn down a little something to calm his nerves after they fled the scene.
Unfortunately, luck was not on Guiche's side this day, as he failed to notice a servant directly behind him, likely on her way to his table.
Said servant was for some reason carrying quite a few plates and glasses in a spectacular display of strength and dexterity.
"Ah?" Unfortunately for the servant, she didn't notice the brown little mole that had popped its head up from the ground after sensing its master's distress…
"Kyaah!" …causing her to tumble over it and spill everything she had on hand on the unsuspecting noble who let out a rather girlish scream in return for the ordeal, attracting the attention of everyone in the yard.
So much for not attracting attention.
-_-_-_-
Vestri Courtyard, Tristain Academy
Zero looked on with a blank face as she truly didn't know what to make of the situation anymore.
One second she, along with the rest of the maids, watched Siesta move around with speed and grace, carrying food and drinks all over the place to the waiting nobles.
The next she was being berated for eating a piece of pie. She didn't understand, the large fellow had said they were for anyone. Was she not a one? Was she a two instead? Or rather, was it because she was Zero?
Mn. That must be it. She was Zero therefore she was not anyone.
Zero nodded her head, having finally solved the mystery. Unfortunately that didn't stop the brown haired woman in front of her from threatening to get her fired. She didn't know what the head of a maid had to do with anything but she wasn't too keen on being decapitated for eating pie. She wouldn't be able to serve her master if she didn't have a head.
After a while she was let off after a final warning and an order to return to her work, which she promptly did by finding the missing Siesta. Thankfully nothing happened during that short break so she had a bit of time to think about her mistake. She was supposed to be learning from Siesta how to better serve her master. Looking around it was plain to see that Siesta was a cut above the rest of the maids so it made sense that she should be following her example.
Nodding her head, Zero proceeded to use her eyes to analyze Siesta and copy her movements. It took a lot more out of her than was recorded in her library but she didn't bother with it at the moment. There was work to be done!
It wasn't long after that the other servants and a few students bore witness to two splendid maids performing various acts of service fit for the queen herself. It wouldn't last long however...
-_-_-_-
A sudden crash and screech drew the attention of Siesta making her completely forget about her previous thoughts.
Focusing on the present, she found Zero lying down face first in the dirt surrounded by scattered plates and drinks while a blonde noble boy stood in shock while trying to clean himself off.
Thankfully Zero appeared to be unharmed otherwise.
Near the pair she could see another blonde, this one female with an average body type, that appeared a bit upset but equally as amused as well. As Siesta was familiar with most of the second year girls, she quickly identified her as Miss Montmorency.
Miss Zerbst, A voluptuous red haired girl she recognized from her position across the hall from Louise, was openly showing her amusement by laughing. Finally, Miss Tabitha, a petite blue haired girl smaller than Louise, who was reading a book and appeared to be trying to ignore the situation entirely.
"Sir Guiche!" She was even more put off when another girl, this one with brown hair, decided to add herself into the situation, making things even more complicated. She didn't recognize her immediately which she found strange, but upon noticing the brown cloak she rightly assumed the girl was a first year, so it made sense she had never interacted with her yet.
The blonde boy, Guiche she assumed, became visibly distressed and evasive once the girl arrived, making her wonder if they were enemies of sorts. The girl seemed harmless enough and genuinely worried about his well-being so Siesta decided to ignore them and just check up on Zero to try and get some kind of understanding of the situation.
"Siesta." Zero called out to her upon approach, causing the panicking raven haired girl to calm down ever so slightly.
"Miss Zero! I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" Siesta asked dejectedly. She was supposed to be the responsible one and yet it was her negligence that caused this problem.
Zero didn't really see the problem here. It was clearly an accident and one caused by the little mole to the side that clearly understood that as well with its downcast expression. Everything should be fine once she apologized for the accident.
"You Liar!"
Just as she was about to explain, a crisp slap resounded behind her and their attention was drawn back to the blonde boy, Guiche who was splayed out on the floor with two hand prints on his cheeks. The blonde and brown haired girls fleeing the scene, one looking sad while the other was furious.
All around the other students laughed at the boy's plight, except for the red and green haired girls at the table. One was too busy reading while the other was staring directly at her with a mild expression of shock on her face. Zero didn't quite know what the girl wanted but her priorities were elsewhere at the moment.
"It would seem those ladies do not understand the meaning of a rose's existence." Guiche spoke dramatically with a head shake while pulling out a handkerchief to wipe up whatever food or drink was left on his face.
Deciding to ignore the boy she simply took Siesta's hand and intended to lead her elsewhere for the moment. The maid seemed very distressed since a moment ago and Zero thought it better to take her some place she could calm down first before doing anything else.
"Stop right there. Thanks to your thoughtless actions, the reputation of two ladies has been damaged. How will you take responsibility?" Guiche said arrogantly after taking his seat and crossing his legs with a flourish.
"Oh come on, Guiche, don't get mad at the servants because you got caught two timing!" A stout young man shouted from another table not too far away, causing Guiche's face to flush crimson.
"Hm? I wasn't thoughtless. That mole popped up where I was walking." Zero explained, pointing at the embarrassed looking mole.
"How dare a mere server talk back to a noble!" Guiche, who was normally quite easy on women of all types, was simply appalled that a commoner would dare blame his sweet and lovely Verdandi. At the end of the day, womanizer or not, he was still a noble. He wouldn't stand for that kind of disrespect.
"Might want to check again, Guiche. She's not a server~" Kirche playfully trolled, finally having something interesting happen today. She had been wondering where Louise had run off to and she had been wanting to meet her little familiar all day as well. This seemed like the perfect way to draw her out and get what she wanted. Plus she didn't even have to do anything herself. Today was really a good day.
"Hmph. Ah, you are…" Guiche had to pause to look up as he had been secretly staring at the chest of the other servant who had just shown up. He didn't expect to see the face of the girl that had been in his dreams the night before, momentarily leaving him without anything to say. His heart beat quickening in his chest.
"Zero, familiar of Louise" She responded with a hint of pride, assuming he was asking for her name.
"Ah, yes, Lady Zero. What a pleasure it is to meet you officially." Guiche said, 'charmingly'. Falling back into his old habits quickly once he realized who exactly it was he had stumbled across. The previous incident had long since left his mind now that the current target of his affections was right in front of him.
Zero just nodded then prepared to leave, seeing as she had cleared up the misunderstanding and Guiche didn't seem to be upset anymore. She thought she should still apologize but Siesta's wellbeing was much more important.
However just before they could leave she felt her hand being grabbed preventing her from leaving. Looking back and seeing it was Guiche, left her even more confused. Wasn't the situation already handled? Was there anything else he wanted? Did she need to apologize first before leaving?
"Don't be so hasty to leave, Lady Zero. We must still speak of the matter of compensation. I can not in good conscious allow the reputation of the two ladies to be soiled without stepping forward to defend their honor. However, if this puts you in a bind, I can be persuaded to look the other way just this once." Guiche said, flashing a smile.
While Zero was further confused, Siesta had the distinct impression that things were about to become very troublesome.
'I wonder if it's too late to just find a new job...'
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