บท 60: Nobles

The trio entered the room and as soon as the youngest, Marienne, saw Cailina. He immediately jumped onto her arms, and Lai's sword blocked his attempt to embrace her.

"Act according to your position," Lai said, his grim expression glared at Marienne.

"I apologize for my brother's behavior. I am called Macielle," she dragged her brother to her side and kept a tight grip on his collar.

She glanced at her right and signaled her older brother to step forward. Her older brother's eyes glistened as he fixed his gaze on Cailina. Macielle wanted to hit her brothers to wake them out of their stupor.

How could they assume so easily that Cailina was the person they were looking for? They never learned from the past disappointments they experienced.

She has met beings who had the same radiance as Estrell, and she believed that Cailina would be another fake. It would cost her nothing if she didn't acknowledge their new master's radiance.

"I--", her older brother stuttered as he bowed, "My Lady can call me Matialle."

Cailina tapped her fingers on her hand. It seemed that her chosen thralls were a bit off of sound mind. It mattered not to her, the carvings on their tags were the exquisite ones among the rest.

She nodded at the staff and reached her hand out, and the staff prepared another needle to prick her hand.

Marienne's eyes sparkled and held his excitement back. Estrell would be their master! It was fate that they met her for searching for so long. It was the moment he had been waiting for. He smiled at his sister, his joy couldn't be contained in his heart.

The three tags glowed brighter than their former luster. Cailina leaned back and observed, her expression never showing the thoughts in her mind.

The staff gaped at the tags. It was the first time that it happened, the tags' luster shouldn't shine as bright. He glanced at Cailina and thought to himself that the trio's master and they were compatible.

"Send them to the mansion after briefing them," Duchess Grandis broke the silence.

She dusted her hands as she stood, "You need new clothings."

Cailina followed behind her mother without a word as she was out of the door, Marienne grabbed onto her arm. It happened before Lai could react, he unsheathed his sword but was by Cailina.

"You won't abandon us again, right?" Marienne asked, his eyes fluttered as he held back his tears.

Cailina patted his head. She would do this gesture to Aris as a way to comfort him, and it seemed that it worked as Marienne loosen his grip on his arm.

The trio watched their master disappear from their sight. Macielle turned her back and left her brothers gaped at Cailina's path. She sighed as her footfalls echoed through the empty hallways.

For years, she kept getting her hopes up. She followed beings who fooled her when they heard her stories, their stories. She would do anything to protect her brothers from another heartbreak.

Macielle tilted her head upwards and gaze at the sky where the clouds hugged each other. A tear trickled down her face.

Why must you follow her?

Cailina nodded at everything her mother handed to her. She trusted her mother's taste when it comes to matching items of clothing. She wanted to get them ready-made dresses for the summer banquet, but Duchess Grandis slapped her hand away before she could touch it.

"You sit there and sip tea," Duchess Grandis smiled at Cailina as she caressed her daughter's cheek, "leave everything to your mother."

She waited for her mother to return to the other room. The stillness floated around the room, she tapped her fingers and played with her ring. Her gaze landed on Lai who kept his eyes on the floor.

The door barged open and a familiar voice entered the room.

"Lady Cailina!"

Cailina snapped her attention at the unwanted visitor. She saw Odessa with a wide grin on her face and her older sister behind her with an embarrassed look.

"It's been a while!" Odessa hugged Cailina as old friends who met after a lifetime, "I greatly missed you every day."

In contrast to Odessa's liveliness, Ouida greeted her in accordance with the proper protocols.

"Stop being stiff all of the time, sister."

Odessa clung onto Cailina's arm, "I came here as soon as I heard you were here."

She dropped the pieces of jewelry and immediately headed to the shop the favored one was. Her older sister had a hard time catching up to her as her energy was unmatched by any other.

Cailina gave a small smile and tried to remove her grip, but Odessa tightened her hold.

"I have good news to tell you," she said and sat opposite of Cailina, "I am finally engaged!"

Ouida sat quietly as she sipped her tea, not minding her sister's loud voice. She gave up reminding Odessa to be proper; she felt sorry for her sister's fiance.

Although her younger sister's marriage has been finalized, hers was still in discussion as she was the heir of the title, she has to marry a royal or a close relative of a royal.

Ouida sighed. Her sudden expression of worry concerned her sister.

"Don't worry much sister," Odessa comforted, "I'm sure your husband to be would like you."

Cailina pursed her lips. She was also engaged, but it was something she could not share. Unknowingly, she exhaled her heart's discomfort.

"Is there something troubling you, my Lady?" Ouida asked.

"Your a lady of high status," Odessa chirped, "I know the Crown Prince would be your fiance!"

Ouida had enough of her sister's loud mouth and slapped her hand, causing the latter to yelped in pain.

"It is the truth."

Odessa pouted and rubbed her aching hand. She was always the one who received Ouida's brutality. She continued to ramble about the latest gossips in the capital.

The most talked-about was the Imperial Earl's missing daughter. She has been missing for years and even the best investigator could not find her, as if she had vanished into thin air.

Odessa narrated how cruel the Imperial Earl was to his daughter and as the result of the never-ending torture, the daughter fled.

But another version of the story was the one that kept the young ladies of the Empire feel fear and pity for the missing daughter. It was that her father was responsible for her disappearance.

The Monarch was displeased with the rumor, as it exposes one of its Imperial Nobles to be flawed to the bone. It also reflected what kind of sovereign the Emperor was; an incompetent one for not being able to find the missing daughter for years.

"What do you think, Lady Cailina?" Odessa asked.

"I have no say to this matter."

Cailina said with no ounce of opinion. She didn't know the whole story, and it would be troublesome for her father if she says something that the Monarch would find suspicious.

The three ladies conversed for a while, and Cailina noticed her mother has yet to return. It has been a while since she left.

It shouldn't be the noble's job to go and look at the dresses, the shop was the one who should be the one to present the outfits while the noble sipped tea.

She landed her eyes on the door and at Lai. Her attendant nodded and went out to look for the Duchess.