章節 3: Determined (1)
"I got caught," Alessandra muttered, leaning up against a tree now that she was far out of sight from Kate and the duke.
She knew the affection Kate held for the duke and should have known Kate would have come looking for him. Alessandra hoped Kate heard nothing of what she spoke about with the duke.
Kate was evil enough to spread what she heard about the contract to her friends.
"Please don't let that be the case." Alessandra wished she could have stayed to hear what the duke and Kate were talking about. She had to consider the fact that Edgar could tell on her at any moment.
From what she heard about him thanks to Kate's big mouth, he didn't seem like a man to joke around and make a fool of someone. He would not have invited her to his home if he had not been serious about this. Alessandra could only hope she was right.
Before leaving for her destination, she took a deep breath, pushing any negative thoughts away. She would worry about everything else tomorrow, but as of right now, she was insanely hungry. Her food had not been delivered and by this time, she did not expect to receive it.
This was either Kate's or her mother's doing.
Alessandra stepped away from the tree, running towards the back door of the kitchen. She took a look behind her to make sure she wasn't followed this far before she opened the door.
What she heard when she opened the door was nothing but confusion. Servers running all around trying to get the food out to the guests. This was a whole other world compared to what everyone in her father's hall was experiencing.
"Mario," Alessandra called for the cook as she maneuvered her way through the chaos.
No one seemed to realize Alessandra was in the kitchen as they were lost in their job. Alessandra preferred that they did not notice her.
"It's a bit bland don't you think? Alessandra," Mario, one of the three cooks said upon laying eyes on her. "Cover for me. I won't be long," he told another cook.
"Follow me," he took Alessandra's hand to lead her back outside. The baron's wife had been popping into the kitchen once in a while to ensure everything was running smoothly. The last thing he wanted was for a member of the family to see Alessandra here.
"No one came to my room to deliver food," she told him the reason why she came here though knowing the risk.
Mario closed the door behind them, releasing Alessandra's hand now they were outside. "It's that witch's fault. Just a month ago they were laying off all the cooks and some of the other workers. Now they have this party and there's not enough of us to handle the job. What are they thinking?"
"Duke Collins is looking for a wife. Haven't you heard?"
Mario scoffed upon hearing this. "So that's the reason. Did they throw a party just for Kate to meet the man? I can only imagine she is like a fly bothering him right now."
"I've spoken to him," Alessandra spoke in a low tone.
"The duke? About what?" Mario did not see any reason for Alessandra to meet with such a man. He heard many stories concerning Edgar. "There are many bad stories about him."
"There are many stories about me and this mask. Do you believe them?" She asked although she knew the answer. She was in no position to listen to rumors about others when the ones about herself were false.
Mario went silent as he had most definitely heard what people said about Alessandra. He had not seen her face at all as she never took off her mask in front of him but he didn't believe she could cause anyone to die just by looking at her face. "Of course not."
"Then I shall give the duke a fair chance. I can't tell you what I spoke to him about but I will say I am hoping for some good news," Alessandra rested against a broken wall and looked out in the direction she had come from.
"Is this concerning your escape plan? I hope the duke can help you run far away. It's a shame you can't go on your own because of the young girls disappearing," Mario went to the wall to sit beside Alessandra.
"I hope the culprit is found and the girls are still alive," Alessandra said.
"I overheard your father claiming to know something about it when I went to deliver his coffee. I was hired to be a cook, but they have laid off so many people that I am now a maid. It would be good if they paid me for the extra work," Mario angrily kicked away a stone.
Alessandra watched as the stone rolled away. "When I leave you should come with me. You have always been kind to me and I wish to return the favor."
"That is nice of you, but I owe the baron for the money I borrowed. I have at least one year until it is paid off and then I will come to find you. You are the only Barrett I can stand. I don't know what went wrong with the others." If not for Alessandra, he would've thought the entire family was unbearable.
"I don't know what went wrong with my father. Mario, I need a favor. Well, two. I am not close to the coachman, but you are. Can you speak to him about taking me somewhere tomorrow without letting my family know about it? He might be scared of me and run away before I could speak to him," Alessandra said.
Mario was the only person she spoke to like this as he did not believe the rumors about her killing people after they saw her face or the rumors of her actually being a ghost.
"That won't be a problem. I take it this trip has something to do with the duke. I am wary of him, Alessandra. Even if you don't want to believe in rumors without knowing the person, there are some things you need to keep in mind and be cautious of," Mario was not a fan of Edgar.
"I will listen to your advice and be cautious. I always walk around with my trusted knife," she took a small knife out from the pocket of her dress. Mario had stolen it a while ago and given it to Alessandra as protection. "If he tries anything with me then bang!"
Mario stared unimpressed at the way Alessandra held the knife. "Be reminded you are holding a knife, not a gun. What is the second favor you need?"
"Mario!" Someone from inside the kitchen yelled.
"Food please," Alessandra innocently smiled.
"Right away. I must get it before they kill me for being away so long," he got off the stone wall, dusted off his pants, and then opened the door to go back inside.
While Alessandra patiently waited for him to bring some food, she tapped her finger following the rhythm of the faint music coming from inside the home. It was a song her father loved so much that he played it at every party he hosted.
She closed her eyes to imagine what it would be like dancing around to the music, having small talk with others, and enjoying the food prepared. If only she did not have to wear a mask and the rumors surrounding her didn't make everyone back away in fear when she showed herself.
After a good amount of time had passed, Mario returned with a plate of food and a jug of something to drink
"I got you a little bit of everything," Mario's voice interrupted the moment.
Opening her eyes, Alessandra was met with the reality that she would spend the night alone with a kitten she recently found. They would both listen to the music in the comfort of her room as they ate and then fell asleep.
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Violet_167
Violet_167 Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
章節 4: Determined (2)
"What's the matter?" Mario asked once he saw she was kind of in a daze.
"Nothing. Just thinking about life," Alessandra took the food and jug from him. She didn't want to keep him outside for much longer. "Three hours more to go and then there will finally be peace."
"Alessandra, it'll get better soon. The rumors, the way you live, the relationship you have with your father. Everything will get better one day," Mario reassured her.
"Are you trying to give me that whole rainbow at the end of-"
"No no no," Mario stopped her from repeating the ridiculous phrase he hated. "When was the last time you saw a rainbow in Lockwood? For the time I have spent in this town, I have never seen one. Let's say, there'll be happiness when the next shipment of rum comes in."
"Mario," Alessandra shook her head. There was a high probability of Mario drinking already even though he was working. Any time he mentioned rum he had been drinking some.
"What? It makes me happy. What do you think is making me bear the work we have tonight? I wouldn't waste rum on those guests. They prefer the wine anyway. I slipped you something nice," he patted the jug which was now in her hand. "You will get to enjoy the night with this."
"I don't get drunk easily." It was thanks to Mario slipping her drinks and their drinking moments that she realized she had a high tolerance for such drinks.
"Just enjoy it. You don't have to be drunk to enjoy it. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" He went back inside without waiting to hear anything more she had to say. He was already in hot water for leaving the kitchen for so long the first time.
"Okay," she replied.
Alessandra looked down at the food and drink before taking one final glance at the kitchen door. "Time to head back," she quietly strolled back in the direction she came from.
The talk with Mario was enough to brighten up her mood and give her the extra confidence she needed to believe that her meeting with the duke tomorrow would work out in her favor. She was going to get married and live away from her family.
"All of them are so rude. Why can't they get their own drinks? Just get your own drinks if you don't like the way I hold them."
Alessandra listened intently to a maid walking in her direction, criticizing the guests. The maid must have been so angry that she was looking back behind her to raise her middle finger there more than watch where she was going. "You shouldn't be so loud," she warned the young girl.
"A-Alessandra?" The maid gasped, taking steps back out of fear. She felt like she was going to die when she glanced at the black mask covering the majority of Alessandra's face. "P-Please don't hurt me."
"Hurt you?" Alessandra looked down at her hands. Unless she was going to start a food fight there was no way she could hurt anyone. When would everyone start to think logically instead of believing rumors?
"I-I am just doing my job. Don't kill me," the maid covered her eyes with her hands as her body shook with fear. Had she gone the other way she would not have run into Alessandra.
The maid feared that just seeing the part of Alessandra's face which wasn't covered by a mask was enough to kill her.
Unbothered, Alessandra continued to walk in the direction back to her bedroom. She was trying to help the maid by telling her to keep her voice down when talking about the guest.
Alessandra wholeheartedly believed Katrina had some kind of magic to hear when anyone was badmouthing her guest from a mile away. It wasn't once or twice she had caught someone badmouthing her or her friends from far away. Alessandra had a theory the woman was not from this world.
"Maybe she fell from the sky," she pondered on her theory. It was possible.
Alessandra passed the area where she had stumbled upon Edgar, going to a door on the opposite side of the home from the kitchen. It led her to a room filled with gardening supplies and on the inside was another door taking her out to an empty hall.
Her father did not enjoy his guest wandering around the house other than where he had marked the party to be in order to avoid gossip about the smallest thing.
Alessandra skipped and twirled now that the music was louder. All she was missing was a fancy dress and her partner. "They are playing better music now."
To the left of where the party was going was Alessandra's room. The hall to her bedroom was slightly dark as the fire in the lanterns was dying since no one had come to check on them. Still, that didn't bother Alessandra as she placed the jug on the floor to have one hand free to open the door of her room.
"Meow," she was greeted by a faint sound on the inside.
"Kitty," Alessandra looked down at the orange kitty she found. "I told you not to come to the door. If someone else saw you, they would have taken you away. Do you wish to leave my side?"
Alessandra used her right foot to gently nudge the kitten back inside her room when it tried to run outside. Her father unfortunately was only a lover of dogs and would not allow a cat in the house. "It's safer here and I brought us food."
"Why does it seem like you have started to understand what the word food means?" She asked as the kitten sat still looking up for her awaiting its meal. "Here. Enjoy a piece of meat," she placed it on the floor.
With the kitten distracted and the door closed, Alessandra went to her desk so that she could also eat something before her stomach made a grand entrance.
She placed the plate and jug on the desk first and then took a seat. All alone in her room with the kitten, Alessandra took off her mask to be free. There was no one here to speak of what her face looked like and no mirrors in her room for her to see her own face.
The mask was set aside and as she listened to the faint music creeping its way into her room, Alessandra ate in silence, waiting for the day to soon end so that she could speak with Edgar sooner.
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Violet_167
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