A Day Out 1

“It was a bit difficult to find warm dresses that fit the young miss; I apologize for keeping you in wait, master.”

Starting at the top of the flight of stairs, the girl was escorted down to the bottom floor. The clothes that were intended for Louis- who was mistaken to be a girl during his mother’s time of pregnancy thus were gifted clothes for a young lady- were an almost perfect fit for her. Almost due to her smaller-than-average physique. He kindly smiles at her and offers her his hand. “Well, shall we get going now?” He ended off his question almost awkwardly sounding, unable to utter her name since he does not know her name. She looked hesitant and confused. What was she supposed to do with the hand that had been outstretched towards her?

As if her thoughts were heard, Louis simply said, “I wouldn’t want you slipping on the ice and snow outside.” Realizing what the hand was for, she embarrassingly took his hand, her small hands completely engulfed in his large ones.

“Alright, let’s go.” With that, the doors opened and the two felt the cold air caress their cheeks as well as two servants who were tasked to come along by the hea butler. Two who were very familiar to Louis. One was the maid who had been assigned to care for the girl and the other was the boy from earlier who spoke rather casually in the presence of a noble. Though, at the current moment, he was very silent and posture straight just like he was told to do before serving in the house.

It was rather a relief for him that he wasn’t slapped by his master or scolded by the head butler and instead, follow the master and the young lady outside.

The chauffeur sees the two approaching and quickly opens the door for his master and his companion. The girl looked inside the carriage. If the outside hasn’t already made you in awe with all its intricate detail of gold that framed the navy blue, surely the inside would with its comfy yet beautifully designed seats.

“Why don’t you go inside?” Louis urged her on. With the help of Louis, she put one foot inside before looking at him and then behind him to the two other companions of hers and saw that they were quite far away. Did something happen? A change of plans? Her eyes followed them to another carriage behind theirs. It was one that had the navy blue and a crest that was all too familiar to her as she has seen it inside the house on numerous things, but it looked a little less beautiful than the one she’s going inside. It was not decorated in a lot of gold. It could be that there is no gold on it at all as far as she could see.

The servant boy, as if he could sense eyes on him, followed the feeling of being watched and to his pleasant surprise, sees that he was being looked at by no other. He waves with a closed-eyed smile adorning his freckled face.

Seeing that she paused in her tracks and eyes directed somewhere else, Louis’ eyes followed to the other carriage and see the smiling boy. “Ah.. Don’t worry. They’ll still be coming with us; just using a separate carriage,” Louis reassures her with a smile, though it does seem as if he is an odd one out, seeing as the girl was much more comfortable being around servants rather than him. It was partially his fault for not taking up most of the responsibility despite being the one to have brought her into his home. He was about to suggest that she could choose which carriage to ride on, but it would give questioning stares if they were to see two carriages with one obviously holding a noble and see a little girl getting out of a lesser carriage. The main question would be if the noble was forcing a child to do work which is a damaging topic towards him.

-

“How was your ride, miss?” The servant boy beamed brightly once everyone stepped out of their respective carriage. Louis was paying attention to the two, feeling like the odd one out. She wanted to say something, but when her eyes locked with the blonde, she simply nodded– an action that said that it was good, though Louis thought that she might’ve done so as to not hurt or offend him.

He clears his throat, catching the two- plus the personal maid’s- attention. “Well then, I believe that it would not be wise to loiter out in the cold when we have a child, wouldn’t you agree?” Louis asked. “O, oh! Yes, you’re right, my lord,” the boy agrees and urges the girl to follow him- who was following Louis- inside a boutique where they were warmly greeted by those who worked there.

“Welcome! Who will we be fitting for today?” A gentleman- presumably the owner- say with the most dramatic glee. This was to be expected. After all, one should never dare anger a noble. “I want to see the winter clothing line, casual clothing line, and sleepwear for now for this girl,” Louis spoke in a dignified tone, gesturing to the girl by his side.

“Yes, certainly! My lady, why don’t you come and follow us?” The gentleman took one glance at the girl before speaking in that same tone that the party was greeted to, albeit a little more like the way one would speak to a baby or a puppy. He must’ve thought that she was nine, seeing the way his actions changed.

She looked like she didn’t want to go, even looking at Louis with pleading eyes. “Don’t be afraid,” Louis comforted her to the best of his abilities. She nodded silently and followed the man, her maid following behind.

After Louis made himself comfortable on one of the many lobby’s fancy chairs, another staff- a female- came to him not even seconds after the other party had disappeared to the back to try on clothes and, in a similar bright tone, introduced herself. She was pushing a cart full of sweets and a freshly brewed hot chocolate and placed them on the table in front of him.

When she disappeared, Louis looked at the sweets before looking at the servant boy standing just beside him. He was particularly close to the young girl, wasn’t he? Louis clears his throat which draws the boy’s attention. “What is it, my lord?” “You.. What is your name?” he asks. “M, my name? You want to know my name, my lord?” the boy was unsurprisingly shocked. Louis nods, not looking at him as his eyes are closed. “M, my name is Xander, my lord.”

“Well, Xander, why don’t you join me here?” he said, crossing his legs. “Huh?” Xander, visibly surprised, blinked twice. He must’ve heard wrong! A lowly servant such as him sitting at a table with a noble? What a dream that would be. But, after not hearing any other word leaving his lord, he slowly and nervously made his way to sit at the other chair facing him.

He was panicking and it showed with him sitting too stiff, hands on his lap while looking down. “It'll be a long while before they come out so why don’t you eat and have a hot drink?” Louis’ suggested. “A, ah.. Y, yes, my lord.” He shakily takes a cookie and bites down on it. The rich chocolatey taste melts in his mouth and his nervousness slowly dies down a bit.

Louis watches him stuff sweets after sweets as if he had a hole as a stomach. A never ending hole. He, in a way, reminded Louis of the unnamed girl. He must’ve really enjoyed sweets as well.

“Say, Xander, where are you from exactly?” Louis asks. Xander stops mid-chew and looks at Louis, not having realized he was being watched. He gulped whatever sweets were in his mouth and answered, “I live on the outskirts, my lord.”

“The outskirts?” Louis’ repeats, an eyebrow raised. It was a vague answer that, if it were a normal person, would chalk it up as living in the urban parts. “Ah.. It’s embarrassing to say this.. But I lived near the parts where poverty hits.. You nobles might call it the dump.” He scratches his neck embarrassingly.

Near where poverty hits? Not exactly where poverty is high, but close to it. That being said, being close to it would still be considered a place of poor condition. Louis noticed how he said it and made him wonder just where this boy lived. But Louis said nothing more related to further help him. He simply notes that Xander must've had things that he does not want to talk about and it was understandable.

Instead of having another session of silence, he decided to ask about the girl. “Hm? The young miss? Well, yeah.. She talks sometimes..” Xander answered honestly when Louis asked, taking another sweet to bite. And, as if something hit him, he straightens up, looking excited. “And she told me that she really wants to thank you, my lord!”

Now it was Louis’ turn to be surprised, though it was a small gesture of his eyebrows slightly raised. It always seemed that she was nervous, hesitant.. Or maybe even scared around him. “She told me she was embarrassed though..” Louis’ surprise turned to question. What was she embarrassed about though?

He then recalls the night where he found her awake late in the night. Was she embarrassed that he found her crying? It was understandable for a person to be embarrassed to be caught crying alone. Thinking of no other reason, he believed that this was the case.

All along, those shy glances were nothing short of being too insecure to utter a word.

-

After trying on different clothes, everyone was worn out, especially the girl. “Please bring everything that she had tried on to the Arundel estate,” Louis said before turning around to leave.

By the time they finished, it was nearly dark, the sun almost setting at the horizon. They had left the estate after having lunch and now it was nearly time for supper. After having the girl safely inside her respective carriage everyone else went in theirs and the carriage drove back.

Somewhere along that ride, however, she had fallen asleep. It wasn’t until they had arrived back at the manor that Louis realized that she was fast asleep across from him. “Please prepare dinner a little late and have someone bring a light snack to my office,” ordered Louis when they went inside. He said this so that the girl could have a little more time to nap before dinner.

After receiving orders, the servants scatter, leaving Louis with the girl in his arms. “Um, my lord, why don’t I carry her?” Xander suggests. “No, it’s fine. You are dismissed for now.” Louis, in long strides, went to the girl’s bedroom where he tucked her nicely.

He would let her sleep, but going through a night without dinner is simply something she is not allowed to do due to her already small body that had received little to no nutrients.

Making sure that she was good, he headed off to his office to work for a little while. He, no surprisingly, looked over at reports and signed documents when a sudden thought passed him.

Ringing a bell, Ronan had come up to answer his master’s call. “Ronan, I would like you to do something for me.. And I hope you can do it in a day or two’s time.”

With the door shutting behind the old butler, a conversation went unheard to those outside.