Lord Bennet and the Twins

Upon hearing the Countess's voice in the room, Ashley's body started to tremble again. She knew the Countess couldn't hurt her again though it was only physical. She was still hurting her emotionally. Hurtful words and insult attacks from the Countess cut deeper into her than the whip that touched her body. Although the Count warned her to stop, she never failed to do it when he was not around.

Mil saw Ashley's reaction and how she trembled. She leaned onto Ashley to meet her eyes.

"Milady, don't worry. You'll be okay." Mil whispered to her then she tried to pat her back.

Ashley slightly calmed down to Mil's words.

"Oh no! I'm sorry to tell you, but I'm a bee. And I only fly around flowers and my hive. I don't fly around the trashy ones. So excuse me, I have a flower to groom." Lord Bennet said sarcastically.

'He's… insulting…her?!' Ashley thought to herself.

Throughout the years she had stayed in the mansion, the only one who could ridicule the Countess was the Count. (She recently just saw it.) And now, Lord Bennet.

She was awakened from her trance when Lord Bennet looked at her. She looked around to find that the Countess was not in the room anymore. She was shocked to speak that she just looked at him.

"Don't worry. I got you." Lord Bennet smiled.

"Ashley?!" She heard Mary's voice at the door. "I saw the Countess walking away fuming with an ugly fa-"She couldn't finish her words when she saw Lord Bennet and Mil.

Mary's face became red, and she looked like a tomato. "I-I-I'm sorry." Then she ran away.

"Mary!" Ashley shouted, yet Mary was gone.

Lord Bennet laughed. "Who was that? She's so bold to insult the Countess." He continued to laugh while Ashley zipped her mouth.

"But you insulted her too just a moment ago, Sir." Mil scolded him, and that made him laugh hard. The girl just sighed at her Master's act.

When done laughing, Pil entered the room with many boxes and cases.

"What is it this time, Master? What did you do again?" Pil asked with suspicion upon seeing the Baron's face.

"Pil, listen to this. Master just insulted the Countess when she came here earlier." Mil complained. Pil's face became pale when he heard that.

"He what?! Master, why would you do that again? What if you got punished this time?!" Pil questioned their Master.

"It's okay. Percival and I are good friends. And she was not worth it to make us fight." Lord Bennet proudly proclaimed while Pil massaged his temples because of frustration.

"By the way, Milady, those scars." Lord Bennet pointed at her arms. "The Countess did that, right?"

Ashley didn't answer and turned her head away. Then hugged her arms as she trembled. With Ashley's reactions, the three people in the room immediately understood it: She didn't want to discuss it.

"I'm sorry for my Master's question. It's okay if you don't want to answer. Hm-Ah! yes, clothes!" Mil changed the topic because she knew that Ashley wasn't comfortable. "Pil, do we have some dress that can fit Milady?"

"O-Of course!" Pil then rummaged through the boxes and cases he brought.

"Okay! Then assist her, Mil, Pil." Lord Bennet stood up and walked to the door.

"Where are you going, Master?" Pil asked.

"Um…To do some lecturing." He smiled then he walked away.

The three of them were silent. Mil broke the silence and started to talk about the clothes.

The twins spoke about clothes and accessories the whole afternoon, keeping Ashley busy. They also talked about Lord Bennet and how he met the twins.

Pil and Mil were twins born as a commoner. Their mother died after giving birth to them, while their father died because of the Black Flu. It was the name of the disease that killed her mother and a hundred thousand people on the continent.

'So… it was called Black Flu.' Ashley thought to herself.

"The orphanage in the capital took as in. But as the number of orphans rose, the supplies began to run low. We chose to work to help the orphanage run." Mil spoke while she tried to match some of the clothes to Ashley.

"We were only ten years old when we became orphans, but we already experience the cruelty of this world. We tried every job we could do, even begging in the street in winter. I could still remember my hands getting frostbite one particular winter." Then Mil laughed.

"It was not funny for me, though. I thought you'll die for sure." Pil interrupted her with an angry tone.

"Hahaha! But thanks to that, we met Master." Mil continued. "It was four years ago, but I could still remember the warmness of his coat. I spent so much time on the street that winter day I even forgot to eat. I passed out in the street, and when I woke up, the Master dragged me to the nearest shed." Mil laughed again. 

"But he wrapped me in his coat before he dragged me so I felt warm instead of cold. Then you know what happened next?"

Ashley shook her head as she stood still, listening to her stories while Mil kept matching clothes for her.

"Pil came and mistook Master as my assailant. He even gave him a flying kick." Mil's laugh was now louder while Pil's face turned red.

"I-it was just an impulse. I thought Master killed you and needed to bury you somewhere." Pil explained with a red face while Mil wiped her tears of joy.

"Pff-"

The twins looked at the origin of the sound. Ashley was covering her mouth and trying so hard not to laugh. Then she looked up at the two of them and saw that the twins were looking at her.

"Ah, should I not laugh?" Ashley frowned and looked down.

"No, Milady! We just thought you were uninterested in our stories." Pil explained.

"That's right, Milady. And who would not laugh upon hearing Pil making a flying kick." Mil then smirked again.

"That's enough, Mil." Pil turned red again.

Ashley looked at the twins. She was having a friendly conversation other than with Mary. She hesitated at first because of how Mil reacted earlier but now.

"Milady, are you alright?" Pil asked. "If you find as annoying, you can just tell us. We apologize-"

"No. I was just wondering if you aren't troubled by my--" Ashley pursed her lips as if saying that word was a curse.

The twins looked at each other. Mil remembered what had happened earlier and thus kneeled in front of Ashley. "I apologize for how I reacted earlier. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

Pil wasn't in the room when Mil reacted to Ashley's scars, so he didn't know what had happened. He assumed that maybe Mil had done something wrong, so he kneeled beside her. "I don't know what happened, but if this girl did something wrong, please punish me instead of her."

"Pil…"

Ashley got taken aback upon witnessing the twins kneel that she panicked. Then she waved her hands and said, "No! You don't have to. I won't do that."

The twins looked at her with sparkling eyes. It was the first time Ashley saw someone kneel in front of her. "Punishment is not…the answer. You should stand up, or your clothes will get dirty."

The two stood up immediately then Mil faced Ashley with a smile.

"And I would like to clear this. When I saw those scars, I didn't think it was shameful that it shocked me. I was shocked because such a young, delicate lady had to endure sufferings and ended up having these. Living and surviving until now with those things is what shocked me the most. So don't be afraid. Those scars just showed how strong you are to overcome the pain."

Tears started dripping down Ashley's eyes. It was the first time someone other than Mary accepted her and her scars. The twins panicked upon seeing her cry.

"My Lady, I'm sorry. I said something rude. Please forgive me." Mil apologized with a pale face.

"I'm sorry for what my sister has said. Please forgive her." Pil handed her a handkerchief.

The twins tried to calm her down when Lord Bennet entered the room.

"Damn, Percival. She should be thankful she's Percival's wife, or I would have exposed to the world what she did to my precious flower." Lord Bennet was fuming with anger as he walked inside. "By the way, how is it going- Why are you crying?"

The faces of the twin got pale as Lord Bennet approached them.

"We- we…" Mil looked like she was to be in tears.

"Ashley? Are you alright?" with a concerned tone, Mary called her name, which made Ashley look up. She wiped her tears and saw Mary standing beside Lord Bennet.

"I'm…alright. The twins didn't do something bad." She told them while wiping her face. When done crying, she looked at them and smiled.

"Thank you."

It was the most precious smile she gave. The smile that even her dead mother wishes for before closing her eyes.

Lord Bennet, the twins and Mary got taken aback by her smile. For the twins and Lord Bennet, she looked like a wounded angel who smiled genuinely, even if she was in pain. But for Mary, she looked like a child who found her smile again after losing everything. And that made Mary wish for her smile to never fade again.

'If there is a God, I pray only one thing: Please give this child happiness from now on.'