Chapter 7: Who?

"Are you sure your feeling okay Alexandre? You're barely touching your food"

The duchess said anxiously while watching Alexandre taking small bites than usual out of the steak in front of him.

He looked like it was taking a lot of him to stomach what he was eating to the point that he might as well just puke everything out.

Alexandre kept glancing at the duke eating peacefully on the center chair. He's excessively losing appetite by the minute, knowing that the duke is nearby.

But on the other hand, he didn't want his breakfast to go to waste nor get reprimanded by his father again so he kept eating.

"No, seriously Alexandre, you don't need to finish that, okay?"

The duchess looked at the maid standing behind Alexandre's chair and signaled her to pick up his plates.

"Go and take a rest up at your room, I'll just bring you some warm soup--"

"No, let him finish that"

Hearing his father's voice again sent shivers down Alexandre's spine. It was just like he was frozen in place and chills all over his body felt like he's about to get hit by lightning.

"You think you'd get the luxury to waste food like that on the battlefield?"

"The people over there were killing each other for a single grain of rice"

"But it seems like you don't really know how it feels to be in their position because you're sheltered like this. Naive to the world around you, aren't you Alexandre?"

His voice was stern while still focusing on his food, he wasn't even looking at him. Though it's not like Alexandre was looking at him anyway, he only kept his head low.

There was a slight silence in between. Chewing his food as he placed his cutlery down the table.

Even though he was eating really well earlier, it seemed like the food has gotten quite rotten in his mouth, as an unpleasant memory suddenly popped up, univited.

"I probably don't have the right to tell you that. So much for the one who brought them to their ruin in the first place."

It was only for that moment, but Alexandre could almost hear the bitternes in his father's voice. He finally looked up and saw the duke staring outside, faraway into the distance.

He couldn't see his face properly but his hands-- the nerves were popping out, from him clenching it too hard.

'Ah, Right now, father feels disgusted' Alexandre thought as he straight up stared at the duke's back.

His fear didn't go away completely, but somehow, a bit of tension that has been on his shoulders the whole time, faded.

He doesn't really have the whole idea of what happened, but just from that, he knew that his father was human, just like him after all.

I guess it makes sense. If he's being strict with Alexandre, he's probably giving himself a much harder time.

He stared at the cutlery placed neatly on top of the table, beside his plates.

He looked up at the duchess sitting right across from him. He pursed his lips as he nodded lightly, slowly picking the knife and fork back up.

The duchess let out a sigh as she smiled, while Alexandre continued eating his steak piece by piece.

Their breakfast continued on in silence. No words were spoken but the sound of glass, like water droplets falling subtly onto a glockenspiel.

Though the same thing doesn't seem to apply to Alexandre. His thoughts has been really noisy since earlier and something has been sitting at the corner of his mind

'Khun--'

The neighbouring kingdom that has been brought up over and over again. Not only is it supposedly related to Emeri, but to his father as well. And right now, from what he could see, it's the cause of their misfortune in some way.

'Professor should know something about it. And there's also the library just in case'

'Yep, I'm gonna ask professor'

~•○•~

The butler entered the ballroom quietly, as he skimmed the room cautiously with his poker face.

With light footsteps, he went over to the nearest table and casually picked up one of the bread knife, slidding it into his pockets, gripping onto it tightly.

Though he didn't make it too obvious that even if someone really was in the room, they wouldn't even notice him picking the knife up.

Just like earlier, it didn't seem like someone could be hiding inside..

Everything was in their proper place as he remembered, so it couldn't have been a thief, eyeing for some valuables. Neither could it possibly be someone who'd want to ruin a bithday party.

'Young master really must've been seeing things'

He said that, but he couldn't really shrug off the bad feeling since earlier.

If someone really broke in and their reason is neither of those two. There's a huge chance that it's something more dangerous.

"Oh, Baron Grahamm, pardon for the intrusion"

The sound of a knock coming from the entrance suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. His heart pounded from surprise that he nearly pointed the knife at their face but good thing, he quickly recognized their voice.

"The door was slightly open and I saw you standing dazed, so I thought something must've happened"

It was a woman in her late 20s dressed in a formal coat. She's wearing glasses and her hair neatly tied on a braided bun. Her aura speaks elegance, pretty much anyone can tell that she's a scholar, or atleast from a very reputable family.

"What a surprise, you're early lady Florence, Young master is currently having his breakfast with the duke and the duchess"

"Ah, yes the duchess has called for me to come earlier than usual... but, would you mind If I ask?"

"You can ask me anything"

He's looked slightly confused. Wondering if maybe something went wrong.

"I seemed to have seen someone unfamiliar going out from this room from the end of the hallway."

[And it sounds like something bad is really gonna happen]

"I just thought that they look suspicious, wearing a hood over their face inside"

The butler is actually right to trust his gut feeling after all. Now, he's sure that there's a trespasser inside the mansion.

He still doesn't know what their goal is, but it's most likely not a good thing, and they need to be stopped as soon as possible.

'If they had evaded me to be able to get out from the door, that means they must've gone far already'

"Oh him, He run errands for the young master's birthday party, the maids are currently busy with the duke's arrival after all"

He's basically lying through his teeth but it's not like it's uncommon for them to do that. As the butler, he has chosen the best options for the sake of the young master and the image of House Winterleign.

If a rumor goes around that someone broke into the dukedom, it's sure to be a great conversation starter for those gossip hungry nobles

'An intruder inside the mansion of the war hero' That's gonna be headline worthy. As if the attempted murder case from yesterday wasn't enough.

'How did they even get in, in the first place'

She stared at him for quite a while. She wasn't really making a specific expression, which only made it hard to tell if she did realize that it was a lie.

After all, she's far from stupid.

She smiled, as the corner of her eyes creased.

"Ah, is that so, then that's a relief. I thought it must've been an intruder or something"

"It's such a weird thing that someone could possibly break in, the day that the duke came back, isn't it? Pardon me, I wasn't thinking properly"

The butler's eye, twitched slightly. The moment she said that, he knew that she was being sarcastic.

She still probably isn't sure just yet, but she's definitely suspicious about it.

"Hm Yes, You don't have to worry lady Florence, the dukedom has been a very secure place. M'lady does not need to worry about her safety"

The butler replied back in a polite gesture as he smiled.

She probably thinks that it was a bummer that the butler replied with such a boring statement, and wasn't able to make him slip up and accidentally spill something.

'Well, How truly unfortunate'

"That's great, I'm relieved to hear that"

She said with her usual polite/social smile.

"Oh my look at the time, I don't want to be late, would you mind accompanying me?"

She held out her hand expecting the butler to take it.

For now, it seems like she's given up so there shouldn't be any harm with accompanying her. Plus, it's basic courtesy to not reject that kind of request, specifically not to a lady.

"Of course, it'll be my pleasure"

~•○•~

"Well sht, that lady clearly saw me for fck's sake"

He wanted to shout it out because of how stupid he was, but he has no choice but to scream internally.

He scratched his head aggressively with both of his hands, wanting to pull all of his hair out.

"I'll have to make this real quick, but seriously there's nothing here"

He's already walking at a slow pace, because as it seems like, the bracelet shows that he's getting nearer. It wasn't fluctuating anymore like earlier, it's now shining through and through.

Still couldn't find her for some reason though.

Standing outside at the base of the small mountain where the mansion stands tall. No one was there nor any structure. Only the blinding sun hitting his face. Though of course, it was pretty much still within the walls of the dukedom.

"It's so fcking hot out here, no wonder they usually do this at night" He said as he wiped his sweat off with the back of his hand.

He went under one of the nearest trees for some shade and continued to look around.

The bracelet was still shining so brightly, indicating that he really is in the right place.

"Is this thing broken or something?"

"Hello?"

....

"Hellooo?"

....

"Hellooooo--"

*Clank*

It was just a light sound, but he definitely heard the sound of iron and metal coming from somewhere

He kept quiet as he tried to listen in to where the sound came from.

*Clank*

The sound's getting stronger as he started to move away from the tree. Towards to the slightly back part of the mountain.

There he found a slight opening on the ground, but it looked like it was just a sewer.

He got closer to it as the sound got louder and louder.

"Don't tell me they locked her up in the freaking sewer?"

"The duchess be so cheap, so much for being one of the richest family" he murmured under his breath

He kneeled on the ground as he tried to peek into the sewer.

"Heyyy? Someone there?--"

"Who the fck are you?"

A voice suddenly came out from the sewer and it was no other than Emeri's.

The man grinned from ear to ear.

"It makes me sad that you always forget my name-"

"Lil sis"

~•○TO BE CONTINUED○•~