Chapter 20

She looked up at the little clouds that were drifting across the blue summer sky. "I am glad we went for a walk. The sky was beautiful indeed, and the scent of fresh, sweet smell of grass and blooming flower calms one mind," she said.

"I heard from Pomona. Why did you not bought for yourself more?"

"That… would My Lord believe me if I was to say I simply forgot?"

"How could a person forgot their own necessity?"

Aretha chuckled. "Lord Vladimir, have you went to buy something for someone that you forgot to buy your own?"

"No, as far as I remember."

"I thought so."

"If you forgot, then it's fine. You can just called the tailor to come. There is no need for you to go there by yourself."

Aretha stared at his face, smiled. "If My Lord said so."

She leaned down, plucked a pink-petaled daisy from the grass and examined it. "There are various flowers that I have heard about but never seen it with my own eyes, in this garden. Including this beautiful flower. Lord Vladimir, do you know what is the meaning people associated this flower with?"

"No. I do not know."

"Gentleness, love, and romance. They said, if you have a special someone, or desired to confess your feeling, then these flower would be ideal to convey that meaning."

"Do they not have the courage to do it themselves?"

She laughed. "It was not like that, My Lord. They do it by themselves, of course, but at the same time, presenting the recipient with the flower, for it showed your effort, determination, passion, and the depth of your feeling."

"Was that necessary."

"Lord Vladimir, was your sword necessary when My Lord went for the war?"

"Of course it is. My sword is the weapon I used."

"It was the same. For those confessor, that was their battle, and the flower was their weapon."

"Your view was indeed interesting."

"My view, huh…" she mumbled.

Vladimir eyes caught on the bushes of red roses. He glanced at Aretha. He wondered why would he thought that her scarlet hair was more beautiful than the roses that he saw. Perhaps, his gardener did not care for the roses? His eyes trailed on her face. Her eyes that shine and her lips that curled up as she looked at the flower make his heart fluttered.

His ears perked up. Aretha looked at him. She too heard it. "Lord Vladimir, it seem there was a commotion at the entrance. Should we check on it?"

Vladimir furrowed his eyebrows. Not only did he heard the loud noise, he also recognized the owner of the voice. His gaze turned to Aretha. Somehow he felt uncomfortable at the idea of the young lady in front of him meeting the owner of the voice.

"Lord Vladimir?" Aretha said again, with her voice a little bit louder.

Vladimir sighed. He did not do anything wrong, he comforted his heart. "Let's take a look."

He extend his arm for her, and she placed her hand on his arm. They strolled to the front door to see Pomona and Agustin was talking with a beautiful lady with strawberry blonde hair.

"What is going on here?"

Soon Vladimir said that, they went silent. The attention was turned toward Vladimir and Aretha who entered the scene. The beautiful lady looked at Vladimir. Her face beamed with happiness. "My Lord!" she said, with a loud voice.

Her sparkling eyes and her wide bright grin, stilled as her eyes fell on the hand of a woman holding his arm. She sure wanted to scream at that woman, but it would not be wise for her to lose her calm. She decided to completely ignore the presence of the woman.

"My Lord!" she said.

"Have you forgot to whom are you speaking?" he said, his voice devoid of emotion, his eyes were cold.

The lady flinched. "Your Excellency."

"What are you doing here?"

"Your Excellency, it was not my intention to barge into your place. I was just… When I heard that Your Excellency is back, I could not help myself from rushing here. I was too excited to see your face, to make sure you are fine, Your Excellency. I know it is foolish of me to worry about the strongest man in the empire, but how could I not?"

"There. You have seen enough. Go back to your place."

"Your Excellency, would you be kind enough to spare me some time of yours, and perhaps, have some tea? I had been waiting for such a long time to meet you. Please, Your Excellency?"

Vladimir sighed. He glanced toward Agustin and Pomona. Agustin who noticed his master discomfort, said. "My deepest apology, Master. As per your order, no one was allowed inside for today, however, Miss Angelina here, insisted on meeting you. Master, you are the lord of the house, thus I heed your order, but Miss Angelina here, were forcing this old man to disobey your order."

Angelina flinched. She knew at that moment, nothing could go her way. Why? She was in the wrong. She was someone with no position and yet she acted as if she owned the house. She racked her brain, how could she mend the situation. How to turn it to her advantage? But nothing, she could think of.

Tears flowing down her cheeks. "Oh! What have I done? I am sorry, Sir Agustin. I am sorry, Your Excellency. I was overwhelmed by my emotion that I caused troubled for Your Excellency. Your Excellency. Forgive this lady for I was blinded by my love for you that I had disobeyed your order." She sobbed.

Aretha looked at the poor woman with sympathy. She patted his arm. "Lord Vladimir. The poor lady must have been exhausted. My Lord, perhaps, you should accompany her. Do not mind me, I could be by myself. I have Nika and Yua with me."

The lady named Angelina gritted her teeth. 'Look at this bitch! How dare she! Lord Vladimir? The audacity she had!' Her wet eyes on Vladimir, she whimpered, "Your Excellency…"

Vladimir was getting impatience. It was not one or twice he was confronted as such. This kind of woman was only as good as his pastime in bed at night, but no more than that. The kind young lady beside him had been deceived by her crocodile tears. How he wished he could just threw her out, but what would that make him in the eyes of the young lady? He could not bear to see scorn in the young lady's beautiful gray eyes.

Vladimir grasp Aretha's hand in his. "Ella, this woman is no one but a young pharmacist that worked for me. It seem she was not thought how to behave, thus place her idea on me." He then waved his hand, and the guards came. "Send her back to her place. Make sure no one could enter today."

"W—what?" Angelina sob stifled her voice. Her eyes wide open. If this goes on, she could be kicked out, and that was the last thing she could wished for. "Your Excellency, I—I apologized. I shall excused myself."

One need to know when to retreat, and need to know their place, is what he thought. He sneered. "I do not want anything like today to happen again," he said.

Angelina quickly took her leave, as she was supposed to be. Aretha gaze never left the pitiful lady. 'That must be her,' she thought. "Lord Vladimir."

He turned his head toward her. He waited for her as he saw the hesitation in her eyes.

"Miss Angelina must be in love with you deeply. She missed you so much that she was unable to act rationally."

Vladimir sighed. "That woman and I have no relation as what you might have thought. She was simply a pharmacist that I took a fancy for her skilled. She stayed at the north building only for some time until she gave me what I have commissioned. That is all."

Her mischievous grin drew on her face. "The three of them, My Lord?"

Vladimir eyes twitched. 'She knew?' Vladimir was a man, like any other man, who experienced the pleasure from the physical activities between a man and a woman. Each time he went to the battlefield, his mind went hazy and he almost lost control of his sanity. He used to depend on drugs and wine when he was a young boy. It was when he turned into a young man and learn the pleasure of the act that he used that pleasure to gain control of his rationality. There was nothing wrong with the method for him.

However, in front of her, he felt dirty. He wanted to hide those part of him. He did not knew why. He just simply felt so. He comforted himself. Why should he be afraid of she knowing. It was no secret, after all. Everyone knew it.

"They are simply there for a mutual benefit, and when the time came, they will be gone," he said.

By the look of his face, Aretha knew, he was loss. It will be no good to provoke him any longer. "Is that so. Lord Vladimir sure is kind to provide lodging for your business partner." She whispered in her heart, 'sure enough, the world of nobility is hard to be understood.'

Vladimir could not stand the feeling he felt at this moment. He wanted to run away from her, yet he also wanted to keep her by his side. He wanted to keep her hidden from the world and let she saw him, and the part of him that he wanted to show only. Yet, he also wanted her to know every little thing about him. This feeling confused him so much so. He could not bear to think any longer. He suddenly remembered, the pile of document on his desk in his study.

"Ella, I have work that I need to finish by today. You can spend time on your own," he said.

"Of course, My Lord," she said, with smile hanging on her face, "actually, My Lord, could I go to south building. I would like to spend some time with my siblings."

"Do as you wish."

______________________

*Little Theater*

Lev : "When will I have my screen time?"

C.Udon : "Not that quick."

Lev : "I'm sure the readers have been missing this handsome me."

C.Udon : "How do you even know that?"

Lev : "I just knew."

C.Udon : (￣_￣|||)