Chapter Five

Layla and Nieve soon learned that their jobs were mostly to stand around, not unlike a bodyguard, though instead of protecting their employers, they were told to fetch things or clean after them. Evangeline and her family would be staying at Fort Simia for a month, at the end of which her family would leave and she would stay until the wedding, which was also to be held in Serenissima. As a kindness Lord Simia had let Evangeline pick which of the girls she wanted as her personal handmaiden. The redhead had eyed the girls carefully, scrutinising everything from their posture to their expressions and their clothes, until she finally picked Nieve. She could see the brunette had learned some etiquette just by the way she stood with her back straight and her chin held high, much unlike the blonde whose back kind of slumped though she remembered to keep her hands behind it. Layla tried not to show the relief she felt for not being picked, but the way Riven smiled at her made her realise he'd noticed anyway. That man was too perceptive for her liking. It wasn't until dinner that the girls were dismissed and followed Riven towards the kitchens.

"My favourite part of the day," the tall man said as he pushed the door to the bustling kitchen open, instantly greeted by everyone in there with amicable shouts.

"You're here," Mrs Pembroke smiled, suddenly appearing in front of them, and Layla thought she'd directed it at her and her friend, but the grey-haired woman rushed to the bodyguard and pulled him in a hug as if she hadn't seen him in years. "I made a cake from the leftover batter," she said conspiringly when she'd let go of him.

"You magnificent woman, how can I thank you?" he replied, giving her a kiss on her cheek that left her blushing. He turned to Layla and Nieve when the woman rushed away to get his cake, a big grin on his face as he winked. As soon as they'd entered the kitchen his entire demeanour changed; he went from serious bodyguard to playful, joking around with the chefs while he led the girls to a small courtyard that was only used by the staff. Nieve noticed how girls would perk up as soon as they noticed Riven and she tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. She might need these people and, in any case, she was stuck there for a while. The girls sat at a table when he told them to find a spot and waited until he was out of earshot before they started talking.

"They really like him around here, huh?" Layla mumbled, a surprised smile on her face. She was glad to see Ryan's friend wasn't as serious as she'd thought he was.

"What's not to like?" one of the chambermaids turned to her, giggling a little when both girls turned to her wide-eyed.

"We don't really know him that well," Nieve shrugged, shifting a little in her seat so she could look at the woman she was talking to properly. She looked about the same age as her, with big brown eyes and incredibly long black hair braided over her delicate shoulder.

"Oh Riven, he's a mind reader," the girl explained, getting up to join them at the table. "And you know what that means, right?" She laughed when both girls shook their heads, though they took a mental note to keep their thoughts straight around the tall man. "Can you imagine being with someone that knew what you wanted, when you want it?" she whispered, though she knew that if Riven kept his attention to the girls, he already knew what she was thinking. Layla blushed when she realised what the girl meant, and Nieve was glad her brown skin hid her blushes when her mind pictured Riven with a woman instantly. "I'm Jacqueline by the way," she introduced herself, shaking both women's hands and looking up innocently when Riven returned to the courtyard. Layla tried to keep her mind off him but found it hard not to think about the words Jacqueline had just spoken when the subject in question was walking their way.

"You ladies hungry?"

"You know we are," Jacqueline answered, making him chuckle when she gave him an unabashed wink, clearly not talking about food. Riven sat down on the last empty seat at the round table, making Layla frown; she thought he'd go back into the kitchen to get food.

"They're coming," he answered her, making her smile a little embarrassed that he'd read her mind so easily, though she instantly wondered if he'd told someone to bring them food with his mind. Nieve wanted to scold him for reading her friend's mind, but then figured he already heard her thoughts so knew how she felt about it. Just to be sure, she told him to stay away from her thoughts a few times in her head. She pursed her lips when his expression didn't change at all, so she called him a few names for good measure.

Ryan looked up from his empty plate when the doors of the dining room opened and had to do his best to keep his face neutral when he saw Riven walk in with Layla and Nieve. Dinner with Evangeline and her family hadn't been as horrible as he'd thought, but his mind had been on the blonde who was now his sister's personal handmaiden. He kept his eyes on his friend, so it wouldn't be obvious he only wanted to look at the girl walking next to him, but an idea was forming in his mind. 'Ryan, don't…' Riven's voice rang in his head instantly, but he decided to pretend he hadn't heard his words as he cleared his voice.

"Maybe we could escort the ladies back to their rooms, so you folk can continue this riveting conversation," he said, drawing the attention of his parents and their guests.

"I hardly think it's appropriate for you to escort Evangeline to her room," his mother said as he'd hoped she would.

"Then Riven can escort her and I'll walk with Kaitlyn," the heir said, his eyes locking with his sister's when she was about to protest. She knew the way back to her room, but then she decided it would be more fun to walk with her brother than some random guard. She hadn't been rebellious enough to need a personal bodyguard on her all the time, so her guards rotated in shifts. The group was so big she could hardly remember their names.

"I think it's a great idea," Kaitlyn chimed in, knowing her father could never say no to her. "Give the guards something else to do," she added when her mother was about to dismiss her opinion.

Lord Simia looked at his daughter and smiled, ignoring the stern gaze his wife was giving him as he nodded. Whatever Kaitlyn wanted, she'd get; within reason of course.

"Great, shall we, then?" Ryan said, making sure his chair didn't scrape the floor too much as he got up. He gave Evangeline a smile when she hesitated, which she returned before she got up to. 'Stop scowling, I've seen you look at Nieve,' he told his bodyguard in his mind as he passed him with Kaitlyn and Evangeline right behind him. Riven sighed; his friend had no idea why he kept an eye on Nieve, but he wasn't going to explain himself until he'd had some time to figure things out.

They walked along the corridor until the way split in two and Ryan made to turn right. Riven cleared his throat, before he spoke. "Miss Evangeline, we're going left," he said, making the redhead look up. He kept his face neutral when he heard her curse in her mind; clearly, she didn't know what his power was or she'd have tried to keep her thoughts in check.

"Yes, alright," she said, her voice sweet, though her thoughts were anything but. She turned to Ryan and gave him a shy smile. "Good night," she murmured, batting her lashes a bit.

"Good night," he replied, taking her hand in his and kissed the back of it. He waited until she turned and walked away, a little ahead of Riven and Nieve as if she knew the way, like a true future Lady.

"So dinner was fun," Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as she hooked elbows with her brother, who chuckled before he turned his attention to the blonde walking next to his sister.

"How are you finding your first day here?" he asked, making her look at him and blush.

She hadn't thought he'd speak to her with another person around. "I'm still trying to figure it out. Your home is beautiful," she said, adding the last part because she didn't want to seem ungrateful. She'd just seen so many new things in a day that she was still processing.

"Thank you," Kaitlyn cut in before her brother could speak, giving him a suspicious look when his arm suddenly felt a little warmer. "What kind of work did you do before?" she asked the girl, not sure she remembered her from around Fort Simia. Though, of course, they had so many people working for them that it was impossible to know for sure.

"I eh… sold fruits and vegetables," the blonde replied, trying to make it sound less pathetic than it really was.

"Oh that's nice. You like working in gardens then?" the white-haired girl continued her questions, pulling a dead flower from her pocket and showing it to Layla, who merely frowned at it. Ryan chuckled when his sister made the flower come back to life, enjoying the wide-eyed, awed look Layla had on her face.

"That is amazing," she gasped, carefully touching the yellow flower as if to check it wasn't a trick. "I wish I could do that, my garden would've looked a lot healthier. All my plants do is miraculously survive," she explained.

"That could still be some lingering earth power," Kaitlyn encouraged her, figuring it meant Layla likely had a prime as a distant ancestor, and knowing immediately that she would be getting on with her handmaiden. She felt her brother's hand give hers a squeeze and she was slowly starting to realise her brother seemed more than a little interested in her new handmaiden, and definitely more than he should be. Ryan gave her a wink when he noticed her looking.

"I suppose," Layla said with a nod, smiling at her lady.

"Well big brother, thank you for walking us back," the younger Simia Royal said with a smile when they rounded the corner and made it to her bedroom door, seeing two disappointed looks that they'd made it back already.

"You're welcome," he said, giving his sister's hand a similar kiss that he'd given his fiancée-to-be. He gave the blonde a wink as she passed him, following his sister. "Riven will come get you in twenty minutes to show you to your room," he told her, knowing that no one could see him taking her there. He wasn't even really supposed to know where the help spent their nights and free time; the only reason he did was obviously because of his bodyguard.

"Thank you, sir," Layla nodded in case anyone else was nearby.

"Good night," he smiled now, his blue eyes twinkling at her, satisfied to see her blush slightly. "Night Kaitlyn," he called softly for good measure before heading towards his own bedroom.

Layla and Nieve shared a bedroom together, somewhere in a seemingly forgotten wing of the castle. Their room was nowhere near as impressive as the room Nieve had seen Evangeline was staying in, but it was still better than what they'd left behind. The beds were bigger than the cots they'd slept in and the covers felt heavy yet cool to the touch. There was a large window that showed the inner courtyard where they'd had dinner just a while ago. She still felt restless knowing Riven's room was across the hall, especially since she didn't know how far his power reached, and whether he could hear her think about him now. She tried to shake the thought and focus on her friend, but she kept thinking about the way he'd talked as they walked from Evangeline's room to where Layla was waiting for them. As soon as the Lady-to-be had, somewhat rudely, dismissed them and closed the door, he'd gone from serious to flirty and it had completely thrown her.

"That dress looks beautiful on you," he'd said, checking her out shamelessly. Nieve had rolled her eyes and told him to keep his prying gaze off of her, flattery would get him absolutely nowhere. He'd merely shrugged and said he liked the colour purple on her, it somehow made her eyes shine. She'd promised to never wear the colour again, only to hear him say that she was stuck with it as long as she worked there. She couldn't figure out why he was suddenly flirting with her, and it had turned even stranger when he'd abruptly stopped the second they were nearing Layla and gone back to the professional that led them to their bedroom.

Layla had already curled up under the covers. The feel of the mattress so soft, it was like she was lying on clouds as her thoughts kept returning to everything she'd learned about Ryan today. She couldn't believe it had only been one day since they'd met him, it already felt like she'd known him for much longer. She wondered if her friend felt the same way as she stared out the window. Nieve wasn't feeling as at ease as she'd tried to make Layla think, the blonde could read her a little better than most and she knew her friend would much rather have stayed at the Marsh. She hoped she would change her mind; that she'd maybe find some more friends, maybe even in Ryan or Riven.