Boy and girl in the painting

Kat spent her day with Vivian, exploring the castle and engaging in occasional conversations. As they walked, Vivian asked Kat about her world, and Kat shared stories about it. "The people of your world must be really good," Vivian commented wistfully. "I wish I could visit someday."

Kat chuckled. "There are bad people everywhere, don't be so naive." Vivian muttered under her breath, "They're even worse here." Kat didn't quite catch what Vivian said and asked, "What was that?"

Vivian's gaze drifted away, lost in thought. She thought to herself, Earlier, she wasn't worried about leaving Kat with the nobleman because of who he was... but rather because of what he was. Her mind lingered on the concern, but she didn't express it aloud.

Kat noticed Vivian's distraction and asked again, "What is it?" Vivian's lips parted, but she hesitated, unsure of how to express her concerns. "Oh, it's nothing," she dismissed finally. "I just thought you might be tired, so I suggested heading back to your room." Kat's eyes narrowed slightly, sensing that Vivian was hiding something. "I'm not tired, sorry Viv. I should have been more considerate, as you must be tired. Let's head back," Kat said, trying to reassure her.

Vivian shook her head. "No, I'm not tired. Let's continue your tour," Kat squinted her eyes a little before smiling. "Well, you are right, we have been out for a long while. The castle happens to be more vast than I thought it to be. We will continue tomorrow or later. Let's head back," Kat said, tugging Vivian's arm. "Plus, I have a book to get back to."

On their way to the stairs, a maid called out, "My lady," her footsteps hasty as she approached them, bowing deeply. "Good afternoon, my lady."

Kat thought to herself, "Afternoon, has it really been that long?"

The maid continued, "My lady, there's an emergency, and Vivian is needed urgently."

Vivian turned to Kat "lady Kat, I have to leave" Kat nodded "Oh, of course. I'll head to my room." Kat responded to which Vivian asked, "Do you remember your way back?"

Kat nodded, and Vivian left. Kat made her way to her room, passing by large doors and encountering a few servants along the way. However, though the way to her room was straight ahead, curious she took a detour, turning left and then left again, unsure of where exactly she was going. After a few more turns, she walked past larger doors and tried opening one, finding it unlocked but empty. She checked another room, also open, and discovered a collection of instruments inside.

Kat entered the room, closing the door behind her. Her eyes sparkled in delight as she approached a violin, letting her finger graze the strings. A large white piano caught her attention, and she ascended the steps leading to it. Her chestnut brown eyes sparkled with interest as she examined its structure. She reached the piano, her hand gliding over the smooth surface before taking a seat on the plush white stool.

She moved her fingers over the keys, pressing a high note that echoed throughout the hall. Kat sat up straight, cracking her knuckles, and began to play the piano. The slow, peaceful melody filled the silent room.

In the courtroom, a meeting was underway. Lucian sat on his throne, legs crossed, gazing down at the men before him with his dark gray eyes. Rudolph approached, kneeling on one knee, hand on his chest, and bowed. "Your Highness, we await your command."

Lucian ordered, "Have a letter issued to the magistrates of the villages using that road, stating that they will be under construction, and a new path will be used until further notice."

Rudolph replied, "Yes, my lord," before standing up.

Just then, the faint sound of the piano drifted into the courtroom, captivating everyone's attention. Lucian's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. The room held its breath at the king's reaction, each person silently praying not to incur his wrath due to the piano player's skill. Most couldn't deny the person's talent, but it would be wasted when beheaded by the king. Rudolph thought the same, letting out a "tsk."

Lucian commanded, "Fetch me whoever is playing that instrument."

Sabastian replied, "I will take care of it, my lord," and exited the courtroom with two guards. Everyone awaited Sabastian's return, except the king, whose expression remained unchanged. Lucian already knew who was playing the piano, his eyebrows drawing together as he wondered how long he could restrain himself from snapping the girl's neck.

Meanwhile, Sabastian followed the source of the music, leading him to the instruments hall. He opened the door without alerting Kat, stepped inside, and raised his hands to signal the guards to wait outside. Kat was fully immersed in the melody, her hands dancing across the keys with ease.

"Splendid, Miss Kat," Sabastian complimented, his sudden arrival startling Kat. She jolted, her hands pausing on the keys as she turned to meet Sabastian's gaze.

"Sebastian, you scared me," she breathed out.

"My apologies, Miss Kat," he apologized, smiling politely.

"It's fine," she replied, returning his smile. "You play beautifully," he complimented, making Kat smile from ear to ear.

"Thank you, it's been a while since I played, but I guess I still got it."

"Um, why are you here though?" she asked, curious. Vivian had mentioned that Sabastian was the king's right-hand man and was always with him, except when attending to castle affairs. Since Kat knew the king was in a meeting, she wondered why Sabastian was present.

"The king's meeting was disrupted by the music, and I was sent to fetch you," Sabastian explained blandly. "But I find it quite delightful," he added.

"Oh, I wasn't aware. With the distance from here to the courtroom, I thought no one would even hear a sound."

"The king happens to have really good hearing," Kat had no choice but to follow, walking back to the courtroom with the two guards trailing behind them. "Tsk. Is he always such a grump?" Kat asked Sebastian, who only responded with a smile.

Upon arriving at the courtroom, Sabastian pushed open the doors and stepped inside first. Everyone's eyes widened in confusion, expecting the person responsible for disrupting the king's meeting to be dragged in by the guards. Instead, Kat stood behind Sebastian, her height dwarfed by his.

As Sebastian stepped aside, revealing Kat, the room fell silent. The men stared in awe, first astonished by her beauty, then murmuring among themselves. "A woman," someone whispered.

Rudolph's was more surprised, as he gazed at Kat. She, however, remained unfazed by the stares and walked confidently towards the king. As she approached, she had to crane her neck to meet Lucian's gaze, his eyes locking onto hers.

Kat didn't like the feeling of being looked down on by Lucian's deadly gaze and continued walking, assessing the stairs that led up to the throne. The murmurs grew louder, with some thinking how foolish the girl was to show such boldness in front of the king and that she showed no courtesy whatsoever, while others pitied her, and some suspected that this beauty would be wasted.

Standing before the king, Kat broke the silence. "You asked for me?"

Lucian's cold voice sent shivers down her spine. "Is there a reason you decided to disrupt the court, Katherine?"

Kat replied calmly, "Disrupt? If you're referring to my playing the piano, I honestly didn't think it would disturb anyone or disrupt anything."

The tension in the room thickened as they spoke, Lucian's steely gaze piercing through Kat.

"Playing the piano in my castle without permission is a disruption, Katherine," Lucian stated, his voice calm yet cold as ice. "And don't forget, you are in my castle, not your world. Guests shouldn't wander about so freely."

Despite the intimidating atmosphere, Kat remained calm, her eyes narrowed as she spoke. "I think you forget, I didn't ask to be here. And since when does a person need permission to play an instrument?"

Lucian taunted, "Seems they don't teach much of manners in your world." Some of the court men laughed, and a few even called Kat names, but Lucian didn't intervene.

"Could say the same about yours," Kat retorted, sending a sharp glare. "I'm surprised you're even aware the word 'manners' exists." Kat retorted, sending a sharp glare. She didn't know why, but from the first time she had met this man, she never liked him, and her dislike grew at every meeting, feeling like he just made her blood boil, and now he was insulting her for no reason.

Lucian chuckled, finding Kat's attitude childish and stupid. He thought to himself, 'A little bird with already broken wings boasting of flying. How nice would it be if rip them off completely and make her aware she never could.' A wicked smile spread across his lips, confusing Kat.

"What a sharp tongue you have there," Lucian said. "Perhaps it's time I consider hiring a governess to refine your tongue and manners. After all, it's best you learn how things work around here."

Kat bit her cheek, her hands clenched into fists beside her as she struggled to rein in her temper. She didn't want to provoke Lucian or herself further, not when her priority was to lie low and avoid trouble until she could find a way back home.

"I apologize if I caused any disruption," she said, though she was apologizing she couldn't stop herself from glaring at him. Her voice even but with a hint of defiance lurking beneath the surface. "I was simply looking around the castle and I came across the instruments hall. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Of course, she apologizes, women should know their place," one man spoke, and another chimed in, "She needs to be taught respect," another man said and scoffed.

"If you don't mind, I would like to return to my room now," Kat said, ready to leave. "Since the meeting is almost over, you should wait a while. I will walk you back to your room," Lucian offered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, though his offer sounded less of a offer and more of a command.

Though annoyed, Kat agreed to stand next to Lucian for the rest of the meeting. However, her discomfort grew as she felt the lustful gazes of the men on her. 'pigs' she thought to herself.

When the meeting adjourned, Lucian dismissed the attendees and descended from his throne without even glancing at Kat, as though he hadn't been the one to ask her to wait a while ago. She didn't mind, as she preferred walking alongside Sebastian anyway. The three of them exited the courtroom, and Kat's gaze met Rudolf's, who bowed slightly along with the others.

As they walked, Lucian strode forward with an air of authority, as if he had just noticed the people behind him. He slowed his pace, in less than a few seconds Sebastian walked beside him while Kat dragged her feet behind, still reluctant to walk beside Lucian, whose mere presence irritated her.

With the two tall figures blocking her view, Kat's thoughts returned to the courtroom incident, and her anger simmered, tempting her to punch Lucian in the face.

A maid, cleaning a painting, immediately bowed upon spotting them. Lucian halted abruptly in front of her, and Sebastian followed suit, Lucian head turned to examine the painting. The maid broke into a cold sweat, not expecting the king to stop in front of her. She kept her head bowed, fixated on Lucian's shoes, daring not to raise her gaze.

Kat, still fuming and not paying attention, winced when she bumped into something hard. She subconsciously placed her hand on it to reduce the impact, feeling its strength and muscularity. The pleasant smell of rosewood wafted into her nostrils, momentarily making her forget the pain she had felt a moment ago. It wasn't until Kat looked up that she realized she had bumped into Lucian. "Sorry!" she said quickly, taking her hands off his back.

Lucian glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, then back to the painting. Kat followed his line of sight, spotting a painting of two children. A boy not older than twelve and a little girl around four or so. The boy had pitch-black hair and gray eyes, an empty look in his eyes with a dark and indifferent aura surrounding him. The little girl had blonde hair and sparkling forest green eyes, wearing a cute pink dress, a huge smile on her face as she clung to the boy's arm, seemingly undisturbed by the darkness he emitted. Kat squinted her eyes, looking back at the boy's face, then at Lucian, she repeated the action twice. 'It's him!' she thought to herself. 'But who is the girl?.'

Lucian's finger traced the frame of the painting, picking up a speck of dust. "What's the use of being here if you can't even do your job right?" he said coldly. Which was when Kat noticed the maid with her head bowed in front of him, shivering in fear. 'Oh, not this again,' she thought to herself, feeling sorry for the maid. "I'm sorry, my lord! Please forgive me. I will do my job better!" the maid apologized, not wanting to lose her job or worse. Lucian didn't respond and just walked away, upon seeing the king leave, the maid let out a sigh of relief and started to dusting the painting all over again.