Chapter 9

That sly wench dared to seduce Dimitriu right under my nose. It has been three weeks now both the crown prince and him have been leaving the dinner table without finishing their meals. I had them followed, only to discover that they were eating with these filthy rats every night. Now she manages to weasel her way back into this mansion by using my son.

"Summon Dimitriu to the tearoom immediately."

"Yes, your grace."

"The rest of you, make haste, and take care of this mess on the floor."

I lost my temper, and broke one of my favorite tea sets, yet again. That girl will pay for this.

"As you command, madam."

+++++

According to the young master, I am to report to his study from morning to noon. And my task is to clean and organize his study as well as assisting him with his work. In the little time that I began sorting the books, I already completed one whole bookshelf. I must say, I am enjoying this far too much. It's not every day that I get to be in the presence of my two favorite things. Even though I could not see his face, his dazzling beauty was still shining through the heap of documents on his desk.

"Shall we take a break?"

His clear, round glasses made him even more attractive as he rose from his seat. He was surprised to see how fast I had managed to finish one bookshelf. As we engaged in a rather fun conversation, a foolish thought emerged in my mind. What are the odds that he would fall in love with me? And how would I react if such a thing became possible?

"Pardon the intrusion, my Lord." said a maid from behind the door.

"Speak!" he replied curtly.

"Her grace has requested your presence in the tearoom, my lord."

+++++

"Fatiiii! You have returned safely! How was it?" exclaimed Clover as she ran towards me.

Soon after the maid's announcement, I was told to leave. I had hoped to spend a little more time with him, but I suppose it can'tbe helped.

"Have you seen Sir Nate? I have not seen him all day."

"We have not seen him either. We thought he was with you and the young master the entire time."

Where could he possibly be?

"Come, I brought you some treats I received from a secret friend I made." I whispered as I wrapped my arms around their necks.

As expected, they were hungry. Ever since Sir Nate started to bring us groceries out of the blue, our one meal a day became a thing of the past. We still have some leftover groceries so we should be fine for the time being.

+++++

"I do not follow, mother." 

"I believe you heard me loud and clear, son. That thing is never to set foot inside this mansion ever again. If you need assistance, I will take it upon myself to find you the best aid in the region. Understood?"

Duchess Gwendolynn Kartier, formerly known as Gwendolynn Hertzman, eldest sister of marquis Victor Hertzman. She became the spoiled daughter of her family since birth. Because of her charismatic and ebullient personality, she became well known in high society at a very young age. As she grew older, so widened her influence in high society.

My mother passed away right after giving birth to me, which left my father devastated. As a result, he took it upon himself to raise on his own. However, a year later, rumors of my father's involvement with an illegitimate daughter of count Thomas, her father, began to circulate the empire. They have been seen together on various occasions, which would always end up in the tabloids because of my father's position as the prime heir of the Kartier dutchy. 

Six months later, my father's love interest suddenly disappeared without a trace and was reported missing. My father, who was on the verge of proposing to her, was yet again left heartbroken.However, a marriage proposal was suddenly sprung up on him by my late grandfather. With his position as the next heir on the line, he was forced to marry Gwendolynn, the eldest daughter of count Hertzman, who is three years older than him.

"Dimitriu! Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, mother, you have my full attention."

"Will you do as you're told for once?" she insisted.

"That I cannot do, mother as I am in dire need of assistance and cannot wait for the entire process of hiring an aide." I replied nonchalantly as I continued to sip the tea.

"What else can an illiterate slave do for you besides cleaning?"

"Fair point mother, however, you do not get to decide who I choose to help me. However, you may lay your worries to rest, mother. I will personally ensure that she does not interfere in your affairs while she frequents this mansion." I responded calmly as I rose from my seat.

Though she was seething in anger, she swallowed her pride and drew a smile on her face. As I left the tearoom, I could hear theclattering noises of teacups being shattered from behind the door, which did not warrant my concern, for this was not the first time. My dear stepmother must be furious since she's used to dealing with nitwits and pushovers who lack the backbone to defy her. I was one of those too until I realized who she really was. The charismatic, fun, and virtuous personality of hers was nothing more than a persona that she herself designed to hide her true nature.

~Five Days Later

I have endured so much these past few days that I am no longer motivated to report to duty in the young master's study. As pleasant as it is to be around him is all the more painful the consequences. A series of unfortunate events have been occurring ever since I started frequenting the mansion.

"What's the matter, princess? Why are you screaming this early in the morning?"

One day, a diamond necklace suddenly went missing from the young mistress' jewelry box…

"My diamond necklace has disappeared! Mother, my precious necklace is gone! Whatever shall I do? That necklace cost a fortune!"

By the commotion they made, one would think she lost a limb. A search was promptly conducted and within the day, the necklace was miraculously found inside my bed sheets in the stables. As such, it was decided that two of my fingers were to be severed as punishment. However, the young masterintercepted just in time, thus, my penalty was reduced to thirty flogs on my bare back.

When I tried to defend myself, I was chastised even more and was now labeled as a thief. No one believed me when I said that I did not steal the young mistress' necklace. That is, no one besides the young masters and my friends Ivy and Clover.

"I'm sorry Fati, I have failed to protect you."

That night, I wept and fell asleep in the young master's arms as he attempted to console me. I suppose one good thing came out of this horrible ordeal. Since my healing had become even stronger, the wounds on my back disappeared that same night. However, I had to feign sickness in order to keep my identity a secret. It's enough that Sir Nate is now aware of my healing abilities. 

Speaking of which, Sir Nate has been gone without a single word for five days now. For some odd reason, we keep receiving groceries every day, like clockwork. When I asked the young master, he simply shrugged and said he did not know where he went. How is he unaware of his own employee's whereabouts?

"'Little Bird by the Window'"

"What did you just say?" asked a familiar voice.

I let out a loud gasp as the book slipped from my hands and fell. When I turned my head, Sir Nate was standing right behind me. Did he hear me read that out loud? Moreover, what is that book doing here, of all places?

"Pick it up!" he said icily.

"P-pardon?"

Pick up what? What's he so upset about this time? Did he come all the way to the library to pick a fight with me?

"You dropped my book. So, pick it up."

Oh, that's what he meant.

"Ah yes, my apologies Sir Nate-wait what?! This book is yours?" I exclaimed as I frantically scooped the book from the floor.

Where in the world has he been this whole time?

"Welcome back, Sir Nate." I said with a smile as I extended the book over to him.

I wanted to ask where he had procured such a rare book from,but he seemed to be in a bad mood, so I held my tongue.

"I see you've been doing well despite the recent events."

News travels fast in this mansion I see…

"The young master has now allowed me to roam his entire quarters at my leisure. He also took it upon himself to be my escort everyday, so I can't complain."

If you keep smiling like that, I might accidentally snap his neck during our sparring session today. The ordeal you went through under his watch isn't something that you can simply brush off. You may have been able to heal your physical wounds but, what about the psychological damage that was inflicted on you? Countless nights I found myself lying restless listening to your agonizing screams as you wake from yet another nightmare.

"What are you doing?" 

"Lower your head, will you? You are needlessly far too tall for my liking. You're even taller than the young master. Good grief!"

The sight of her flailing to reach my head was oddly satisfyingto behold. She looked so cute that I could not help but chuckle.

"Ah! Did you just hit my forehead?"

"Keep frowning like that and your face will turn into an old wrinkly potato."

Now that I think about it, a scowling old wrinkly potato with blazing red hair sounds quite amusing. As I pictured it in my head, I could not stop myself from laughing. Sir Nate was staring at me in confusion, possibly bewildered by my brash actions.

My heart suddenly felt light as a feather for some reason.

+++++

"Y-your grace! Her highness Princess Emilia has just been spotted in the city. It seems she is heading this way." 

"What?!"