Chapter 53

Upon leaving Aaron's office, I saw that Shinso wasn't wearing any formal attire, instead he sat on the sofa in casual clothing, his face deep in a book.

"Aren't you coming to the meeting?"

I asked him, fiddling with my tie that never seemed to fit. Shinso looked up at me and rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Does Madame Fitzgerald want to meet me that badly?"

He joked, tossing the book onto the end table before standing up and stretching.

"I think Cattleya has a suit you can wear, go talk to her."

I told him, patting him on the shoulder before sitting on the couch where Shinso sat. I could feel the imprint of where he was, and I couldn't help but sink into it like quicksand.

Shinso entered Cattleya's office where she was sitting at her desk, neatly wrapping the pastries that me and her made in a delicate cloth fabric with golden trim.

"Got anything I can wear?"

Shinso asked, leaning against the doorframe with a nonchalant gaze locked on Cattleya. She looked up from her desk and smiled, finishing the last pastry.

"Of course, this way."

She walked away from her desk and approached a closet in the corner of the room, opening it to reveal an assortment of dresses, hats, pajamas and other clothing items.

"Take this."

She said, not looking from the closet as she handed Shinso a black suit with purple accents, perfectly complimenting his hair and eyes.

"Thanks."

Shinso held the suit in front of him, smiling snarky as he looked at the entire piece before rolling it up like a duffel bag.

"I'll get changed real quick."

Cattleya nodded as she shuffled through her closet, either looking for makeup, lipstick or something to make her look more presentable to Madame Fitzgerald.

Shinso stepped out of the room and approached Aaron's office where I previously got changed and stepped in, closing and locking the door behind him.

He then took off his daily attire before changing into the suit, popping the collar and adjusting the tie before stepping out and walking back into the common area where he saw me sitting where he was.

"Y'know I was sitting there, right?"

Shinso remarked, pointing to the area of the couch where I was currently sitting. I simply looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm fully aware, it's like sitting on you to be honest."

Upon making such a dirty joke, me and Shinso's cheeks both heated up in blush, before we both turned away in embarrassment.

"You can sit there, I don't mind."

Suddenly Carter entered the room, wearing his casual wear, an unbuttoned white blazer and black collared t-shirt.

"What are you lovebirds talking about?"

He joked, sitting on the couch across from us and smiling like a snake. Me and Shinso simply turned to him, the blush now having slightly disappeared off our faces.

"Nothing Carter, just the meeting tonight."

He answered, nervously scratching his sleeve with his fingers, his nails digging into the fabric. Carter simply nodded and leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes.

"Well, wake me up when you get back."

Not even 5 seconds after he asked that of us, his snoring already echoed across the room, making the table slightly shake.

"I assume you're ready?"

Cattleya asked, stepping out of her office and looking both of us up and down, nodding in approval.

"We are."

I answered, standing up from the sofa and walking over the door, before opening it for Shinso and Cattleya.

"Ladies first."

I joked, nudging Shinso on the elbow as he stepped outside, Cattleya also chuckled as she stepped outside, something I wasn't expecting in the least.

"Now, let's find a carriage."

She mumbled, fishing through her Linen bag for a few Lumin, pulling out 10 silver Lumin.

"Aren't the carriage prices 2 gold Lumin?"

Shinso asked, looking towards the currency in Cattleya's hand, she looked up at Shinso and shook her head.

"Indeed, but we can equate a certain amount of silver Lumin into gold Lumin, it's common practice here."

She noted, placing her left foot into the road before sticking her thumb up, telling a nearby carriage it had its newest customer.

The carriage hurried over to us and stopped abruptly, before the coachmen, a younger man with dirty blonde hair, silver eyes and a monocle opened the door for us with a nod.

"Thank you, sir."

Cattleya thanked the man, handing him the needed 5 gold Lumin from her palm. Me and Shinso also stepped into the carriage, the makeshift staircase shaking under our feet.

He then closed the door, stepped back into the driver's seat and propelled the horses forward with the simple crack of a whip. 

I then turned to Cattleya, my expression reading a tiny tinge of uncertainty and a little intimidation.

"What's Madame Fitzgerald like?"

I asked her, making her look towards me and smile, a little sweat running down her face, which I couldn't tell if it was from the temperature of the carriage or a nervous habit.

"She's a bit intimidating considering her status, but she's also quite the doll if I do say so myself. To be honest if you bring her sweets you'll instantly get on her good side!"

Cattleya laughed as she opened the tin of wrapped pastries, the muffled aroma of chocolate, blueberry and strawberry filling our noses.

"Strawberry delights are her favorite, she'll be extra pleased today."

She gave me a small, reassuring smile, as if she was aware of my nervousness when meeting someone of this rank. The "Madame" title on any woman clearly indicated their status as the top of the hierarchy, and a pretty rich person.

"Oh, by the way."

She spoke loud enough so that me and Shinso could hear her, which made me and him collectively turn towards her and nod.

"If Madame Fitzgerald kisses you on both cheeks, don't take it as weird. It's custom, so I don't want to see too much blushing from you guys."

Shinso couldn't help but crack a small chuckle and lean in a little closer to me.

"Well, I assure you that I have plenty of experience with kissing."

His suddenly transformed into a low purr, his voice vibrating against my ear, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Well, that's good to hear."

About 10 minutes later the Carriage came to a stop, when I looked out of my window I spotted a large, towering iron fence, about 10 feet tall. Behind the fence was what seemed to be a mile of lush, green grass and neatly trimmed bushes into the shapes of many familiar animals.

"We don't want to keep the mistress waiting."

Cattleya stated as she stepped out of the carriage from her side, before walking over to our side as we stepped off.

Cattleya then opened the iron gate and held it open for us to pass through, before closing it behind us and walking down the long, rocky road that led to her mansion, which had a large porch with stone pillars on either side of the grand, wooden doors.

Waking up the small staircase that led to the doors, Cattleya then knocked a few times, the quiet bangs sending small echoes through the house. Shortly after the sound of a lock clicking was heard and a woman opened the door.

"Good evening, are you here to see the mistress?"

The woman was a maid, clad in a stained dress and her hair was netted up, but she wasn't necessarily dirty, but her clothing was.

"We are, may I ask where she may be?"

Cattleya asked, leaning past the maid to peek into the house, which had tiled floors, wooden frames, golden pots and other furniture, giving the feel of the pre-chaos era, which was that Cattleya assumed her home to be made in.

"Yes, she is inside her bedroom, and she'll be down here shortly."

She turned around to let us into the house, and a small mat stood at the foot of the door, which we brushed our feet off on.

"Sit in the lounge area, I'll have drinks prepared for you shortly."

The maid said as she disappeared into the kitchen. Cattleya turned to look at us, before pulling out a handkerchief from her bag and wiping her mouth with it.

"Presentation matters."

She claimed with a smile, before placing the cloth back into her bag. Suddenly we all heard the sound of platform shoes against the staircase, and shortly after Madame Fitzgerald stepped into the room, accompanied by her husband and bodyguard.

"Cattleya! How long has it been since I've seen your beautiful face?"

Madame Fitzgerald's voice was cheery as she beckoned Cattleya to stand, before walking over to her and planting two kisses on both of her cheeks.

"And these must be the boys I've heard much about."

Her voice softened as she looked towards us, leaning forward a little as if adjusting to our height.

"They are."

Cattleya responded, beckoning us like puppies to come over with her hand behind her back. Me and Shinso both stood up and walked over to her and bowed in an instinctive gesture of respect, much to the flattering of Fitzgerald.

"I assume these dolls are well behaved?"

She asked, fanning herself with her foldout fan, looking us in our eyes, which gave an almost predatory aura.

"They are, although they can be a pain sometimes."

Cattleya jokes, letting out a hearty laugh, suddenly Madame Fitzgerald leaned towards us and kissed me on both of the cheeks. I froze like a statue while she did this, completely dumbfounded and embarrassed as if Cattleya didn't tell us that this would happen earlier in the carriage.

Madame Fitzgerald seemed to notice this and giggled softly.

"I assume this gentleman doesn't know much about customs around here, he froze like a chicken when I kissed him."

Shinso looked towards me before patting me on the back, smiling a little.

"Well, he's not used to such physical affection, it puts him off a little. Usually I'm the one doing the kissing~"

Shinso teased, rubbing circles on my back, sending shockwaves of pleasure through my body in an attempt to calm my nerves.

"Ahh, I see..."

Madame Fitzgerald seemed a little tense at the mention of a man kissing another man, but she quickly brushed it off at the scene of the maid bringing in a few teacups and a teapot on a tray.

She thanked the maid before she departed from the room and back to her quarters, before turning her attention back to us.

"What do you like in your tea?"

Madame Fitzgerald asked, stirring her teacup with a small spoon. I locked eyes with her, which was painfully scary, before replying.

"U-uhm, I don't drink tea."

She seemed a little confused by my answer, but she simply nodded and poured me a glass of water instead, making her bodyguard hand it to me.

"Thank you..." 

The bodyguard was bulky and had an eyepatch over his right eye, indicating he probably lost it in a war or something, but he smiled back at me and nodded sincerely.

"Anyways, what's the first order of business?"