The White´s mansion, as magnificent as it was in the night, looked more and more threatening the closer we came. The outside was illuminated by spotlights and nearly every room inside was lit, but it still didn’t feel right. Maybe it was because of the presence of the two guards escorting us towards the mansion, or maybe it was because my thoughts were still somewhere else.
Absentmindedly, I just wanted to go upstairs as the guards kindly, but firmly asserted that I was supposed to go somewhere else. Sighing loudly, Hannah and I could only follow their lead through the whole mansion until we arrived at a rather large room in which a harp was played.
The guards knocked twice, but as they didn’t get an answer after several seconds one of them carefully opened the door and looked inside. Only afterwards did he open the door fully and asked us to get inside. The harp was still being played as we strolled into the wide room and made eye contact with the duke for the first time.
He had pitch black hair which stood in stark contrast to the traditional White´s clothing he wore which consisted of a largely white suit and equally coloured shoes. While playing the harp elegantly, he had his eyes nearly closed and a rather gentle expression on his face.
Careful not to interrupt his play, Hannah and I slowly walked towards two chairs in front of him and sat down. Closing my eyes, I listened to the music for a little while and picked up a few mistakes. But even then, he didn’t miss any note and his pacing was near perfect. Only at the end did he speed up a bit too much, probably anticipating the conversation with us more than we did.
“That was a great performance to be honest. I haven’t met any hobbyist who could present Febra’z second symphony this beautifully.” I said while finally opening my eyes fully. He was looking at me as if he wanted to judge me based on my look which wasn’t really possible. After a little while of silence, he put the harp on a nearby stand and smiled gently.
“It honours me to hear such kind words from our guest. Are you perhaps a musician yourself?” What he packaged as small talk was nothing along these lines. I could see the distrust in his eyes very well, even though nothing else indicated it. He was probing me.
“Oh, no. I merely studied it a little bit, but I wouldn’t call myself a musician. Everyone says that I may be able to replicate any song, but I apparently do lack the creativity to create one on my own.” Even though my creations sounded alright, they did miss feelings which were apparently a crucial part of music.
“That´s honestly sad to hear. Sadly, some are more gifted than others which us being on the former side. Well, at least we can enjoy what others create.” I nodded, even though I didn’t agree with him at all. There was really nothing enjoyable with a few sounds even though I sometimes sang to fight the boredom or silence. “Regarding creating something, I heard your bakery was on point as well?”
“I do take pride in my cookies, so I am rather glad to hear they are received well.” I said end chuckled slightly. If he knew how many hours I put into perfecting food, he would probably fall unconscious right away.
“So we have music and bakery you are excellent at. Your parents must have taken your education very seriously.” I smiled wryly as I noticed that I may have impressed him a little bit too much. My problem was that I rarely interacted with noble children at the age of sixteen which made it quite hard to gauge what they were capable off.
“They surely did.” I thus said quickly.
“And yet you are here while they are on a business trip?” That they left me behind was also quite hard to justify, but I already had a prepared answer.
“Teaching one’s children independence is also a necessity.” I explained calmly.
“Especially in the case of merchant children?” He asked as if he already expected my answer.
“Surely.” I muttered and raised my left eyebrow. He knew that something was up and I was aware that my cover would be blown after a bit of probing.
“… Sadly I don’t know of any big merchant family who would leave their daughter behind with a maid who clearly has military background. Let´s not forget that she already damaged the magical defences of the mansion once, so she clearly is a hidden treasure of the kingdom and yet, nobody seems to know anything about her, or you. The carriage picking you up was also unmarked which is rare and makes me wonder what you have to hide.” I shortly considered telling him who I was, but chose not to in the end. He would either tell the king, or tremble in fear depending on how much I told him. Both options were not really desirable. “And the trading company you mentioned … it doesn’t exist, does it?”
“We have nothing to hide, Milord. That I overloaded your magical defences was a mistake from my side and it is true that served in the military. But I felt that I would be able to do more by s-“ Hannah tried to explain as I stayed silent for a little while.
“There is only one elf in the human realm who would be able to do such a thing. I had to ask for a lot of favours, but I know very well who you are and what you are capable off. What I don’t understand is why you are at her side, nor who she is.” Well, we already gave Mary Hannah´s name so there was really no way her secrets wouldn’t be uncovered with time.
“… I can assure you that we aren’t here with evil intentions.” I stated calmly.
“That so? And I can assure you I cannot let you manipulate my daughter any longer. She never reacted so strongly to my questions before and didn’t want to tell me anything about you.” And with that, I knew the duke didn’t just want to uncover our secrets, but also to separate Luna and me.
“Hmm … where is she?” I asked while tilting my head in wonder. She wouldn’t be at the mansion if I was correct.
“At the royal palace to celebrate the day of purification together with her mother. And afterwards, she is under house arrest to focus on her studies. As long as I cannot be for sure who you are, I will not allow you to stay here, or remain in contact with my daughter … listen, I don’t know the full picture and I don’t have anything against you. I only want to know my daughter is safe, and that is hardly too much to ask for, no?” It certainly wasn’t normally. I wanted Luna to be safe as well, but I also didn’t want to lose her yet again. But sadly, I also couldn’t tell him who I was because that would equally mean having no time at all with Luna.
“If my identity is an issue, is a letter of recommendation enough?” It would be quite easy to get one from a noble indebted to Tom. But the expression on his face already proved it wouldn’t be enough for him.
“I fear not. Not after you lied to us.” I grumbled quietly while trying to figure out what to do next. I certainly couldn’t threaten him because that would mean tarnishing my reputation as the Saint later on and I couldn´t reveal who I was either.
“Hiding is not lying though.” I mumbled, looked to Hannah hopefully and realized right away she didn’t have any idea either. “And you are sure this is the best for your daughter? She looked a bit lonely before I befriended her.” And so, I attempted to use his emotions for my benefit.
“She will find new friends, I am sure of that.” The question was if she would ever find an amazing friend as I was. Surely not.
“So your final decision is that you will stay in between Luna and me?” I asked bluntly. There was simply no need to drag this out any longer, especially because my dislike for this man grew by the minutes.
“I will protect her from any danger.” He claimed which I deemed as quite sweet. Luna had a good father, there was no doubt about it. But maybe he was a bit too protective.
“That is … regrettable. But I understand. Would you be so kind and relay her a few words of mine? Then please, do tell her that blood is thicker than water and that you and I will protect our family, no matter what.” For him, that may sound as if I tried to justify his actions and that Luna shouldn’t be angry at him. For Luna though, it could have an entirely different meaning altogether. If one traced their family tree back, there was I, as the first daughter of the old Mary White. They had been my family, that was for sure. And nobody, not even the duke himself could change that fact. “Thank you for receiving us during this wonderful night. If there is nothing else, then we will have to go quickly to make it back towards our home in time.”
“That´s … all?” He asked bewildered. If he really expected me to cry my heart out in front of him he was mistaken. And truth to be told, I already knew how I could circumvent Luna´s house arrest quite easily without him being able to do anything. It would just take a month or so and afterwards, I would be able to chat with Luna as long as I wanted. Thus, there was really no need for me to make a scene there, especially because it could end very badly for both of us.
“Yes, that is all. As I told you, we aren’t here because of some ill will and as such, we don’t have any other choice but to leave peacefully, don’t we? If you would excuse us now.” I explained and stood up from my chair. One last time, I looked at the duke who still didn’t completely understand why I was so understanding. Smiling a bit, I curtsied and then turned around to leave the room. Hannah followed suit a few seconds afterwards.
“Have a great night, Milord.” I said and left the room before he could answer. As we were escorted away by the two guards, the harp resounded once more, even though he wasn’t entirely concentrated on it judging by the mistakes he made. Minutes later, Hannah and I were already outside again walking back to where we came from.
“So, what´s the plan?” Hannah asked as we were a bit away from the gates.
“What do you mean?” I asked while staring at a pedestrian who got a little too close in my opinion.
“You are obsessed with Luna and Mary … but especially Luna. There isn´t any chance you will honour his request, is there?” I growled as someone nearly bumped into me. I was a bit angry at him for not watching where he went, but left it at that.
“I´m not obsessed with her?” I said while I balled my hands to fists. Somehow it made me even more furious than before that they were celebrating my birthday.
“You cook whenever she is hungry, you told her interesting stories of your past and you did nearly everything so that she would like you. You are obsessed with her.” Hannah presented some strong points, I had to give her that.
“… maybe I am. But … hmm … how should I say this. I always imagined how it is to have a real family. And with her and Mary … I thought I found what I was searching for. And I don’t want to ruin that. Even though I don’t like the duke at all, I don’t want him to suffer right now because it would mean they would be hurt as well … am I weird?” I asked and stuck my elbow into someone who bumped into me from my side. He deserved it though and I made it look like an accident so that nobody even bothered to talk to me about it.
“And yet you glare at every pedestrian as if you want to slit their throats.” Hannah whispered into my left ear which did surprise me a little. Truly, I made sure to wear my usual friendly smile, but she was apparently able to look a bit behind the mask I had on the whole time.
“Maybe it is because my blood is boiling right now … do you want to do something risky?” I asked and grinned wildly. I knew exactly how to calm myself down.
“I´m not so sure …” Hannah said, but I knew immediately she would join in.
The White´s mansion, as magnificent as it was in the night, looked more and more threatening the closer we came. The outside was illuminated by spotlights and nearly every room inside was lit, but it still didn’t feel right. Maybe it was because of the presence of the two guards escorting us towards the mansion, or maybe it was because my thoughts were still somewhere else.
Absentmindedly, I just wanted to go upstairs as the guards kindly, but firmly asserted that I was supposed to go somewhere else. Sighing loudly, Hannah and I could only follow their lead through the whole mansion until we arrived at a rather large room in which a harp was played.
The guards knocked twice, but as they didn’t get an answer after several seconds one of them carefully opened the door and looked inside. Only afterwards did he open the door fully and asked us to get inside. The harp was still being played as we strolled into the wide room and made eye contact with the duke for the first time.
He had pitch black hair which stood in stark contrast to the traditional White´s clothing he wore which consisted of a largely white suit and equally coloured shoes. While playing the harp elegantly, he had his eyes nearly closed and a rather gentle expression on his face.
Careful not to interrupt his play, Hannah and I slowly walked towards two chairs in front of him and sat down. Closing my eyes, I listened to the music for a little while and picked up a few mistakes. But even then, he didn’t miss any note and his pacing was near perfect. Only at the end did he speed up a bit too much, probably anticipating the conversation with us more than we did.
“That was a great performance to be honest. I haven’t met any hobbyist who could present Febra’z second symphony this beautifully.” I said while finally opening my eyes fully. He was looking at me as if he wanted to judge me based on my look which wasn’t really possible. After a little while of silence, he put the harp on a nearby stand and smiled gently.
“It honours me to hear such kind words from our guest. Are you perhaps a musician yourself?” What he packaged as small talk was nothing along these lines. I could see the distrust in his eyes very well, even though nothing else indicated it. He was probing me.
“Oh, no. I merely studied it a little bit, but I wouldn’t call myself a musician. Everyone says that I may be able to replicate any song, but I apparently do lack the creativity to create one on my own.” Even though my creations sounded alright, they did miss feelings which were apparently a crucial part of music.
“That´s honestly sad to hear. Sadly, some are more gifted than others which us being on the former side. Well, at least we can enjoy what others create.” I nodded, even though I didn’t agree with him at all. There was really nothing enjoyable with a few sounds even though I sometimes sang to fight the boredom or silence. “Regarding creating something, I heard your bakery was on point as well?”
“I do take pride in my cookies, so I am rather glad to hear they are received well.” I said end chuckled slightly. If he knew how many hours I put into perfecting food, he would probably fall unconscious right away.
“So we have music and bakery you are excellent at. Your parents must have taken your education very seriously.” I smiled wryly as I noticed that I may have impressed him a little bit too much. My problem was that I rarely interacted with noble children at the age of sixteen which made it quite hard to gauge what they were capable off.
“They surely did.” I thus said quickly.
“And yet you are here while they are on a business trip?” That they left me behind was also quite hard to justify, but I already had a prepared answer.
“Teaching one’s children independence is also a necessity.” I explained calmly.
“Especially in the case of merchant children?” He asked as if he already expected my answer.
“Surely.” I muttered and raised my left eyebrow. He knew that something was up and I was aware that my cover would be blown after a bit of probing.
“… Sadly I don’t know of any big merchant family who would leave their daughter behind with a maid who clearly has military background. Let´s not forget that she already damaged the magical defences of the mansion once, so she clearly is a hidden treasure of the kingdom and yet, nobody seems to know anything about her, or you. The carriage picking you up was also unmarked which is rare and makes me wonder what you have to hide.” I shortly considered telling him who I was, but chose not to in the end. He would either tell the king, or tremble in fear depending on how much I told him. Both options were not really desirable. “And the trading company you mentioned … it doesn’t exist, does it?”
“We have nothing to hide, Milord. That I overloaded your magical defences was a mistake from my side and it is true that served in the military. But I felt that I would be able to do more by s-“ Hannah tried to explain as I stayed silent for a little while.
“There is only one elf in the human realm who would be able to do such a thing. I had to ask for a lot of favours, but I know very well who you are and what you are capable off. What I don’t understand is why you are at her side, nor who she is.” Well, we already gave Mary Hannah´s name so there was really no way her secrets wouldn’t be uncovered with time.
“… I can assure you that we aren’t here with evil intentions.” I stated calmly.
“That so? And I can assure you I cannot let you manipulate my daughter any longer. She never reacted so strongly to my questions before and didn’t want to tell me anything about you.” And with that, I knew the duke didn’t just want to uncover our secrets, but also to separate Luna and me.
“Hmm … where is she?” I asked while tilting my head in wonder. She wouldn’t be at the mansion if I was correct.
“At the royal palace to celebrate the day of purification together with her mother. And afterwards, she is under house arrest to focus on her studies. As long as I cannot be for sure who you are, I will not allow you to stay here, or remain in contact with my daughter … listen, I don’t know the full picture and I don’t have anything against you. I only want to know my daughter is safe, and that is hardly too much to ask for, no?” It certainly wasn’t normally. I wanted Luna to be safe as well, but I also didn’t want to lose her yet again. But sadly, I also couldn’t tell him who I was because that would equally mean having no time at all with Luna.
“If my identity is an issue, is a letter of recommendation enough?” It would be quite easy to get one from a noble indebted to Tom. But the expression on his face already proved it wouldn’t be enough for him.
“I fear not. Not after you lied to us.” I grumbled quietly while trying to figure out what to do next. I certainly couldn’t threaten him because that would mean tarnishing my reputation as the Saint later on and I couldn´t reveal who I was either.
“Hiding is not lying though.” I mumbled, looked to Hannah hopefully and realized right away she didn’t have any idea either. “And you are sure this is the best for your daughter? She looked a bit lonely before I befriended her.” And so, I attempted to use his emotions for my benefit.
“She will find new friends, I am sure of that.” The question was if she would ever find an amazing friend as I was. Surely not.
“So your final decision is that you will stay in between Luna and me?” I asked bluntly. There was simply no need to drag this out any longer, especially because my dislike for this man grew by the minutes.
“I will protect her from any danger.” He claimed which I deemed as quite sweet. Luna had a good father, there was no doubt about it. But maybe he was a bit too protective.
“That is … regrettable. But I understand. Would you be so kind and relay her a few words of mine? Then please, do tell her that blood is thicker than water and that you and I will protect our family, no matter what.” For him, that may sound as if I tried to justify his actions and that Luna shouldn’t be angry at him. For Luna though, it could have an entirely different meaning altogether. If one traced their family tree back, there was I, as the first daughter of the old Mary White. They had been my family, that was for sure. And nobody, not even the duke himself could change that fact. “Thank you for receiving us during this wonderful night. If there is nothing else, then we will have to go quickly to make it back towards our home in time.”
“That´s … all?” He asked bewildered. If he really expected me to cry my heart out in front of him he was mistaken. And truth to be told, I already knew how I could circumvent Luna´s house arrest quite easily without him being able to do anything. It would just take a month or so and afterwards, I would be able to chat with Luna as long as I wanted. Thus, there was really no need for me to make a scene there, especially because it could end very badly for both of us.
“Yes, that is all. As I told you, we aren’t here because of some ill will and as such, we don’t have any other choice but to leave peacefully, don’t we? If you would excuse us now.” I explained and stood up from my chair. One last time, I looked at the duke who still didn’t completely understand why I was so understanding. Smiling a bit, I curtsied and then turned around to leave the room. Hannah followed suit a few seconds afterwards.
“Have a great night, Milord.” I said and left the room before he could answer. As we were escorted away by the two guards, the harp resounded once more, even though he wasn’t entirely concentrated on it judging by the mistakes he made. Minutes later, Hannah and I were already outside again walking back to where we came from.
“So, what´s the plan?” Hannah asked as we were a bit away from the gates.
“What do you mean?” I asked while staring at a pedestrian who got a little too close in my opinion.
“You are obsessed with Luna and Mary … but especially Luna. There isn´t any chance you will honour his request, is there?” I growled as someone nearly bumped into me. I was a bit angry at him for not watching where he went, but left it at that.
“I´m not obsessed with her?” I said while I balled my hands to fists. Somehow it made me even more furious than before that they were celebrating my birthday.
“You cook whenever she is hungry, you told her interesting stories of your past and you did nearly everything so that she would like you. You are obsessed with her.” Hannah presented some strong points, I had to give her that.
“… maybe I am. But … hmm … how should I say this. I always imagined how it is to have a real family. And with her and Mary … I thought I found what I was searching for. And I don’t want to ruin that. Even though I don’t like the duke at all, I don’t want him to suffer right now because it would mean they would be hurt as well … am I weird?” I asked and stuck my elbow into someone who bumped into me from my side. He deserved it though and I made it look like an accident so that nobody even bothered to talk to me about it.
“And yet you glare at every pedestrian as if you want to slit their throats.” Hannah whispered into my left ear which did surprise me a little. Truly, I made sure to wear my usual friendly smile, but she was apparently able to look a bit behind the mask I had on the whole time.
“Maybe it is because my blood is boiling right now … do you want to do something risky?” I asked and grinned wildly. I knew exactly how to calm myself down.
“I´m not so sure …” Hannah said, but I knew immediately she would join in.
