11 Fleur de Bleau

Lesley didn't know much about dressing up - she'd trade one for a decent pair of pants any day. She didn't even had any inclination on drinking any kind of tea - although she'd been adopted by the noble house of Vance, she'd still prefer her glass of ale rather than some fancy old tea.

She didn't even had the patience to educate herself of proper high class etiquette during such occasions cause she'd rather train outside on the Vance's shooting range than be stuck with her stern governess.

So after having their formal introductions with each other, Lesley made herself comfortable instead. She sat cross-legged with her arms crossed in front of her and declined the biscuits and tea offered in front of them in the intricately designed round table.

She silently assessed the situation that was now at hand.

Gusion, it seems, have been keeping his family background as lowkey as possible and hid the real score from them. She glanced from across the table and saw him nervously stirring his cup of tea.

Harper, on the other hand, feasted happily on the variety of cakes and biscuits - completely ignoring the apparent awkward situation.

The sleek butler that brought them here already left after their welcome at the front lawn and was somewhere lurking on the corners of the mansion, waiting for his master's orders.

All that was left was the Lady Guinevere that escorted them in the dining room. She sat from across the table facing all three of them. Gwen - as what Gusion fondly calls her, gracefully sipped her tea while managing a giggle once in a while.

Lesley don't know why but the girl already annoys the heck out of her. Maybe it was the constant giggling and flirty vibes? Maybe it was the fact that her minion intervened in her plans of capturing that last assassin earlier? She couldn't exactly point it out but there was this slight urge to strangle their overly bubbly hostess at the moment.

So they were childhood friends. She rolled her eyes as Guinevere reminisced their past. She still couldn't grasp her intentions on how she found them and why they were there in the first place.

"As I was saying, Gusion here loved to run around like a lunatic brandishing his short wooden sword in front of their visitors whenever he had a chance! Imagine that! Haha!" Guinevere's laughter filled the room.

"Yeah, but you weren't scared of me, were you?" Gusion added, unconsciously swaying his teaspoon in the air.

"Ha! Why would I?" She stuck out her tongue in a playful manner while answering, "I was taller than you, remember? Haha!"

The three of them laughed, including Harper, even though his mouth was filled with confections. Lesley on the other hand, yawned while callously covering her mouth.

Guinevere noticed her bored demeanor and subtly changed to a more serious tone.

"But I have to admit, that's not the exact reason why I brought you here..." She began while carefully placing her cup on the table.

"Yeah. About that..." Lesley interjected, "How did you find us and why were you looking for us in the first place?" She couldn't help herself voicing out the questions that were bugging her as of the moment.

Guinevere smiled at her but it was a different kind of smile. It seems the lady of the house doesn't like to be interrupted. Her smile put off a certain vibe towards Lesley, as if it was even close to a sneer.

"On how I've managed to track you..." She chuckled before explaining, "Well, I have my means, Miss Vance. It wasn't easy finding the three of you especially when you were all so good in suppressing your innate magic while traveling. But as soon as those assassins were on your tails, it was just easy triangulating the sporadic bursts of magical power that my friend Gusion have been emitting."

Lesley raised her eyebrows at her explanation. So that's how the butler tracked them.

"Wow! I didn't know you were such a proficient mage, Gwen!" Gusion noted in awe, "I mean, since your family members are well-known skilled swordsmen. No offense meant, but that's the main reason why I've wanted to master the blades as well!"

"Oh! None taken." She shrugged, "Afterall, your family's expertise in harnessing magic made me want to learn it in the first place! And so here I am. Fabulously combining both our strengths."

Her last remark somewhat struck a nerve on Gusion which made him silent for a bit. He remembered his last moments with his family punishing him for combining unorthodox elements leading to his exile.

He dropped his gaze on the floor instead.

"That's awesome!" Harper chimed in, "Gusion does the same too!"

"Yay! Hooray for everyone!" Lesley deadass clapped while maintaining a deadpan face.

Harper and Gusion glanced at her sudden sarcasm while she shrugged them off and rolled her eyes instead.

"Ah! Yes! That also brings me to why I've brought you here." Guinevere stood up and approached Gusion from across the round table. "You see, as I've told you earlier... My brother Lancelot is already giving me quite a headache on finding his location at the moment..."

"So this is about your brother?" Gusion assumed Guinevere's dilemma about her wandering brother might be the reason for their summon.

"No. It's not about him" Guinivere shrugged and laughed. "Well, technically it's about our families."

"So we were included here because...?" Lesley, yet again, interrupted her words.

Guinevere snapped her gaze at Lesley and gave her a quick sneer before turning her attention back at Gusion. "What I mean is OUR families, Gusion. Yours and mine."

"Great. So we're not even included in this narrative." Lesley remarked in an aside to an oblivious Harper on her right.

"What do you mean, Gwen?" Gusion asked, still confused of the situation.

"What I mean is..." She leaned in closer to the man sitting in front of her. "My father arranged a marriage between me and one of the Paxley brothers. And it's literally giving me a headache much more worse than finding my brother!" She sighed and fanned her face with her hands.

"What?" Lesley unconsciously raised an octave higher but still composed herself in her seat.

"Wah!" Harper exclaimed as a donut fell from his mouth.

"Wait. What does it have to do with me?" Gusion paused for a moment before realizing what Guinevere meant.

"Oh! No! You must be mistaken! Gwen, you know we're friends right?" Gusion stood up and held Guinevere on her shoulders. "But... I can't..."

"What?" This time, Guinevere was the one getting confused. "Why? My father told me I could choose anyone from your family. And I'm sure as hell not planning on marrying your older brothers! And besides! You're the only person I know I can think of..." She pressed her index finger at his chest.

"I can't believe I'm actually witnessing this." Lesley couldn't help herself, offering a snide remark at the scene in front of them.

"Gwen, you know we're both friends right?" Gusion asked and waited for her to nod. "But you see, I'm currently on an important mission. And there are other things I can't tell you about...." He paused and thought about telling her about his exile before brushing off the idea and continued, "My point is, I can't be with you. Literally. Cause you know I have to go with them." He said as he gestured towards his friends. "It's dangerous and I don't want you getting involved in this mess." He insisted while trying to convince her out of her resolution.

Guinevere tried to grasp and understand what he just said but was unable to comprehend his true intentions, "But I can help, if you want." She suggested.

"You're already having difficulties with your brother. You said so yourself. Deal with it first..." He answered, "I too, have a quest to finish. Maybe... If we both clear ourselves with other troubles at hand then we can discuss about this later. Yes?" He tried to sound as reasonable as possible without trying to offend the lady in front of him.

Guinevere paused for a moment and weighed in his offer. She smiled afterwards then gave him a hug, "Alright! But promise to come back as soon as you can! I'll do my best and try to help you on your quest if I can manage it."

He exhaled in relief at her reaction and hugged her back. He smiled and thought about avoiding an unfortunate situation with her. "Thanks, Gwen."

His gaze wandered and a blue lily on the table's centerpiece caught his attention. It was a rare kind of flower, Gusion thought. Still in his spaced out mind, he unexpectedly met eyes with the girl sitting from across the table just beyond the exquisite centerpiece...

It was Lesley, she held his gaze for a moment before making a face and giving her signature eyeroll.