A Quiet Conversation (3)

Aurel had finally entered the master room, a place she had seldom entered since his brother was a total freak, not wanting her to come in during their childhood.

In fact, she had only glimpsed it a handful of times throughout her life; that was that. Even the memories of her rare visits to this room had gone hazy.

Looking around, Aurel found that the room was divided into two areas, separated by an arch doorway: the guest area where she currently sat and the bed area.

On the other side, seated on a vanity chair within the inner chamber, Mikael anxiously peered at the arch doorway reflected in the mirror. There might be a wall to shield him, but the arch remained wide open, leaving him vulnerable to immediate discovery should his guest decide to enter.

"Where is she?" he asked, his voice in a low whisper.

"She's sitting on the couch, my lady," was Beth's swift response.

Mikael couldn't afford any delay. "Hurry," he urged Beth, his tone heavy with urgency.

Letting her in before he could finish dollying up was not a great idea. As much as possible, Mikael was reluctant to engage in a conversation. He preferred to avoid any interactions if possible, but the young lady knocked on his door, forcing him to navigate to a situation he hadn't planned for. 

Well, that was quite not the case.

In reality, no one pushed him; it was all his own doing. He could have made an excuse, but he didn't. So, if he were discovered now, it would be his entire fault. Nonetheless, Mikael did not want to keep the young lady waiting by the front door for any longer.

Now, as he looked back, he couldn't help but wonder if he should have locked himself in the room until Nicolaus returned.

Regret simmered within Mikael, but it was too late to turn back. Sooner or later, he knew he would cross paths with Nicolaus' family members. Besides, he didn't want to rely solely on that guy for support.

No, he felt angry at the mere thought of asking Nicolaus for help. He already knew he was the kind who would seek something in return for his assistance.

'I will find out if his family members are as difficult as that guy,' Mikael mused inwardly, recalling his recent encounter with Nicolaus' sister in the dining room. At that time, he found a striking similarity in their shared arrogance towards the nobility.

'It runs from the blood,' Mikael thought with a hint of irony.

Having had his wig properly adjusted by Beth, Mikael finally mustered the courage to venture into the guest area to meet Aurel, Nicolaus' sister. As soon as their eyes met, Aurel rose from her seat and executed a clumsy curtsy.

"…Greetings to you, my lady."

Aurel appeared somewhat stiff as she performed the formalities, and when it came to expressing blessings, she stumbled over her words. "May you bless… um," she began hesitantly, her gaze darting around the room, finding the right words. "May you be blessed by, er…"

The young miss seemed to be trying her best, and Mikael couldn't help but admire her for making the effort to get along with him.

"May Silvest bless you," Beth whispered discreetly to help her.

Aurel finally managed to say, "May Silvest bless you, Marchioness."

Mikael could not contain his chuckle completely. Though he did his best to suppress making a sound, his shoulders were moving up and down, and the amused smile on his face was impossible to miss.

On the other hand, Aurel quickly interpreted his reaction as laughter directed at her.

Perhaps she had misunderstood that Mikael was making fun of her because she could not execute the curtsy correctly and stumbled over her words. Her eyes dropped to the floor, and her fingers instinctively reached up to scratch the back of her head in discomfort.

However, Mikael's intentions were quite different from what Aurel had assumed. 

Sensing her embarrassment and wanting to clarify the situation, he motioned for Beth to come closer. Leaning in, he whispered into Beth's ear with a gentle tone, "Tell her I'll teach her how to curtsy more properly."

Beth nodded understanding and conveyed Mikael's message to Aurel, saying, "The Marchioness wants to teach you how to curt."

Aurel glanced back at Mikael, her hazel eyes meeting his. As the sunlight filtered through the window, they shimmered with a subtle glisten, sharing the same golden hue as her brother's.

"Sorry, um, if I look stupid–"

'No, no! Ugh, how am I going to say this?'

Mikael promptly waved his hands as he heard her words, getting the different meaning of what he intended to relay. Without uttering a word, he patted Beth's shoulder, his eyes conveying a message, urging her to tell Aurel it was all a misunderstanding.

"Ah, Miss Aurel, the Marchioness did not say you look stupid!" Beth hastened to clarify, seeing Mikael's intent. Beth looked back to Mikael again, waiting for his other word. "Eh, erm."

Mikael took this opportunity to demonstrate his genuine intent to help and teach Aurel, deciding to show her how it was done.

With practiced grace, he initiated a curtsy, a gesture that appeared as natural as breathing. His movements flowed seamlessly, a testament to the countless times he had done this gesture alongside his twin sister, Mikayla, who often insisted he play make-believe and be her little lady friend at their playful tea parties.

Gently, Mikael gathered the soft fabric of his dress in his hands, allowing it to cascade elegantly between his fingers. His upper body leaned forward slightly, maintaining a straight posture as if an invisible string tugged at his spine, making him glide into a poised stance.

He executed the curtsy with a flourish, one foot gracefully crossing behind the other, the heel of his leading foot hovering just above the floor. His knees bent, forming a perfect right angle as he lowered himself.

Afterward, Mikael extended a courteous hand toward Aurel, inviting her to mimic the gesture. However, at first, Aurel seemed puzzled and could not understand his instructions.

"Miss, my lady wanted you to copy what she did," Beth explained, trying to bridge the gap in understanding.

Aurel then nodded, slightly unsure. "Um, okay."

She began to try and replicate Mikael's movements with a mental image of a dress, even though she was dressed in pants.

But as Aurel made the attempt, Mikael couldn't help but notice the persistent stiffness in her shoulders. He approached her gently, causing her to flinch slightly as she felt his hands on her shoulders. 

Mikael applied light pressure and guided her shoulders down and back ever so slightly, helping her achieve a more poised posture with her chest proudly forward.

'Ah, my posture,' Aurel thought. 'She's teaching me.'

Aurel instantly recognized the intent behind Mikael's actions, realizing he was offering her guidance to improve her posture. Her eyes sparkled as they met Mikael's once more, and she saw a pair of captivating eyes adorned with white eyelashes.

Mikael rewarded her with an approving smile and a nod, signifying his satisfaction with her enhanced posture. Aurel took it as a symbol of approval.

Returning to her composure, Aurel bashfully uttered, "Th, Thank you, Marchioness."

Mikael decided to pass on a message to Beth in a hushed tone, which Beth then relayed to Aurel, "My lady said you don't need to be too formal, as you are now family."

Aurel couldn't contain her joy, and her face lit up with excitement. Without hesitation, she enveloped Mikael in a warm and heartfelt hug. Despite their noticeable height difference, she leaped into his arms, happily exclaiming, "Sis-in-law!"

"Hk!"

Mikael let out a slight gasp as Aurel's enthusiasm almost crushed the breath out of him. She might have been a young lady, seemingly a couple of years younger than him, but her build was different, slightly... bigger.

A sense of self-consciousness washed over Mikael, for despite being an alpha, he couldn't ignore the undeniable contrast in their physique. His frame, he noticed, was somewhat petite in comparison to Aurel's, and that contrast sparked a flicker of insecurity, a tiny dent in his pride.

'…But she's not as bad as I thought.'

Her warm embrace and the authentic excitement shining in her eyes started to erode the walls he had built around his heart.