6 Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"This should be the place…"

It was around four in the afternoon and I was wandering around the gardens outside the ballroom in seach of the meeting place the Young Master mentioned earlier this morning.

"Oh, a visitor!"

"Noooo! I don't want another mess like the last time!"

"Let's scare her away!"

…Eh? I seem to hear ominous mumblings from beneath the bushes…

"I'm sorry if I seemed to have offended you, but I meant no harm. I'm new here. My name is Lily."

I flashed the most harmless, most innocent, most angelic smile I could muster to the group of crouching gnomes by the bushes.

Gnomes are earth-dwelling fairies that you can find almost everywhere except near the coasts or bodies of water. They are usually harmless, and, like brownies, sometimes live near human dwellings and perform well-meaning gardening work for their unsuspecting human neighbors in exchange for some trinkets the humans "left" for them, usually by the windowsills. Sometimes though, they get angered, especially if one was too careless to bring harm to their handiwork or the plants they are taking care of.

This group of gnomes crouching by the bushes seem young though. Most of the gnomes I encountered before during my trips with my father in the forest where friendly white-haired old men who looked and act like a diminutive Santa Claus. Is the trend nowadays among the younger gnomes to preemptively scare away innocent passersby?

"AAHH!! Sh-sh-she's speaking to us!"

"A-a-a woman is speaking to us!"

"I can die without regrets~~"

I seem to have heard something strange...

With my smile going stiff, I questioned the group. Apparently, they were the apprentices of the gnome Patriarch who originally had a contract with the Second Marquis to be the guardians and caretakers of the garden. However, for several generations now, the Marquises of Sever have lost their ability to see the fae and so the old contract have been forgotten, by the humans, at least. But the old gnome Patriarch seem to owe the Second Marquis a lot and so still abide by the contract. This silent and one-sided relationship seemed to work just fine until the current Marquis brought home a wife.

Aaaah, why is it Lady Bernadette again?! She sure have a knack of angering fairies around her.

Apparently, the Marchioness, during her first few years here, was fond of hosting garden parties and inviting the high society. Having parties were fine, but she wanted to remodel the gardens for every party just to suit a theme she is currently on. That put her at odds with the local fae who lived in the garden and were disturbed by the constant renovations the Marchioness ordered. Of course none of the human dwellers in the manor can see nor communicate with the fae, and so, the dispute grew. It became so bad that it escalated to rather severe casualties on the parts of the humans. The current Marquis, Lord Rudolf, seemed to sense that they have somehow angered the fae, ordered all human activities to cease in the gardens and leave the grounds be. And so, this leaves us to the current situation - humans are off-limits to the gardens.

"But Young Master Rufus told me to meet him here," I wondered.

Was it a prank? Does he actually hate me?

"He must be talking about the horse stable over yonder, on the other side of that hillock." One of the gnomes, Aragonite, pointed in the direction to the other side of the ballroom.

"We never hurt those who carry the Sever blood" Another of the group, Dolomite, added.

"Sniff, sniff... hmm.. you also carry the Sever blood, but it's quite weak. No, there is another scent that overpowers that of the Sever blood."

I discreetly moved away from the perv- er, the youngest of the three, Calcite.

"Come to think of it, that scent is somehow familiar"

"That must be the Crowes. I am the daughter of Christopher Crowe, the Liaison to the Fae"

'Liaison to the Fae' is the unofficial title of my father in the Magician's Guild and his most known title among the Fae. By the way, he is also called 'That Reckless Human', 'The Fae that Got Accidentally Born as a Human,' 'Wine Fairy,' and 'Human Windstorm', among others...

"Crowe... then you are a descendant of Libra?" An older, gruff voice came from behind us.

"Patriarch!"

"We respectfully greet the patriarch."

The three younger gnomes bowed respectfully towards the old white-haired gnome shuffling towards us with his walking stick. He has an old, wrinkly face, and his eyes... there was an opaque whitish sheen over the pupils of his eyes, much like a cataract.

"Hmm... indeed, this nostalgic scent. It has been what, a couple of hundred years? Since that rascal has come here like a windstorm and upended our family and changed the way we lived hereafter."

Libra... this is the first time I have met someone who personally knew my great grandfather. Libra was the great naturalist who traveled across the different realms and wrote the series of books about the fae. My father kept his personal diaries and travel journals back at the cabin as reference when dealing with the fae.

"Come, child, let me see you" The old Patriarch reached out his wrinkly hands towards my face "You do not seem to look like Libra" he said with a frown.

I'm sorry, I am told I resemble my mother's side more.

"Ah, but your features reminds me of someone else. Simoun? Simoun Nieve. What are you to him?"

"My mother's maiden name is Susannah Nieve. Simoun is my ancestor from the mother's side."

"Oh, I see. How wonderful! Simoun and Libra! You have quite a legacy, young lady! I can feel Simoun's pretty face on you, and with Libra's mischievous and enchanting eyes, I presume. Ah, if only I were a few centuries younger..."

"..."

Our meeting was cut short by the arrival of Rufus, who came by looking for me. It was the first time I saw him without his usual icy calmness. I can actually see him heave a huge sigh of relief when he saw me in the garden unscathed...

"Don't go in the gardens by yourself. There had been accidents in there and the land is unstable."

Rufus lectured me as we are going towards the stables. I discreetly waved goodbye to the old Patriarch (he insisted I call him Jasper) promising to come visit again while the three young gnomes walked behind us.

"Don't worry, we won't harm a pretty girl such as you!"

"That's right. You are our Patriarch's darling girl!"

"And you are also our darling girl~"

Perhaps, I should listen to Rufus this time. A different kind of harm might befall me~