Chapter Two: The Banishment of Leah: I
Crazy are the people that often trespass the thresholds of social or ethical conventions. I wear the word on my sleeve. Among your exotic chess pieces, I am the Joker standing between the lines. Your predictable pieces are slaves of those very same conventions. So your attention is all on me, right?
- The Plays of Katherine, The Free: Vol I
Chapter Two: The Banishment of Leah: I
"Miss! You shouldn't be here!" The brown-haired maid that brought me dining cushions yells in my ear. Her name is Marie. Round, brown eyes stare at me with concern but I simply continue to dangle my legs off the dining table.
"There is still time until the breakfast arrives." I assure the girl but her lips furrow further. She's almost pouting. How cute.
"Miss. That is not the issue here. You could hurt yourself." The concern is appreciated but the vagrant inside me has yet to get her fill. The cold, hard table is the perfect place to sit. I'm tired of cushions.
"I will not hurt myself." That is the truth. The tabletop would require another hundred years of training to try and hurt me. That and a pair of limbs of course.
The child's pout grows larger, and I can't help but smile at her face. "How was your day today?" The question catches her by surprise. She's frozen like a deer caught in headlights or whatever the equivalent is in this world. I can see the cogs turning in her brain as she tries to put together an answer.
"I worked the laundry in the morning, then the mansion's east side for sweeping and now, I'm serving the young miss." Her tone is nervous, and she's stated her current task as well. I chuckle at her antics.
"You can relax, Marie." The girl's eyes widen, and she immediately bows to apologize. "I'm sorry if my service isn't up to the mark."
I try to stifle my budding laughter. "I'm a 3-year-old, Marie. The worst I can punish you with is a timeout." The joke is too much for me to handle and I let slip, a small chuckle.
Her face contorts in pure confusion because the word 'timeout' doesn't hold much meaning here. "What's that? Does it hurt?" Her cheeks puff up in worry and her small mouth has turned even smaller. She's quite lean for someone her age, I think.
"How old are you, Marie?" I ask her thoughtfully. The girl straightens up and answers, "I'll turn 15 this year, Miss." There's a hint of worry in her eyes that I can't decipher. But such personal topics can wait.
I prop down from the table in a nimble form and the girl nearly screams. Her childish squawk of surprise resounds through the room as the chef bursts in.
A brunette chef with strong arms and a broad figure walks through the door. Her jaw is chiseled to the chin but broad over her cheeks. I feel the awkward vibe as I watch her walk forward wearing a chef's dress and an apron, while pushing the dinner cart forward.
She nods respectfully at me, but I can see the gesture only penetrate surface level. Quickly, she starts serving me the food. A variety of different meat and salads begin filling my plate and I spot Marie take a gentle step back.
I wish I could just ask Marie to have dinner with me. But that would go against a lot of rules and customs and then, I'd have a grim appointment with Sir Florian or one of my brothers. The mere thought irks me, so I rest my dilemma.
The chef nods in my direction once more and takes her leave. I smile at Marie before Leah barges into the dining room. "You're still not done?" She questions loudly with irritation. I stare at her blankly and reply, "The food just arrived. Settle your horses, Leah."
The woman sighs in resignation before falling in step with Marie. I am worried she'll bully the child, so I begin stuffing food down my gullet. I hope I don't choke.
---
Three months have passed since my reincarnation. I'm sprawled on a soft blanket of grass in the mansion's garden. My back rests against the hard trunk of a lone fig tree. The uneven surface is biting into my back, but I try to focus on the patch of chrysanthemums by the tree's side.
I gently caress a single flower between my fingers. The silky flower petals flow past my digits giving way to the softer stamen.
Birds chirp over my head and their lively calls meld with the constant stir of nearby critters. I believe the symphony I hear is classified by most as an irritant. But I differ from such opinions. I have lived lives with little to no company. Thus, I've come to find solace in the smallest of companions.
A gentle breeze rustles through the leaves and plants a kiss on my cheek. I feel a slow calm spreading through my muscles and I sigh. This particular spot of the mansion's garden is peculiarly unvisited. A perfectly quaint circular ground, surrounded by a variety of flowering shrubbery and a stout fig tree. I can spot the small buds of forsythia, hydrangea and daphne peeking through the small leaves.
The scenery is bathed by the bright summer sun arching high up in a crystal-clear sky. I slide back with a wince as the bark scrapes my soft skin. Nevertheless, the newer angle is much comfortable than before.
The Duke's mansion is easily visible from here and creates an elegant sight between the flowers and the blue sky. Studded with jade stones, windowpanes made of white, pristine marbles and a brown tiled, sloping roof, the mansion is worthy as the residence of the Duke. There are four chimneys constructed atop the roof.
I don't have a bath adjoint my room so I can only imagine that Liliana is taking a bath as I watch the slow puffs of smoke rise from one of the chimneys. The billows of smoke rise into the sky and the sight of the clear blue expanse fills me with content. A bright, warm day is perfect for a little outing. Now, if only I were alone.
Behind the fig tree, is a large thicket of rose plants that hides the adjoining path from this one. That adjoining path lies at the edge of the garden and coincidentally, the edge of the Duke's vast property. A heavy metal gate besets the garden behind me though I'm not very keen on seeing the black metal grate.
I simply want to bask in the warm sun, surrounded by the serenity of nature.
So, when footsteps echo through the back path, I sigh in resignation at my luck. The footsteps are shifty and stealthy as they settle behind the tree's trunk. Hopefully, they are a knight on patrol rounds.
Though, a second, heavier set of footsteps arrive and dash my hopes. The two stop near each other and shuffle lightly. I'm afraid I'll be eavesdropping on a clandestine meet.
"You're late!" A gruff male voice complains. A loud shuffle echoes before a female voice hisses back, "Quietly!"
The man scoffs, "Who do you think would be around this tip of the property." I think they greatly underestimate the scenery at this section to imply none would ever visit. The female though quickly shoots back, "We don't know who could be listening."
The woman inhales loudly and says, "I wasn't late. The Duke's brat woke up late for breakfast. I was held back to prepare a fresh serving for her." Her tone is poisonous. Leah's ability to tell the truth is seriously lacking, it seems because I have been awake since the break of dawn.
"Never mind that. What's the update on the envelope?" The man demands. Typical. The female shifts nervously, or so I imagine and answers, "I couldn't find it. Even her maid couldn't find it."
Well, in my defence, Duke Florian did tell me to keep it safe. As for Leah, I don't think she'd be able to find a stack of hay beside a needle. She is barely able to spot me in a room that she often frequents. I think this woman should reconsider her choices of partners in crime.
"How hard can it be? She's three!" The man sounds ridiculous, but his point stands valid. If it were a normal 3-year-old, that is. With the way I've hidden it, Leah couldn't even dream of finding it.
"I don't know alright. And I can't even confirm if she still has it. Maybe the Duke took it back. Who hands the Mansion's schematic to his 3-year-old daughter simply because she lost her way." That sentence sums up the man that is, Duke Florian.
The hidden man's breath turns heavy with anxiety. "I don't care. We're in this together and we need to give some results. Our infiltration into the Duke's household took a lot longer than expected. The mistress expects results soon." There is an urgency to the man's voice. Ah, there's a mistress as well. The mystery furthers.
"If you don't have the envelope by the next weekend, we'll be held answerable." A grim silence settles between the three of us. This must mark the end of the clandestine meeting.
"The brat's maid will be able to find it." The woman assures herself with a light murmur. You're putting your confidence in a woman that has yet to find the pouch of allowance granted to me by the Duke. It's been three months since then.
The man sighs gruffly and replies, "Okay. Let's meet after you've secured the objective."
I can only imagine that the woman nodded in compliance because after a brief pause the two disband.
I think I'm privy to treasonous knowledge. I wonder what my next step should be.
---
"Really! You'd attend the coming of age ceremony?!" Marie's yell of triumph stings my ear. I turn to her in annoyance but the unfettered glee on her face makes me rethink my gesture. It wouldn't be in my best interest to antagonize someone who handles most of my activities.
"Yes." I answer and the girl lightly squeals. I think I may have just signed my soul to a Demon. Marie instantly closes the respectful gap between us and appears in front of my face. "We need to do so many things, Miss!" Her cheerful face is already giving way to the workaholic maid I'm familiar with.
I shiver as a familiar dread creeps up my spine. She wouldn't be talking about… "We need to try you out in different dresses, makeup, accessories, jewelries to see which match the best. Then, we'd also need to ask your sister…" I turn my focus away from the child's incessant ramblings. I can hear her chatter in the background.
The dressing room mirror is shiny, I notice. The sunlight glints off the mirror which has yet to lose its inherent luster. I tuck the lock of astray blonde hair back behind my ear.
My cheeks have now filled in to give my jaw a lean shape. There's a tender, innocent flush to my lips and the pale monotone of my skin is slowly gaining a hint of life.
The reflection staring back appears beautiful. Lumina could've grown up to become a pop idol. I stare blankly at the cerulean eyes. Would those sapphiric orbs look at me with resentment? Maybe content? Or would they simply pity my situation?
"Miss? Are you even listening?" Marie's call wakes me from my reverie. I hum thoughtfully in affirmation.
The child has stepped back to our respectful gap, and I feel content once more. She's staring at me with a pause. "Miss? If I may ask?" Her question catches me by surprise. This child has never asked my permission before. Should I be worried? Or simply happy in the revelation that the child is finally learning some etiquettes.
I nod with apprehension, and she asks, "What happened to Miss Leah?"
The mention of Leah makes my smile slightly broader. "What do you mean? She's imprisoned of course." I state with non-chalant innocence. The slight gasp of surprise emanating from the child is unsurprising. "Did she really do it?" Ah, a question as old as time.
I caress the polished mahogany wood of the dresser while displaying a wisp of nostalgia and guilt. "I don't know, Marie." My slight pause of emphasis is intentional. The child's brown eyes droop slightly. Sympathy oozes from her being as she glances down at me.
I take my hand off the warm wood and smile. Marie thinks that I have known Leah for my very short, but full life. Having her taken away from me because of her heinous crime must be a very pitiful scenario in her thoughts.
"I apologize, Miss. I couldn't imagine what you are going through." She tries to somberly placate me. "It doesn't matter much to me, Marie." I answer blankly but the girl's worries carry on.
"I am really thankful that Miss chose me as her personal maid." Her words are heavy and sincere. I chuckle lightly at her sentimental response and answer, "I wouldn't change it." Marie breathes a sigh of relief and smiles at me. "I thought I had given you a bad impression when you first met me." She admits.
Ah, the dining cushion incident. There isn't much thought there, Marie. It would indeed have been a bad impression to anyone but me. In your clumsiness, I could see your nervousness, effort and above all, an air of trustworthiness. As sweat gleamed down your neck, I had chosen my new maid.
The only obstacle that remained was that of my then current maid. A funny incident, that one is. I turn to Marie and thank her for her efforts. "You may take your leave, Marie." I nod at her.
The girl smiles brightly and curtsies. Her awkward posture is easily fixable, but I don't mind. She straightens up and moves to leave the room. I turn back to the dresser in newfound silence and gaze at the reflection. Lumina's face is slowly losing the unfettering innocence it once possessed.
I wonder how Leah is faring.
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