Chapter 10: Greeting the Inlaws

Tilda was walking with the two other maids when they spotted the knights training in the field. Bess stopped and sighed out the window. She always wore her sandy blonde hair down around her shoulders. She said it made her look more desirable but none of the other maids in the castle agreed. They all thought she was being vain.

She said, "They are so attractive."

Deborah was the mature one of the group. As she looked down at the hard working knights she said, "Did you hear? Kevler and Morc are both fighting for a promotion."

Bess said, "I hope Kevler gets it. I sooo get lost in his eyes."

Deborah said, "But Morc's the better soldier."

Tilda joined her companions near the window. She asked, "Those are the two with dark hair, right?" She was still getting to know everyone in the castle, but the knights were people the maids took extra care in knowing and discussing.

Deborah clarified, "Kevler has the dark hair. Morc is the tan one with big muscles."

Tilda thought this was a good moment to capitalize on information. She asked, "What's up with that Sir Felux guy?" She spotted him at the head of the group, leading the training.

Deborah said, "Haven't you met him? That man is an angel."

Bess sighed deeply and said, "He's so kind, and sweet, and funny, and considerate. It helps that he's foreign."

Tilda smirked, "I was right. He is foreign."

Deborah said, "His accent makes it obvious. He's originally from the Central Provinces of Galtrum."

Tilda glanced at Bess, who was googly over the knights, and asked, "So everyone is in love with him?"

Bess said, "How could we not be? He's everything a woman would want."

Tilda leaned against the wall and said, "He sounds like a flirt."

"Sir Felux?" Bess said, "Not at all!"

Deborah said, "I don't think the word female has ever crossed his mind."

Tilda asked, "Why's that?"

Deborah explained, "He's so nice to everyone and he never shows anyone special attention. Nobody has ever even heard him talk about a girl before."

Bess lowered her voice and said, "I think he has a secret girlfriend in his home country that he writes to."

Debora said, "I think he's in love with Lord Delrik. His devotion is so unnatural and those two have an extraordinarily close relationship."

Bess said, "The mystery is part of the attraction."

"Does he often give gifts to people?" Tilda asked.

Bess said, "Not that I know of."

Deborah said, "I recall a time he once bought medicine when one of the maids was sick, but I don't really think that counts as a 'gift'. Why?"

Tilda's fingers ran over the beads on her bracelet. It was becoming more and more plausible that he considered her special, especially if he had picked out a gift specifically for her.

"Just curious," she said.

Judging by their claims about Felux, his individual attention was rare, which made Tilda value it even more.

༻✧༺

The castle was prepared for the arrival of the guests: The Baxarte household.

Delrik stood in his place near the interior entrance with Felux by his side. To his left stood Cosaria with Tilda supporting her from a few feet behind.

Felux had glimpsed the beaded bracelet on Tilda's hand and he had to keep himself from smiling.

After a few seconds, a carriage sauntered its way through the main gate and into the courtyard. Then they came plowing out.

Lord and Lady Baxarte led the charge with Cosaria's siblings, Melodia and Brutis, following in the rear. They looked as frilly and fake as Tilda remembered them to be. Maybe more so now that she'd had a taste of what authentic people act like.

"Lord Arquix," Lord Baxarte bowed towards Delrik, "Greetings, I look forward to the combining of our families."

Melodia addressed Cosaria, "Oh dear sister, I've missed you."

She advanced towards Cosaria with arms held out wide for a hug but Cosaria flinched away.

Melodia's lip curled up in an angry frown as she stole a glance in Delrik's direction. He didn't seem to notice. She focused back on Cosaria.

"What," Melodia asked, "No hug for your dearest sister?" She wanted Delrik to notice how rudely Cosaria was treating her.

Cosaria's breathing was beginning to increase rapidly and her body was tense, like a rabbit about to sprint for its life from ravenous wolves.

Tilda moved to address Delrik saying, "Excuse me Lord Delrik, but Lady Cosaria is feeling unwell. She needs to retire."

Delrik could sense the uneasiness emanating from Cosaria. He said, "I see. Yes. You may go."

Lord Baxarte took a step forward and smiled at Cosaria with yellowing teeth. He said, "Cosaria darling. You're not going to leave us like this are you? Rude girl."

"Baxarte," Delrik left out his title on purpose. "Does your daughter's health mean anything to you? Can't you see she is not feeling well?"

Tilda had already started escorting Cosaria away. Cosaria leaned on Tilda, sure she would pass out at any moment.

Lord Baxarte stumbled, "Pwa, uh, well, yes. Of course."

Delrik turned with a flourish of his cloak and walked away, Felux following at his heels.

Melodia turned to Brutis and with venom between her teeth said, "That maid. When did she get so brazen?"

༻✧༺

Delrik had brought the Baxarte family into his study to fully examine them. He was curious how such vile people could produce an angel like Cosaria.

Lord Baxarte had already made himself comfortable on one of the lounging chairs with his wife by his side. Melodia and Brutis were pretending to admire the books on the shelves. In truth, they could care less about things like reading and 'knowledge'. As Felux stood at attention to his side, Delrik sat at his desk at the head of the room, a statement clearly expressing who was in control of the situation.

Lord Baxarte spoke to Delrik as if he had some swaying power, saying, "Now that I'll be your father-in-law I'm sure you agree that it is only right for us to share closer ties. Don't you agree, Lord Delrik?"

Delrik began to laugh. This man was truly one of the most absurd he'd ever met. 

The family all exchanged glances then joined in the laugh, pretending they all knew the punchline of some funny joke.

Delrik immediately stopped laughing. He found the sound of donkeys braying annoying.

The Baxartes stopped.

Delrik said, "You are ridiculous. I may be marrying your daughter but I will be sharing no ties with the lot of you. You see, your presence here is merely a formality. After the wedding, I don't want to see any of you on my lands again."

Lady Baxarte broke into squealish hysterics, crying, "Are you meaning to say that you're going to bar me from seeing my precious child? You'll deny a mother her right?"

Delrik found a piece of lint on his desk. It intrigued him more than Lady Baxarte's question did. As he held up the lint, he said, "If I was informed correctly, Cosaria is not your child, is she Lady Baxarte?" He flicked it towards the Lady then said, "I'm sure there will be no feeling lost. From any of you. You are all excused."

"You arrogant dolt!" Brutis charged at Duke Delrik.

"Brutis!" Melodia cried.

Brutis halted as a sword was held at his throat. The wielder was Felux, whose eyes were shadowed over with a glint of murderous red.

Delrik said, "Stand down Sir Felux."

Felux lowered the sword but still clutched it tightly. He said, "That's an attempt at assaulting you, yer grace. Shall I arrest him?"

Delrik looked bored. He said, "No. His attempt was too pathetic to even call it an assault."

Brutis grinded his teeth while staring intensely at the floor.

Delrik tapped the desk then said, "I recall having given an order. What was it?"

"It's that they leave, yer grace," Felux said, "Shall I fulfill yer demands?" He lifted his sword's tip to point at Lord Baxarte.

Delrik took an agonizing moment to think, then said, "Let's give them five seconds."

The Baxarte's were stunned.

"One," Delrik started.

The Baxarte's started running out of the room.

"Two. Three."

They scrambled over each other with cries of, "Get out of the way!" and "Mind your elders!"

"Four."

The door slammed shut.

"Five."

The room was empty and silent.

"Pity," Delrik said. He had gotten excited at the possibility of seeing a blood bath.

༻✧༺

In the hallway, Melodia turned to Lady Baxarte.

She asked, "What are we going to do mother?"

It was obvious there was no manipulating Duke Arquix. Lady Baxarte clenched her long nails in the palms of her hands.

She said, "Maybe he won't let us in, but he can't say no if his wife pleads for us. We are family, after all."

༻✧༺

Cosaria hid her face in her knees, curled up in fetal position on her bed.

She was whimpering, "I'm so useless. I couldn't do anything."

Tilda sat next to her, rubbing her back. She didn't know what to do for the little Lady when she was in this inconsolable state.

A knock at the door had Tilda up and answering it. Delrik waited in the hall precariously.

He said, "May I have a word with the Lady?"

Tilda let him in then moved herself to the hallway and shut the door for privacy between the two. If she couldn't help her, maybe he could?

In the hallway, Tilda noticed Felux, the ever present right-hand-man, waiting by the door.

Tilda gestured to the door, wondering why Duke Delrik decided to visit, she asked, "Did something happen?"

Felux shrugged, saying, "I came close to killing the Baxarte family..."

A long silence filled the hallway. An unsure silence. The kind of silence when you think someone in the room farted but nobody wants to acknowledge that it happened.

Unprompted, Tilda flashed Felux a vigorous thumbs-up and said, "Nice."

༻✧༺

In the room, Cosaria hid her face in her knees. Delrik found himself feeling awkward trying to address someone who looked to be hiding. He cleared his throat and said, "How is my Lady's health?"

Cosaria said, "Please my Lord. I'm so ashamed."

Delrik asked, "What have you to be ashamed of?"

Still buried in fetal position, Cosaria muffled, "I acted like such a fool. I was so rude towards your guests. I should have greeted them the way a real future Duchess would have."

Delrik moved to the window and looked down on the courtyard. He said, "And how does a Duchess treat the people who had abused her all growing up?"

Cosaria looked up for the first time. She said, "But it wasn't. I was... they were. How could you know such a thing?"

"That maid of yours has no sense of social discretion," Delrik said, remembering the time Tilda had unloaded Cosaria's backstory in her attempt to garner his help to save her life.

Cosaria said, sitting up, "Tilda told you?"

"She also told me I could put her to death for her impertinence," Delrik said. He had no qualms about killing the maid if she had done something against the Lady's wishes.

"No, please don't!" Cosaria pleaded, "She's my only friend. Even when my family ordered her to... she didn't... she believed I was worth saving."

"I see. I understand that."

Reminds me of Felux and I, Delrik thought.

He continued, "I came to ask. How would you like the circumstances regarding your relatives to proceed?"

"I don't know. What am I supposed to do?"

"Do what you want. If you want them dead, I'll order it now," Delrik said as if the task was just a simple daily errand.

"No. I don't want that."

Delrik tilted his head curiously and asked, "Then what do you want?"

Cosaria said, "They were always so mean. They hurt me. I think. I think I don't ever want to see them again."

Delrik said, "Very well."

Cosaria covered her face in her pillow and said, "But that's so terribly horrid of me." Her innocent eyes peeked out from beneath the pillow and blinded Delrik by their enigmatic purity.

Delrik took a step back to recover.

"Lady Cosaria. What?" he said once he had regained himself. "Do you understand that your desires matter?"

Cosaria held him in her gaze with those big, puppy dog eyes. He had to look away.

After clearing his throat he said, "Do whatever you want. I'll support you in whatever you choose. Good night my Lady."

Delrik bowed and exited to the hallway.

༻✧༺

In the hallway, Felux was showing Tilda a small pocket knife.

He was saying, "It was my brother's-"

Delrik burst through the door and plowed through as Felux shoved the knife away.

Delrik said, "Let's go."

"Aye," Felux said as he followed. In a quick movement, Felux turned and walked backwards while waving goodbye to Tilda. Smiling, Tilda waved and blushed. Then a satisfied Felux turned forward and walked with an extra skip in his step.

Tilda buried her embarrassed face in her hands for just a moment before she remembered Cosaria and shuffled into the room.

Tilda sat on the bed and listened as Cosaria explained, "Lord Arquix said I should just do what I want and all I want to do is reject them. But I should forgive them, not reject them."

"Forgiveness?" Tilda said, "My Lady, you can forgive someone while still protecting yourself. When I was little, my brother and I were playing and he ripped apart my toy doll. After that, I didn't let him play with my dolls anymore. I forgave him, I still played with him, but I protected myself from what he would do to my dolls."

Cosaria did not understand the moral of the story. She asked, "So what am I supposed to do?"

Tilda said, "Lord Delrik Arquix said to do what you want. So do that."

"Can I really?"

Tilda rolled her eyes as Cosaria waited for the answer with baited breath.

"Yes! Yes you can!"