Louise Flyer: The Price of Pride - Part 4

The sky was already dark as Louise made her way home. The wind blew gently through her long, red hair. She could hear the sound of owls in the distance, hiding from the cold. Finn had been with her just moments ago, but they had parted ways a few blocks back. There were still people on the streets, whether soldiers or civilians. They were in bars, celebrating loudly, probably for a reason Louise would find ridiculous.

As she walked through this part of town, Louise finally arrived at her home, a large and extravagant mansion in the center of the city. It was without a doubt the largest "house" there. Her parents were probably the wealthiest in Forthen.

A large metal gate stood in front of her, and behind it was a man, an elderly gentleman to be precise. He was dressed in his typical butler's attire, a graying man with an exceptional posture. His elegance was evident even in the smallest details of his traditional glasses. Maintaining his composure, he said:

"Miss, I believe I have already warned you about arriving at this time..."

"Why don't we skip that part? Are you going to let me in or not?" Louise interrupted, crossing her arms and exuding dominance. The butler, Yuval Sarh, sighed heavily, his posture and elegance matching his exasperation. For a moment, he looked like he was about to give up before reluctantly opening the large metal gate.

As the girl with extravagant clothes and long red hair, and eyes as blue as the sky, passed through the gate, it was undeniable that she had a natural elegance. "What a waste," thought Yuval, watching her questionable behavior.

Yuval was the head butler of the Fyer family's main house. Closing the gate, he accompanied Louise towards the entrance, reminding her to avoid arriving at that hour.

"I'm sure it's not your concern," Louise replied dismissively.

"Taking care of you is part of my job, Miss. If you keep this up, we may have to call the guards," Yuval warned.

"Unnecessary," Louise retorted. "If I disappear, there's no need to call anyone to look for me."

"But, Miss..." Yuval tried to protest, but he knew that it was unlikely that anything would happen to the young lady. This was a region where crime was nearly non-existent. Even a child wandering the streets at night would be unlikely to face any danger. Soldiers patrolled the city several times a day. Even if something were to happen, someone would surely hear a cry for help. However, as an employee - no, as a just person - Yuval could not allow himself to be so careless. It would be unbecoming. But Louise didn't see it that way.

"If I don't return for a day or two, I'll probably be in the library. There's no need to worry about something like that," she said nonchalantly.

Yuval couldn't help but shake his head, but he continued to escort her towards the entrance of the mansion.

As much as the only danger in this region was the barrier, Louise, with such intelligence, would not even come close. Even though she had a somewhat complicated personality, she would not dare to do so, Yuval thought. So, really, what she said was not wrong in this sense... But...

"I apologize, Miss, but I can't help but be bothered by your disappearance."

"'Disappearance' is too strong of a word. I will always be somewhere in the library."

"..."

"Meaning, tomorrow I plan to take advantage of the few days I'll be able to have peace in the library. I don't know if I'll arrive late or take more than a day. Don't look for me and don't interrupt me."

Lowering his head after disguising a sigh, Yuval simply nodded as he opened the entrance door for the little lady who was already yawning. There was no more point in arguing with her. Although naturally an elegant person, Louise was still a child. His job as a butler was to ensure that this did not follow her into adulthood.