Meet your new sister
Elaine watched as the scenery changed from a crowded city to an empty road on a hill which led straight to the duke's manor. She gaped up at the cement wall and tall metal gate. The coachman gave a signal and two knights pulled the gate open. The carriage went through a garden filled with different plants that Elaine had never seen before. She was amazed at the size of his house and its architecture. It was out of league compared to the baron's manor and this was going to be her home. She still couldn't believe it. The carriage stopped right in front of the house and she saw people waiting at the front.
Two young children stood at the front and the servants stood behind them. The younger boy had hazel brown hair and green turquoise eyes. He held onto his brother's shirt as he sucked his thumb. Elaine was surprised to see they had the same eye colour. Then the older brother had golden brown hair and ice blue eyes. He stood still waiting for his grandfather to come out.
"Are you excited to see your grandfather, young lord Jared?" asked the head butler Heinrich. "You haven't seen him for almost a month now."
"I am the next heir to the duchy," Jared said. "Such things shouldn't be of concern to me."
The head butler smiled. He is only six years old and is already thinking about his duties as the next heir. His parents had died a year ago so it must have been really tough for him and yet he is putting up a strong front. The butler wished Jared would let himself be a child.
"...But of course I missed him." Jared mumbled, a blush forming on his chubby cheeks. His younger brother nodded his head as if affirming that he missed the Duke too.
The door to the carriage was opened by a footman. Elaine hesitated to go out, so the Duke went out first. She hid inside the carriage, only poking her head out a little. She was feeling shy and nervous to finally meet his family. Both boys lit up when they saw their grandfather get out. Jared felt all giddy, but he stood still to follow proper etiquette.
"Jared, Dezmond!" The Duke said happily. "How big you've grown. I missed you so much."
"Welcome home, gr-," Jared was just so happy to see his grandfather, he almost broke etiquette. He stopped and corrected himself. He cleared his throat. "Welcome home, Duke Elsher."
"Welcome back, Duke Elsher." Said the servants after him as they bowed.
"Up! Up!" Demanded Dezmond with his arms raised. He closed and opened his fingers repeatedly.
"Dezmond," Jared scolded him. "You should act properly in front of the Duke."
"It's alright, Jared." Said the Duke as he chuckled.
The Duke gladly picked him up and carried him in his arms. Dezmond went back to sucking his thumb. Jared pouted so the Duke petted him on the head.
"I can see you've been doing well on your studies."
Jared was happy to be complimented by his grandfather. He tried to hide his smile, but failed to do so. He opened his mouth to tell the Duke about how the teacher had also praised him, but the Duke spoke first.
"There's someone I'd like to introduce to you both," He said. He turned around to face the carriage with its door still opened. "You can come out now."
Jared and Dezmond were confused and peered into the carriage, waiting for someone to come out, but no one did. The Duke put Dezmond down beside Jared.
"Wait here," he said as he walked towards the carriage. Dezmond held his brother's hand.
The Duke peered into the carriage to find Elaine hiding by the door. She looked up at him with pitiful eyes.
"What's wrong?" asked the Duke. He found even this very adorable.
"W-What if they don't like me," she whispered back. She crumpled her dress between her hands and looked down.
"You don't have to worry about that." He smiled at her. "Come on."
He held out his hand and Elaine took it. He pulled her out of the carriage and she came into sight. She kept her head down, not wanting to make any eye contact. Jared was so shocked to see her, he didn't know what to say. But there were so many questions in his head, he had no idea how to ask them. Dezmond was only confused, not knowing what was going on.
"Boys, please greet your new sister, Elaine." He then looked at Elaine and said, "You should introduce yourself too."
Elaine slowly lifted her head to look up. The first thing Jared noticed were her eyes and he didn't realize that he squeezed Dezmond's hand to the point that Dezmond complained. He forcefully pulled his hand away.
"H-Hello," Elaine stuttered and squeezed her skirt tighter. "M-My name's E-Elaine."
Jared looked back and forth between his grandfather and Elaine, as if asking an explanation from the Duke just who that girl was. He couldn't believe what was happening, but he had a grasp to it. That girl was not really his sister, but someone the Duke found and decided to take in. He was upset that his grandfather didn't tell him about it beforehand. Before he could retaliate, the duke's aide who had been taking care of the duke's work while he was away showed up.
"Your Grace!" He shouted. He had dark bags beneath his eyes which indicated his fatigue. He held some documents in his arms as he rushed towards the Duke. "Your presence is urgently required."
"Hmm, alright," said the Duke. "I'll be right there."
The aide looked relieved and bowed. The Duke had finally returned and he could finally get some rest. He sluggishly went back into the manor. The Duke faced the children and crouched down.
"Unfortunately, I have some things to take care of," He said then looked over to Jared. "I trust that you'll treat her well?"
Jared wanted to spend more time with his grandfather, but now he had to go. On top of that, he had to watch out for the girl the Duke had brought home. He didn't want to accept it. To him, she felt like an intruder to his family and that she didn't deserve to be a part of the family either. However, he didn't want to disappoint his grandfather.
"Yes, your Grace." He unwillingly obeyed the request while pouting.
The Duke stood up to go. Elaine still felt uncomfortable around people other than the Duke, mostly people she didn't know. She didn't want the Duke to leave her alone, but she didn't want to cause him trouble either. Before he left he petted both Elaine and Jared on the head.
"I hope you both get along well," He said. "I'll be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, you could show Elaine around the house."
All three children watched as the Duke entered the manor and all the other servants follow him. They immediately went back to doing their duties. Dezmond yawned and his nanny picked him up. It was time for him to take a nap, since he had already eaten. She excused herself and left. Now, only the head butler and a few other servants, Elaine and Jared were left outside.
"Young lord, I suggest to take her around the garden since the weather is very nice today," Heinrich said.
"Very well," replied Jared trying to sound mature. He headed for the garden and gestured Elaine to follow. "Come on."
Elaine followed closely behind him and the head butler ordered for two servants to keep an eye on them with a bit of a distance. They walked around the garden in silence. Elaine's eyes sparkled with interest at every plant she saw and the fountains and statues left her mouth agape. Jared noticed this.
"Do you find them so interesting?" He asked.
"T-They are very pretty," Elaine replied as she nodded.
"Well I see them everyday to the point that they're nothing special to me anymore," he said while smirking.
"Wow," Elaine's eyes sparkled. "Y-You're very lucky."
Jared blushed, feeling shy with the way she looked at him. He also didn't expect such a reply and was a bit taken aback. He wanted to make her feel bad, but it wasn't going his way at all. He crossed his arms and looked away. He walked away in a faster pace and Elaine struggled to keep up. Jared noticed this and somehow felt annoyed. She was so weak and never complained. It just annoyed him. He abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"Where are your parents?" He asked her.
He frowned. He wanted her parents to take her back as soon as possible. They should be the ones taking care of her anyways and not his grandfather. Elaine looked down and crumpled her skirt.
"T-They're gone," she replied with a bitter smile on her face.
This eased his anger in a blink of an eye. He knew how it feels to lose ones parents and made him feel bad about his actions. He wanted to apologise, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He believed there was no need to apologise for such trivial things. Then he remembered the Duke telling him to treat her well and hoped he didn't make her cry.
"W-Well I lost my parents too," he said nervously. "But I'm not going around stealing someone else's family."
Elaine's lips became a flat line as she looked up at him to meet his eyes. She didn't think of it that way at all. She just wanted to have a happy family again. She didn't want to steal his grandfather from him. But then she thought, what if she really was stealing what is truly theirs?
"I mean, grandfather probably just decided to take you because you have the same eyes as grandmother," he continued. "You look different otherwise."
He let out a small puff of air through his nose. He had a smug smile on his face as he hid the slight jealousy he felt inside. He knew he shouldn't be saying these things, but his mouth just wouldn't stop talking.
"But that doesn't mean you are a part of our family. You were just lucky to have those eyes and if you didn't have them, grandfather would have probably not taken you with him."
Elaine was shocked beyond words. What he said was right in so many ways, she had nothing to say back at him. She looked down and her dark brown hair slid off her shoulders. Her arms came into sight which had a darker shade than their lighter skin tone. But she herself knew this already. She was never really a part of his family, not even in the future. She was and will stay a girl who was just taken in by the Duke. Just like the knight had said that evening. It was just luck that led her to the Duke. However, this only motivated her to work harder for gratitude.
"I know," she said. She smiled at him even when she was close to tears. "I'll do my best to pay back grandpa."
Jared decided he didn't like her at all. She didn't fight back and only accepted the mean things he had said to her. She was weak, and he didn't like people who were weak.
"Hmpf!"
He stormed off to go back into the manor. He didn't feel like spending another moment with her. One maid rushed after him and the other stayed with Elaine, apologising for Jared's behaviour. Elaine just kept smiling, trying to hide her feelings behind it. The maid led her into the manor.