Show Of Gratitude To The Family

Marquis room, Statham Estate.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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In the Marquis's room, Julius asked a slave employed to get him Lydia and she hurried to carry out the assignment.

Most of the workers in the Statham estate are slaves as Jullius loved the complete air of superiority.

A knock was heard on the wooden door of the marquis's room minutes later.

"Come inside Lydia I sent for you" he called out to her impatiently. He needed to talk to her before they stepped out

"Father" she acknowledged and then noticed as he grimaced.

She never hated her biological father more than she did at that moment for subjecting her to this.

"We are all going to the Citadel and I need to put some things in order before we depart," he said.

He stood up from behind his desk intending to sit on the couch up front.

Lydia clenched her teeth, her nerves wrecking, he looked so intimidating with his shoulders tight that she knew he was barely keeping his anger in check.

"Yes Father," she said, agreeing to his words.

"Take a seat Lydia" he ordered and without a word Lydia sat on the stool in the room, her legs barely touching the floor despite needing a lot of support from what he was about to spout.

"Lydia I have been good to you and I only wanted what was best for you when I sent you to Lord Theodore, I had thought he would take a liken to you and we could send you off but apparently you weren't good enough" Julius chastised with a click of his tongue as though it was her fault the lord hadn't kept her against her will.

"I'm sorry" she apologized, her head now hanging low not from shame but to hide her pain and slight odium.

He nodded. "Now if the emperor is to be angry with the Statham family for your attendance at the banquet" he paused. She met his eyes.

"You will have to take the fall alone because that is the little you can do for us putting up with you all these years" he said, nodding his head approving of his words.

"Father… " She wanted to apologize but he didn't give her a chance, he cut her off with a frown she knew so well.

Enough! It said.

"Do not say anything Lydia it is final now go pick your finest dress we don't know what sentence the emperor might deliver on us, so dress beautifully" he ordered without penitence and Lydia swallowed her ache.

She stood up on unsteady feet.

"Right away" Lydia replied shakily

"Lydia? This stays between us, you are a wonderful child and should be able to make the right decision but good guidance never goes in vain" She bowed in respect to his words.

"If only your father was here to see that," he told her.

He looked as cold as she had always known him but never had it been completely directed at her before.

She gave a small nod as her chin quivered.

She turned around leaving the room for her own to prepare she could borrow a dress from her sisters but she decided she was going with the last dress her father got her for the banquet of doom

She was doomed.

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Bedroom, Statham Estate.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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Georgina sat on the bed in her room as she waited for Julius, he had not come to the room directly and she was too shaken to go look for him.

They needed to talk before leaving, she mused.

Georgina is a short woman, whose beauty makes people forget about her height, the innocence in her face never left even after bearing four kids.

She is one of the noblest ladies in Critic Arley with a father who was royal from another empire and a mother who was a duchess in Critic-Izinghale but as Critic-Ishire was a newfound empire and a former kingdom, it ultimately means the kingdom had gone through wars and has gained victory. She had lost every member of her family, her house had gone down and she was now only a wife, a mother and a marchioness.

Critic Arley is now peaceful. After all, the empire had decades of war and blood in the empire which now requires the empire to be stable and peaceful because a lot of lives had been lost and they couldn't afford a new war within themselves.

What the empire needs is recreation, and she fears for the enmity between Salvatore and Theodore.

The society seems to have even forgotten the relation.

"Gina? Why are all the blinds so wide open?" Julius asked because as he stepped inside the room, he had to shield his eyes from the onslaught of the direct sunlight steaming inside, yet his wife sat unburdened.

Lost in thought.

"I… I didn't even notice" she confessed as she stood up to shut the blinds.

Julius frowned, something must be bothering her to have been so absent-minded about her surroundings and hurting her skin.

"What is wrong?" he asked softly, Gina turned to face him with distress written on her delicate face.

She could mask it but in front of Julius, she felt she could be herself and would never be judged.

His love was unconditional, he had accepted her without a second thought about her naivety, unintended betrayal or failures.

"What do you think the emperor wants?" she asked, her voice so soft it was almost trembling as she clutched her dress in her palm.

He walked closer to her and drew her into his arms gently, his chin resting on her chin while she sighed.

He was a cold and strict man to the whole of Critic-Ishire and even his house but to Georgina, he would be whatever she wanted and needed at any given moment.

"Stop worrying and let us get to the citadel first, we'd figure out something on the way there" Julius assured her.

He didn't like it when she was stressed it made him edgy and when he felt like he was not in his best mind he couldn't trust himself to make the right decision.

All of this is faulted to Lydia, he thought grimly.

If he had not wanted to get rid of her which had led him to send her to Theodore's mansion he wouldn't have attracted the emperor to himself now only Lydia could get them out of this mess he was sure.

*

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Late Afternoon.

Outside the Statham estate

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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Zachary 'The Hound' dressed in dirty brown trousers covered in a rough jacket of the same colour looked slightly homeless at first glance as he stood, but on a closer look he simply had a preference for clothing that covered his aura and made him look less dangerous and more in need of warm shelter.

The dark forest seemed to blend with him as he made his way through to the Statham estate. Far into the middle of a small dense, the estate stood proud and was oddly quiet for a place with up to six nobles.

There was no fence around it.

Mr Statham must feel safe in Critic Arley even with all his offspring being females, he thought.

Not that the fence could protect them much, he smirked.

Suddenly, a voice caught his attention.

"Whatever is happening with house Statham?" Shi'enz was outside talking to the deaf maid as she added water from a kettle to the flower pot.

"I feel awful for Lydia but what can I say maybe she wanted it, but now we are in trouble" she continued, a frown marring her face

"What do you think the emperor wants with us?" she questioned pausing to ponder on her question.

The maid didn't mutter a word not out of disrespect to Shi'enz but because she was deaf and didn't even realize her employer's daughter was talking to her.

"I reckon to punish Lydia definitely, or father?" Shi'enz continued and with a gasp, she dropped the kettle to go back inside so she could talk to Lydia maybe.

She waved the employed inside, and the girl ran inside with a bow.

The girl was useless, Shi'Enz thought.

She turned for the front door still soliloquizing.

"I need to…" her eyes met a figure hovering in the forest.

She noted he was looking at the mansion as though he owned it.

Perhaps he was looking at her? She narrowed her eyes.

"Hello?" she called out to only be met with silence.

He stood at a good distance but he was still obvious.

"Do you want something?" she inquired as she moved away from the estate.

His silence made her already warm skin prickle with unease, yet she approached. She felt like a rabbit moving into a wolf's den unless this was her house yet she couldn't turn from him.

Hound had been unable to resist the pull to stare at her when she had started talking, he hadn't noticed her until she spoke and now the urge to get closer to her overwhelmed him.

Why is she talking to a stranger? And even coming closer, stupid or compassionate? He mauled.

"Are you hungry?" she asked her voice lowering.

She was contemplating letting out a scream for her Father but as she glanced at the estate she had left behind to face the figure, he was suddenly in front of her, she gasped, stumbling back and losing her footing but he caught her.

"Hello there little one" he drawled.

Their eyes met and fear struck down her spine, his green eyes were lined with coal all around them, and he had lips chapped you'd think he had been living in dry land for ages.

"What is your name?" he asked.

His voice was smooth yet carrying a fiery edge,

Hound had not intended to come this close but she had been retreating and he had panicked making him reach her instead which he was already regretting now, her scent was addictive.

"Shi'enz" she lets out.

Her voice barely above a whisper, Hound followed the movement as she flicked her tongue over her lips.

"Shi'enz I was not hungry until you asked," he told her slowly letting her get her balance on the ground.

"I could go get you some food" she offered stepping out of his warmth and immediately missing it.

"You seem so eager to know what I wanted earlier yet now you want to leave me out here" Hound's green eyes had a speck of gold she just allowed herself to notice, it was beautiful.

She looked down. "No, I…"

"Shhh" he shushed her as he stepped into her personal space.

"Will you kill me?" she asked warily.

His eyes darkened making her think maybe running should've been her only option.

"I hate making promises" he said simply drawing her back into his arms cautiously, her skin was as smooth as her voice only it was currently heated.

"What do you want?" she asked as she closed the brown orbs that he would very much have wanted open, she felt helpless for some reason.

He tipped her head up with his index, her heart skipped a beat as she unconsciously shut her eyes when he drew closer.

Hound let the tip of his nose draw from her shoulders to the back of her ears, sniffing her he planted a small kiss there before whispering what snapped open her eyes to be met with emptiness.

"Stay alive Shi'enz I'll be back" he'd left, and he didn't take the food she offered, he looked hungry enough yet.