Chapter 8 Planned

Rohan, the young and spirited occupant of the castle's basement room, had found a moment of respite in the company of the maids. His striking red hair and fair features had not gone unnoticed, and the maids cooed and praised his good looks as they swarmed the young boy.

"Master Rohan," one of the maids said with a fond smile, "you are growing more handsome by the day. If you tidied up a bit, you'd be the most handsome little lord in all the land."

The compliment was met with a hushed silence that fell over the room like a veil of secrecy. Another maid leaned in, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "We mustn't speak of his lineage, you know."

Rohan, unfazed by the comment, simply smiled. "It's alright," he replied, his young voice carrying a wisdom beyond his years. "I already know, and tonight's the night of my father's return."

With a sense of purpose, Rohan stood up, his childlike enthusiasm clear in his eyes. Of course, this was all an act.

He knew how these wenches spoke ill of his mother.

The maids rallied around him, eager to assist in any way they could. Using another mage spell, he had charmed them into doing his bidding with a bit of persuasion. As if in a daze, they helped clean him up and dressed him in some of the young viscount's old wardrobe—a gesture of support and camaraderie, the maids thought.

As the maids worked diligently to ensure Rohan looked presentable for the occasion, the castle buzzed with anticipation. The arrival of Viscount Aldric was a significant event, and Rohan, despite his tumultuous past, was determined to greet his father with grace and poise.

I can't believe using a charm spell would be this helpful. 

With each passing moment, the young viscount's son transformed, shedding the rough exterior of his basement life to reveal a young lord eager to welcome his father home. The maids, their hearts warmed by Rohan's resilience, shared in his anticipation of the reunion that awaited them all.

"We'll be cheering you on, little lord!" One of the maids cheered.

As Rohan left the room, his transformation complete, the enchanting spell he had cast on the maids began to fade. The atmosphere in the room shifted, and the maids, once animated and eager to assist him, seemed to awaken from a dreamlike state.

They exchanged puzzled glances, as if trying to recall why they had been so captivated by Rohan's charm just moments ago. One of the maids absentmindedly straightened a disheveled chair, while another tidied up a stack of books with a bemused expression.

With a collective shrug and a shared sense of nonchalance, the maids returned to their usual tasks, their brief moment of enchantment fading into the background. 

Unbeknownst to them, Rohan's charm spell had been a fleeting enchantment. As the castle continued to bustle with preparations for Viscount Aldric's return, the maids carried on with their duties.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the castle, Rohan's carefully laid plan began to take shape. Tonight was the night of Viscount Aldric's return, an event that Lady Agatha had seemingly forgotten in the excitement of her planned gathering with friends.

How thoughtless of her.

Rohan, with a heart filled with determination and a longing for justice, had plotted to reveal his existence to his father just moments before his arrival. He knew that Lady Agatha's reaction would be volatile, and she would be caught red-handed by the honorable viscount.

'If he truly were a man of honor', Rohan couldn't help but think, 'he would not have left my mother to suffer in the depths of the castle'.

The castle was busy with preparations for Lady Agatha's gathering and the return of their true master. Servants bustled about, arranging tables and lighting candles, their voices a hum of excitement. Rohan, however, had a different agenda.

Rohan steeled himself for the confrontation that awaited him. Lady Agatha's gathering would be a backdrop to a drama that had been brewing for years. Hopefully, his mother isn't around to scold him for this melodramatic ploy.

Rohan and Eliza were patiently waiting underneath a dressed table in the entrance hall. Much to his surprise, Lady Agatha was too busy with her friends to notice anything amiss.

"Ronnie," Eliza whispered, "are we going to get in trouble if mother sees us in this dress?" Just like Rohan, Eliza was dolled up by the charmed maids. Of course, with how cute Eliza is, it didn't take much persuasion. Eliza had curly golden locks and deep sapphire eyes, which again, tickled a curiosity in Rohan of who her father was.

"No, El," he smiled. "Just... Never tell her we did this."

"But that's lying!"

Rohan was accompanied his sister. She was looking far better than her condition before, healthy enough for her cheeks to fill out and turn pinkish. It was worth taking bread from the kitchen everyday. Rohan couldn't help but be ashamed at how he was so scared of the world above he never dared to walk on the surface to get food for his sister when she said she was hungry. Then again, he didn't have magic spells at this age to aid him in his previous life.

The grand entrance hall of the castle buzzed with anticipation as the evening sun cast long shadows across the marble floor. 

"They're here! The lord is approaching," a footman rushed through the entrance hall. Agatha paled in her realization.

As if on cue, the sound of horse's hooves trotting on gravel was heard from a distance.