Secrets and lies

Odd-looking introduced the six ladies she was with: Miss Sophia Waverley, who seemed to shine like a radiant star; her porcelain skin and sapphire eyes had a captivating effect, her raven hair flowing down her back in a black gown that hugged her curves. The other was Lady Charlotte Windsor, who exuded elegance and refinement; her golden locks complemented her emerald eyes, and she wore an emerald gown. Thirdly, it was Miss Emily Fanshawe, delicate as a flower with cornflower-blue eyes and honey-blond hair styled in loose curls. The fourth was Lady Georgina Cavendish, who to most people would appear as a vision of loveliness; her dark brown hair and eyes that sparkled like stars in the sky made her lovely, especially with her blue gown. Fifth was Miss Harriet Mordaunt, a normal-looking young lady with yellow hair, black eyes, and a vibrant gold gown. The last one was Lady Augusta Somerset, with a mysterious gaze; Lady Augusta's ebony black hair and eyes gave off a mysterious feeling, her emerald dress hugging her body in all the right places.

After the introductions were done, the ladies started to ask him many questions, to which he mostly lied when answering. For instance, when they asked where he originated from, Josh answered half truthfully, saying he came from the villages near the border. But then Augusta, who was quiet all along, suddenly asked him a question: "Oh, you're from the villages near the border? I am quite familiar with those villages; my mother hails from one of them. Can you tell me which one you come from, Ishmael?" Augusta's voice was deep but not in a male manner; it was an attractive deep for women. Seeing her intention, he smiled: "Oh, really, Milady? Well, I come from Edenville, next to Ashanti forest. Which village is your mother from?" He asked eagerly. Augusta's reaction was normal, and she answered after a slight nod of approval: "She's from Candrik."

The conversation flowed, and it moved onto other things like his relationship status, his hobbies, and many other stuff until the Lady of the house came and took him away. "I'm sorry for taking you away; you seemed to be enjoying yourself over there." Sarah apologized, but her expression was calm, and her voice was low. "Oh no, I'm glad you came. It's hard keeping up with children." He spoke, and Sarah almost wanted to eye-roll but stopped herself in time and resorted to slightly shaking her head.

At the balcony, Sarah let out a heavy sigh, and looking at her back, he could see her slightly. It was the weight of today's revelation; he patiently waited for her to speak. "I am afraid, Josh, I am so afraid. They appeared out of nowhere and told me things before giving me a set of instructions. Failing to comply means complete eradication of the Manchester household. I was nervous; I panicked; I agreed, but now I'm not sure I can do what they asked of me. Tell me, Josh, what do I do?" He knew the royal family best, having served directly under her majesty. He knew that everything her majesty did was for a reason; therefore, the only way Sarah could protect her family was by following their instructions. "Do what they asked; that's all."

Sarah turned to him with tears in her eyes but did not let them fall; she stared at him for a long while before saying, "Thank you for listening."

"Interesting, this man is very interesting. We might have a lot of trouble with him; he is a highly skilled individual with a good head on his shoulders, but I believe I can catch him." A man with an eyepatch sat on top of his bed, filled with many files and papers, having a file in his hand with the royal seal on it meant for "Extremely classified information." He was reading on Commander Josh Belling, former Royal task force Commander, and a Royal strategic asset. Born in the year 817 on the fourteenth of Hiems, he was only twenty-five years old currently, having become the youngest officer to be titled commander of the task force. His most notable feat was saving the royal family from an assassination orchestrated by the Royal advisor, Ser Edwin Montello. He is one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the kingdom and also a weapon specialist. Having no family meant that he had no emotional ties, which made him the perfect soldier, but one grave mistake had him stripped of his rank and titled, and he now lives his life as a drunkard under the distant gaze of her majesty.

Having finished reading the file, he placed it down carefully and stared at the papers with a calm look, assessing the value of the information he had just found. He could only repeat two words: "Very interesting." Closing his one good eye he inhaled deeply before smiling. "It seems I have finally found a worthy opponent this time. I wonder how this will play out." But what bothers him is that the amount of importance her majesty placed on Josh Belling is terrifying. Even as a drunkard, he is still under royal observation. Did they fear retaliation from him or were they hoping to call him back once he had recovered from his losses? He did not know what the answer was, but either way, he was also of equal, if not more, importance to the crown. "If it was any other matter, I would have loved playing the game of cat and mouse with him, but right now, that key is the most important item in the kingdom and possibly one of the most important in the entire world. So, I have to retrieve it at all costs."

His eye hid his current emotions, rage, excitement, and jealousy. Getting up from the bed, he took off the sleeping gown he was wearing, revealing a torso marked with cigarette burns reaching all the way to the base of the neck. He sat down on the cold concrete floor in a meditating manner and closed his eye with his hands on his knees. From time to time, a small smile would appear on his face, followed by a frown, a smirk, and an unreadable expression.

A few weeks had gone by with Sarah managing just fine, thanks to his and Simon's help. Nothing worth mentioning had happened ever since the day of the banquet. For Josh, turned Ishmael, it was relatively relaxing to have a few hours of the day to himself. The butler was not an easy occupation. The butler is the master or the lady of the manor's right-hand man. He is the one who keeps the household running smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. His duties are many and varied, but his ultimate goal is to ensure that the family he serves is comfortable, happy, and respected.

He rises before the sun to prepare the morning tea, carefully pouring the steaming hot water over the delicate tea leaves. He then awakens the family, helping them to dress and prepare for the day ahead. Throughout the day, he attends to every need, from serving meals to answering doors, from polishing silver to pouring wine. He is the epitome of discretion, keeping the family's secrets safe and their reputations intact. As the day draws to a close, he helps the family to retire, ensuring that their beds are turned down and their fires are lit. He then retires to his own quarters, but luckily for him, Sarah did not make him do all of that. Instead, she preferred for him to work close to her. He would still perform those duties from time to time, especially when there were guests available.

Whenever he was free, he would retreat to his room and practice his divine abilities there. He was making rapid progress, and now the animated inanimate objects' life was a bit longer. Also, his vision of the past seemed to now narrow down things he needed to see the most. It did not show him a whole bunch of visions at the same time. His old habits were still there. On lonely nights, he would drink away as he sat on the balcony of his room, starring at the sky, with memories of his past flashing before his eyes one by one as if he was in a state of near death, where it was rumored one would see their life flash between their eyes.

These days, he hardly spent time with simon, who was mostly out running errands for the lady of the house. Derrick was quickly adapting to the aristocrat lifestyle, and currently, the young man had tutors who would come daily to teach him how to behave like an aristocrat. He even had a few friends now, even though, to Josh, they were all befriending him for the wrong reasons. He did not voice it out but rather let the young master handle his own business.

Tonight, though, was a special night. It was the anniversary of his teammates' deaths, and he was planning on drinking till morning came. His cigarette burned slowly, and the scent of tobacco lingered in the air. He had only found Thomas's wife so far; he had to find the rest of their families. The Ishmael identity was of much help to him, and after explaining why he wanted to convert to Ishmael Sterling, Sarah had been busy these past few days. Now that she was not only the owner of the mine, she was also the one in charge of Denil by order of the Royal family. It was released in the papers a few days ago that house Manchester was now an aristocrat family recognized by the crown, and the crown was putting it in charge of the city of dreams. It was all lies since house Manchester had always been a noble house, and Denil had always been their territory. He feared that this must be one of her majesty's ploys.