3 Duke and Duchess

Since I wasn't able to see because of the enchanted blind fold over my eyes, I channeled my energy into ears and nose. Immedietly those two senses were amplified and I didn't miss my sight at all, I could get just as good a understanding of my surroundings by using these two senses.

The sound of the carriage riding over cobble stones and dirt changed into the much more pleasing sound of the carriage wheels traveling over polished stones. The ride become less rough, and the noise made from the carriage wheels scrapping aginst the roads wasn't unpleasent anymore. The further the carriage rode, the more well maintained the roads seemed to get, not just travelling from start to destination, but travelling between two differently classed barriers.

As we drove further away from the church, the sounds that the poeple made changed as well. From the suburbs surrounding the church, I could hear the people chattingly loudly while going about their days, as if they had all the time in the world to just be happy. They laughed brazenly and said what they wanted. I heard a few beggars asking for money, and the sound of children running around.

In the new area, I could distinctly smell the scents of refined perfumes that the noble ladies wore, and heard their more reserved manner of speaking. I could hear long dress skirts gliding over the polished floors, and the sounds of fine cutlery and crockery clinking together at open restaurants. These two locations might not be that far away from each other, but they were undoubtely worlds apart.

I couldn't help but feel a bit of nervous as the horses and carriage pull off the main road and began to trot on a private driveway.

"Woah there!" The priest driving the carriage brought the horse to a stop. I heard large gates creaking open in front of us, allowing us entry into what must be the Duke's estate. The time had just flown by while I was having fun listening to my surroundings, before I knew it I had already arrrived at my new home.

As the horses started up again and we drove into the manor, the lovely fragrance of flowers flooded my nose. Although I had known flowers from my previous lives, this version of me had never smelled that natural sweetness before. As we drove down what felt like an impossibly long driveway. I heard little animals scuttle back into their hiding places as the horses drew near. At the end of the driveway I could sense a crowd of people waiting outside. As I directed my senses toward them, I could also hear their chatter.

"Ethel, I heard that descendants of the subjugator are all monsters that don't have any feelings. Mother said they have eyes that can turn people to stone.  Isn't it a little unfair that we have to..." The girl's whimpers were cut off by a sharp sever voice.

"Be quiet, Ruth." The woman snapped, "It's a wonder that your head hasn't turned to mush with all these crazy stories you fill it with. The boy in there is our new master. No matter what he looks like we will treat him with respect."

I held back a chuckle. Although she scolded the other girl for believing in stories, she herself believed that I would have the appearance of a monster.

"Mister Higgs, I can hear the carriage coming!" A youngman announced excitedly.

"Yes, the young master will be arriving soon." The voice of a stern old man who didn't sound all that pleased to have me coming here.

Their shoes clack against the loose stones on the driveway as they all started shuffling, like they were organising themselves in some kind of formation.

My attention was torn away from their movement as the Count Ellmire fidgeted from across me. He seemed unhappy with his robes, straightening and tugging at them, suddenly self concious about how he looked. I guessed he wanted to look his best for his benefactor, the Duke.

"Listen here Solis," He began grumpily. "The duke adopted you for specific purpose. You are meant to become an outstanding heir and further this household's prospects. Dont think this is your happily ever after. You are going to have to work hard from here on out, and if you dont they will replace you. Keep that in mind boy."

Ellmire's warning to me was of course a last half-hearted attempt to secure his own benefits by scaring me, who was supposed to be an ignorant child, to be on my best. If I was a good and pleased the Duke, being the one who facilitated the adoption, Ellmire stood to benefit. If I caused trouble, it would also be to his detriment.

My silence proved to irritate him as he aggressively dealt with a loose button.

The horses neighed unhappily, as the driver pulled on their reins, the carriage came to a stop, the clack of shoes approaching, a few clicks and then the doors of the carraige were opened.

"Young Master, we are pleased to welcome..." Mister Higgs's voice was cut off by Count Ellmire bolting out of the carriage. It seemed that the head of the church was prone to motion sickness and couldn't bare to stay in the carriage a moment longer.

Mister Higgs cleared his throat indignantly, and I could just imagine the disapproving look he was giving Ellmire. Mister Higgs turned back to face the carriage and repeated himself.

"Young Master, we are pleased to welcome you to Galbraith Manor."

I stood up inside of the carraige and turned towards the direction the voice was in. I tipped my head in respect and said, "Thank you."

After a moment, Mister Higgs seemed to realised that I was blindfolded and couldn't get myself out of the carriage safely. The man reached for my arms and gently guided me out of the carriage. I initially flinched at the unfamiliar feeling of human contact, but soon relaxed again. I thought that for someone who didn't seem very welcoming when he was talking with the others before, he was still quite attentive to me.

"Well then let's speed things up." Ellmire grunted impatiently. "The duke and duchess are waiting aren't they?"

"Actually," Mister Higgs's voice sounded pleased as he delivered the bad news to the priest. "The Master and Madame of the house wish to only see their son today. They will call for you at a later date, Count Ellmire"

I remained stiff-faced as a whimper escaped from Ellmre's lips.

"Very well then!" He huffed and climbed back into the carriage. I on the other hand was lead by Mister Higgs through a line of bowing servants into the house.

"Young Master, My name is Mister Higgs and I am the head butler. If you ever need anything simply call and I will be at your disposal. I will take special care to make sure that you get settled into the manor as soon as possibe." His voice was stern but he was quite attentive and gentle, even if he was just pretending to be nice to me.

After a few paces, we came to a stop. Mister Higgs reached forward and knocked three times on what sounded like a thick wooden door.

A deep voice from within the room called out, "Enter."

Higgs opened the door and lead me inside, from the smells and sounds within the room, I could tell their were five other people inside with me.

"Master and Madam, I've brought the child and sent the Count away as you have instructed." Higgs bowed to them from beside me. There was a moment of silence before a deep voice spoke in front of me.

"Take off his blindfold."

I stood still as Higgs reached behind my head and untied the thick black blind that had covered my eyes. I felt the charm on it dissipate as soon as the knot was untied, and I felt the tension in my eyes ease off. Although the ink marking on my face were still there.

Having lived in the dungeon of the church for all my life, seeing such bright light as the rays that were shinning into this room from the windows made me squint. I blinked profusely trying to get used to the dazzling sun light. Gradually, the images infront of me became clearer, and I could take in the room.

Before I could even see any of the lavish polished interiors, the five sets of eyes staring at me drew my attenion. It was that same look of astonishment I had seen on the faces of the monks and priests who saw at me. Since the dungeon I was held in didn't have any mirrors, I was unsure of what my eyes looked like, but from the priests whispers I at least knew my irises were blue.

Among the five people in the room, two were seated. From their magnificent clothes and noble postures, it was obvious they were the Duke and Duchess. The Duke held a strong gaze as he looked straight at me, while the duchess had a much gentler gaze as she peered at me from behind a silk fan. The duke had dark chestnut hair with the same colored eyes. He looked serious and severe, overall quite intimidating. The duchess on the other hand had curly blonde hair and light blue eyes, she seemed kind and curious as she gazed at me. As I looked at them, I realized they were a much younger couple than I had thought. I had initially assumed they wanted to adopt children because they were already old and weren't able to conceive anymore.

"Well then, the boy looks much better than we thought he would. A little thin and on the small side, but just like any proper young lad" An older man stood behind the Duke. His hair had greyed yet it was slicked back neatly, and coudn't help but think that the older man and the duke had very similar sharp eyes. Possibly the duke's father...?

The Duke suddenly reached out to his side, and the butler who had been standing beside him neatly placed a sheet of paper in the duke's outstretched hand. My eyes instinctively watched the movements in this otherwise still room. My eyes had only ever been able to gaze around the dark dungeon room, but right now there was so much to see. Different colored and textured materials, metals like gold and silver that decorated the edges of the furniture. The gleaming jewels that the beautiful duchess wore around her neck. I watched curiosuly as the maid beside my mother poured her lady a cup of tea in a dainty tea cup.

"Do you know what your name is?" The Duke finally spoke, and I found that his voice held as much command as his eyes.

"Solis." In my years in the dungeon, I was accustomed to staying quiet. Although my head was busy with thoughts at any given moment, expressing myself wasn't something I had much practice in. Besides, as a child locked away in a dungeon, they would find it strange for me to be very wordy.

"Do you have a surname?" The duke sat up in his chair and his gaze intensified. His ordinary question began to feel more like a test.

"No."

"Do you harbor any resentment towards the church?" asked the Duke.

I hesitated for a moment, wondering what kind of reply was the wisest.

"Do not lie to me. I depise liars." His sharp words were full of cold sincerity. I would have to make sure this man never caught me in a lie.

Glancing at one of the other people in the room, a solemn women in a priestess' garb, I simply replied, "I do."

The Duke reclined in his chair, a shadow of a smile behind his sharp gaze, as if amused by my honesty.

"What did you think when you heard that we would be adopting you?"

Thinking back to earlier when Ellmire abruptly payed me a visit, I said, "I was happy."

"Why?"

"Because I thought it would be a better life."

Above her fan, the Duchess's eyes reddened. Her sympathetic gaze directed at me.

The Duke's hand was adorned with many bejewelled rings. However, under those rings his flesh was littered with pale scars, remnants of a life sworn to the sword. With expert movements, using his index finger, he flicked the bulky sapphire ring on his thumb making it spin around his appendage. "Now that you have come here, what do you think?"

Glancing again at his jewels and fine clothes, "I think you are rich."

The Duke snickered along with the man standing behind him who spoke earlier.

"Speak more in future, Solis."

The duke then held up the piece of paper his butler had given him and turned it around for me to see. The paper had a golden sheen to it. Many foreign symbols were written in black ink along with a red stamp. I wished to learn to read as soon as possible.

Mr Highs cleared his throat and red it aloud for me, "From today onwards your name is Silvester Solis Galbraith. The first son of Duke Gerard Oswyn Galbraith and Duchess Karina Pernell Galbraith."

I didn't expect to emotional, but in that moment I couldn't deny that I was pleased. The Duke and Duchess exchanged gentle glances while the man standing behind the Duke nodded in approval. The priestess in the other corner of the room remained solemn.

"Come here." The duke gestured to me to go closer. I tentatively took a few steps forward so that I was right in front of his chair. The duke's large hand reached for me, and for a moment I imagined him balling up his hand and striking me, instead his hand simply ruffled my hair, his earlier poignant stare turned gentle and possible even affectionate.

"You may call me Father from now on."

"And I would love it if you would call me mother." I turned to the duchess, surprised by the familiar sweet gentle sound of her voice. Had I heard her voice at the church before? I couldn't quite put my finger on when I heard her voice but I knew that it sounded familiar.

After a moment of awkward hesitation, I forced myself to break the silence. "Thank you."

"For today, just enjoy yourself and get aquainted with your new home. The work will start tomorrow."

"Yes." I recieved another ruffling of my hair, before the Duke motioned for Mister Higgs to take me out of the room.

I reached out to pick up the blindfold to put it back on but the duke stopped me. "There is no need for such things anymore. You power won't need to be concealed when you are within the manor. We will wait for the sealing marks on your face to ware of as well."

I couldn't help but he puzzled at the Duke's actions. He was putting a lot of trust in a child who had been kept locked up in a dungeon for all his life. Surely it was safer for them to keep me restrained. Perhaps they were sincere in wanting to treat me as their son.

"Thank you," hesitating, I forced out the word, "father."

I swiftly followed Mister Higgs out of the room.

********

For about a week, the news that their master the Duke would be adopting a descendant had been the topic of interest among the servants. A few of the staff were levelheaded about the prospect, they thought that it would be wonderful for to have such a powerful addition to the family, while most of them were terrified about the adoption taking place.

The duke's personal butler Fleming had been trying to explain the logistics of the situation to everyone. He told them all that the Duke was in dire need of an heir to accompany one of the princes, and who better to accompany a prince than someone as powerful as a descendant. This idea made sense to a few more members of the staff like Mr Higgs and Ms Ethel, but the others like the newly appointed maid Ms Ruth and the madame's personal maid Mrs Tinsley were not so convinced.

Ruth was certain that the stories about descendants being part monster was true. She was certain that when the boy stepped out of the carriage he would have sharp gnashing teeth and red skin, maybe even a horn or two.

Mrs Tinsley on the other hand didn't believe any such nonsense about the boy being half monster, but her heart did brake for her lady. She knew that her Madame had been trying very hard to conceive a child for the past years, but sadly she was not able to. Mrs Tinsley thought from deep within her that this situation was too cruel for her lady. Her lady was kind and gentle to everyone, she would be so to the new child as well.  She just wished the duke would wait for a bit longer, she was determined that if the couple kept trying they would conceive their own child and not have to adopt one.

As all the servants waited for the carriage to arrive in the driveway that morning, and seeing as Mr Fleming was inside waiting with the duke and couldn't scold her, Ruth took the opportunity to start venting her worries to the others.

Ruth leaned a bit closer to Ethel, her friend and fellow servant who had been appointed to taking care of the new Young Master.

"Isn't this too much to ask of new servants? What if the child gets angry and rips my head off with his claws!"

She took Ethel's silence as an invitation to continue.

"Noble children are already a handful, can you imagine what this one will be like...?" Ruth shuddered in her uniform.

"Ethel, I'm scared. I heard that descendants of the subjugator are all monsters that don't have any feelings. I heard they have sharp teeth for eating people and eyes that can turn you to stone... Isn't it a little unfair that we have to..." The girl's whimpers were cut off by a very irritated Ethel at this point.

"Be quiet, Ruth!" The girl's whimpers were cut off by a very irritated Ethel at this point. "It's a wonder that your head hasn't turned to mush with all these crazy stories you fill it with. The boy in there is our new master. No matter what he looks like we will treat him with respect."

Even Ethel wasn't entirely sure that the boy wouldn't be deformed or resemble a monster, but what she was sure of was that she didn't like how Ruth was and mouthing their new Master.

Everyone was holding their breath as Mr Higgs reached inside the carriage to retrieve the boy. Ruth was standing on her toes, terrified and excited to see if the boy had scales of red skin.

To Ruth's surprise and Ethel's relief the boy looked very much like a human. Not just any human though, the boy was quite handsome with his dark hair and fair complexion. Not robust and manly like the duke, but delicate and had the air of a future scholar, resembling the Duchess Karina. Not only that but the boy carried himself well, in spite of the blind fold the boy seemed perfectly comfortable with his surroundings, as if he could actually see everything. Ethel thought that the boy's image was befitting of a noble's son.