3.2

Brandon's heart was heavy with the last few thoughts he had. But it was an unquestionable fact for him. He was afraid and longing, there was no changing for now. The anxiety of knowing that he would find her and even have to interact with Johannes was growing. And even if he doesn't want to, he will have to face it, as he thought earlier. It was inevitable. But the idea seemed better than him having to talk to Phillip, who only appeared in front of him the day he left with you and James, and not even to speak to him properly.

Even so, that didn't help calm him down, but it did mean that he tried to look at his situation in a positive light.

His steps followed the corridor and reached his room, where he took a deep breath and cooled his head a little. His green eyes went to the table and he also sat in the chair, facing the organized space he left and started working, all so that his mind was occupied with something other than his disastrous love life.

After some time, a presence behind the door was felt followed by knocking. Brandon looked at the wooden door for a moment and got up, opening it. It was Ferion standing there, her face a little smoother than he'd seen earlier, but still with the sober atmosphere that went with it.

He didn't think he'd see more of him today, after he'd seen him off and gone to report to the earl. Brandon thought if they were going to see each other it would be the next day when he went to Ferion's office for work.

"Ferion, what are you doing here?" he inquires.

The handsome man with features the color of night didn't respond, but subtly indicated if he could enter Brandon's private space. The redhead stopped for a moment and made room for him to enter. He saw him enter and direct his gaze all over the place, stopping at the plush that was on the bed, since he was busy at the table.

That was a little strange, because Phillip and James entered there very naturally and he didn't get like that when it was the first time. His connection with others was greater, so he felt more comfortable with them. Besides, Brandon never thought that the one who scared him as a kid would walk into his room for the first time. It was a rather unexpected sight for him to go to his room to discuss something.

"I came to let you know what has been decided. I thought you might want to know." He replied standing in the middle of the room.

The door behind closed and Brandon nodded at the words uttered by the nobleman. Curiosity was piqued in him. His young master said that his father and he would talk about everything as soon as it was reported, but he gave a direction of what both of them had previously decided to do. He hoped they hadn't changed their minds.

"Ivor's punishment has been decided to be fifty lashes and twenty years in prison which will run once the government agents are gone and their investigation is complete. As the crime was carried out in the county, then his punishment is our responsibility."

Ferion began by saying what penalty the criminal will suffer for the crimes he has committed. It was good to know that he was going to be punished and that it wasn't something to be taken lightly. Fifty lashes was a common range for criminals who did not have minor crimes. Assaulting children when you were responsible for them was something that would earn you good years in prison, but embezzling money from a public institution was a transgression that the empire saw as very serious.

It was sad that the law saw embezzlement as something heavier than child abuse, and Brandon could only regret that fact.

"We will also proceed with what I had informed you before. Temporary support will be during the investigation, while it remains open, and we will discuss a possible settlement with the agents. There is no change in that."

"That is good news." Brandon says relieved.

It hadn't changed at all from what he had said before. His biggest concern on the subject was that children would be harmed more than they already were. And that has been resolved, at least for now.

"Ah, now that you're here. The lady told me that we will go to the capital because of you. I must congratulate you on earning enough merit to be summoned to the Victory Celebration. That, in itself, is something that is of great honor."

And it really was.

The Victory Celebration was an event that took place after the war or after a milestone of great impact for the entire empire and aimed to reward those who stood out or had the greatest contributions to its conclusion. For a nobleman, this was the same as bringing prestige, honor and wealth to his house and name, a great appreciation; while for a commoner it could be considered something like a great luck or something that would completely change their lives, as it could earn them a rise in status, money or an even greater reward than that.

The fame of such an event was such that everyone was aware that it happened. Even more so in times when there would be such rewards. Many thought of what those rewarded by the emperor himself would receive for their deeds.

"Thanks."

Ferion thanked him. He had no reason to be modest or pretend it was something trivial. This, he recognized, was his achievement.

"And I appreciate you coming to let me know what you've decided."

"It's no bother at all. You were very important. It's the least you could do." A pause occurred. "Excuse me."

When he finished what he had to say, Ferion took one last look around and left the room, saying goodbye to Brandon before leaving. The redhead watched him open the door and go, feeling a little lighter after the awkwardness he felt was gone.

*

Two days had passed and a sigh escaped Brandon's lips as he tightened the tie around his neck. The reflected image showed his masculine features and red hair that looked like flames, with an expression that showed a little tiredness and nervousness.

When he was alone, just him, he allowed himself to show a multitude of faces that those who only caught a glimpse of him or had little contact would find surprising. And the reason why he was like that was the woman who would go with him to buy dresses.

During the night, Brandon couldn't sleep thinking about how he would act, how the exit would be and what could happen. It wasn't his habit to act like this, but when his anxiety reached such a point, he would spend the night awake, thinking and thinking, sleeping a few hours later than usual. This had happened other times as well.

With one last look at the mirrored surface, Brandon looks down at his clothes, seeing that he's done. A black suit and white shirt, with a bow tie. It looked like a butler's outfit, but it was a little different from what Kevin wore. He takes a deep breath and opens the door, leaving his room and going to the entrance of the house, where he would find the lady and Johannes.

Footstep noises sounded in the environment were erased by others as he walked past some servants. A half-truthful smile appeared when greeting the other employees and acquaintances. However, he didn't have time to chat, he had work to do, just like the others.

He stopped in front of the door and knocked three times, opening it when he gained permission. Brandon was standing there, watching the two women in casual dresses but still having a refined touch, talking. The man was unable to do anything. He was waiting for them to notice him, because it would be rude to interrupt his conversation. There was also the fact that he didn't want to interact with Johannes, who he reluctantly had to admit looked pretty with the cup between her fingers.

Of course, his expression was the same as ever. Indifferent. Like a mask that doesn't change expression even with feelings running wild.

Claire, Countess Miller, rose from his seat as soon as she noticed him standing outside the room. She greeted him as usual, a smile on her face that was so characteristic of her when she always saw him.

"Hello, madam Good morning."

"Good morning, Brandon. You have finally arrived. We were having a little tea while we waited. But now that it's here, we can go." She spoke, walking towards him. "I'm excited to see what dresses we're going to choose for such an important occasion. A beautiful dress to get everyone's attention at the prom, wouldn't that be great?"

"I think that's the purpose of going after the dresses, ma'am." Brandon answered casually.

"You're right. But it's my first daughter-in-law's first party. This is something important, so we must keep in mind to achieve something stunning."

Brandon tasted bitter when he heard the words "first daughter-in-law," as it reminded him of his situation and that woman who hadn't uttered a word since he'd arrived. He wondered if the countess would act like this too if she had known of her relationship with Phillip before the war. However, he soon dismissed such questioning as it was pointless anyway.

"Countess, all I want is a dress that won't put the Miller family and my future husband to shame." Johannes spoke, his eyes curved into a half moon. She looked like the representation of innocence and sincerity.

"I understand. That's great then. With my recommendation and Brandon's, you don't have to worry about that. My tastes are highly touted and Brandon has a talent for this sort of thing. He always accompanies me when I go shopping for dresses and clothes for James."

"Oh." Johannes stares at Brandon who returns the look with apparent disinterest. "Then I will trust you to help me."

As if he hadn't looked at her impassively, Brandon gave a sympathetic smile that grew on his lips and the expression softened. Johannes looked at him a little incredulous, thinking that it could only be an illusion of his mind.

"I will do my best to help you, Ms. Attwater."

The clear, calm voice along with a polite posture would convey an attitude of confidence to anyone who saw her. Certainly, had she been anyone else, she would have believed Brandon and found it very respectful, but Johannes didn't believe that at all. And she really didn't blame him for it.

*

Brandon was trying not to think about anything. More specifically, the environment and who he was with. He was facing the window at all times and sitting in the corner next to it, looking out and the landscape of buildings moving by. It seemed like the past few days, since the young masters returned, he had been hanging out more lately.

Previously, there weren't many reasons for Brandon to leave the mansion, but that's not to say he didn't have to. Brandon accompanied the lord when he had to go to the territories or simply make an inspection, and he used to go out with the countess to buy clothes or when she couldn't bear to stay at home and wanted a walk. Although there was a war and the county was in the western part of the empire, also where the enemy kingdom was, and the count was always concerned about safety, she liked to go sometimes, even her husband could not hold her.

There were also cases where he had to buy some books to read and place in his room as part of the decoration and his precious objects. Also when he was going to buy a present or something like that. In short, he had to go out, but it wasn't as frequent as it had been until now.

The day after Ferion and Phillip arrived, he left with Claire and James; then there was the brief trip to the barracks with Ferion; trips to the orphanage and now the dress shop. If it was like before, maybe he would go out a couple of times a month or once a week. He wouldn't need to be in such a short period of time.

But if it was just that, it would be fine. He didn't mind going out, it was work, but if he could, he didn't want to. It was comfortable to live and stay in the mansion. Maybe it was just something his personality contracted after spending so much time in that mansion and thinking it was comfortable, but the female presence that was in front of him was what was really making him uncomfortable.

The blonde sitting with a rather shabby posture, but still, one could see a beauty in her, was the source of his discomfort.

Johannes was in the carriage with him and was next to his future mother-in-law. Naturally she understood that she needed to score points with the countess, that is, look good to her and act as a daughter-in-law should act. It would help Phillip's plan and also, if she did marry her fiance, she didn't want to be on the bad side of her husband's family. If it happened, it could mean difficulties in her life, which she didn't want.

So she didn't refuse when Claire invited her to go buy her a dress. Phillip had also said that his mother liked to go to the stores herself, calling those shopkeepers to the mansion when she was lazy or sick, when they talked about their daily lives. Johannes also knew what kind of event she was going to and, although she was not a noblewoman and not from that country originally, she knew that the clothes she bought together with Phillip were not where her clothes could be used in such a place, in such an event. magnitude.

Certainly, she had her assumption that for imperial events, let alone those of victory, dresses that were chic and could stand out, in addition to being specific to parties. The casual ones she had for sleeping and going out were not suitable for such an event. That was why she accepted.

However, she didn't know that Brandon was going too. She was a little surprised that he appeared and that the lady responded sympathetically to her greeting as soon as he arrived. It seemed they had a much better relationship than she'd assumed at the tea party, when she'd thought she was friendly with him. And she saw that, unlike at the tea party, the way Brandon seemed to respond to the lady seemed much more sincere than he had at that moment with the other women.

Johannes was actually able to see that he had been right when he thought that what he was giving these women was a fake smile and a professional kindness that was practically polite. However, just like back then, it was still illegible for her to read. Hidden thoughts and emotions that were difficult to capture. Only the certainty that he really didn't have a good impression of her was confirmed by the looks and the clear signs of discomfort he showed when he was with her.

Johannes was an actress in her town in the kingdom of Torzik. She used to act in a theater and saw many aristocrats, commoners, actors and many other types of people. Her profession was to interpret and consisted in the act of expressing herself in different ways with her face and body. So, it was possible to notice that he was not well with you, although it was very subtle. She just wasn't on the same level as Countess Miller in realizing that Brandon was really uncomfortable about it.

And because he was like that, she didn't feel very comfortable with him.

Her heart wasn't cold enough to ignore what the man was going through and treat it like nothing, and a slight sense of guilt permeated her mind at the sight. Brandon was clearly uncomfortable with her, the woman who is engaged to the one he loved. She couldn't even imagine how he must have felt when she saw and heard that they were engaged and the way they treated each other in public—all combined, of course.

She learned of their relationship from Phillip, when he proposed her idea, although she thinks Phillip's intention is very selfish and, frankly, despicable, but she comes first as a priority, even more so in her situation. Johannes has seen a lot of people like that, so he had no preconceptions. What else was there in the theater where he worked was aristocrats with their mistresses or with their secret boyfriends. And he was always a source of behind-the-scenes gossip.

So, she had information about what their relationship was like. A certain idea, although she didn't have many specific details, just accounts Phillip had told her and a description of what Brandon was like, which seemed to have changed over the years and deviated from the stories she'd heard. And even with those changes, it seemed he still had feelings for the man who'd saved him.

Johannes really wouldn't blame him if he was a little hostile towards her. But all he did was show her an indifferent face and treat her with the professional politeness that every servant should have when they meet, despite how uncomfortable he was with her.

Honestly, she couldn't understand why Phillip would do such a stupid thing if he had such a man with him.