Evandoss sat across from Julian in his office, respectfully bowing her head. It had been a day since Julian's visit with the Constantes. “You are aware of why I called you. What happened when the Alishen left for town, I need you to recount the entire day for me." Julian glanced at her face, "You have it written down, right?”
Evandoss lifted a small book out of her pocket. “Yes sir, shall I begin?”
“Yes, thank you. From the beginning.”
Evandoss cleared her throat and an aged hand turned the page. In scribbled notes, she had written the entire day out, each one she spent with the Alishen, as per Julian's instruction.
“7 in the morning, the Alishen had woken up and spoken with her personal maid, they left quickly after she was dressed. They skip breakfast. The carriage they took was the Alishen’s personal carriage, with the broken wheels. When arriving in town, the Alishen first picks up a small amount of money from the bank, around 3 gold, then heads to a toy store. She runs around the store for some time, before leaving without a purchase. She spots a woodcarver's shop, enters it, and asks for a safe box. She buys three and seems to be overjoyed. Her personal maid guides her back to the carriage, whereupon entering I sat with the coachman. I had been outside of the carriage when a beggar woman attacked the Alishen. Upon your orders, I did not interfere with physical altercations and kept my distance.”
Evandoss, upon saying this, looked up to check his expression. She saw no reaction and continued.
“The woman screamed, saying something along the lines of, I'll kill you, and, my father is on his deathbed. I apologize for not catching the entire speech. The Alishen had no reaction to this, besides being thrashed about by the woman, before her personal maid had held her back. At this moment, I noticed the gash in the Alishen's neck, most likely caused by the woman shedding her skin with her nails. The door was shut, and I returned to my seat as we took the carriage to the bank. There, the Alishen withdrew ten bags of gold. She then picked up a private doctor and went to the West side of the town, where I joined her and her personal maid to a shack. The Alishen spoke with the dying man in the shack, promised them their home, and left. That is all.”
Julian was hunched over his pressed fingers. His mind was blank. ‘How strange, everyone seems to be telling the truth. The toy safes, the money, the home.’ He sent Evandoss away with a flick of his hand and massaged his temples. “This is annoying.” he sighed.
‘It turns out, I had misunderstood her. This means our contract remains, I’ll have to pry her from the Constante family now, so she doesn't bother them.’ Julian stood up and flung his coat onto his back, his mind still filled with pain from a headache.
The carriage ride to the Constante’s estate was agony, with Julian cradling his head in his hands. He could barely walk straight when he entered their home, his face hot and his eyesight blurry. “I’m here to retrieve my wife,” he mumbled.
Rebecca stared at him blankly. “What do you mean? Alishen Angelique? She's not here?” Julian rubbed his forehead. “I know she’s in the kitchen, bring her to me. Tell her that the contract is still in place.” Rebecca let out a sigh.
She walked to the kitchens, head held high, and threw open the door. “Angelique, come with me.” Angelique looked up from the food she was cutting. “Parden?”
Rebecca looked very sad. “Your husband, he knows you're here. He told me to tell you, the contract is still in use.” Angelique smiled fondly at her and squeezed Rebecca’s hand in her own. “Why do you look so upset? I’ll visit and make more delicious food for you.” she walked past Rebecca and out to the hallway.
Julian saw her coming, dressed in messy maids clothing and with a limp, bruised wrist. “Shall we go now?” his voice strained through the pain. “Yes, go to the carriage, I will find Minnielle and join you.” Angelique bowed her head and left him, her heels tapping on the hard floor.
Minnielle had joined Angelique walking out to the carriage, holding a small book that a fellow maid had lent her. “We’ll see them again often, Minnielle don't worry.” Angelique smiled. Minnielle nodded, wiping away a loose tear. “Yes, of course. If you don't mind, I need some fresh air, I'll sit outside the carriage.” With a nod, Angelique opened the door to the carriage, a dark, shadowy place. The curtains were drawn shut and she could barely see anything when she closed the door. “Uh, Julian? Are you there?” she whispered.
‘He’s going to kill me, isn't he. I knew it...he's going to kill me for slapping him.’ Angelique sat straight on her own seat, facing the darkness in front of her. “If you plan to kill me, do it painlessly, I don't necessarily want a painful death,” she said. A small groan came from beside her and she turned with a gasp. She hadn't even realized the dark form leaning against the carriage wall beside her. The curtains shone a single beam of light for just a moment as the carriage bumped on a stone. She could see his sweaty face and clenched eyes.
“It seems the all-powerful Julian has fallen ill.” she whispered to herself, sniffing with satisfaction. ‘It's what the jerk deserves, what a horrible man.’ Her heart began to feel heavy with guilt. ‘That's harsh...isn't it? No! It's not because he broke my wrist.’
She turned to look at his face. He seemed barely conscious. “You’re a big baby.” She sighed, pulling him over so he was laying his head on her lap. She lifted her hand and formed a small mint candy. 'Luckily I was able to take a candy-making lesson, mint candies were my skill.’ She chuckled to herself. “You may have motion sickness, this could ease it.” She whispered, pushing the candy into his mouth. “Make sure not to choke.”
After a moment, she closed her eyes in the darkness, absentmindedly stroking his hair, like a pet cat. “I may be treating you as a child, but it's only because you are sick. Do not get fussy at me and break my other wrist because of this.” She said in a low voice.
The carriage stopped in front of their estate with a lurch. She gently lifted him off her lap and slung his arm over her shoulder, hauling him from the carriage. The butler of the house rushed out after seeing the Alishe slumped over. “He is sick, bring him to his room,” she said, passing the Alishe over. Angelique watched as he was carried away and into the home.
...
Going through the backdoor, Angelique and Minnielle both walked up the stairs to their hallway, tired and excited to return to their quiet hall. They were shocked to see all the maids gathered around the hallways benches and windows when they entered. The servants didn't even seem to notice the two enter, since they were both dressed as maids.
“It seems we have guests, we must show our hospitality. Minnielle, I’ll be busy in the kitchen for now, but if you're tired you can sleep, I’ll bring you dinner later.” she smiled, striding over to the kitchen. Minnielle followed her closely. “Why are you cooking for these maids? “ she scoffed, shaking her head at them. “Why not, I like the kitchen and the guests, and I still have energy to cook. Don't worry.” Minnielle rolled up her sleeves and walked up beside Angelique. “Let me help you then.” Angelique smiled warmly at her, passing her head of lettuce and a knife.
…
…
The dinner was nice. After smelling the food in the kitchen, the maids began to crowd around. It was only a large stew, but they all enjoyed it greatly. To them, Minnielle and Angelique were just average maids from the kitchen hall, enjoying the gossip of the other maids. A popular topic was how evil the woman that lives in the hall is. Angelique laughed as they spoke of how she ate children and ripped the hair of her servants.
After all the maids had left, Angelique retired to her bedroom, jumping onto her bed. ‘I’m exhausted.’ she thought, remembering how she had to carry Julian. She had only held onto him for a few moments, but he was heavy and muscular. “I wonder if he's doing alright.” she looked out her window. “It wouldn't hurt to just have a peek…” she said, standing up and pulling out the rope in her drawer. After her last climb, Minnielle had fetched her a stronger rope to climb up, it was thicker and longer. She tied it to her bedpost and around her ankle, and flung open her window to the harsh night wind. 'It's freezing!' Her hand reached up to the stones and she climbed up, the air chilling her skin as her dress blew around her ankles.
She carefully lowered herself into his window, forcefully shutting it behind her. Sadly, it had begun to rain heavily, and lightning flashed outside. Her dress was soaking wet and ice cold. She had thought his room would be warm, but it was also freezing. She shuddered and walked over to the fireplace. She lit a fire and a candle and squeezed her skirt of water. In the corner she could see Julian, his sheets kicked off of him in his bed. “He won't get warmer like that.” she sighed, rolling up her sleeves and stretching her arms.
...
From the fireplace, a soft red glow had begun. Julian opened his eyes wearily to see someone warming up near the fire. When he had fallen asleep he was in his carriage, now he was on his couch, bundled in blankets in front of the fire. He let out a low groan as his headache came back. The figure in front of him spun around and grabbed a small glass of water. “Here, drink this.”
The voice was soft, like an angel. He felt cozy hearing it. A soft hand lifted his head and helped him drink. His eyes could barely open but he still struggled to see the person's face. After, a hot spoonful of soup went into his mouth. “Eat, you are still sick.” the voice commanded, still spoon-feeding him.
Julian slowly began to become more awake, blinking out the sleep in his eyes and staring at the figure. Although their face was in shadow, he could make out an adorable nose, and peach colored lips. He reached out his hand and could feel her hair, it's vibrant red shining in the fire. “What do you need?” She asked, tilting her head. He squinted at her face, even more, his lips parting slightly. She took the chance to feed him another spoonful of soup.
Julian was so embarrassed he turned red. “Oh my, are you getting a heatwave?” she asked, holding up her hand to her forehead. The hand she lifted had a bandage around it and a black bruise. Her face got closer to his and he realized who it was.
“Angelique?” Angelique looked into his eyes. “Yes?” Julian’s expression turned cold. ‘What was I thinking!? I actually got seduced by her!? Snap out of it.’ he thought, gathering enough strength to push her away. “Why are you here!” he said, coughing harshly. Angelique rubbed her head and grabbed his shoulders forcing him to lay down. “Shut up. You were much more likeable when you were unconscious.”
Julian, after hearing this, hurriedly checked his body. “Did you do something to me!?” he growled. “No, just carried you to the seat. You're fine. Here, have more food.” Angelique shoved another spoonful into his mouth.
“No, can you leave my room,” he said coldly, sitting back up and wiping his lips. Angelique shook her head. “No, I cannot.” As if on cue a bolt of lightning streaked across the window. “It's too dangerous. And given the fact that you've already hurt me once,” she raised her left wrist to his face. “I think it's only fair if you let me sleep here for tonight.” With that, she left the water and soup in front of him and walked to his bed, jumping in it carelessly. “Why are you in my bed!? Get out!” he shouted. “Shhh, I’m trying to sleep. If you haven't realised, the couch is closer to the fire, you will be warmer over there. And you have all the blankets.” She rolled herself into the only sheet still on the bed and closed her eyes. Julian, unable to stand up, fell asleep quickly, still furious with Angelique.
Eventually, the fireplace died. Angelique woke up almost immediately as it did, the cold hitting the room quickly. ‘Dangit, I have to carry him again.’ She groaned, slipping herself off the bed and stretching once again. She lifted him from the couch with great effort, breathing heavily. “Why are you so heavy!” she whispered, moving his head to rest on her shoulder. She placed him onto his bed and covered him in his blankets. “You should be warm enough now.” she sighed, trying to free her arms from beneath him.
After a few minutes of struggling Angelique winced. Her left wrist was still trapped beneath him. “Can you move, please! Why are you as heavy as a boulder!” She pulled and finally got it free, the wrist pulsating with pain. Her breath became strained as she held it tightly.
She had sat on the bed to ease the pain, rubbing her bruise gently and gasping every now and then. A hand reached up and clutched her shoulder. “Hmm?” She said, turning around. It seemed like Julian was fast asleep. His hand didn't seem to move from her shoulder after a minute. She tried to push it off but it got tighter. Just when she tried to yank herself from the bed, his hand dragged her down and held onto her waist so she was lying beside him. ‘He’s going to crush my spine out of revenge!’
Her eyes were held shut as she whispered her prayers. “To my mother, goodbye for good. To my father, goodbye for all time. To Minnielle, you can take all the money out of my bank and to AH-'' Angelique let out a yelp as a hand covered her mouth. “Shut up, I’m trying to sleep.” Angelique let out a small gasp and stared at Julian. She could have sworn he was asleep. She blinked a few times in confusion. ‘He must still be asleep.’
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