Chapter Nine

Would they give me time to say goodbye? I looked down at my clothes. A tattered linen dress and short hair, covered in dirt and dust from walking all night through the mountain. Seeing me now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought of me as a peasant and politely reprimanded me for even speaking to them. Still, I wanted to tell him that I’d had fun with him. No, that I was glad to have met him.

I held out my hand, fully prepared to have it slapped away. However, a pair of teary dark brown eyes locked onto me. They were the same shape as Shuell’s. As I fumbled for words, Kendrick grabbed my hand.

“Did you by any chance . . . help him?”

Shuell nodded as he continued to sob in his father’s arms. Kendrick’s eyes grew even larger. “Goodness, how can we ever repay you? Thank you so much. What is your name?”

“A-Ar . . . Ar . . .” Shuell’s sobbing made him nearly inarticulate, so I answered before he could continue.

“Arwen.” I omitted my last name intentionally.

Kendrick’s eyes softened with his gentle smile. They were the same brown color as my parents’ eyes, but they didn’t have anything else in common.

“Child, where are your parents?” he asked kindly.

I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t let him reward the Broschtes for this.

“Do you not have any?”

I clamped my mouth shut. I couldn’t say no. This silence was for a different reason. Kendrick laughed softly and looked at his wife. As their eyes met, Marias sighed quietly. The Duke smiled. They must have reached an agreement of sorts as the Duke turned to face me again.

“Sweet child, would you like to come with us?”

“Oh, oh! Yes! Come with us, Wen! Please? Wen, come with us!” Shuell said enthusiastically, albeit nasally.

I slowly looked away from the two pairs of sparkling eyes. Would that be okay?

The Duke and Duchess clearly took me for an orphan, so they likely wanted to drop me off somewhere that could take care of me in that regard. This would mean extra trouble to get back home. Still, if I left now, I would be saying goodbye to Shuell forever.

“Yes.”

I was sure I’d only be with them for a little while before they dropped me off elsewhere. Half hopeful and half anxious, I nodded.

***

“Wen. Here, try this. It’s veal steak.”

“Scallop.”

“Wen, this! This is delicious. Sausage!”

Two weeks later, I found myself sitting in the dining room of the Severilouses’ mansion, at the head of the table, being served by the three Severilouses themselves.

***

To explain this situation, I’d have to begin with what had happened when Shuell’s parents let me ride along in their carriage. I had no idea why they did this, but I made myself at home, thinking they would drop me off at the next territory. Then we arrived at Knox. Kendrick and Marias fed the horses and bought new clothes for Shuell and me.

As expected in a territory renowned for high-quality fabrics, the garments were much more comfortable than those I had been wearing. I thought we would part ways there, but the Duke and Duchess once again led me into their carriage. We then reached Charity, which was having a festival. Shuell insisted on looking around, and Kendrick laughed and allowed it. He let Shuell ride on his shoulders, and the stern-looking Marias bent down to meet my eyes.

I was flabbergasted, but as she tapped her neck, I had no choice but to fumble awkwardly onto her shoulders. Both Kendrick and Marias were fairly tall. We could see the whole festival from their shoulders. It was colorful and astonishing. I had really thought that this time, they would lead me to a carriage headed for Broschte. Still, I was put into the Severilous carriage yet again.

Just like that, we passed by Tillen, Verka, and countless other territories. Each time, I thought I’d be going back home, but each time, the Duke and Duchess held me back. And so, after two weeks had passed, Kendrick was cheerfully escorting me into the Severilous mansion. Looking at the beautiful, luxurious mansion like one in a fairytale, I had only one thought in my head.

What the heck is this?

“Come, let’s go inside, Wen,” Kendrick gently said. He had taken to calling me by my nickname.

I held his proffered hand and ensured my own wasn’t shaky or sweaty. Though the master of the house had been gone for a while, the mansion still looked beautiful. It was as grandiose on the inside as it was on the outside, and I gulped involuntarily. I was filled with regret. How did I end up all the way inside this house without a single doubt?

Now that I was inside the Severilous mansion, I no longer believed they wanted to reward me. It felt more like they would drag me to the basement to torture and kill me. Still, anything could be avoided if you just kept your wits about you. If any stairs looked like they might lead to a basement, I’d just have to jump over the fence and—

“Careful of the stairs, sweetie.”

I gasped, caught up as I was in my own thoughts. The thought that I had to escape should stairs appear was embedded in my brain.

I have to jump—

I looked up in a panic, but the sight in front of me melted away my fear. They weren’t dark, scary stairs leading to a basement. It was a huge, expensive staircase that led upstairs from the hallway. As I stood there, transfixed by the staircase, Kendrick chuckled.

“Do you want Uncle to carry you if your legs hurt?” he asked playfully. He called himself my uncle without the slightest hint of hesitation.

I was about to refuse politely when he pointed to Marias. “Or Marie can do it.”

I shook my head. I was still a little afraid of Kendrick, but Marias terrified me. Her expression never changed except when she was reunited with Shuell, and her neutral face was cold and stern. All things considered, I had been reborn and brought up as a child, and to a child’s eyes, the tall and dark Marias was rather scary.

Of course, the fact that she was the duchess and head of House Severilous also played a huge part in it. I might end up straight in the basement if I let her hold me. I held my hands up to Kendrick, and he picked me up effortlessly. I heard a small breath, and Kendrick laughed as he glanced at his wife, but I couldn’t pay attention to that.

All my attention was focused on Shuell, whom I now had to focus on to see from this new vantage point. Children were possessive creatures. As an only child, Shuell might be bothered to see his parents be nice to another kid. I planned on getting down as soon as Shuell showed the slightest sign of being uncomfortable. However, he was smiling up at me, thoroughly happy.

“Wen! My dad’s hugs are the best.”

“Yes. They are.”

Shuell’s smile grew larger.

“Right. And he’s so fluffy! Dad doesn’t train as hard as Mom, so he got fat.”

I was speechless at how cheery he sounded. Indeed, children were as cruel as they were naive.

“Hey now, Shu!” As Kendrick pretended to reprimand him, Shuell giggled and ran up the stairs. Kendrick laughed along, and Marias followed Shuell in case he fell.

In such a peaceful environment, I held my breath.

***

When we reached the second floor, Kendrick set me down, looking disappointed as he did so, and led me to a room in the middle of the hallway.

I worried even then that this door might be connected to the basement. Still, once it opened, I was greeted by a well-decorated, cute little room. The walls were a lovely pastel shade, and the tapestry was stunning. The dolls were stuffed full of cotton, and the bed had a canopy. Whoever owned this room was very well loved.

I had no expectations that this would be my room. After all, I saw the dark-green-haired girl standing in the middle of the room like a doll. I wondered if Shuell had an unknown little sister, but when I locked eyes with her gray ones, my whole body went still.

“Have you been well, Rietta?” Kendrick’s words confirmed my suspicions.

Green hair, gray eyes. Rietta. That’s the heroine!

She was small, smaller than Shuell and even me. She was smaller than the teddy bear in the room. Her eyes were full of suspicion as they gazed at me that I was taken aback.

Why was she here?