Chapter Thirteen: On-Demand
1652 Words
Penny Moore.
Heavy.
Penny felt heavy, as if her body was laden by bricks or bags of cement.
“What...?” she opened her blurry and groggy eyes to find a dark-haired vision sleeping poorly by her side.
The crystal broadcast was on, blaring overbearingly into the room, such that its chatter was unmissable.
“The school’s dean and secretary are said to have escaped with over three point two billion gold from the school's reserve…” the beautiful news reporter continued, but all the pieced information made little sense.
An image of the school was shown, followed by the appearance of Grand duchess Hyle giving a speech to the school’s students in its fancy auditorium.
“My la-lady?” she called; however, the break of her voice gave everything but efficacy.
Still, nonetheless, the girl beside her groaned then turned her head to the side.
It was an odd feeling, a master caring for a servant.
Were they permitted to share in a servant’s misfortune, or was that only in tales that romanticised servitude?
Yet, she was not in her own bed but the masters’. A bed so widely comfortable she nearly lost herself.
“My lady, a lady mustn’t sleep so poorly. It will affect your health.” She said, then shook the girl by her side.
It would be uncomfortable for any servant to rely on their master, yet when her sleeves pulled and her bandages grew visible, Penny could not stop the still of her body.
A slow and swelling panic gripped her stomach, and instantly, her free hand flew to her neck.
It was tender.
The men…gods, she should have not tried to scream for their grip on her neck only tightened.
The shudder in her belly could not metastasise into tears no matter how much the memories assaulted her.
The black outfits they sported, the dangerous glimmers in their eyes, their loudness.
Gods, she should have followed the ladys’ rude dismissal.
Working for a noble spelt fortune, not its opposite. Yet why was her life taking the roughest turns? Barking for a master, being yelled at for something beyond her, and now practically taking assault on her behalf because there was no way one would call hitmen for someone as insignificant as she!
Gods but-
“You look terrified?” a familiar soft voice said, and the chatter in her head silenced.
Her lip wobbled, and the distant tears brimmed her eyes.
“I- I was s-so scared.” She spilt to the green-eyed beauty as streak by streak, desperate tears wet her face. “I-I tried to run, but they grabbed me and- and….”
“I know, I know.” The voice soothed.
“Have, have they been caught?”
“The men? No. But there was a lead.”
“A-a lead?”
“Yes, one of the men dropped the imperial insignia.”
“Wh-what?”
“Yes,” Lady Alpensa sighed, “they were sent by the royal family, most probably for me.”
“Oh gods, gods.” Penny raked her hair desperately, only for a dull throb to slow her motion, “My lady, we need to tell his lordship.”
“I-I can’t do that.”
“What? What do you mean you c-,” a sharp pain pierced her side. “Ah!”
“Whoa, no sudden movements, the physician said that-,”
“Physician? When was a physician called? How long was I sleeping?”
“About three days?”
“Three days! You mean to say today is Freeday?”
“Yes.”
“Wait back to the Marquis, my lady. My apologies for my intrusive words, but you must tell him what occurred here? I mean, would you like a repeat? You have no mana to defend yourself?!”
“Slow down,” Lady Alpensa said as she placed her hands on her thighs, “It is more that I ‘can not’ than I ‘will not’ tell him.”
“What?”
“The day after the break-in, the dean summoned me to his office-”
“My lady, do not tell me that you bought the apology. Things like this should no-,”
“Calm down, let me finish.” Her ladyship said.
“First of all, I do not have enough power to track down royal assassins, and even if I could, I guarantee they will only get a pat on the back. Secondly, You were barely breathing.” She began, a strange emotion mixing on her visage, “I-I was scared as hell, the marquis did not respond to any call I tried to make, and the castle is at least a day or two away…so-,”
Lady Arusei’s voice broke.
“My lady?”
“I-I settled.”
“Settled?”
“I signed a mute contract in exchange for five hundred thousand gold.”
“F-five hundr-,” she stilled.
“My pocket money could not cater for a first-class physician and-,”
“One gold coin bears the equivalent of a hundred florins, gods that is near fifty million florins based on the exchange rate!?”
“It-it is?” the lady pouted.
“I mean, it is indeed a lot of money. However, it is incomparable to the marquis’s wealth.” She said, “Where is the money? What did you do with it?”
“I wanted to get you emergency treatment with It, but the dean said that he would prepare inhouse care, so I just…I just left it in the case on the sofa,”
Leave it to wealthy bimbos to leave millions of florins lying around on furniture.
“I should speak to the dean as your custodian. Will you grant me permission to do so?”
“Of course, but he left almost two days ago. Can you not hear the current broadcast?! He stole some money from the school then fled.”
Gods, is the lady really that easy to fool?
Is it not obvious that the dean left because the money he gave her was from the school's pockets? Of course, it would have been better to squeeze more money from the dean, but before matters spiral out of hand... would it not be better to spend the money?
The gold on the sofa was nothing but spare change to a noble. However, it was the difference between quitting with or without pay to her.
It was Freeday, and an attack from the imperial family meant that Lady Arusei maintained her absurdity. In a way, what happened to her was…the lady’s fault, was it not?
“So you cannot speak of the matter to the Marquis.”
“No, I must not; even if I do, the words will not come out.”
“Oh? Was it a mana imbued contract? What are its terms?”
“I think only those that are involved can know specifics. Meaning, you as the other victim, me, the dean and his assistant.”
“Oh, so a mute contract?”
“Yes.” Her ladyship replied, “Have you heard of them?”
“I have. The palace, I hear, requires all the servants to sign such contract.”
“What of the-, what of father, does he also make the workers sign such contracts.”
“The documents are expensive, so only the butler, I think.” She answered, “Thank you, my lady, for taking care of me.”
“Nonsense!” the lady began, then suddenly stood wide-eyed, “ Gods! I almost forgot! I need to call the physician!”
“Oh, wait! No…” in just the same breath, the lady halted in her path, “I cannot leave the room now, there is an ongoing assembly, and you know how outrageous the school gets about assemblies that have the grand dukes or duchesses in attendance!”
“What do I do? I think I should call the physician through the crystal.”
“Call the physician later,” She said, “You, my lady, must be tired. Should I draw you a bath?”
“Hah! You are injured; on my behalf nonetheless, I cannot ask you to do that.”
“I insist.”
“But I nearly lost you. I must not take my gaze from you.”
Since when was the bitc-…her ladyship clingy?
“My lady, I am okay. I promise, please.” She said, “It will not sit right with me if I do not fulfil my duty.”
Lady Arusei smiled.
“Tell you what, let me call the physician, then get the bath, preparation and all, for myself, then afterwards, after the examination, I mean, I will draw you one.”
“Y-you will.’
“Of course.” The lady smiled, “Do you like the sound of that?”
“I do, very much so. I am very grateful.”
*
*
*
Lady Arusei E. Alpensa
The sound of the main door clicked shut after a series of rushed and muted footsteps.
Yet still, the scent of Eucalyptus lulled my senses.
The dean was gone, and now so is the maid.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
Pity…had she not chosen to leave, I would have upped the amount of gold in p*****t for her loyalty.
But, I guess I am too good an actress.
Is this a sign?
Should I get into show business?
*
*
*
Marquis Edward L. Alpensa
The carriage ride was atrocious, not due to his mood.
Well, perhaps it was.
Still, Arusei was the one manipulating the situation.
It had to be.
A missing dean, no word from her maid, even though he paid extra for her to watch Arusei, and now this, a fake trip three days away from the-
“f**k! That little devil.”
- Writer
