His Half Blood Princess

11.

Gathering the three books I had finished reading from my table, I walked out of my room to go and replace them with another set of books in the library.

The thought of going to the library had always given me joy, but not after all the events that unfolded last week after Lord Edwin Vincent's departure to only God knows where.

Going out of the house to appreciate the horses and the gardens was a no for me. The last time I went out, which was only five days ago, made me lose the desire to go out again. The servants kept watching me with keen eyes, and some of what appeared to be pity while they whispered as I walked by them. And worse, they all refused to talk to me as I attempted to make conversation with them.

"You are not supposed to talk to the commoners," Maria had said one morning while she was braiding my hair and I complained to her about it.

"Even poor Helen here doesn't talk to us," Maria chuckled.

I could see Helen through the mirror as she swept my room. She appeared calm as Maria said that, except that her grip on the broom tightened, the only evidence that the comment got to her.

"Don't say that, Maria, I am no different than any of you. And I am sure Helen would like to talk to everyone if she could, tell them all a piece of her mind." I retorted, which seemed to ease Helen as she loosened her grip on the broom and went back to sweeping.

I would read my mother's letter every night before I went to sleep, and I missed them more than anything in the world.

Helen had refused to even make eye contact with me, going back to her usual self and pretending as if nothing had happened.

If only she had elaborated on what she was pointing to in the long corridor, I thought on my way to returning the books.

But what if? I stopped in my tracks as something came to mind. What if what Helen was trying to point out had something to do with my nightmare?

Just five feet ahead of me was the black oak door. I looked behind me to make sure no one was there before going for it.

I stood in front of the door and held the books with my left hand before taking a deep breath and reaching for the door knob with my right, this time ready to feed my curiosity.

"It is locked all the time." a voice behind me frightened me to the bone and the books I was holding fell to the ground. I didn't see anyone coming.

I turned to see Maria holding a bucket and rag as she closed the door she had come out of.

"No one is allowed in there except the trusted servants, and I assure you that it will be in your best interest to never set foot behind these doors," Maria said and started walking away as if she had never said anything.

" Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes, by the way," she added, as she disappeared out of my sight.

I counted two minutes after she had walked away before trying the door and, true to her words, the door was locked, it wouldn't even budge. That was when I remembered that in my dream Lord Edwin Vincent used a key to unlock it first. Just how much of that nightmare is real?

I returned the books and went down to have breakfast, only to see the maids lined up.

"Jamie, what's going on?" I asked the maid.

"His Grace is back and we are to welcome him."

"Oh!" I nodded, unsure how to feel about his coming back. Did I miss him? I definitely didn't enjoy eating alone. I stood beside the maids and they all gave me weird looks.

"You are to stand in front of us," Jamie nudged.

I walked a little further and stood in front of them when the doors opened and in walked Lord Edwin Vincent and behind him were five servants holding heavy trunks each. A huge smile spread across his face as his eyes fell on me and I couldn't help a smile of my own.

"Welcome back." I curtsied.

"Thank you," he replied and walked over to where I was standing, his staff in his other hand.

"It's nice to have someone other than the servants welcome me back from a trip," he said, and someone inhaled sharply from behind me as Lord Edwin Vincent smirked. Turning my head, I followed his gaze to see that he was smirking at Helen. Her head was down and her hands were clenched into fists by her side.

"Now," Edwin Vincent turned my face with his hand so that now I was looking at him. "look what I brought you," he said, and put his hands in the pocket of his coat and took out a little box the size of a small book.

"A gift?" I asked excitedly. I wasn't used to getting gifts from anyone, except for the flowers Bruno would get me occasionally.

"Yes, a gift." Lord Edwin Vincent chuckled and handed me the box.

I eagerly took it and opened it and my eyes widened at the sight of the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life ever owned to begin with, and definitely not this exquisite.

"Wow!" I gasped, taking out the glittering diamond necklace from the case and I could hear the maids murmuring behind me.

"Do you like it?" Lord Edwin Vincent asked.

"Yes it's beautiful," I nodded, putting it back inside the case. "But this looks like it cost a fortune, it's too much I can't take it." I said, closing the case. Just because I am now living in a villa and get to eat better food and wear pretty clothes doesn't mean I forget who I am.

"Of course you can, and you just did."

"But this is too much," I insisted.

"And that isn't all," Lord Edwin Vincent clicked his hand and the five servants holding the boxes started taking them up the stairs.

"What are those?" I asked, watching the servants struggle with the hefty trunks.

"I bought new dresses for you. I thought they would be more befitting of a princess."

"But that isn't necessary, I already have enough," I told him, but his gaze was on something behind me as he smirked and I turned to see Helen had left. What is wrong with her today?

"And I am not a princess, neither will I become one." I added, turning my attention back to him. Lord Edwin Vincent dismissed the maids with a motion of his hand and they all curtsied and left through their door.

"Everything is possible Serena, you just have to believe."

"But the gifts are too much," I insisted.

"Well, it's either you take them, or I will have to wear them myself, seeing as I have spent a lot of money on them, but since that won't be happening and since you abhor my gifts so much, I guess we will have to dispose of them." Lord Edwin Vincent said and without waiting to hear another word from he walked away and up the stairs.

If this was a way to make me feel guilty and accept his gifts, then it definitely worked.

*

I went back upstairs and straight to my room to keep the necklace so I could go back to my room and have breakfast, my stomach was already grumbling.

I entered my room and was met with five trunks, one on top of the other. I put the necklace safely inside my drawer before going to the boxes and opening the one on top.

I took out the dress on top as the smell of new clothes filled the air. It was a creme coloured with pearls on the bodice and golden embroidery that ran down the full-length skirt.

I had just put it against my body when there was a knock on my door.

"Come in." I said, and Jamie came in.

"It's so beautiful, Miss Green, you should wear it to breakfast," the girl suggested.

"I think this is a little too much for breakfast," I replied.

I went to the dining room to see that Lord Edwin Vincent was already there. He neither looked up nor talked to me as I pulled out a chair and sat down.

"The clothes and the necklace are really beautiful, thank you." I said, and he looked up.

"I am glad you like them all. Why didn't you wear any of them?"

"I believe I will need the help of at least two people to get into any of those dresses." I joked.

"Well you should never hesitate to ask them for help," he said, and took a sip of his tea. "I trust you will look beautiful in them."

"Like a princess, you mean?"

"Yes," he smiled. "you already look a lot different from the girl I picked from the forest three weeks ago."

"Saved, you mean," I corrected. Picking didn't sound right to me.

"Sounds all the same to me," he shrugged and asked "What happened while I was away? Did you do anything exciting?"

"Nothing much happened, can you believe the stupid guards wouldn't let me go outside?" I blurted, then internally scolded myself when his demeanor changed.

"And what were you looking for outside when there's everything you need in here?"

"I-uh I don't know," I gulped as Lord Edwin Vincent stared at me with a hard gaze and, for some reason, I felt my heart beating fast and felt the need to lie to him. "What was I thinking? some stupid adventure probably."

"Is that why you tried to get inside my office again?"

Again? My eyes widened. How did he know about the first time?

"I swear I didn't try to enter it the first time because my conscience wouldn't let me and I was only curious about it." I rushed to defend myself.

"So today wasn't the first time you tried to enter my office," he said, and I realised I only confirmed his suspicions out of foolishness.

"I promise you that sooner than you think, you will see my office, and when you do, you will no longer be interested." He said and went back to having his breakfast.

Is it just me or did his choice of words not make any sense mostly?