Rowan regarded the smiling maid who had just greeted them. Her pale lavender hair was caught in a charmingly haphazard ponytail that left her fringe framing her face. Like Rowan, it was clear that she was part Ferran as she had the eyes and ears, but no tail. At least not one that Rowan could see.
Her outfit was reminiscent of the uniforms worn by the younger maids back in Midiris, only it had a more personal feel, as if it were the kind of outfit you would wear for day-to-day leisure instead of work. The main body of the outfit was made up of a flowing, olive green skirt with an asymmetrical hem that reached down to her knees and a complimentary blouse. She also wore a dark, underbust corset in place of a more standard bodice, along with a few pieces of jewellery, namely a jade bracelet on her wrist.
“You're staring, Rowan,” Seres teased, distracting Rowan from her observations.
“I am not,” Rowan protested quietly, not wanting to embarrass the maid. It's not like she was actually staring. Right? No, of course not. It had only been a few seconds. Or everyone was pretending to be a statue.
The maid giggled lightly at Rowan’s bewildered contemplation and the complementary facial contortions that were no doubt gracing her countenance.
“I am flattered to have caught your gaze, even if only for a moment, Lady Rowan. Fear not, for you were hardly staring, and I would not have complained if you had been.”
“She's good,” Lochlan muttered from somewhere behind Rowan.
“I'm surprised you aren't trying to flirt with her,” Liadra added just as quietly.
“She's not my type and doesn't strike me as needing a confidence boost or any help getting used to courtly theatrics,” Lochlan explained.
Was that really the reason behind his oddly melodramatic persona?
He sounded genuine, but it was impossible to tell with Lochlan. Try as she might, Rowan could not penetrate his Gift, especially when she was focusing on a still-speaking Reia and her surroundings.
When the question of what had happened to their belongings, which had been left on the Wind Rose, arose, Reia gave the answer before the question could even be asked.
“Your belongings arrived just over an hour ago, and your mounts are resting in the stables off to the side behind you.”
Then, without missing a beat, she presented them with a question of her own. Two to be exact.
“Would you rather I show you around the grounds first or inside, and will Master Brennan and Master Aru be staying?”
Rowan wasn’t against the idea of them staying for a wee bit, especially if they didn't have any responsibilities that required their immediate attention. When she and Seres turned to face the Awakened Pair, however, Brennan appeared hesitant. Revi, on the other hand, was completely nonplussed.
“We should probably be getting back to the palace with confirmation of a job well done,” Brennan suggested awkwardly.
So much for urgency.
If Lochlan was a locked tome hidden within the false bottom of a treasure-filled chest sealed with lead and buried deep beneath the red sands of the Ru'eni Empire, Brennan was, at least for that brief moment, a live reading. The fact that Revi hadn't moved an inch only made it all the more apparent that Brennan was avoiding Rowan.
“Nonsense,” Seres told him. “I'm sure the palace already knows we've arrived safely and we could use this as an opportunity to properly melt the ice.”
“The princess raises a good point,” Revi agreed. “If we're going to be working together, we should be better acquainted.”
Rowan recognised the inflection at the end of Revi's reasoning. It was similar to the way Amran teased her when the situation called for it. She almost felt bad for him. At the same time, she was glad she wasn't the one being teased. Stoics and princesses were, after all, quite merciless.
Brennan sighed audibly. “I guess we can stay a while longer if you'll have us.”
Not wanting to be left out, Rowan added her own fuel to the fire. “Are you really so against the slightest hint of intimacy between us, that you would proclaim it so overtly? Was our dance a lie?” She avoided adding any blatantly suggestive qualities to her voice as she teased him. The words alone were enough, and she didn't want him to think she was hitting on him with any particular intent.
His face turned almost the exact shade of crimson that Rowan pictured herself turning if she were in his shoes.
“It's not like that,” Brennan stammered. If speech could have colour, his would have been blushing rosy with embarrassment. The intoxicating emotion washed over Rowan, lowering her inhibitions as embarrassment was want to do. She could only imagine how bad it was for him as the source.
It only took a moment or two longer for the answer to be made at least somewhat apparent, as Brennan went on to reveal the reason behind his awkwardness.
“It's true that I have developed a substantial crush on you and Lady Alena, but I do not wish to burden either of you with these feelings. You already have each other, and it would be selfish and unfair of me to get in the way of what you have.”
Lochlan whistled in surprise, and Seres echoed his sentiment by audibly musing on the question of, “Alena as well?”
Despite the question not being directed specifically at him, Brennan still responded to it. “It was only Rowan at first, but then I saw them dancing together.”
He then turned specifically to Rowan and locked eyes with her. “You are an inspiration, and now that I've had the pleasure of speaking to Lady Alena, I know she is equally special.”
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“You’ve spoken to Alena?” Rowan asked.
“A few times now. I happened upon her by chance in the library, and we hit it off. That is to say, we hit it off in a purely platonic fashion. I promise it was never anything more than that. I have no intention of interfering with the flame you both share. It's part of what makes you special.”
Rowan was starting to understand. He truly was an Ardent. Her face adopted a serious, yet compassionate mien as she returned Brennan's gaze. She spoke softly, assuring him he had done nothing wrong.
“You needn't worry about ruining what Alena and I have. No matter what you do, you'll never get between us. Not like that.”
“I know,” Brennan agreed. His tone was forlorn, and the colour was gone from his melancholic visage.
“I don't think you do,” Rowan told him. “What Alena and I have isn't exclusive. We both agree it can be something greater given the right circumstances.
“With that in mind, however, I'm not saying you should get your hopes up. I'm also not currently making a move on you. What I am saying, is that you shouldnae be afraid of making your interests known and trying to catch our gaze. I cannae speak for Alena, but I do think you are, at the very least, physically attractive, and you havnae done anything to make me completely disregard you as an option. At the same time, you have done nothing to evoke any serious romantic feelings from me. If you at least try, however, you might have a chance.”
And just like that, the cat was out of the bag. It was a wee bit sooner than she had initially anticipated, but seeing Brennan torture himself over feelings he had no release for was too much. She was sure Alena would have done the same if she had been in her shoes, especially if Brennan's assessment of their interactions was mutual.
Alas, while the mood was notably lighter now that everything was out in the open, she felt like they weren't quite ready for a tour of the estate. With that in mind, she glanced around for Reia, who had seemingly disappeared.
“Has anyone seen Reia?” she asked.
“She took the carriage driver aside when the conversation started getting personal,” Seres answered. “I think she was being mindful of your privacy.”
“Ah. That was nice of her. I'm going to go find her quickly.”
Before anyone could respond, she was off. Fortunately, Reia and the driver were fairly close by but out of view from where Rowan had been standing. She found them sitting inside an exquisitely carved gazebo off to the side of the main building and next to a small pond. It was close enough that Reia could reach them if she was called upon, but far enough to be out of earshot for standard conversation.
The maid smiled warmly at Rowan as she stepped into view. Rowan smiled back and offered her thanks and a question.
“Hey, Reia. Thank you for giving us some space. Would it be okay to have some tea before the tour?”
“Of course,” Reia answered.
*****
The tea was definitely needed to help everyone reset. Well, mostly just Brennan, and to a lesser extent, Rowan, but still. With the tea airing out any lingering awkwardness, they were finally ready for Reia to show them around.
They started with the oddly curvaceous driveway. Rowan understood the reason behind some of the curves, but she was convinced whoever was responsible for the design had intentionally modelled it after the slender curves of a naked woman. Either that, or the tea was less effective than she had anticipated. It didn't help that the shape was further emphasised by the resplendent white paving of the driveway being in stark contrast to the verdant grass on either side of it.
As the driveway neared the far wall, it branched off to the sides whilst continuing on to the gate. The two arms followed the walls to a pair of carriage houses with adjoining stables — one for the residents and one for guests. It was clear which one was which as Nami looked very pleased with her new home, not least because of the veritable feast she had been provided with.
After being shown the stables, Reia led them to the gazebo she had been sitting in with the carriage driver.
“This is my favourite spot on the estate,” Reia told them. “The night wisps come out when the sun sets, and if you look closely, you'll see the two lunar koi swimming in the pond. They've supposedly been living here for over a hundred years.”
Having only ever read about lunar koi before, Rowan wasn’t quite sure of what she was supposed to be on the lookout for. She was about to give up when she saw one of them. A flash of silver touched with crimson, and another touched with azure. They were massive. Rowan had to wonder how they had enough room.
“It's deeper than it looks,” Reia told her. This was the second time she had answered a question preemptively in just as many hours.
“How did you know what I was thinking?” Rowan asked. “You're not an Empath, are you?”
“No,” Reia laughed, “I'm a Linguist. I was reading your body language.”
“Been a while since I last saw a Linguist using their Gift for body language,” Lochlan mused. “Have you ever considered becoming a spy?”
Reia’s laughter softened into a light chuckle. “Hardly. I'm just a maid and a student. Plus, I had the same question when I was first assigned here.”
“Shame. When did that happen?”
“Two weeks ago. I had been studying in Llanefhrin, but I moved back to Særis so that I could work here. And before you ask why, I was personally recruited for this role by Master Varik and Ser Maia. They've already briefed me on everything I need to know.”
Rowan was trying very hard to stop her jaw from going slack from the surprise. It was bad enough that her eyes were already wide in disbelief. She just prayed she wasn't the only one.
“You know why we're here?” Seres asked, her tone betraying her surprise just as Rowan's face was doing for her.
“I know the basics. Master Varik and Ser Maia needed someone they could trust to watch over the estate. This way, you'll be able to talk freely without fear of it being leaked to your enemies.”
“And why should we trust you?” Liadra asked.
“Because if I were a mole, you should be more concerned that I was able to comment on the fact that Master Varik and Ser Maia are involved. Besides that, Master Varik and Ser Maia trust me because I owe them my life.”
“And here I thought you didn't want to be a spy,” Lochlan remarked.
“I said it wasn’t something I had considered becoming. Why would I bother when I can just be me? Now if you follow me, I'll show you to the training hall and the pool out back.”
*****
Lochlan continued asking Reia questions for the entirety of the tour, and she took it all in her stride. More than that, she was actually able to read him if he wasn't careful. By the end of it, he was defeated. She had completely disarmed him. Better yet, her ability to deliver an engaging tour was maintained in spite of the incessant questioning.
As far as Rowan was concerned, she had done a phenomenal job. So much so that the Eversong Mansion was already starting to feel like home. Rowan was especially fond of the training hall as it reminded her of the dance studio in her family home, and the swimming pool was a welcome addition.
At the same time, she'd be remiss to forget about the path they had taken to get there. The koi pond was already a work of art, but seeing it transition into the garden was nothing short of serene. With the added patio and veranda behind the main building, Rowan was sure she'd be spending a fair amount of time there come spring.
With that said, the interior was no slouch either. On top of being incredibly spacious, it also laid claim to all manner of facilities, some of which Rowan hadn't even considered. This, of course, included a dedicated music room.
*****
Reia ended the tour with a simple question that struck Rowan to the core.
“Any ideas on which rooms you prefer?”