Chapter Three: Giulia

After parting ways with Pep, Aeneas moved around throughout the Halls of Castle Aquila. The young Inquisitor was conflicted between hobnobbing with the people there and avoiding them altogether. He would have been content to keep himself anonymous until he heard a woman’s shout.

“Foolish peon! Watch where you’re going!”

Aeneas rushed to the source of the voice. There was a woman screaming at one of Castle Aquila’s servants. Aeneas recognized the girl: Giulia de Medici, the daughter of the Venetian Doge. The offending girl was short and possessed a sandy blonde hair with a ponytail. They had met before, and Aeneas was not looking forward to this confrontation.

Aeneas stepped in front of the servant, as if to defend the hapless man. “You can’t abuse our servants like this, Lady Giulia!” he scolded.

Giulia glared at Aeneas, there was a tense silence between the two. Meanwhile, the servant in question was able to make himself scarce from the situation.

“Do you see this?” Giulia said as she showed Aeneas her dress. It was stained red from the punch that Castle Aquila had been serving.

“Forgive our clumsiness,” Aeneas apologized in attempt to appease the angry girl.

But Giulia was not assuaged. “Your clumsy servant should be punished for his clumsiness.”

“My father will handle the situation as he sees fit,” Aeneas answered. Though Aeneas did not raise his voice in the slightest, he had said that declaration with such a finality that Giulia’s countenance changed: from one of stubborn anger to one of shock.

“Fine,” the girl conceded.

Aeneas looked around; the crowd that was once around them had dispersed. He was glad that the situation had died down a bit.

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“Good. I’ll be going now,” Aeneas said before he turned to leave. But he was held back as Giulia’s hand clasped into his.

“Wait,” the girl said.

Aeneas turned around and gave Giulia a confused look; he wondered what the girl could want this time around.

“Could we, hang around together?”

The young Inquisitor looked at the girl in front of him. Giulia’s countenance had changed. Rather than the stiff one of anger, it was a soft look of hope. It was like looking at a completely different person. It was quite flabbergasting.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Do not take this the wrong way, Aeneas Aquilanus!” she barked suddenly.

Once more Aeneas saw the angry countenance of Giulia returned to the forefront. The young Inquisitor couldn’t help but be amused; he was beginning to understand this girl.

“Of course,” Aeneas said as he gave the biggest smile he could. “And I won’t spill the punch.”

“Thank you, Aeneas,” Giulia said with a smile of her own, a radiant one. It was quite the experience for Aeneas who was seeing the duality of woman right before of his eyes.

Aeneas took Giulia in hand. As promised, he did not spill the punch. The two of them left the halls of Castle Aquila and went outside to the veranda. The two of them could see the beautiful view of Lake Tyrion.

“I can look at this all day,” Giulia declared.

Aeneas chucked. “I would think that the view is better in Veneto, since it’s up in the sky.”

“Bah,” Giulia said forcefully, taking Aeneas by surprise. “I don’t want to think about home.”

Aeneas nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what the girl next to him was referring to.

“I see,” the young Inquisitor said. “How was it? Your new position?”

Giulia crossed her arms, annoyed by the question. “Obviously terrible. So many fools getting hurt for no real reason.”

“Hang in there,” Aeneas encouraged. “If things get difficult, just give me a call. You have my brick number. We’ll talk.”

Giulia looked at her interlocutor in shock. Once more, that radiant smile returned to her face.

“I’d like that, Aeneas.”

Aeneas and Giulia would have just look on the view of Lake Tyrion in silence. But it was not to be as a musical tune rang out from Giulia.

“That’s my brick,” Giulia said. She took out a rectangular-shaped machine and put it to her right ear.

Aeneas said nothing as Giulia engaged in a brief conversation with her caller. Once done, she put it back to her pocket.

“That was my papa. I have to go, Aeneas,” Giulia said apologetically. “I’ll see you around.”

Aeneas nodded. “One more thing, Giulia,” he said.

“What is it?”

“Smile. It’s beautiful.”