Chapter 61
8 months, 1 week, 4 days pregnant.
“Mr. Cade...was it?”
Duke Valentine folds his fingers together and rests his elbows on his dark wood desk. His dark purple eyes flicker down to the papers laid out before him before moving up to lock onto the man standing before him. The duke's face was impassive and gave none of his inner thoughts away.
“Yes,” Sen confirms stoically. Shallowly, he wonders why he had been taken aside by Livia’s father and what exactly this small meeting was all about. But mostly, he was bored and just wished to return to his duties as soon as possible.
It did not sit well with him that Livia had to endure the presence of the princes alone and unguarded. At least he managed to run into Beth and Amaya on his way to the duke's office. All it had taken was a single look from him to inform the two young women to understand that something was amiss.
Hopefully, by now, they have returned to Livia’s side.
“If I recall, you had been the one who had escorted my daughter back to Wisteria,” The duke says, his attention back on the documented parchment before him.
“That is correct,” Sen confirms again.
“And yet,” The Duke glances up once more, his stare piercing, “Even after being paid for your hardships, you have returned to continue to guard and protect my daughter.”
Sen does not answer.
“I presume the reason behind such actions is easy enough to connect,” Duke Valentine says starkly, “The first payment was no small thing, not to mention your continued ones for the time rendered so far.”
Once more, Sen remains silent.
Patience was an important skill to nurture in his previous, postponed, work.
In time, the duke would speak what he really wished to.
“Still, it begs the question as to why an active S rank would sink to the level of a lowly guard. Certainty, there are plenty other endeavors for one such as yourself that would hold greater interest and reward?”
The words hang in the air for long seconds as the duke waits for a reaction to them.
But Sen only blinks slowly, once, utterly mute.
The duke's flatline of a mouth quirks up, briefly, before he pushes back in his chair and stands up. Sen watches as he slowly strides around his dark wood desk and towards the window to look out of it.
“I shall be blunt,” Duke Valentine state, after a pause, “I wish to know what kind of relationship you have with my daughter,” His head turns so a single dark purple eye is visible.
“You have spent months with her and had even seen to return to her side even after your original duties have come to a close. As a father, it...concerns me,” The words are said dispassionately. As if the duke was speaking from a meticulously written script.
“You are a man,” The duke continues on plainly, “And she is a lady born of high standing. It had been rather inappropriate that you two had traveled alone unsupervised, but I understand the circumstances dictated it. Now, I must know, what exactly you are to my daughter.”
Duke Valentine turns fully to face Sen and half his face is swallowed up by shadow as the setting sun cast a sharp contrast on it, bringing light to his empty eyes.
For a split second, a ghostly figure of Livia hovers in those eyes, but it soon dissipates.
“Mr. Cade,” The duke intones gravely, when Sen's lips remained sealed, “It is very important that that you speak the truth. I am aware that the duchess has brought up this matter to you before, with as much finest as she could muster, I am sure, but now I am the one asking you.”
“So?” Duke Valentine prompts, his eyes keen, “Who are you to my daughter?”
Sen inhales, quietly, and lets out a slow breath.
These nobles. They never say what they really want to.
In translation, what the duke truly wished to know is one, if Sen was the father of Livia’s child, and two, if Sen had any romantic or sexual relationship with Livia while they had been traveling together and if they still did.
Of course, the answer was a resounding no, to both assumptions. But what person would answer honestly in this situation? Even if Sen had somehow, impossibly, been Livia’s lover or the father of her child, none of that would have mattered, as no man within their right mind would just up and admit it. Especially after already denying it once.
And that did not even factor in the circumstances of Livia being the noble heiress to the Valentine line. The crown princess bullshit was not even worth mentioning.
“Mr. Cade,” The duke's voice was leveled, his posture almost relaxed.
Did he truly care?
Given how harmful it would be to the Valentine Household if the rumors slinking about Sen being the father of Livia’s child were granted an ounce of truth, he seems rather calm.
Uncaring.
Sen feels a small ignition of anger, but it doesn’t show on his face or his color his voice.
He tells the duke blandly, “I am only a passing companion to Lady Livia. One who is loyally employed.”
Then Sen's face shifts into one of mild but cold bemusement, “Our relationship is one born out of forced solidarity in a simple means to better get along. If you wish, you could even call it friendship,” Sen says, a hint of scorn in his voice.
Duke Valentine scrutinizes him.
“...Is that so?” The duke says, after a while.
“It is,” Sen confirms, his yellow eyes turning dull with boredom and disinterested.
“Then if that is the case, you should have no qualms to do what I must ask of you,” Duke Valentine announces, and moves to take a seat at his desk once more.
There was another layer.
Sen barely reframes from glaring as the duke lowers his head.
When the older man looks up, Sen's face remains the same. An inky blue eyebrow is even raised lazily to prompt the duke to continue on as if he could care less about the current topic.
“Hn,” The duke hums, contemplative.
“Very well then,” Duke Valentine intones, seemingly content with Sen’s lack of attachment, “The task I ask of you is simple enough. You are to keep a keen eye on my daughter from here on out. Even more so than you have in the past. She is not to go anywhere or be accompanied by anyone without my explicit approval. You are also to report back to me daily of all Livia gets up to. The royal guards assigned to this household by the king are under similar orders.”
Duke Valentine folds his fingers casually over the parchments that detail all of Sen’s false exploits, “Is this new order, clear, Mr. Sen? Or, might you have certain things that might hold you back from accomplishing your new task?”
Lord Luvien was unwavering cautious and slow to take a person's word a face value.
Hmm.
“There is nothing to prevent me from adapting,” Sen states, then he bends his back, so his eyes are leveled with the duke, “Except proper payment.”
“Of course,” Duke Valentine says, chuckling lowly, “You will be compensated.”
Sen just shoves his hands in his pants, a cold smirk on his face, “Then we have a deal.”
----------------------------------------
“Oh, wow, this is,” An awkward cough, “Cozy?” Amaya drags her eyes away from the overgrown vines attempting to cover a crawling crack splitting apart dirty brick.
“This is the north wing?” Beth ogles the building before her with a small, rarely seen curl of contempt on her lips, “It’s not even attached to the estate!” She exclaims, her tone sharp.
“It is the old main house of the Valentines,” Livia informs them, her voice dispassionate, “My ancestors had to build it up, brick by brick, with their own hands because the rewards they had gotten from the old war did not cover the expenses to rebuild the destroyed castle. This is all they could muster up in the end,” she tells them, gesturing to the estranged two-story building before her.
“You can tell it once housed the main family, in the style that it was built,” Livia points to the browning pillars and the small, sunken porch that supports them, “The Valentine Estate has a similar build. The window design is also almost identical, they are just bigger.”
“And cleaner,” Amaya snips and she instantly gets a sharp elbow in her ribs via a scowling Beth for her trouble.
Brenda, the maid who had been led them here shuffles her feet and wrings her hands nervously a few steps behind them, hoping to go unnoticed. Her wish is short-lived, as the pregnant Valentine heiress turns her head in her direction. The maid barely reframes from cringing away at the emotionless stare.
“Who has been assigned to the north wing?” Livia asks the maid.
Brenda straightens under her attention, her gaze wavering just the slightest to the Valentine heiress personal maid then back to Livia, “Yes, well, um Lord Valentine made sure to have the wing properly and completely staffed. There is a cook, his assistants, five butlers, and five maids, including myself, my lady.”
“This place has a working kitchen?” Amaya snarks, her tone surprised. This time, she nimbly doges Beth's elbow, but she does offer the older woman a playful smirk as an apology.
“Honestly,” Beth huffs, then she turns to Livia with a tentative smile, “Well, the structure looks pretty solid, and it is sizable enough to host a small noble family on its own,” She tries to compliment.
“Maybe during its prime,” Amaya comments, not mincing her words as she scans the building, “I spot two broken windows, and given the outside state of this-what do you even call this? Mini mansion? Hobbled Estate? Whatever. Given the look of the building exterior, I highly doubt the interior is in a better state. Is this place even livable? It has obviously been neglected,” she says, scowling at the shrubbery that was trying its best to eat away at brick and stone.
Brenda and Beth wince. Then, at the same time, they peek a glance at Livia’s expression.
She blinks placidly back at them, “I have lived in worse places,” She points out.
This obviously does nothing to reassure them, as they cringe and Amaya just shakes her head.
Livia ignored them and finally waddles forward. Hastily, the maid, Brenda, moves around her to open the door but pauses awkwardly when a royal guard appears from thin air and does it.
Stepping into the old main house, Livia instantly sneezes. Following closely after her, Amaya and Beth mirror her actions. Dust sways heavily in the air, displaced by the simple motion of opening the doors and feet treading about.
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“Ugh, no, what is that smell,” Amaya complains, covering her nose.
“The state the entry is in...” Beth's voice trails off, weakened.
Brenda instantly bows lowly, her body trembling, and turned towards Livia, “I apologies deeply, my lady. The order had come only hours ago and because of that, we had not been given much time to properly clean out everything. However, your room, the masters, had been the primary focus and therefore has been prepared. Do you wish for me to guide you there or...?”
Livia's stomach grumbles at the same time her son kicks testily at her ribs. She pats at it, wincing inwardly.
“Have the chef begin to prepare Lady Livia’s dinner,” Beth orders, coming up beside her. Then she tilts her head, her expression pondering, “Who did Duke Valentine choose as the head chef?”
“Master Arlo,” Brenda answers.
Beth sighs in relief, “Well, I suppose it isn’t all that bad. Master Arlo is familiar with the lady's taste and has no problem following my dietary instructions.”
Brenda beams, happy even though she wasn’t the compliment was for. She quickly scurries away and opens up a door to the left. Instantly, loud noises and clangs, which had been muffled spikes up only to dampen again as the door shuts behind her.
Livia stares dully at the way she had left, then at Beth, “We should tour the place in the meanwhile. Familiarize ourselves,” Her eyes meet Amaya’s brown ones, which suddenly sobers up.
“That is a good idea,” Amaya agrees simply.
Livia nods once.
“Right, of course,” Brenda says upon returning, hearing her words and brightening up further, “Please, my lady, come this way.”
As the maid points to the right in which an old, darkened and dust-ridden, and musty sitting room lays decaying, chirping about the large fireplace and the splendid curtains, Livia zones out a bit.
Well, being suddenly transferred to the north wing was just more unfortunate on top of everything else.
Clearly, her father intended to have her isolated. And, given how acutely the royal guards' eyes have become on her back when they thought she was not looking, it was obvious she was to be under heavy surveillance from henceforth.
Distantly, a part of Livia was livid, but it was hard to connect the feeling to her body with all the thick grey clouds in the way, obscuring it.
“The dining room is to the left, at the back of the house, but it is not in a state to be viewed,” Brenda says, her eyes shooting to the direction her arm was waving in with a nervous laugh, “On the left is also the kitchen, as you have seen.”
“What is wrong with the dining room?” Beth asks, suspicious.
Amaya's head was craned up, following an old, browning crack in the ceiling, “Water damage. Mold?”
“Mold!?” Beth asks scandalously.
Brenda's eyes fall to her feet, a flush rising high on her cheeks, “Oh, um, no. We have found no mold on the premises! Of course, Lady Livia would not have been permitted to step foot inside if that was the case, but...”
“But...?” Beth prompts.
Livia blinks slowly, tilting her head when the maid cast a look her way.
“Well, a large tree limb seemed to have fallen into the dining room, damaging the window, the table, and a few chairs. Most of the butlers are cleaning the room now, but it will be some time to repair,” The maid admits.
“...Hmm, I thought it was worse, somehow,” Amaya says, shrugging casually.
Beth just sighs, rubbing her forehead, “Alright. Well, I guess there is nothing to be done about that. We should continue on with the tour,” Her honey eyes fall worryingly on Livia.
The pregnant heiress turns her way, her thoughts empty, “What?” she asks.
The midwife just smiles and rubs a soothing hand into her back, “After this, you should eat and get proper rest. It has been a very long day.”
“After this,” Livia echoes, agreeing passively.
“Alright, if you would just follow me upstairs,” The maid says in a small pause, walking out of the sitting room, causing a small storm of dust to whip around her ankles, “We can head up and view all the rooms on the seconded floor.”
Livia says nothing when Beth offers her elbow as support. She simply leans on it as the small group begins to take the stairs, her pace a bit slow as she looks straight ahead at nothing.
“The north wing has a master bedroom, a nursery, two guest rooms, and a kid's room, tolling up five rooms. On top of that, it also has a study, a sitting room, and the already mentioned dining room,” Brenda informs them as she stops atop the stairs, waiting for the group to catch up.
She turns her short dull orange head of hair to the left, gesturing, “On the left is the study and two guest rooms,” Her head turns to the right, her arms waving through the air, “On the right is the masters, nursery and kids' room.”
Amaya sneezes.
Beth sniffles and Livia wrinkles her nose, feeling the tickle.
Around them, everything was grey or brown. If you stared long enough, you could see the finery underneath it all, the carefully carving, the dull gold, and the solidly built furniture from a time in which it had been the fable style. One could easily tell that once the Valentine Estate had been finished, the family of old had left eagerly, barely stopping to pack anything up, and had mostly left everything as is.
Once, the house had been kept up with. This much could be seen in the sheer age of the carpet, rugs and pictures handing forgotten on the walls as well by the old flag of Wisteria, torn and burned at the edges encased in glass, but at some point, it had stopped.
“Damn,” Amaya says lowly, frowning severely as she looks around.
Distantly, Livia agrees, her eyes squinting to better see through the muck floating about.
“Your first priority should be airing this place out,” Beth states sternly, her kind mouth an unamused flatline.
Brenda bows lowly just as the muttered voices of maids can be heard from the right.
“Oh!” One of them says, surprised, somehow, to see the group. Her hands were full of aged sheets with holes in them.
“Lady Livia, are you not attending the dinner party?” Another says, her pale green eyes wide as she grips the broom in her hand tightly.
“Lady Livia, greetings,” The oldest of the groups says, bowing lowly. Hastily, the other two follow.
The older woman steps forward, her dark muddled grey eyes falling on Beth and Amaya with a thin look before her expression clears when they land on Livia.
“My lady, I apologize for the state of the house. It has been a challenge to get things in order in a timely manner,” The maid says, her voice a smooth rumble.
Livia, belatedly, asks, “How long until the north wing will be restored to a livable state?”
A good question to ask. Livia’s headache has tripled in strength from the little time she has been inside. The air was stale and horrible to breathe in. Something needed to be done about that, first and foremost, as Beth has said.
“By the end of tomorrow,” The maid, who has obviously been put in charge, says.
Behind her, the other maid's shoulders slump as if they had already put in the hard work to reach such a goal. Brenda, their temporary guide, also looks exhausted from the words alone.
“Will the number of staff here be able to take on such a challenge?” Beth asks in concern.
“Of course,” The head maid says sternly, her gaze lingers on Beth and Amaya, “Especially with the added hands,” she says.
Livia, far away, bristles in annoyance at this. Outwardly, though, her face barely twitches, “I have seen enough of the estate. I wish to retire to my room,” She announces, suddenly bone-tired.
Everyone straightens at this, “Of course, Lady Livia,” says overlapping voices.
Beth once more steps closer to hold her elbow in hand, ready to help guide and support her forward.
“Brenda, resume your duties,” The head maid suddenly orders, “Once you three finishes up in the nursery, you are to begin airing out the whole estate and remove the dust,” Finished giving out direction, she turns her attention to Livia, bowing shallowly, “My lady if you would come this way.”
Livia follows after the older maid silently while ignoring the lingering eyes on her stomach with practice ease as she passed by the two younger maids.
The deadly quiet house picks up noise and activity the closer they come to the master bedroom, a maid and two butlers shuffle around them, sparing the Valentine heiress glances but mostly tending to whichever duty had been assigned.
Soon, they are standing before the master bedroom hidden behind two wooden doors. Beth and the head maid move in front to open the doors for her and she steps inside first.
Instantly, Livia notices the difference. Her next intake of air is not clogged up and releases easily. The tension in her shoulders releases, slightly, and she takes another step taking in the view as the disappearing sun cast its last rays into the room, dimly lighting it up.
The master bedroom was rather small in direct comparison to her old room in the east wing. But it was colored in more mature and neutral tones of beige and brown with rich, dark chestnut wood accenting it. The bed frame, the wardrobe, the desk, and the ends tables were share designs and colors like a small family of furniture. They also show identical ware in tear, but Livia did not mind that much at all, surprisingly.
It reminded her strongly of her old room, in her first life. Back when being surrounded by wealthy luxury had only been a daydream and cheap furniture and hand-me-downs were her reality.
More than anything, she just wanted to curl up on the bed dominating the room and snuggle under the heavy duvet colored in creamy gold. She reframes, for now.
“Oh, this isn’t bad at all,” Beth says, the first genuine smile coming upon her face since she had seen the north wing as she takes in the room.
“I have to admit, I might actually like this room better than the one in the east wing,” Amaya agrees, turning in a small circle.
Livia walks over and runs her hands over the back of the single loveseat in the room, marveling at how comfortable it looks compared to the one in her old room.
“My lady, is the room to your liking?” The head maid asks.
There were still faint cracks in the walls, the curtains would need to be completely replaced, and the wallpaper was not the prettiest, but...
“Yes, it is, thank you,” she says, suddenly recalling just how dismal everything had been outside this room and marveling at how pristine her new room was in comparison. Livia almost wished she had seen how it was before so she could further appreciate the hard work the maids and butlers had put into cleaning it.
The head maid bow, “That is great to hear. Is there anything else you need, Lady Livia?”
“No, you are dismissed,” she says, waving a hand lazily through the air.
The head maid bows once more before she exits the room, closing the heavy doors with a soft click.
A second tick by, then another as the women in the room listen to the maids' retreating steps. After Amaya instantly lets out a loud groan and collapses onto a loveseat pressed up against the foot of the bed at the same time Beth's shoulders slump over and she drags a hand over her face, shaking her head.
“This is a complete mess,” Beth says, sighing heavily.
“At least it isn’t all bad,” Amaya says sprawling out on the chair below her.
Livia silently waddles her way over to the bed. Finally, giving in to her aching feet, she sits down heavily on the soft mattress, and can’t help but let out a small sigh as her fit lifts off the ground.
“Poor thing, having to stand for so long and endure fools,” Amaya croons, sounding half serious and half teasing.
“Mrw, Mrw,” Says Noctis, seemingly in agreement as he crawls out from under the bed like a dark mass of fur, his bright yellow eyes blinking owlishly up at the maid.
“I knew you were there the whole time,” Amaya tells the teenage kitten in a low whisper, pointing at him.
Beth removes her head from the wardrobe, frowning as she glances around, “What have they done with all the baby clothes and furniture?”
“Probably stuck it in the nursery,” Amaya says, wincing as Noctis bats playfully at her hands with his claws.
Livia's eyes flicker over to the small desk in the room, the one overflowing with her written works of nonsense that only she could understand. That was probably a potential problem. But at least she was smart enough to keep her memory stones on her person at all times. Even if she had to find creative ways to do so.
“I want out of this dress,” she tells no one, in particular, picking sullenly at the said dress with her fingers.
“I’ll help,” Amaya offers and flips off the couch with her long legs, unmindful of how she flashes Beth and Livia a bit when she does so. She sashays towards the wardrobe and gently pushes Beth aside to start going through it.
“Where is the bathroom?” Beth asks, looking around the room for another door.
“Oh,” she says in confusion, spotting two doors to the far right.
“One is probably connected to the nursery,” Livia points out. She has collapsed back onto the bed, carefully, and now stares up at the water stains on the ceiling as Noctis rubs his head into her hand, demanding head pats.
“Well, that is wonderful,” Beth says, brightening, “I’m a bit curious to see how it looks inside.”
“Go for it,” Amaya says, pulling out a black silky nightgown, “You want to take a bath or eat first?” she asks Livia, draping the clothing over the back of the loveseat.
“Both,” Livia says honestly, her eyelids heavy.
“Poor thing,” Beth says, suddenly leaning over her with a worried expression, “How are you feeling?”
Livia lifts up her feet, wondering when she had taken off her wedges, and wiggles her swollen toes, “I hate walking. My back hurts, I’m hungry, my head hurts, and my son is particularly determined today in his never-ending goal to break my ribs.”
Beth strokes a lock of hair out of her face and starts to undo the styling, “Should I look you over? I am sure I have some medicine for that headache of yours, but I will have to return to the Valentine Estate to get it.
Livia shakes her head, “No, it’s fine. You two will be busy enough packing up your things.”
Amaya groans, turning away from staring outside the window, “Damn. I knew I had forgotten something.”
Beth sighs, “We should take care of that today,” Her honey eyes soften, “However, I think it is best we leave that for later in the night. Or at least until Sen returns.”
“Father had called him away hours ago,” Livia notes, her eyes close and her words a bit sluggish, “He should have been back by now.”
Beth just sighs again, “I should go pick up dinner for you,” She glances around the room with a frown, noticing for the first time that it did not have a table to eat food on, “And a tray.”
Livia does not reply, her eyes still closed.
Amaya peeks over Beth's shoulder, “Is she asleep?” She asks, frowning.
“It’s fine. She should rest a bit while she can,” Beth says, stroking a hand through Livia’s soft hair.
The room was dark now, the sun finally dipping down and completely out of view.
“At least Liliana should be enjoying herself,” Amaya comments, “That girl could use some exposure to people of her age. It must be pretty depressing to be stuck in this house for almost all your life.”
“Hmm,” Beth agrees, her gaze distant.
Livia's eyes suddenly snap open. She ignores Beth's gasp of surprise and scrambles clumsily to a sitting position, her eyes wide.
Amaya calmly blinks back at her, raising a dark eyebrow, “What is it?”
“Sen... he is...” Livia blinks owlishly,
“Goodness,” Beth says, clutching her chest and trying to calm her heart.
“Sen is what?” Amaya coaxes.
Livia snorts out a sudden quiet giggle.
“Oh, fuck. I completely forgot to warn him,” she says, her voice filled with amusement, her dull eyes sparking.
“What? What is it? Don’t just leave me hanging,” Amaya whines, now very interested.
Livia lifts up one finger, “Sen has his first official event with Amelia tonight,” she lifts up another finger, “This event also happens to be one that isn’t avoidable, as it is the start of him becoming a target,” she lifts up a third finger, “Also, on top of that, this is the same night in which Adanna falls head over tits for him, though I suspect this has already happened a bit prematurely.”
“Wait, seriously!?” Amaya says, watching as Livia collapses again on the bed, with a smile of vague bemusement.
“Well, that is...” Beth doesn’t know what to say.
Livia suddenly lifts up her hand, bringing attention to herself as she recalls another important thing, “Also, the Fall Courtship cannot officially start until all princess candidates have gone through their mandatory three supervised meetings with the crown prince.” Then her hands drop as she turns and tries to curl up on the bed and close her eyes as if what she just said wasn’t of great importance.
“Eh...?” Beth says, after a drawn-out silence, blinking.
“Her brain has turned into mush and has fallen right out of her ears,” Amaya concludes nodding sagely. Then her expression of amusement clears, her brown eyes sharpen.
“It looks like the next few days will be pretty interesting,” she says lowly, turning to Beth.
Beth just blinks, still behind, “Eh?” She says again.