On the way to see Elizabeth, I took a detour to check in on Lorelei. While her injuries weren’t life threatening, I still wanted to make sure that she was okay. She looked fine to me, if a bit tired. I told her to take it easy for the rest of our stay here, and she sagged with relief. The room they brought her to was pretty nice, and even included a comfy looking bed.

The fight with the House Griffin retainers, as short as it was, had been intense. Lorelei took on three opponents, and won. I didn’t know how powerful they were, but at a guess, they were roughly equal to her in strength at most. Otherwise, Lorelei wouldn’t have gotten away with just a black eye.

Why would Lord Asher, a scion from a Great House, bring three First Circle wizards/Energy Condensation cultivators as his bodyguards? That made no sense to me. I did the same thing, when I went out shopping with Lorelei and Corie, but that was for formality’s sake. If I hadn’t, it would have upset Mother. Had he done so here for the same reasons?

After leaving Lorelei, who decided to lay down for a bit, Madilyn brought me to Elizabeth. However, when we arrived, we found her in a confrontation with Lord Derek.

What was he doing here? I thought he left already.

We found them in the hallway just outside of Elizabeth’s room, or what I presumed was Elizabeth’s room. Lord Derek loomed over her, though he refrained from touching her. Elizabeth stood her ground. They were the only ones in the hallway. The House Brant retainers were nowhere in sight.

Madilyn and I were around a corner, just out of sight. Unless they looked, they wouldn’t see us eavesdropping.

“-know you did something to me,” Lord Derek snarled. “You must have laced your nails with some kind of poison. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have vomited out the contents of my stomach like that.”

“I don’t know what you mean, Lord Derek,” Elizabeth said, sounding cool and calm. “You must have eaten something that disagreed with you. Or perhaps your stomach also found your vulgar behavior sickening, and that was its way of protesting.”

Lord Derek’s face turned red.

“You!” he choked out, unable to say anything else.

Madilyn started forward, to intervene, but I stopped her.

“Let me handle this,” I said in a quiet voice. “Indulge me.”

Madilyn hesitated for a brief moment, before nodding. I smiled at her in thanks, before I rounded the corner and approached the pair.

“You’re going to regret this,” Lord Derek said. “Lady Annabelle won’t be around to protect you forever.”

He noticed me before Elizabeth could respond, and her gaze followed his.

“Lord Derek,” I said, putting on an obviously false smile. “Just the man I was looking for.”

“Piss off, Lord Gabriel,” he said. “This isn’t any of your concern. My business is with Lady Elizabeth here.”

“Oh, but it is my concern,” I said, gesturing to Madilyn, who stood out in the open now. “So you can either deal with me, or you can deal with her. After all, you’re just a guest here. You have no business roaming these halls as you please.”

“Neither do you.”

“Ah, but I received permission. Have you?”

From the glare he shot my way, I knew he hadn’t.

“Fine,” Lord Derek spat out. “What do you want?”

I turned to Elizabeth.

“Lady Elizabeth, would you mind giving us a moment?”

Elizabeth shook her head.

“By all means, Lord Gabriel,” she said. “He’s yours.” She shot him a glare. “Our conversation was over anyway.”

With that, she entered her room and closed the door behind her. After she left, I walked over until Lord Derek and I were barely a foot apart. He snarled, and tried to loom over me as he had with Elizabeth, but we were about the same height so it wasn’t as effective. His breath smelled like mint. He must have used some kind of solution to clean his mouth out.

“Well?” he said. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Isn’t it exhausting?” I asked. “Pretending to be a boorish fool? Or maybe foolish boor would be more accurate.”

Lord Derek narrowed his eyes at me. It was barely perceptible, but I had good eyesight.

Aha! Right on the money.

“As a Great House, House Brant cares about their reputation and image more than most other Houses,” I continued. “They have to. There is no way that they would let someone like you go out in public if you really were the wild dog you pretend to be. Either they’ve kept you on a short leash, and only let you out under certain circumstances, or this is all an act you put on because it benefits you in some way.”

It was similar to my strategy of turning my tattered reputation to my advantage. Being known as someone who cared little about House society’s rules came with downsides, but it also came with several positives. Joining the Adventurers Guild was one such positive.

I didn’t know what advantage Lord Derek, and House Brant by extension, gained by him acting like a complete dick, but I’m sure there was one.

A subtle change came over Lord Derek. His body language shifted, and he no longer looked like the vulgar ruffian from earlier. Instead, he seemed more like a proper House scion. Now, instead of a thug, he was more like a rich jackass playing bad boy. He just needed a cigarette to complete the image.

“Impressive,” Lord Derek said. Even his way of speaking changed. It became smoother, and more refined. “Most other House scions just see the act and don’t bother to look deeper.” He chuckled. “It’s what I wanted, but it always amuses me to hear them whisper about me behind my back. Fools.” He looked me up and down. “So, what gave me away?”

I shrugged.

“I intend to employ a similar strategy, so I recognized the signs.”

“Is that why you became an adventurer?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Something like that, yes.”

“I figured as much.” He looked annoyed. “We were supposed to bring that up during the tea party, but everything went off script. It’s annoying to work with people who don’t follow the plan.”

Lord Derek shot a glare at the door to Elizabeth’s room.

“So you’re not even going to pretend that this wasn’t a ploy concocted by House Thorne to test me?” I asked.

“Nope,” he said with a shrug. “Why would I? The party is over. My part is done.”

“Truly, you are a consummate professional,” I said in a dry tone.

Lord Derek snorted.

“If House Thorne wanted me to keep playing along with their little game, they should have mentioned that when they asked my House for help.” His eyes narrowed a little. “Now, what do you want? My time is limited, and frankly, you’re not worth much of it.”

It would be best if I spent as little time around Lord Derek as possible. Otherwise, I might end up killing him.

“Simple,” I said. “Leave Lady Elizabeth alone. Let bygones be bygones, and forget about today's incident.”

Based on what I saw of him, Lord Derek didn’t seem like the kind of person who would let this sort of thing go, even if it took a while to get revenge. Maybe it was all part of his public persona, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Regardless of her relationship with Annabelle, Elizabeth was still just from a middling House. If Lord Derek wanted to, he could crush House Corwin with ease using his House’s resources.

Lord Derek’s expression grew sharper.

“After what she did to me, you want me to just let it go?” he demanded. “My stomach still feels like it’s on fire.”

“I’d consider it a favor,” I said. “A small favor, but a favor nonetheless.”

Lord Derek paused and pursed his lips. While he had his pride to consider, was it worth the cost of giving up a favor from someone like me? That was the question Lord Derek needed to answer. Just because our Houses were hostile to each other didn’t mean we couldn’t make a deal.

After several seconds, Lord Derek heaved out a sigh.

“Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure that if I said no, you’d find some way to cause me trouble. It’s not worth the hassle. You have a deal. I’ll forget about what happened at the tea party today.” He leaned forward a bit. “Just make sure she keeps those nails of hers away from me. I won’t forgive her a second time.”

“Noted,” I said. “Now then, I think it’s time for you to leave.”

“Careful, Lord Gabriel,” Lord Derek said. “You might be Lady Annabelle’s suitor, but you aren’t a member of House Thorne. Even if you were, that wouldn’t give you the right to order me around. I’d watch that tongue of yours, if I were you.”

I didn’t respond, and just watched him with a calm expression on my face. After a while, Lord Derek snorted and shook his head, before heading off. Madilyn and I watched him go. Before our eyes, Lord Derek transformed back into the thug from earlier, as if putting on an old jacket.

Madilyn turned to me after he disappeared.

“Thank you,” I said to her.

“You are welcome, Lord Gabriel,” she said. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

“No, thank you.”

“Very well. If you change your mind, just ask any of the servants. They would be more than glad to assist you.”

With that, Madilyn turned on her heel and left.

----------------------------------------

I knocked on the door to Elizabeth’s room. Moments later, Doris opened the door. As usual, she kept her head down and avoided looking me in the eyes. However, it didn’t matter now. I had already seen her face. There was no forgetting the similarities she shared with Elizabeth, and Corie for that matter.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“Welcome, Lord Gabriel,” Doris said in her quiet voice. “Please, come in. My lady has been expecting you.”

She stepped aside to let me in. The “guest room” turned out to be more of a suite that was more luxurious and well appointed than the Yellow Rose Room. In addition to a bedroom, there was a drawing room for receiving guests, a private bathroom, and a little kitchenette area for preparing snacks and light meals. Honestly, it was a pretty swanky place.

Elizabeth waited for me in the drawing room. She stood up when I entered and curtsied.

“Thank you for coming, Lord Gabriel,” she said.

“You piqued my curiosity,” I said. “So I figured there wasn’t any reason to deny your invitation.”

Elizabeth nodded, before gesturing for me to sit down. I did, and she sat opposite of me. Doris, who had followed me into the drawing room, stood behind her mistress.

“Would you like refreshments?” Elizabeth asked. “I could have Doris make something.”

“No, thank you,” I said. “I think it’s best if we got down to business straight away.”

Elizabeth nodded.

“You have questions, I presume. I will do my best to answer them, but before we begin I would like to thank you for intervening earlier. Lord Derek is rather overbearing.”

“Think nothing of it,” I said. “The man irks me, and our Houses aren’t on the best of terms, to put it mildly.”

“Regardless, I am grateful for your help,” Elizabeth said. “My position here at Thorne Manor is still rather precarious.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“And what position is that? You said you were Lady Annabelle’s tutor earlier, but that isn’t the whole truth, is it?”

Elizabeth hesitated before answering.

“No, it is not,” she said. “A little over a week ago, I received a message from House Thorne. They wanted me to be Lady Annabelle’s etiquette tutor. I wanted to refuse. I feared that it was a ploy to get revenge on you through me, since we used to be engaged.” Her expression turned flat. “My aunt, however, refused to listen to my protests and forced me to accept.”

Of course Lady Corwin had. Almost any other Matriarch or Patriarch in her position would have done the same. The opportunity to make a connection with a Great House didn’t come often. Many would kill for such a thing, and Lady Corwin was no exception. In fact, she had even more reason to push Elizabeth towards this than most. House Corwin was young, by House standards, and Lady Corwin was desperate to make up for this shortcoming. That was one of the reasons why she accepted my engagement to Elizabeth.

“I later found out that Lady Annabelle asked for me specifically, which did nothing to assuage my fears,” Elizabeth continued. “However, to my surprise, Lady Annabelle treated me with nothing but warmth and kindness. She caught me off guard, I’ll admit, but I didn’t hate it. In fact, I rather enjoyed it.”

That tracked with what Annabelle said earlier, when she called Elizabeth her friend.

“I don’t know what it is, but there is just something about Lady Annabelle that makes it easy to like her. While I tried resisting it at first, I soon fell under her spell.”

I don’t know if literal magic was involved, but this didn’t surprise me. Annabelle had always been good at making friends. I would call it a result of her isekai protagonist halo, also called being blessed by fate, but this had been true even before she ended up on Lumina. That said, as someone with the soul of a Ghost Phoenix Lily, she wasn’t native to Earth either.

Huh.

Isekai protagonist halo it was.

“It turned out that House Thorne planned on…testing Lady Annabelle’s suitor,” Elizabeth said. “They wanted me to be a part of that test. I agreed. At the time, I didn’t know you were her suitor. If I had, I would have refused.”

Where was Elizabeth going with this? I had the feeling that she was working her way to something, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it.

“Before I continue,” Elizabeth said. “I have to ask. How genuine are your feelings for Lady Annabelle? Is this some sort of scheme? A ploy? Or do you truly love her?” She gestured to the suite around us. “You can speak your mind here. My rooms have been enchanted to ensure my privacy.”

That would explain why Elizabeth was being so candid with me, right in the heart of Thorne Manor. She gave me an expectant look. It was clear that she had a personal interest in my answer.

“I love her,” I said. “Simple as that.”

Elizabeth deflated a little at my answer.

“I feared as much,” she muttered.

“Why do you ask?”

Elizabeth let out a small sigh.

“I don’t want you to get hurt,” she stated. “And I fear that being with Lady Annabelle will bring you hardship and pain.”

I raised an eyebrow at that.

“Why would you say that?” I asked.

Sure, being with Annabelle hadn’t been easy so far, but that was only because her family disapproved of our relationship. Once we got that sorted out, things would get smoother.

“I asked Lady Annabelle about her suitor,” Elizabeth said, continuing with her story. “And I was shocked to find out that it was you. Lady Annabelle asked for my help. Instead of going along with her family’s plans, she wanted me to aid her, so that the two of you could be together. That was part of the reason why she wanted me to be her tutor.” Elizabeth paused. “I’ll admit, I was a little upset.”

I didn’t blame her. All her life, Elizabeth had been used as a pawn by forces beyond her control. Her family. My family. House society in general. Now both House Thorne and Annabelle wanted to use her for their own ends. In her shoes, I would be more than a little upset.

“I’m sorry,” I said. Not because I was at fault for what happened, but because I sympathized with her situation.

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said. “Lady Annabelle and I got into an argument. She understood why I was angry, and was willing to compensate me for my services. In exchange for helping her with her family, she would make me her lady-in-waiting.”

I raised both of my eyebrows at that.

A lady-in-waiting was a special kind of servant. In fact, it was inaccurate to call one a servant at all, even though it was a paid position. Only the ladies with the highest status in society could have one; ladies from the Great Houses in other words. A handmaid was a personal servant, the kind that took care of their charge’s needs. A lady-in-waiting went beyond that. They were secretary, confidant, and companion all rolled into one. For most ladies, their lady-in-waiting was often their closest friend.

To become a lady-in-waiting for a lady from a Great House was one of the highest honors a lady from a lesser House could achieve.

“I found the offer insulting,” Elizabeth said. “To become the lady-in-waiting of the woman who was now courting my former fiancée? I had never been so humiliated in my life.” She gripped her hands together and looked down. “A part of me thought that it was still a scheme targeted at you. Another part of me felt that Lady Annabelle had…stolen you from me. It seemed that I had still considered you mine, even after our talk last week.”

I had a feeling that I knew where this conversation was going.

“You told Lady Annabelle this, didn’t you?” I asked.

Elizabeth nodded, still looking down.

“Yes,” she said. “I was so upset that I spoke without thinking. I also told her that I would take no part in any revenge against you. Even if her feelings for you were sincere, as difficult as I found that to believe, I had no reason to help the woman who wanted to court my former fiancée.”

Elizabeth started to tremble. Doris walked over and sat down next to Elizabeth, putting her arm around her sister’s shoulders. She broke all sorts of social rules and conventions by doing so, but I didn’t think she cared. Elizabeth, a stickler for those same rules and convention, either didn’t notice or needed the comfort more than she cared about propriety.

“That’s when a change came over Lady Annabelle,” Elizabeth said in a shaky voice. “She threatened me, saying that if I had any lingering feelings for you, I was better off letting them go. Otherwise, she would make my life a living hell. You were hers now and she had no intention of letting anyone take you from her.”

What?

I knew that Annabelle could get jealous, but this went beyond mere jealousy. For a moment, I thought Elizabeth was lying to me, but the fear in her eyes was genuine. Either she was a superb actress, or she was telling the truth.

Elizabeth hugged herself and hunched over.

“How could a person change so much in an instant like that?” she asked. “The kindness and warmth from before had been replaced by something colder, something darker. It was as if she had become a different person altogether.”

Elizabeth looked up at me, her eyes full of desperation. Her polite mask was nowhere to be seen.

“Please, believe me Lord Gabriel,” she said. “I’m telling you the truth. This isn’t a fabrication to cause a rift between you and Lady Annabelle. This is a warning. There is something wrong with her. I don’t know when it started, but she is possessive of you, to the point of obsession. Perhaps I misread her, but I don’t think I did.” Determination replaced the fear. “Leave her before it’s too late. Otherwise, I fear you may never escape her grasp. I don’t love you, but I care for you and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

I stared at Elizabeth for several long seconds.

“I believe you,” I said after a while.

For a brief moment, Elizabeth looked relieved, but her expression fell when I continued speaking.

“However, I’m not leaving Lady Annabelle.”

Elizabeth stared at me in shock. Even Doris, who focused most of her attention on her sister, blinked at me in surprise.

“Why?” Elizabeth asked, incredulous.

“Like I said earlier. I love Lady Annabelle, simple as that. Her, and no one else.”

Elizabeth just continued to stare at me.

“Even if you’re telling the truth,” I said. “And I believe you are, that doesn’t change how I feel about her. I love Lady Annabelle with all my heart and soul.”

Of course, she and I were going to have a talk about this, that was for damn sure.

Elizabeth stared at me for several more seconds, before her expression morphed into one of resignation.

“It seems that Lady Annabelle isn’t the only one who isn’t right in the head,” she said.

“Correct.”

Elizabeth sighed.

“Very well. I tried. With the gods as my witness, I tried. I just hope that you don’t regret this decision.”

“Never.” I tilted my head. “But what happened after Lady Annabelle threatened you? You’re still her tutor, and you helped us at the tea party earlier, so you must have accepted her offer.”

“I did,” Elizabeth said with a nod. “Despite my initial reaction.”

“After all that, why?”

Elizabeth gave me a bitter smile.

“To escape my fate. Do you know what it’s like to be the daughter of a second child? The daughter of a spare? My life is not my own. It belongs to my House, and what a House we are.” Anger filled Elizabeth’s eyes. “My aunt is a petty woman, full of insecurity and inferiority over our family’s place in society. Her son, my cousin, is even pettier and more insecure than she is. My father is a lecher who chases after anything with two legs, and has sired a litter of bastards. My mother is a vile woman with a nasty personality who has made it her life’s mission to eliminate said litter of bastards.” She let out a despondent laugh. “Lady Annabelle is a delight compared to them.”

I stared at Elizabeth. I knew her family situation wasn’t good, but I had no idea it was this bad. No wonder she wanted to continue with our engagement, when we met last week. It was to escape that toxic hellhole of a House.

“As soon as I told Lady Annabelle that I would stay away from you, the warmth and kindness returned. She even told me that if I didn’t accept her offer, she would find some way to help me advance my status in society.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Out of morbid curiosity, I asked her why she would go so far to help me after she just threatened to make my life hell. She said that being my friend and keeping me away from you were two separate matters.”

Aha, that explains the dark look Annabelle gave Elizabeth earlier.

“The most surprising thing of all was that she kept her word,” Elizabeth said. “She meant all of it. Lady Annabelle does consider me her friend, as well as a threat to your relationship with her.” She shook her head “It’s…I don’t know what to think. It’s insanity.”

“I think it’s best if you focus on the future,” I said. “Rather than get hung up on the details.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything for several moments, before nodding.

“You’re right,” she said, composing herself once more. “Regardless of Lady Annabelle’s actions, I’ve thrown my lot in with her. I will become her lady-in-waiting.”

“You know people are going to gossip about this, right?” I asked. “My former fiancée serving as the lady-in-waiting of the woman I am courting. It’s the perfect fodder for those vultures.”

Elizabeth sneered.

“Let them. People are always gossiping about something. At least this way I’ll get some benefit in the process.”

Atta girl. Life kept throwing her curve balls, but Elizabeth somehow managed to keep pulling through. Annabelle could use someone like Elizabeth by her side. If nothing else, she’s proven that she’s loyal to those she cares about.

“How do you feel about…all of this?” I asked.

While Elizabeth’s answer wouldn’t change anything between me and Annabelle, I felt responsible for her. She got caught up in this whole mess because of our past engagement. The least I could do was make sure she made it through all right.

Elizabeth smiled at me.

“Believe me when I say that I wish you and Lady Annabelle the best of luck,” she said. “You’re going to need it.”

Before I could respond, someone knocked at the door to the suite. Doris left to answer it. With my enhanced hearing, I heard Annabelle’s voice, if not her words. A few moments later, Doris returned.

“Lord Gabriel,” she said in her quiet voice. “It is time for your meeting with Lord and Lady Thorne. Lady Annabelle is here to escort you to the back garden.”

“Thank you, Doris,” I said, standing up. “If you’ll excuse me, Lady Elizabeth.”

“By all means,” she said. “After everything that happened today, I need some time alone anyway.”

I nodded, before leaving the suite to meet with Annabelle. It was time to see her parents and get this whole situation sorted out.