Darkness' Touch

Chapter 20: New purpose ahead

"How long have you known about this, Father?" Sir Clerivan Harvey Warde asked his father, Esmour Warde who just brushed off his question and continued reading the newspaper on his hands as if he was hearing nothing.

"Relax Sir Stephan. I'm not doing anything dangerous." Avy commented, sitting on a chair in front of the distressed Knight. The shop was temporarily closed since Clerivan was worried someone might recognize the Lady's face just like he did and add to the problem.

"My Lady. You, stepping out of the estate is dangerous enough. You should've asked me to escort you if you wanted to go out. And it's Clerivan, My lady, not Stephan." he politely, but sternly reprimanded Avy.

"Don't be so hard on the Lady, Revie. She's a smart girl capable of getting hold of any situation." the old man interrupted, taking the side of the girl he barely know rather than his own son that he has been taking care of for twenty-eight years.

"Father–"

"Yeah. You're being too harsh on me, Revie." Avy cut him off, emphasizing his nickname with a simper. "And what's the point of leaving discreetly if I have a guard tailing me like a dog?" she added as matter of fact, leaning back on the chair. She turned to the older Warde and spoke.

"You didn't tell me your son manages this District, Pops."

"I did not? I thought I mentioned it before." Mr. Warde said thoughtfully.

"And you don't look alike at all. Except for your gray eyes, of course." she pointed out, whilst the old man has dark brown hair decorated with silver locks because of old age, Clerivan has jet black hair, adding to his mysterious image and cool demeanor.

"But anyways. I'm going back, I'm hungry." she stood up from being seated and looked at the owner of the shop. "I'll come back some other time, Pops." she told him and walked towards the door.

"Please wait here, My Lady. I will call the estate's carriage–"

"Don't be ridiculous, Revie. I'm sneaking in and you will cover for me." she said without looking back. There's no way she would let everyone in the mansion know that she went out without an escort just because a knight found her loitering around outside. Since he's officially her personal guard, it is just natural for him to obey her, maybe she'll threaten him not to tattle on her grandpa later. After all, she can't be stuck inside the estate when Kill is waiting for her to come back.

Clerivan just sighed in resignation, the rumors about the Lady being unbelievably headstrong seem to be true. She is far more wild and free than he imagined her to be, but at least, she's not as gloomy and the first time he saw her.

"I'll be off, Father." he told his father who just waved his hand to shoo him away before following Avy.

The two of them ended up riding a town carriage to drop them off the estate gate, but Avy, like what she told her knight, made the coachman drop her off before they reach the vicinity of the Arkwright Mansion so that she could enter through the secret passage behind the walls. Clerivan passed through the gates with all his things since he will be staying in the residence for a while.

Avy successfully sneaked back, unaware of the thing that awaits her.

~~~

"Come on, fess up. Where did sister go?"

On the other hand, Mariel was in the middle of an interrogation, courtesy of the two young second sons, Ciel and Light. After the incident involving the books, she wasn't able to stop them from going inside Avy's room, and eventually found out she was nowhere inside the Mansion.

"Stop scaring sister's Maid." Ciel snatched Light by his collar, pulling him away from the poor servant who was on the verge of passing out because of nervousness. She was the only one being interrogated since both the boys know that she's Avy's only accomplice. They decided to take matters into their own hands and not bother everyone with it, of course just for a while. If Avy still hasn't shown up before sunset, they would call everyone, including the Duke to have a wide search throughout the whole capital.