Casey signaled that everything was ready on her side. We were separated into two groups on either side of the stage. I signaled back to tell her we're also settled when a burning sensation sliced across my forearm.
On reflex, I took out my sword and disarmed the sword immediately from Min's hand. Min burst out crying soon after that.
"Sunny, take that sword away," I ordered one of the older girls while pressing on the wound on my right forearm with my left hand. "Min, how many times have I told you not to play with your sword?"
Min continued sobbing.
"This time it's my forearm, how about next time? Sunny's fingers? Your ear? I will inform Casey about this incident. You no longer have to go on stage."
"But I have practiced for so long," she muttered.
"I don't think Lord Atherton would be happy seeing blood splashing on the stage on his birthday. As far as I know, he has no weird fixation on blood." A gentle voice floated from behind us.
I turned around to find a guy in black robe walking toward us. It's the young master who fed the birds by the lake. That evil young master. This time he was wearing a black robe embroidered with gold and red threads. He was smiling. Knowing him, I was not naive enough to think his smile would be on the harmless or gentle side.
I dropped my head and greeted him. "Master." The older girls surrounding me gradually caught on that and lowered their head to greet him as well.
The young master nodded once in acknowledgement. "This little girl here might be too young," he said in a calm and gentle voice. "Look she is even sobbing on a day such as this. If Lord Atherton saw this, what would he think? Someone crying so tragically on his birthday." He tilted his head as if he was genuinely asking an innocent question, all the while a gentle smile hung on his face.
I immediately clamped my hand over Min's mouth to shut her up. He's right. It's regarded to be ominous to cry on a celebratory event. A total disrespect and some believe it might even bring misfortune.
"Thank you for pointing that out, Master. It's my negligence. I will send her back to her room immediately."
He nodded once nonchalantly and smiled benignly, "What's the name of this young girl? I will tell her tutor to pay her more attention. She might need more training."
As if he was really that nice, he just wanted to warn the tutor about this. Min's future in the Manor might not be good. But that's not my fault, was it? I had warned Min countless of time. If she continued like this, one day she'd cause a disaster one way or the other. Maybe it's better for her to learn a lesson now.
"Her name is Min."
"Janus, send Min back to her court." The guard next to the young master gave a slight nod.
"Min, Sir Janus will accompany you back to your room." I knelt down until I was eye-level with her. I leaned forward and whispered harshly into her ear, "Stop crying at this instant. Follow the order of Sir Janus. Otherwise, you won't just be scolded by the deputy."
She stopped sobbing immediately, finally understanding the severity of this situation.
I patted her on the head as warning and said, "Remember to thank Sir Janus for bringing you back." And then I pushed her in the direction of Janus. "Thank you, Master, for your help."
"You're welcome." He responded with an elegant smile, then he offered me a handkerchief. "It's nearly time for you to appear on stage, you might need this." I took it with gratitude.
"I look forward to your performance." Then with another gentle smile, he was gone.
I let out a breath I had no idea I was holding.From my two encounters with him, I knew that the gentle and benign expression on his face was just a mask. For the mask to slip from his face, it's as easy as a toss of coin. His mood swing was as quick as a typhoon. I'd much rather stay on his good side.
Taking a look at the handkerchief he gave me, it was again something of quality. I wrapped the handkerchief over my wound and tied a tight knot. The handkerchief would be ruined, but I didn't have a handkerchief with me. I could not go onto stage with blood dripping down my hand. I had to buy a new one of the same quality for the master, which meant more or less saying goodbye to this month's allowance.
Weirdly, my forearm seemed to feel much better after wrapping it up with the handkerchief. The pain had significantly reduced. Probably due to compressing the wound. I took out my sword and swirled my sword for a few times. I'd be fine. I had encountered worse situation over the years of my apprenticeship.
"Arina, can you still do the sequence? Do we have to cover for you?" Sunny asked worriedly. We all knew I could not drop out. Unlike Min who was just an insignificant part of the whole demonstration, those that were older stood closer to the center. If my movement was not up to standard, I would stand out like a sore thumb.
"I will be fine, don't worry. Luckily, Min was assigned to stand at the sideline, so no one will notice her missing."
"I know right. Thankfully. I knew that Min would be a trouble when I first met her. So stubborn and naughty. She just doesn't listen to others! How did she get in?"
"Who knows." I shrugged. "Maybe she has a power with great potential."
Or maybe she's just like me who would be accepted no matter what.
"Don't worry about things like this for now. It's about our turn."
This whole thing was so exhausting, I just hope to get this over with.
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Author's note
Finally, they meet in person!! Thank you for reading :D Hope you like this chapter. See you next time!
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Gilded Cage~ Shapeshifter Rebirth
Fantasy"You're just my tool. Know your place." It's her duty to follow her master's command. Even at the risk of injuring herself or losing her mind. It's his right to make use of her cold-heartedly. Even discarding her when she had become useless. She...
