A Courtyard of Roses

Chapter Seven

A WEEK FLEW by like the morning breeze. There was far more for Alice to do as Charlie's assistant than she had first expected but it wasn't anything too difficult or out of the ordinary. She mainly bustled around arranging simple paperwork or helping out with bringing in tea and snacks when it was time for a break. Other than that, Alice felt more like she was being hired to be Charlie's friend than his personal assistant.

She learned on the same day that she arrived that the age gap between her and Charlie wasn't too big. He was fifteen, the standard age for males to debut into high society in Gladiolum culture. Alice herself was sixteen-years-old, leaving a year in between them.

Although she worked closely with Miles in the last week, she hadn't been able to squeeze more than twenty words out of him. Their conversations only held the bare essentials, never including casual chit chat. As such, little was known about that mysterious knight other than the fact that he had been working for the Ragans since he was a young boy.

Even that piece of information was provided by Wyatt and not Miles himself.

Life with the Ragans soon became a routine she got used to. Even though it was for a mere week, she already grew into the system, rising early and heading to bed equally early. The one thing she couldn't get used to was the extravagant dresses she was squeezed into every morning. It took her three whole days to convince the maids that she didn't need anything too fancy such as frills and ribbons. A standard dress for peasants was more than enough. The excessive accessories were soon removed and Alice received slightly more plain dresses that were toned down in both volume and needless extravagance. Just the way she liked it.

On a clear and sunny afternoon, Alice sat in the courtyard, watching as Miles and Charlie trained their sword skills. They trained with real steel instead of a wooden sword. Thus, Miles had advised her to stay back from the training area and to stand further back if she was keen on watching.

Drenched in sweat after two hours of practice, Charlie came tottering over, his gloved hand rubbing at his forehead, the sword discarded on the grass a distance away.

"You've improved," Alice remarked, handing Charlie a towel for him to wipe his perspiration away. "Your actions seemed much choppier a day ago but the motions are much smoother now."

"Well, I have to." Charlie was a face full of smiles, flashing his pearly white teeth as he spoke. "After that incident, I can see why it's important to learn a few essential fighting skills. I couldn't even protect myself and only survived by the skin of my teeth through your aid." He clenched his fist, smile drooping. "I have to get stronger."

"It's no pressure, Charlie," she assured affectionately. They had both dropped the needless titles, referring to each other with their respective first names. "You have more than enough time. Besides, with Miles as your teacher, I'm sure you'll improve by leaps and bounds. Before you know it, you'll be a master swordsman yourself."

"That is only if he keeps up the hard work," a new voice swiftly cut into the conversation.

Charlie, who had seen the man before even hearing the words, immediately scowled. He wrinkled his nose, folding his arms across his chest with a pout.

"What do you mean by that, brother? I'm as hardworking as they come," he argued. "And aren't you the one disturbing my practice now?"

"Wyatt," Alice greeted. "Did you need something?"

"Any reason is just an excuse to see your lovely face, Alice," Wyatt replied charmingly.

Alice learned through their interactions that Wyatt had selective hearing. He preferred to ignore Charlie whenever the latter whined and instead turn his attention to literally anyone else. More often than not, since Charlie and Alice stuck together like glue, Alice became the scapegoat.