redith sat on the plush chair, her mind filled with thoughts and worries about what was happening. The silence in the mansion only heightened her concerns, as she hadn’t heard any further argunts or signs of fighting since the temporary cease.
anwhile, Sylvia was delighted with the butter cookie and spread served by Rosalie. The delectable taste of the dessert pleased her palate as it crumbled and lted on her tongue. She couldn’t help but savour each bite.
"This tastes so good! r, don’t you want so?" Sylvia asked, extending the plate towards her friend.
redith shook her head, her appetite diminished by her anxious state.
"I don’t feel too hungry," she replied, her voice reflecting her unease.
"Do you want to get you sothing else, my lady?" Rosalie asked politely.
"No, thank you. I appreciate your hospitality. You may leave for now. I’m sure the lady will take so ti to et us. We will help ourselves," redith responded, grateful for the chief maid’s attentiveness.
"Very well, then. Please ring the bell and let know if you require anything. I will attend to you accordingly," Rosalie said, bowing respectfully to the noblewon.
Rania, who had accompanied them, also nodded to Rosalie as a gesture of respect. The chief maid excused herself, leaving the two friends and redith’s personal maid in the quiet room.
redith’s mind continued to race with worry as they awaited Anna’s arrival, and she hoped that their concerns would soon be addressed.
Noticing redith’s troubled expression, Sylvia stopped eating and set the cookies aside. She wiped her mouth using a handkerchief, then turned her eyes to redith before speaking gently, "You’re being too worried right now. You should try to calm down a bit."
"Lady Rogers is right. Please have a cup of tea, my lady. That will ease your worries," Rania suggested.
redith nodded, accepting the advice. Rania began to pour her a cup of tea, carefully stirring in two cubes of sugar to dissolve them before serving it to the noblewoman. The sound of the silver spoon clinking against the porcelain was faint.
redith lifted the cup from the saucer, bringing it to her red-tinted lips and carefully drank the steaming hot tea. After a few sips, she gently set the cup down and handed it back to Rania.
"Do you think they can resolve the problem well? I am worried it will affect Anna," redith expressed her worries.
"Whether we like it or not, it will affect her. I can’t imagine being in her place," Sylvia responded, her voice filled with empathy. "But I wonder, if she is already betrothed, why would she still beco His Highness’s concubine? Didn’t His Highness know about her betrothal? What do you think, r?" Sylvia asked, seeking her friend’s perspective on the matter.
"Yes, I thought about it too. But I’m sure there’s an explanation to this," redith responded, contemplating the situation.
"How about we asked the boy who’s waiting in the foyer? He might know sothing. He seems to know Anna from sowhere," Sylvia suggested.
redith shook her head.
"No, I want to hear it directly from Anna. Let her explain it herself. Asking soone else and knowing only a part of it would only trigger more questions and doubts. I’ll wait," she decided, determined to seek the truth from the princess.
"You’re right. That is the most rational thing to do," Sylvia agreed, recognising the wisdom in redith’s approach.
Just then, footsteps echoed through the hallway, drawing their attention. redith raised her head and turned towards the sound, surprised to see Alex and Luke standing at the parlour’s entrance.
"I’m returning to the knights’ quarters to change my outfit. Mine is already torn here and there," Luke said.
"Go ahead. I’ll co later. I have sothing to do now," Alex replied.
"All right. Let know if there’s anything. You know where to find ," Luke said before leaving Alex behind.
Sylvia stood up upon seeing the knight and inquired, "Is Lady Raychard available for us?"
The knight shook his head and replied, "Not yet, Lady Rogers. She’s currently in the treatnt room."
redith’s panic rose as she heard this and exclaid, "Oh, my God! Did sothing happen to Anna?"
The knight quickly reassured her, saying, "No, nothing happened to the lady. Her Highness, Princess Callis seed to be injured, so Lady Raychard is accompanying her for treatnt."
redith let out a sigh of relief, her panic subsiding.
Sylvia recalled the description of the princess and her brother and said, "Ah, you an the beautiful woman with white hair and red eyes! Yes, r did tell about her and her brother. She said they are the prince and princess of Sabel Island."
redith’s curiosity got the better of her, and she asked, "Since Anna took her to the treatnt room, that ans they are not fighting anymore. Has the matter been resolved?"
The knight replied, "As of now, the fight has ceased, and I haven’t heard any argunts. However, I can’t say for sure if the matter has been fully resolved as I don’t have the details. All I know is that they have gone to see Da Verns, Lady Raychard’s escort from Ardel. We might need to wait a little longer to know the outco."
redith’s expression showed a hint of disappointnt as she sat back down, contemplating the situation.
Sylvia reassured the knight, saying, "It’s fine. We shall wait. Please do inform us if there’s any update or news."
"Yes... Umm... Lady Grey... Can I see you for a mont?" Alex gathered his courage and made a request, catching redith’s attention.
The noblewoman’s brown eyes darted back to the knight.
"What is it about?" she inquired.
"I have sothing to discuss with you. Please, it won’t take long," Alex replied, his voice filled with determination.
redith hesitated for a mont, considering the request. Sensing her behaviour, Sylvia eagerly spoke up, "Go ahead, r! Don’t worry about . Rania can accompany here."
The maid initially protested, "But I should be attending to my lady."
Sylvia waved off her concerns.
"Oh, hush! Give them so space. I’m sure it must be sothing important that needs to be discussed in private! Go now, r!" she encouraged her friend to take the opportunity. "Rania, would you please pour so more tea for ?" Sylvia then requested.
redith relented, saying, "All right. Just for a mont. Rania, please stay here and attend to Lady Rogers."
"Yes, my lady," her personal maid acknowledged.
redith stood up and approached Alex. They walked in silence through the hallway, both seemingly focused on their thoughts. After several steps, they arrived at an entrance that led to an outside garden.
"Where are you taking ?" redith asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Outside. I want to speak with you in private," Alex replied with a firm expression.
"Oh, I don’t have my coat with . I totally forgot about it and left it in the carriage," she pointed, rembering that she had run from the carriage in a hurry earlier.
"It’s fine," Alex reassured her.
He halted and reached for the robe he had placed in his right arm, putting it gently on redith’s shoulders. "You won’t get cold with this."
"Thank you," redith expressed her gratitude.
Her cheeks felt warm when Alex adjusted the robe on her shoulder to keep herself from the wind.
They stepped out into the garden, greeted by the beautiful autumn scenery. The air was crisp, and colourful red leaves adorned the trees, creating a picturesque backdrop.
redith’s gaze then shifted to the wounds and cuts grazed on Alex’s body, remnants of the recent fight. His outfit was torn from the clash of blades.
"Have you received your treatnt?" she asked, noticing his injuries.
"I have," Alex confird, acknowledging that he had accepted care for his wounds.
redith’s concern persisted as she asked, "Does it still hurt?"
"These small cuts won’t hurt ," Alex told her, his tone indicating that he was accustod to such injuries.
"I see... Then, you should go back and change. Your clothes are torn, and the weather is chilly these days," redith suggested, her worry evident.
Alex’s expression softened as he responded, "You still care about . I thought that day you said our connection had ended already."
redith’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed with a tinge of embarrassnt.
"This has nothing to do with that! I am concerned because... because you’re Anna’s escort! If you’re hurt, then how can you protect her?" she explained, her words slightly rushed.
Alex remarked as his hazel eyes stared deeply into the woman before him, "You stamred."
redith’s face flushed further, and she quickly retorted, "I did not!"
The knight quipped determinedly, "You did!"
redith huffed, feeling irritated towards the knight. Taking a breath to compose herself, she asked, "What exactly is your point, actually? What is it that you want to talk to about?"
"Your decision... Marrying into Gerhard to beco Lady Raychard’s Lady-in-waiting... please abort it."
redith’s expression turned defensive as she asked, "What does it have to do with you?"
Alex replied earnestly, "I don’t want you to get married just because you have to. If you want to, marry soone you like... soone you care about."
redith’s voice carried a hint of frustration as she argued, "What difference does it make anyway? Noble marriages have always been arranged by families for political reasons. If I don’t resort to that, I would end up marrying soone chosen by my family."
Alex countered, "I don’t think your father would force you to get married in such a way. He cares about you, and I can see that clearly."
A flicker of sadness passed through redith’s eyes as she responded, "You think I have so much choice, don’t you? Even you have rejected ."
The knight’s words stumbled as he tried to clarify, "I don’t... I an... Lady Grey..."
redith interrupted, her tone laced with frustration, "Just stop ddling with my life. You don’t know what it feels like to be rejected."
"That’s not my intention!" Alex protested.
redith’s frustration grew, and she retorted, "Then, what is? You obviously don’t want . You refused to accept my confession, and now you’re telling to marry soone I like? What is wrong with you?"
Alex’s expression turned serious, and he spoke firmly, "Listen... Lady Grey, I am a serious man, and I don’t know how to joke around or take things lightly."
redith’s voice quivered with emotion as she confronted the knight, "Do you think I was joking when I confessed my feelings to you? Can you possibly fathom how nervous I was to reveal my heart?"
"You’re having so many n in your interest. You’ve been His Highness’s fan, and you even ntion Mr Amares and Mr Norman as your choice of suitors!"
redith’s frustration welled up as she continued, "Oh, so you think I was playing around? Yes, I have admired His Highness, and my admiration remains steadfast. But that doesn’t equate to love! Don’t you also hold him in high regard?"
"Of course I do! He is the lord I serve, and he embodies the pride of Gerhard and Cassian," Alex responded proudly.
redith’s voice grew more impassioned as she countered, "Then, would it be fair for to claim that you are in love with him?"
A look of bewildernt crossed the knight’s face as he exclaid, "That’s absurd!"
redith seized the opportunity to make her point, her tone resolute, "Exactly! The sa principle applies here! Admiration and love are inherently distinct! You can discern the difference from your perspective, but you cannot impose that understanding on my feelings! How preposterous is that!"
"You’re a woman!" Alex exclaid.
redith’s eyes narrowed as she retorted, "And a woman can’t have the sa admiration as a man does?"
Confusion etched across the knight’s face as he questioned, "Then, what about Mr Amares and Mr Norman?"
redith’s frustration boiled over.
"I was just saying their nas to make you angry! But you just stood there with a stern face as if nothing happened! You’re so heartless and cruel!"
Alex’s eyes widened, and the hurt in his voice was evident as he pleaded, "Don’t say that! I am not what you think. You don’t know !"
Tears welled up in redith’s eyes as she choked back a sob.
"You don’t even care!"
"I do care!"
Silence hung in the air. She turned her head away as her tears fell down her cheek.
Alex’s voice broke the stillness, trembling with vulnerability, "Lady Grey..."
He continued, softer this ti, "I am not good with words. I grew up with all brothers and had little experience interacting with girls. So, it’s been challenging for to understand your feelings when you expressed them to ."
The knight took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts.
"I wasn’t rejecting you. I was just taken aback because no woman had ever been so brave to approach like that, and I thought you were teasing ."
Desperation filled redith’s voice as she vehently denied his assumption, "I was not!"
Alex ca close and raised his hands. He cupped her face with a gentle touch and turned her to look at him. His finger brushed against her cheek, wiping away her tears.
"Do you truly an what you said to ? Are your feelings sincere?"
redith’s voice quivered, her words laden with honesty, "I ant every word."
Alex’s voice grew more resolute as he pressed on, seeking affirmation, "And do you still feel the sa way about now?"
She hesitated for a mont before finding her voice, "That..."
The knight pleaded, "Please say it! I need to know."
A mont of anticipation hung in the air before redith finally responded with conviction, "I do!"
A mixture of relief flooded Alex’s expression.
"Then... from this mont onwards, I would like to court you with the intention of marriage."
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