11| Lori

Mel stared at the mirror in a daze, with Annie attending to her hair. Eustace had arrived with some maids to further furnish the guest room and add a vanity for Mel. The young woman had thanked Eustace for the help and when the maids had helped her into an Orion attire, Annie had stayed behind to help her mistress take care of her.

As she ran the large brush down the smoth waves of Mel's dark hair, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in the odd silence of the chamber. Mel would usually be relaxed at the soft strokes flowing through the strands of her hair, and her eyes would be closed, on the near verge of falling asleep.

But this time… it was different.

Mel's eyes weren't just open, they stared at her reflection in a far off gaze. Her mind wasn't in the present, and it was far from Annie's comforting brooding of her hair.

Annie did not want to admit what she had noticed the previous evening, but now that she was seeing her mistress in full focus… Mel was smitten with that man.

"Annie," Mel whispered, and Annie flinched as her concentration was broken. The brush fell to the floor.

"Please, excuse me!" Annie piped, bending to retrieve the fallen brush. She shifted to Mel's side at the vanity and replaced the brush with another.

"Did you see him?" Mel kept staring at the mirror, as if oblivious to Annie's mishap.

Annie paused and stared at Mel, holding the handle of the brush with both hands to her chest. "My lady…" she eventually whispered.

Mel straightened and faced Annie with a startled glance. "Oh, forgive me. I'm not myself." She turned back to the mirror, angling her head from side to side to admire Annie's handiwork. She touched her cheek. "I must have made a fool of myself too yesterday. The lord greeted me and I didn't return the favour…" her brows creased upwards with worry.

'That should be the least of your worries,' Annie was about to say, but she stopped herself. Giving Mel more cause for worry would be the last thing she would ever do. Annie didn't want to trouble her mistress, and she doubted it would be a good idea to tell Mel her troubled thoughts. After all, it had been sad enough for her to depart from home and leave her family. It would be unwise to dash whatever faint hope the young woman had in Grime.

"Everything will be fine, my Lady," Annie said instead, stepping back to peruse over her handiwork.

Mel shifted on the stool and faced Annie, a warm smile spread across her lips. "Thank you, Annie. Your words give me such comfort." She looked back into the mirror. "I wonder if I'll get to see him today."

"I—I don't know, my Lady," Annie whispered. "He might be busy."

"Ah. You're right." Mel stood and stalked to the bed, the right glow of the crystal lights embedded in the wooden ceiling lit up the lofty chamber, leaving a healthy sheen on Mel's hair.

Annie arranged the instruments at the vanity and her mind wandered. She had seen Bjorn Beowulf just as her lady had, but the only thing was that their perspectives varied. And oh, was it different. Annie couldn't understand what Mel found pleasing about that man, but it had been through rose-tinted lens. A fearful chill ran through Annie and she clenched her fists on the furniture. She had cowered at the monster's presence and she had felt the maternal instinct to drag her mistress away from him.

No matter what praises Mel had given this man, his eyes had been anything but welcoming. The annoyance in them spoke volumes, and his size… Oh, the size of that man. Would her lady really be alright?

Annie muttered a silent prayer only to be interrupted by a sudden knock. Mel faced the direction of the door and Annie stepped forward to open it when it was pushed forward, nearly smacking the startled maid in the face.

"Oh! I am so sorry about that!" A young exuberant woman peeped in, her hazel eyes wide as she directed an apologetic glance at the both of them. "Are you alright?"

"Ye—yes," Annie mumbled, her hands clasped to her beating chest. This stranger had given her a fright.

"Do I know you?" Mel spoke up, slightly annoyed and puzzled at the same time at the way this woman had barged in. She had just knocked and came in without even waiting for a response. Even if she happened to be sent by Eustace, it was still inappropriate. Not even Eustace came into the chamber anyhow no matter how many times the woman visited her.

The tall woman straightened and cleared her throat, an embarrassed smile on her lips. "I sincerely apologize for the intrusion." She closed the door behind her and directed a short bow in Mel's direction. "I was so excited to meet you, I didn't consider how inappropriate my action right now must have been."

"Oh." Mel stood still, no longer annoyed, but baffled instead. What was she supposed to do next, and who exactly was this woman. Her ruffled dress was an earthy brown, dotted with golden embroidery that seemed too lavish for a servant. The maids Mel had encountered were few, and none of them were this well dressed. Neither did they have beautiful hair braided and adorned with golden rings and ornaments.

Or was she related to the clan head? His sister perhaps? Mel realized Eustace had never mentioned the existence of another child of hers.

'No. She would have while showing me around the building.'

"And you are…?" Mel questioned.

She stepped towards Mel and grabbed her by the hand, startling the young woman. The newcomer beamed, her cheeks a rosy tinge as her brown eyes gleamed in excitement.

"My name is Lori, my lady. It is an honour to finally meet you."