Chapter 9

I woke up early in the morning to a gentle knock on my door. The sun had not yet risen, but I could see the faint sign that it would soon through the window.

I got out of bed, still groggy from sleep, and walked toward the door. As I opened it, I was surprised to see Leo, Alexander’s young footboy, standing there with a tray of breakfast food and hot drinks in his hands.

Leo wore a shy smile and held out the tray toward me. “May I come in?” he asked politely.

I nodded, and he walked into the room, wobbling slightly under the weight of the tray. I could see that it was clearly too heavy and oversized for his small arms, but he somehow managed.

As he placed the tray on the small table in the room, he said, “I thought you might be hungry, so I went to the kitchen and prepared this for you.” His face scrunched up a bit as he continued, “I didn’t know if you preferred tea or coffee, so I brought both.”

His thoughtfulness touched me. As I took a closer look at him, I realized that I knew very little about him. He was already dressed and ready for the day, and it occurred to me that I didn’t know what kind of work he did for Alexander, or how he had come to be in his service.

“What exactly do you do here?” I asked while taking the teapot from the tray and pouring some into a cup.

I was about to pour some into the second cup, but Leo put his hand over it and went straight for the coffee pot instead.

“I’m kind of like his butler. I mean… I’m not a proper butler or anything like that, but I cater to whatever he needs me for. Sometimes, he brings me with him when he goes to the city,” Leo said as he tossed four sugar cubes into his cup. “I mostly end up doing errands or sending out his letters. It’s an easy enough job, but I spend most of my day cooped up here with free time.”

He poured some milk into his coffee and looked me over. “I’m thrilled to have someone else here now!” He smiled brightly, and I noticed his two missing front teeth.

I chuckled at this. Leo was adorable.

I placed my elbow on the table and dropped my head in my hand. “And what exactly does your master do?” I asked inquisitively.

Leo thought about my question a bit, gulped his coffee, and placed the cup back on the tray. He then grabbed a croissant and started breaking it at the center. “I think he’s in charge of the Seagull’s Bay purse, or maybe he’s in charge of the business census. I’m not exactly sure.” He scratched his head. “But I know he spends most of his days out in the city, making connexions and ensuring that their investments in many big companies in the bay are satisfactory.”

Leo sank his remaining teeth into the pastry and continued. “He’s the heir of High Hill, so it’s normal for him to ensure everything is running smoothly.”

Pastry crumbs were everywhere on the poor boy’s shirt. I grabbed a cloth and took the time to make it clean again.

“I’ll tell you what, Leo,” I said as I leaned over the table, “once I finish—” I frowned. I didn’t exactly know what I would do that morning. “Whatever my chores might be, why don’t you show me around?” I winked at him.

Leo’s smile went up to his ears. He seemed delighted by my proposition.

He excused himself shortly after, and I took that as my cue to get dressed and assess what needed to be done on the floor.

The maid’s dress fit my body perfectly. It was a button-down dress, making me feel prettier than when I wore my old lace-up dress. The collar and bottom sleeves were white lace, and my apron complimented the entire ensemble nicely.

Since the dress didn’t go below my ankles like my previous one, I wore white mid-thigh stockings under my new black leather work boots. It would be added coverage if I had to bunch up my dress under my apron to maneuver around better while completing my tasks. Kicking the front of the dress to walk with heavy things in hand wasn’t helpful, nor was it safe.

As I made my first round, I counted three parlours, one dining area, and three rooms—not considering the library, Alexander’s suite, Leo’s living quarters or mine, and the mysterious chamber I wasn’t allowed to go in. All in all, it was a pretty big wing for only three people.

While making my inspection, I was surprised by how tidy and clean everything was, other than the light coat of dust in some sections. I didn’t understand the need to have me when this entire floor was almost spotless.

I tried to find some things to do to at least make it look like I was needed. I started by winding all the clocks in most of the rooms. I then lit a fire in one parlour, which looked more in use, and I also did the dusting and sweeping and cleaning of all the other chambers—none of them were really used, and since they always kept the doors closed, there didn’t seem to be any dust in them. But it took up most of my morning.

I didn’t go into Alexander’s room. I wasn’t ready to face whatever would be hiding in his apartment just yet. Also, it made me queasy just thinking about going in there. What if he returned, and I was stuck there with him? I didn’t trust myself enough to push my luck. Heck, I almost had a mind of telling him to get in the tub with me last night.

My face reddened at the thought.

Faiths, what was wrong with my brain?

I kept my word to Leo and let him show me around after I was done. I had already made my first round of the perimeters, but he explained each area and what they were used for or not used at all, which would help me with my chores in the future.

He didn’t enter the lord’s chamber also, nor did he mention the room with the wooden door. I thought he was maybe as anxious as I was about it.

The last place we stopped was the library. I had stayed away from that room, wanting to give Leo my sincere, surprised face of me marvelling over all those gorgeous books.

The library itself was about half the length of the entire fourth floor. It held floor-to-ceiling rows of records, books, tomes, and parchments. At least thousands of books had to be neatly stacked against the walls.

I noticed an extensive oak desk with more books piled on top of it at the back end of the library. There was also a map behind it that depicted all the regions of Airedah. The capital region, Seagull’s Bay, was at the bottom of the map. It was the continent’s second-biggest city and entryway to Airedah. The biggest was Cardinal City. The royal family lived there, surrounded by treacherous cliffs on the eastern, western, and northern sides, and it was separated from the rest of the region by a thick forest to the south. It was basically a city in the sky. It sat atop a mountain; the only way in was through the southern forest pass.

Leo quickly grabbed a book from the first row of the library and bolted to the parlour, where I had built a warm fire for us. I watched him disappear around the corner, smiling to myself as I began to look for something to read. I wasn’t sure what I was searching for yet, but I knew that I needed to find something that could explain what was happening to me.

For years, I had been fine, but since I met Lord Alexander, I had begun to experience strange symptoms that seemed almost supernatural. I needed to understand what was going on with me, and I hoped that a book in the library could provide me with some answers.

As I searched the shelves, I couldn’t find anything that I thought would help me in my research.

I bit my bottom lip and sighed. “It’s going to take days combing every book,” I told myself.

Before resigning, a thought appeared in my head. It was the only thing I thought would work. I knew that what I was about to do was risky—something I hadn’t done in years. If I got caught, it could be a death sentence.

Taking a deep breath, I closed the library doors and focused on my breathing, heartbeat, and the stillness of the room. I then turned my attention to the books. I pressed my hands flat against one row of the shelf, trying to feel and see exactly what I was searching for.

In my mind, I imagined the information that I was seeking—an explanation for the strange effects that were happening to me. Suddenly, I felt my hands tingle with that old-forgotten feeling of my magic. They began to glow with a soft blue hue, and tiny blue sparks floated around them, almost like swirls of drifting snow. It was like a missing limb had been reattached.

The wooden shelf absorbed the glow from my hands, and I waited, hoping that my spell would work. But nothing did.

I frowned.

Maybe I was out of practice? It could also mean that the information I was pursuing wasn’t within the confines of this library and my location spell wouldn’t work. I knew it was a long shot, but seeing the immensity of Alexander’s library, I thought the odds were in my favour.

As I turned to leave, a blue flash appeared near one window. At first, I thought it was nothing, but as the blue light grew brighter, it called to me. Upon closer inspection, I saw a book spine glowing with my blue magic.

The light vanished when I touched the book, and I read the title: Lupinotuum Encyclopaedia.