No, I couldn’t afford to lose a point. I’ll stay in the safe zone.
“I would assume you meant organized.”
He took another sip of his tea without breaking eye contact between the two of us.
“I meant what I said. You have a boxed life and if I were you, I have died out of boredom.”
Who said that the Duke of Athenesy knew how to console people?
Mingming’s meow was the only sound we heard from the cafe.
“Could you please look at the paintings on the walls?”
Even if his intention was unclear, those oil paintings hung on the chocolate brown walls depicted how Daria Empire started got my attention.
“Now, tell what you noticed.”
“The artist used Cubism art style to express his idea. I liked how the painter combined different geometric shapes and color schemes.”
He formed an ‘X’ sign by c
She let out a smiley eye while patting our cat’s fur.“It’s been a long time since you visited me, Miss. What made you change your mind?”Her actions are getting weirder that even Frederick asked her aunt if she had eaten something weird.The Countess didn’t answer his question, rather she tried to snatch Mingming, but Frederick hid her inside his cape.Mingming’s action was also in question because instead of hiding, she jumped into her arms.She kissed our baby's nose.“Don’t worry Kiddos, I can’t hurt this being who saved my life.”Before I could raise my voice to protest, they already vanished as their image in my eyes faded.How did a mere kitten who almost buried in snow saved her life?What’s in front of us was the server named Gretel. A sixteen-year-old red-headed gal with freckles on her cheeks
“It is my first time to attend a glamorous ball.”I nodded. I never imagined I would witness the glamour of this lavishing event.Multiple chandeliers on both sides lit the arched hall. They placed the 4 seater purple tables. The unoccupied space in the middle became the stage for the greatest dancers as they meandered along with the tune of soft music played by the Imperial orchestra.Everyone glimmered in their finest outfits when in reality they were walking null values.“Oh, what a splendid night!”Speaking of a null value, she approached us.Her reddish hair resembled a twisted pair of cable I crimped in my networking class, her nose was like an angle bracket when viewed sideways, and the nauseating floral scent of perfume matched with her stenchy personality.Cora Atkinson, Marquess Atkinson’s daughter. The die-hard president of Reyner and Frederick’s
A predator who waited for the time to lure his prey out. Yes, that’s me. I glued my eyes to the 3 people.In this jungle, there were multiple predators which made the hunt challenging.For example, Lady Atkinson. Right now, could not wait to rip out the gentlemen’s flesh. Poor Reyner, look at how droopy his eyes were. He wiped his face with his white handkerchief every minute. Her boldness to link her arms to the crown prince was on another level.Another thing to mention was these low-grade frog princes who assume they would get my best friend’s hands by inviting her to dance made this an impossible task.P.S. some frog princes dared to make a move on me too!I asked Ella to put her hand on her forehead and mumbled gibberish words to me as rejection signal to these frogs. Our Oscar worthy acting came in handy once more.What was the best solution, so the preys would move to my advantage?
What should I do now? My friend fled like Cinderella when the clock strike at midnight. Should I end my conversation with the Duchess to run towards Ella? No, it would be disrespectful towards someone you just met.Besides, she is the type of girl who would shut herself in these kinds of situations.Everyone buzzed their opinion when the Duke and Duchess Le Merck bid farewell.One thing was for sure: after I clear up the misunderstanding with his mother, we would have a good chat.The Duchess even asked me what happened, knowing she was my best friend.“By the way, I am glad we finally met. You could call me Mom from now on.”The legs of my chair screeched because I faltered upon hearing her loud statement.“I do not want people to misunderstand everything.”She slammed her fan on the table. Her cherry eyes make little sense when I could sense a tigress aur
A week had passed since I became a home buddy. I have been a home buddy all my life — no reasons to go out since all eyes were on me. People have a short attention span; I waited for them to erase my existence in their minds.Game Progress: 20%Unlocked Hidden Gems: 1 out of 5Hidden Quests: 0 out of 3Relationship Meter:Duke Frederick Wren Ivrea : 30%During the past few weeks, there was no time that I haven’t checked if I received a notification about new tasks. A part of my brain wanted to make a move, but the other told me not to take any step. I would make everything worse if I did.I only tried to change my action a little for the sake of achieving my plans yet, I received attention, the character’s actions diverted from the original storyline, and what’s worst was one of my targets suffered.There was a new place in this mansion, I disc
“Alright, after you finish eating breakfast, we’ll head to the Enrom Theocracy right away.”Enrom Theocracy, a city-state in the Eastern part of the Daria Empire and the headquarters of the church. I would compare it to Vatican city in my world because it is located inside the Daria Empire yet, the one who governs it is the head priest.They produce charms, protections, and many more. This place also became home to Irteus — our Empire’s Great God and founder.5 hours of travel made me dizzy.Though I hate carriages, we had to travel since they have this inconvenient protocol. The person who will give the charm must whisper his/ her wish or prayer to the person who will receive it. He/She must also be the one who will hand it to the intended receiver. If not, you nullified the protection spell cast by the priests.“Do you also see the swirls?”I nodded my head as a
This man who made my arm a hostage whistled as if he is not torturing someone. He didn't even let me thanked the Duchess.I looked back and saw James, who nodded at me.If news about my visit in his duchy appeared, it wouldn't blow me down anymore.We stopped in front of a brown bifold door. By the finger snap, the door opened on its own. It was like the older and magical version of "Siri, open sesame!""Welcome to my lair!"He was like a content creator who was about to make an office tour.It would be weird if I would be the first to enter, so I waited for him to sit on his throne until he signaled me to sit on the chair in front of his worktable.He also ordered James to bring water and tea for me.This humble chancery was the opposite of the typical aristocratic office. They calculated the space needed around the office. Even extending both arms, there was still a wiggle room.
"Thank you for making my best friend happy."Whose voice is that?Everything became dark, or I suppose it was the apple tree's shadow. My eyes witnessed how it walked on its own."Hi. I'm Apol." The tree branches extended towards me, so I shook them."Please, do not leave, my friend. I am already old and, I do not think I could stay longer."I only nodded.After the weird scene, the tree went back to its original position as if nothing happened."Why do you trust me? Also, why are you such a temptress when you sleep?"This time, it was the Duke's voice. When I checked on him, no one's sleeping on my lap.Impossible! I would definitely see him waking up unless...I opened my eyes. Was this the reality, or was I still dreaming?The distance between our faces was approximately 6 inches. And why were we lying on this blanket laid on the ground?