Chapter 4

It was around eight-thirty when Mr. Edward himself came to rouse me from my slumber.

"Come have breakfast with me, dear," he exclaimed with a knock at my door as I gazed through the window of my bedroom.

My room, situated on the last floor of the mansion, offered a view through the window that faced the villa fields adorned with yellow flowers. Over twenty workers were diligently tending to the fields, and at the far end, my attention was drawn to a young man seated with his back to the front, appearing lost in thought and disturbed by his work.

I walked out of my room, finding Mr. Edward waiting, turned with the support of his walking stick, gazing at me.

"Breakfast. I shall pass," I said, locking my room door behind me. "You can go on. Have your breakfast, Mr. Edward. I will be by the fields if you need to find me."

"Alright. Head on, then. I'll be with you in a few minutes."

I walked past him, and outside, I slowed to the other side of the field, my attention fixed on meeting the young boy I had seen earlier.

I held a belief that maybe I could catch him there, but to my dismay, he had left. It wasn't my nature to be drawn to random individuals, but he seemed like he needed help. I continued walking through the field, watching everyone busy with what seemed like a harvest of flowers.

As I toured the area, I once again spotted the young man. I rushed forward to where he stood, but my progress was interrupted by Mr. Edward, who caught my hand suddenly.

"Miss Lyle," he snapped.

"Yes, Mr. Edward. Who is that young man over there?" I asked.

"Him?" He pointed. "That's Maximus Simmons. What's about him? I always tell him not to go around these parts of the field."

"No! No! It's alright. He doesn't seem fine, though. Can I talk to him? Have a word just the two of us?" I inquired with the need.

"I can talk to him if he bothers you, child. It's my job."

"He doesn't bother me. If so, then I would be clear enough, don't you think? I just need to talk to him. Later on, after we are done."

"Okay. As you wish. Maximus!" he called. "Miss Lyle requests your attention later this evening. Make sure you make it to the big house."

"Yes, Mr. Edward," he responded with a slightly soft voice that intrigued me.

I threw him a smile and headed on, directed by Mr. Edward to the other side of the field.

We walked around the garden and down the road that led to the Duskwick gold mine.

It was larger than I had imagined. Mr. Edward had said that no worker from the field was allowed to go to the mine, and vice versa. Father had kept everything in order, just as he had envisioned.

"Let's head in and see how the workers inside are doing. Introduce me to them," I requested, and he agreed to my request.

We slowly made our way down the dark entrance, where, at the supposed doorway, he lit a flaming stick candle.

"Down these mines is where your father's magic worked the most, especially this mine. His first-found mine," mumbled Edward.

"What do you mean by that?" I inquired.

"Ohhhh! Wait. You will fall in love with what's down here."

As we descended, to my surprise, no worker was seen until we reached the very inside, where we met a bold man Mr. Edward mentioned to be Duksta.

"Don't hide the boys; we are in good company," exclaimed Edward, tapping Duksta's shoulder, who had said nothing.

Duksta kept his eyes on me the entire time, and after a while, he muttered, "Rumors are, Master Lyle is dead."

"Should we talk about that right now?" asked Edward, attempting to deflect the question.

"You mean the workers have no idea that their boss passed on?" I questioned, feeling bewildered by the revelation.

"It's you, who the boss always talked about. Your Mistress, young Lyle," Duksta mentioned with a deeper and angrier tone.

"Duksta, please. Let's walk past this and keep working," begged Edward.

"We can't be alive; there is no way to that, Mr. Edward. He can't be dead. The Master can't be dead."

"Let's see the work you boys have been doing here, and we shall explain everything in due time."

I looked around with doubt and belief in my eyes. When Mr. Edward asked Duskta if we could see the work, he appeared everywhere, in different positions, doing different tasks.

At first, I thought it was a joke, but I insisted on keeping my trust close, feeling those faces I could touch.

"And these are your brothers, Mr. Duskta?" I asked.

"Oh, please call me Duskta, mistress," he smiled.

 "These are all me. Thanks to your father."

"No. No," I denied. "This can't be real. Are you playing a trick on me, Mr. Edward?"

"As I told you, this place is moved by your father's magic. All these men are his invention."

"But if he passed, they must not be here, Mr. Edward," I asserted.

"He never moves from here, sunset to dawn, and he never complains about it either," explained Edward.

He was a bold man, as bold as his voice. He wore an apron that barely covered his chest, paired with torn trousers and bare feet. Despite his rugged appearance, he was rather a handsome blond man with a short head of hair who wore a dog tag necklace with his name on it.

"He saved us from our doom," Duskta explained.