Chapter 34

“I hate to say it, but I think Rayne’s truly mad at me this time,” I confessed, looking down at the dirt path I was walking with Selenia. It was late the next morning, and the two of us were headed to the matchmaking house to meet with Madame Lucille.

Rayne had arranged for Selenia to accompany me, but he had been gone since right after we got up. He hadn’t said much to me either, only reminding me not to let my guard down and saying that he’d be home later that afternoon.

His abruptness was unusual and only served to convince me that he was angry over all of this. He didn’t want me to go to Madame Lucille’s home.

But I stuck to my decision despite all of that. He would have to get over it once it was all said and done, and perhaps he would see that I wasn’t making the wrong decision.

Selenia was unconcerned as she addressed this, feeling the same as me. “He will simply have to get over it. You are free to make your own choices, and it isn’t as though you are going there all alone.”

“He did ask me to come with you. Besides, I’ve been to Madame Lucille’s House plenty of times, so I know all about it,” she stated.

“You’re rather blunt when it comes to your brothers. You honestly don’t worry about upsetting them?” I asked her.

“Why should I? They are my brothers, and I know they are not the types who would ever do anything to intentionally harm others, even if they can be rather temperamental at times,” Selenia reminded me.

She had a point. I didn’t feel like Rayne was the type to ever wish anything bad on others, even if they upset him.

Honestly, I was beginning to think that he was more the type to sulk in private about things. I wondered if he would do that while I was out.

The small town of Belgan wasn’t far from where I’d been living, only about half an hour’s walk down a path through the forest. Stopping with Selenia at the edge of the forest, I took in the sight of it from about thirty feet away.

It didn’t look much different than any of the other towns I’d gotten to see here in the Northern Lands. The buildings housed shops and homes on the second floors, and most were nice-looking wooden structures.

The place that Selenia and I headed to was at the edge of town, a large building much like an elegant manor. It had three floors, and the outside was done in white, with beautiful large flowering bushes surrounding it.

The way toward it was adorned with trees whose branches and leaves stretched out over the path. I walked a bit closer to Selenia as we approached, unconsciously touching the star crystal hanging around my neck.

It would be okay. I could handle this and prove that I wasn’t a pushover, both to those here and to Rayne.

“This place is always so tranquil, but I suppose it comes with wishing to groom proper girls,” Selenia commented as we approached the front.

“Are all of the houses like this?” I asked her.

“Mostly from what I know. I’ve only been to a few though,” Selenia admitted.

The two of us stopped as the front door opened and a familiar figure stepped out. It was Madame Lucille.

She looked much the same as I’d seen her in Jumal, though she now wore a deep blue dress and had matching jewels lining her headpiece and the chain belt around her waist. “Welcome! I’m so happy that you could come to see me today!” she greeted us with a warm smile.

“Good afternoon. It’s nice to see you again,” I responded, doing my best to act normal and courteous.

Selenia didn’t hesitate to greet her as well, “Hello, Madame Lucille. It’s been quite a while since I’ve gotten to see you. I had hoped that you’d be able to come by the palace when Daddy requested it, but you’ve been so busy.”

This was news to me. I hadn’t known that Lord Jekia had already requested Lucille to come there or that she’d been refusing.

That surprised me a little. I wouldn’t have thought any creatures would be able to refuse a summons from one of the rulers.

“I know, and I feel simply awful about it. I hate thinking that I’m being rude, especially to your father and Lady Lana, yet I haven’t had much of any time to break away from things here,” Lucille lamented, placing a hand against her cheek.

She looked genuinely remorseful before turning her attention to me. “But that aside, I’m so happy that you’ve come to see me, Lady Luna, and it’s so nice to have Lady Selenia here as well. Please, come in.”

The two of us agreed, following her into the manor. It was as beautiful on the inside as the outside.

The ceilings were very high, and I could see an elegant staircase in front of us as we entered the large foyer along with a glittering chandelier. The floors were so polished that I could see my reflection in them, and strips of elegant red and gold carpeting ran through archways leading into separate rooms and up those stairs.

“It will be slightly quieter around here today as many of our girls are visiting home, but that is just as well. We do not need a bunch of gawking eyes as so often can happen. I’d dare say that some of my girls haven’t learned tact well at all,” Lucille continued as she led us to the front parlor.

“Oh yes. I do recall hearing that they are allowed to visit their homes from time to time instead of always staying here. Is that why you requested for Luna to visit with you today?” Selenia asked her.

“It was part of the reason,” Lucille confessed as she sat on one of the white loveseats, motioning for us to sit on the one across from her. “Please, have a seat. I know it’s a bit of a walk to get here on your own and has become quite warm out.”

“Thank you,” I said as Selenia and I took her offer and sat down. A young lady came through the far doorway as we did, pushing a cart that had an ornate teapot, matching cups, and some crumpets on it.

She looked a bit younger than Selenia and me, with a tan complexion and pointed ears. Her hair was very dark and shiny, falling to her waist, and she wore a brown and white dress.

She fixed our tea and set the crumpets on the table between us and Lucille, then bowed politely with a soft smile before excusing herself. “Oh, is she new here? I don’t believe I recognize her,” Selenia noted as the girl left the room.

“She is. Her name is Claudette, and she only arrived at our house two weeks ago,” Lucille explained. “Her parents are the leaders of the Elf sect in the south, and they requested that I take her in for a few months so that she may learn how to be a proper young lady.”

“It’s quite a normal rite of passage for the girls born to such families, not to mention they like the idea of them finding a possible match for them early.”

“You have girls like her act as servants here?” I asked.

“In a sense, but it’s more for serving guests so that they may learn humility. I am not above doing so either as I need or wish to. It’s all part of being a lady,” Lucille answered with a pleasant smile.

Selenia nodded. “True. My mother and Vishu taught me the same, and I do enjoy when I can help serve guests. It’s fun to make treats and tea.”

“I’m a bit surprised. I don’t recall ever knowing a family where I came from that would do such things by themselves. Servants were always employed,” I admitted.

“How drab. Why in the world would they avoid the courtesy of serving their guests on their own?” Lucille huffed.

“Perhaps it’s the difference in the lands. I do come from the Western Lands, and the higher families there may not see things the same way as here,” I suggested.

“I suppose that is possible,” Lucille relented slightly. “But beyond all of that, I am very happy that you came to see me. You are even wearing the star crystal I gave you, and it looks so lovely on you.”

“Yes. I do love it too. It’s a wonderful and thoughtful gift,” I responded, returning her smile.

“I’m glad. I know it was a bit imposing calling on you as I did too, and I apologize if I caused any strife from it,” Lucille continued.

“You knew that Rayne wouldn’t want me to come here?” I asked, feeling a little surprised.

“Not really. I know that Lord Jekia may be cross with me for not being able to meet with him and suddenly calling for you, but I hadn’t realized that Lord Rayne would take offense as well,” Lucille confessed.

“I’m not certain that it’s completely that.” I decided to be honest with her about some things, wanting to see how she responded. “The truth is that he’s worried about me coming here after things that have recently been happening. You must be aware that there have been some suspicions about your House.”

Lucille sat up a bit straighter, a surprised look crossing her beautiful face. “Is this why Lord Jekia has been so insistent on calling on me? He cannot be serious! I would not do anything against you or them!”

She seemed genuinely caught off guard, but I wasn’t quite ready to take it at face value. I knew plenty of people before who could be very good actors.

“It’s not so much that we’re accusing you, but there are a lot of concerns, Madame,” Selenia interjected. “The foxes and a few other sources have been trying to trace the rumors about Luna and they seem to be pointing to the girls of this House, though none are sure of why they started or who exactly started them.”

“I would never want to falsely accuse you or anyone else, Madame. I know what that’s like and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. That’s why I came here. I both wanted to meet you and to ask you myself about it,” I added.

“I see.” Lucille let out a long breath, pulling herself together. “It all makes sense too with how insistent Lord Jekia’s been about me coming to the palace. But it also worries me. If the rumors did originate here, then it may leave me between a rock and a hard place.”

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

Selenia looked around us before speaking quietly. “You are speaking of your mother, aren’t you?”

Lucille was quiet for a moment, looking like she was listening closely. I heard and felt nothing as she did. The room was very quiet save for the ticking of the large grandfather clock nearby.

“Yes, but let us speak carefully. One never knows when she may start listening,” Lucille finally responded.

“You fear your mother knowing that we are speaking of her in such context?” I noted.

“Unfortunately, yes. I know how badly things can go with her, and I can’t sit here and deny that the possibility is there if the origins are true. I apologize if that is the case too. I should have been much more vigilant in listening to what our girls were saying when I was around them outside of here,” Lucille answered.

“How were you so unaware of that? Do the girls not train directly under you here?” I asked her, finding it hard to believe that Lucille wouldn’t have had a clue about any of this.

Lucille took my suspicions in stride. “They train under me and my mother. As much as I tend to be the face of this House, Mother is the lifeblood of it. No one crosses her, and all must bow to her here out of utmost respect. I was always raised to do the same and have never had it in me to question her about things. Well, not until recently,” she admitted.

I tilted my head in confusion. “Something changed that made you distrust her?”

“It’s not that I didn’t have that for quite a while,” Lucille confessed. She spoke quietly, holding her hands in front of her. “Between us, I never felt much animosity toward my half-sister either, despite what Mother always told me about her. I barely even knew her as I was older than her and already thrust into the position Mother wanted me to be in. While I will confess to saying harsh things at times out of spite, I can’t say I cared much either way. That was always more of Mother.”

“But your feelings changed once your father died, didn’t they? Everyone has whispered for a long time that it wasn’t Hailia who did it, even if she did take the blame,” Selenia stated.

“I did think that she was responsible too for a while, but I too began to suspect there was more to it after Hailia was banished. There were things said and found that disturbed me, things I would rather not speak of. That’s why I helped Hailia after Lord Jekia allowed her to return, although I have done what I can to not allow that to get back to Mother. I’d rather see Hailia be able to have a peaceful life,” Lucille explained.

“I’m going to guess that’s why you were interested in talking to me. You suspect something like what’s happened to her may be starting with me,” I surmised.

Lucille nodded, looking around us again. “I do suspect it, especially after what you’ve told me, and it pains me to think that she could do such a thing, especially when it could turn us against Lord Jekia.”

“But why would she do this? Is where I came from that much of a blemish to her?” I pressed.

“I’m not certain, but I’ve also called on you because I needed to talk to you about something else,” Lucille said, looking tense as she glanced around the ceiling. “Tell me, do either of you feel something…”

She stopped suddenly, her gaze turning to the archway across the room. Selenia and I looked toward it, and I realized that we could hear the sound of soft footsteps approaching.

After another moment or so, a figure came into the archway. She was an ancient-looking woman, hunched over and dressed in layers of fine dark robes.

Her white hair was pulled up in a loose bun, which was secured with a golden hair ornament, and her deep blue eyes scanned us as she stood there. The feeling coming off of her was imposing, like she was looking down on us as she studied us.

I was certain that she must’ve been Madame Camille, Lucille’s mother and the true matron of this House. Lucille immediately stood up and bowed her head to her, speaking very politely.

“Ah, I do apologize, Mother! I did not know that you had returned!”

“I decided to make my trip early today because of the heat,” Camille responded, her eyes never leaving us. “You did not mention to me though that you were having company, or was this visit a sudden affair?”

Selenia and I stood up, and she addressed her. “Forgive us for intruding, but Luna wished to take Madame Lucille up on her offer to visit and I decided to come along because I had not been here for quite a long while.”

“Well, you know that you are always welcome, Lady Selenia.” Camille stepped forward so that she could stand in front of me. I felt an odd tingle go through my body as she did, like there was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t place it.

“So you are Lady Luna, the beta that was chosen by Lord Rayne. I must say, you are quite a beauty of a female, just as they have said.”

I bowed my head, trying my best to be polite. “I thank you for the nice compliment. It is good to meet you too, my lady.”

“Ah, and it seems you know your manners rather well too. I had wondered about that with the background I had heard. You were a servant within the Western Lands before, were you not?” Camille inquired.

“I was.” I didn’t deny it. “My mother passed away when I was born and her Faerie sect didn’t wish to keep me, so I was raised as a servant until the day Rayne and I met.”

“I see.” Camille was still studying me, and I started to feel uneasy. It was like there was something else underlying this.

Was it because I knew that she very well could be the one behind all of the terrible words about me? No, this felt like something more.

Almost like someone else was looking at me aside from her. But before I could respond, we suddenly heard the front door burst open.

Camille frowned as she looked up, and I turned my head to see Rayne coming in there. “I thought that you’d make certain to return early so that you could see her. Nothing escapes you, even when your daughter tries her hardest, does it?” he said as he stepped beside me.

Camille took his sudden appearance in stride. “Ah, Lord Rayne. How nice of you to come by, though it was rather rude that you barged in,” she told him.

“I have no care for whether or not you feel I’ve been rude. It’s enough that I’ve given up half my day with Luna for this, and I intend to take her back with me now. If you and Lucille are so inclined to speak more to her, then you’ll do it on my terms,” Rayne informed her.

I was a little shocked as he grabbed me and Selenia’s wrists and pulled us out of the manor with him. I’d never seen Rayne act like this before.

He was usually courteous to those around him, not to mention he appeared quite angry to see Camille there.

“What in the world has gotten into you?!” Selenia demanded as we finally stopped at the end of the path away from the manor and she wrenched away from him.

“Why would you just barge in there and pull us away from them?!”

“You’d really ask me that when you know the issues coming out of that house? I can’t believe you felt nothing there!” Rayne huffed, crossing his arms as he looked back at her.

“There was nothing! Yes, Madame Camille had shown up, but all she was doing was speaking to us!” Selenia insisted.

I knew better than that. Rayne must’ve sensed what I did.

That was why he’d barged in there to get us. But for now, I decided not to say anything in front of Selenia about what I’d felt, instead opting to find a way to cool down the tension.

“That’s true, but maybe it was better that Rayne came in when he did. It’s not like we were expecting Camille to show up as she did, and Lucille was saying something was odd about things with her mother,” I reminded her.

“So she admitted it. Interesting,” Rayne muttered, looking back at the manor.

Selenia frowned at him. “You know something I don’t, don’t you?”

“It’s better not to talk about it here. Let’s head back to the palace. Father will want to discuss this as well,” was all Rayne would tell us.

I looked back at the manor as he spoke, taking it in one more time before we walked away. That strange feeling remained inside of me, though it wasn’t nearly as strong as it had been when I’d been face-to-face with Camille.

I likened it now to foreboding, like a shadow was being cast over everything that no one saw coming. Even then, I swore the shadows from the trees appeared darker.

It was enough for me to make sure to slip my hand into Rayne’s as we walked away. Something else was happening there.

I was certain of it, and certain that we were close to finding out what.