Chapter 196: Chapter 196 — A Peek into the Duchy.
"... recovery? Whose, Theodore?"
Gulp...
Thick from surprise, a dry gulp traversed the busy scholar’s throat.
"I heard you. Whose recovery my Father would need to inform you of?"
The heir to his Master’s Household had smoothly made his way to his spot without him noticing.
Paul’s skills had been trained under the Duke’s instructions. Hence, it was not surprising for the Man to flaunt such deeds without effort in front of a not fully consolidated Umbra Quadrigis as himself.
"... Cannot say, Young Master." — Theodore replied, regretting his mumblings once more.
"... Marianne. Something happened to my sister, huh?"
’..... Curse my mumblings! His Grace will kill me!’ — Pained, the unkempt librarian shut his eyes at his disgraceful slip of the tongue.
"Tell me everything you know. I will overlook your wounded neck if you answer properly... ’Royal Scholar’..."
"!"
The pressure of his aura changed drastically to an ominous one.
Theodore understood that Paul was not playing when it came to his warning for his wound felt the chill of his threat... Menacing to open further by the dry air invaded by his upset force.
"Talk." — Leaning over him who sat crouched on the seemingly tiny chair, Paul persisted.
"... She fell ill on the second day."
The crumbling of a random sheet was heard from his back.
"... The Lady appeared healthy once awaking the next day. That is all that has been told to me."
".... Cause..."
"Pardon, Youn–!?"
Bang! Plunge!
"What caused it?!!"
"..."
Through the thick glass over his eyes, Theodore could clearly see as he turned. Exasperated, the heir to his Master had thrown one of the heavy contiguous desks, letting it fall flat on the floor of the quiet and deserted Library.
Eyes unfocused out of what he assumed was rage stared disturbingly at him, surely desiring to get hold of his neck to finish the work committed by the Crown Prince.
Nonetheless... Theodore remained calm. And aware that not the whole truth should be said after such an extreme reaction, he responded with composure, fixing his falling glasses on the place they belonged to.
"Stress."
"..."
"..."
"... Stress?"
"Yes."
"... I see... I see..... Haha... My Sister..."
"..." — The scholar observed the man smirk relieved at the simple answer he gave. However... — ’Was the Young Master this kind of a man?’
Curious at the quick change in demeanour, Theodore pondered... Yet for once, he discerned that this curiosity should stay unquestioned.
Even in how new a sight this was, odd in its nature... The librarian knew that inquiring about it to the person itself without previous observation would not be efficient to acquire the elaborate... maybe even complex and incomprehensible, answer he sought.
"... Alright..." — The odd Heir ultimately said. — "That will do."
"..."
"However..."
Slowly, Paul closed onto the observant man, portraying a calm expression that only managed to convey the danger laying under his surface.
"I am aware you are hiding more about it, Theodore... I guess your clan has yet to teach you all there is to learn..."
The hand he placed on his shoulder felt heavy as it conveyed its wish to reach his wound.
Seemingly calm, Theodore limited himself to listen to the strangled voice, unbecoming to a man of his position.
Straightening up, regaining the facade of a respectable noble, Paul’s eyes relaxed along his features. Giving the filled walls of books an indifferent glance, he added a carefree comment along with an order before leaving the building.
"Personally coming here was the right thing to do... Send to my office last month’s and last year’s documents on the marquises and barons duties."
"... Understood."
At his proper answer, Paul gave an end to his unscheduled visit to the scholar’s sanctuary.
Watching him leisurely leave his floor to then hear his disappearance at the sound of the Library’s entrance, Theodore exhaled in relief.
The scene had been unpleasant and alarming.
Even in his inexperienced eyes... The red invading the white of his eyes as well as the extreme change of his tone once he mentioned the Miss... Were amiss in their felt meaning.
"..... I ought to learn the few skills left promptly..... Bashaa will be delighted to torture me but...It’s the only way I can come up with right now..." — He hushedly mumbled in ponder. — ’The sooner I tame them..... The better watch I am to have on this man.’
It was a one-sided resolution from the scholar that wondered about the unheard stability of his Master’s successor... Nonetheless, an ascertained conclusion it was... The one he had gotten to.
*******
His stability was a hazard in her absence.
The man had been inwardly battling his longing from the moment her time to leave came.
All day, every day; his psyche only thought of her absence and the place she was in without him. Surrounded by people hindering their time together... as well as desireful to have her for themselves.
"... That cursed Crown Prince... Taking her away from me as if it’s only natural....."
His hate was only multiplying by imagining the obvious intentions of the Royal Host who invited his sister. Aware that, as well as the other men that witnessed her mythical beauty at her debut, that dangerous man had the sight to appreciate her charm as well.
"..... D*mn him... D*MN HIM!"
His nights were now his torture.
Devoid of her presence in her bedroom, he would visit her chambers only to breathe the remains of her existence.
Filled with sorrow from wishing to see her in person, quickly rising into rage from who she would share her time with as no word from her arrived for him... To then be invaded by a numbing calmness... Brought to him by the stretched works of his disrupted mind to keep him on that dangerous edge that could showcase his madness if crossed, Paul spent most of his nights there.
"I miss you..... I know you miss me too..... My Marianne... Marianne... Haaah..... Sister..."
The short sleep he could achieve was only on her sheets at the dead night. Nonetheless, it would never be enough. Coping with his obsessive affection, was now much more of a difficult deed after murmuring his true desires on her lovely skin.
’... To taint her..... How could I ever...?...’
"..... Yes, I could... Just as she could with me..."
Paul conversed with himself, picturing her figure in his hands at a yearned dancefloor; watching that smile that would always make his body itch for privacy not meant to be experienced by siblings.
"I’ll make it happen... My lovely Marianne..... I’ll take you for myself as it’s supposed to be, sister..... I promised that this would never happen again..."
An incomprehensible chant was told to himself every dusk. His farewell to retiring to his own quarters would only be done after appreciating her remaining wardrobe... Where the illusion of her wondrous body filling the fabric would emerge and his eyes would stare lost at the emptiness where her curves were to be found.
"... good nights... Marianne... I adore you..... My endearing goddess..."
Paul’s head would lean to the neckline of the chosen dress every night in goodbye. Inciting the vibrating pleasure of what his hands wished to do the next time they met.
On this day, the remembrance of a book at her night table when visiting her emerged in Paul’s mind from early morning.
’... Marianne..... What kind of lovely stories have your fingers been going through...? Oh, Pure Sister.....’
"... Sister..."
At the hushed place his office was, Paul would pause his work only to properly think about her. Whispering a call for her who he missed greatly.
"... Sigh... Seems like I will need some old documents..." — Resuming his work he sighed frustrated.
"Thomas."
Clank.
"Yes, Young Master."
At the deep yet powerful sound of his name being called, the elderly Butler answered his call.
Entering his office, politely as the experienced worker he was, the efficient servant bowed in wait for instructions from his temporal Master.
"I will need some documents that The Duke signed last year and last month."
"Those would be found at the keepsake library. I shall retrieve them immediately, Young Master." — Gesturing to leave, Thomas responded.
However.
"... I shall go."
"... Yes. As you wish, Young Lord." — His distinctive pause was noticeable. Just as he did with the Father, Thomas was doing with his heir. Nevertheless, his Master’s child did not know what those pauses from the elder implied.
’... Young Master Paul..... What has disrupted your nights?...’
A good eye for others’ demeanour. A treat from his job that certainly served its purpose when deciding a proper answer to give his Master.
Thomas’s eyes had been paying attention secretly to the Young Heir’s daily behaviour, unlike usual, when the current Household’s Head was in the domain.
The elder would not directly say anything to the current replacement. Yet his Father would learn the oddity found in the heir by the sharp elder, as it was asked previously to be informed once he returned with his daughters.
Bowing as the Young Master crossed his office’s entrance, Thomas followed Paul’s steps with his sly gaze, aware that tailing him would not serve well to hide the secrecy.
Regardless, it would not be necessary for him to solely maintain watch on the Duke’s Heir.
Slowly... The pieces were arranging themselves... And the meeting the Young Master of the Duchy was soon to have in the Tall building would certainly impulse their meant fit to be correctly found.