Chapter 69: Endurance- Part 3

Lord Nicholas had been surprised himself to hear the man utter Heidi’s name before he had finished him off with his own hands. As lucky she had been to escape the unfortunate fate he didn’t understand who wanted to kill her. Did she have a similar case as Rhys wife? he thought to himself calmly after the butler had left the room. Perhaps, it could be someone who opposed the idea of the truce. Taking a sip from the glass of blood the butler had left before leaving the mansion, he touched the top edge of the glass with his finger, rotating it around to place it in his mouth.

With the attackers dead, he was sure it would be a while before the person behind it would try to do something again. And with the councils orders of keeping the girl in his mansion until the truce completed, it would take an insane man or a woman to break into his property. Only a person with a death wish would try something and that might have been one of the reason why they had attempted the crime at the Meyers mansion.

Hearing his bird, Toby caw one time while sitting on the balcony railings, he stood up with the glass still in his hand and padding his bare feet outside his room and into the balcony.

“Master! Master!” The bird spoke to Lord Nicholas.

“What is it? I thought I ordered you to keep an eye on the council,” Nicholas asked, pressing his lips on the glass to take another sip from it.

“Yes, master but I encountered something on my way. A severed head in the river! I believe it is a man who works for the council because the head council was there too!”

“Where did you find it?” The Lord asked curious and the bird continued to caw. Toby was a rare bird he had found years ago when he was young. He had found it injured one day and had helped the bird recover. It was when it had opened its mouth to thank did he fall down on his bottom at the fear of a crow talking. He didn’t know even now why the bird could only talk to him and it was a mystery how he understood what it said.

Heidi who had gone to bed early, squinted her eyes half asleep wondering if it was morning already after hearing a crow caw continuously outside the mansion. Even with the pouring rain, the crow could be heard. Noticing her room was still dark, she exhaled, thankfully the bird had stopped its cawing and she finally was able to get some sleep until the next coming morning.

Even without her education from the butler, who was away on the lord’s orders she found time to be quickly passing by. Even though Warren couldn’t join her at the table for meals or meet her before the engagement, Lord Nicholas hadn’t missed a single meal with her from the next day. But Heidi found an atmosphere of awkwardness form when Lord Nicholas was around and it appeared that she was the only one who acknowledged it as the lord seemed completely unfazed. There were times when she would find him watching her with that deep red eyes of his which made her feel small. One such time was now, where they were seated in his private library. She had picked a book on his suggestion and had taken a seat on one side of the room while the lord sat with another book at the far corner of the room.

Heidi hadn’t realized it at first but after she spent half an hour of her time reading the book in her hand, she felt his gaze on her. As guilty she was to bear such feelings towards him, she was happy to share the space with him but not like this. The beating of her traitorous heart made her cheeks burn. She tried ignoring his presence but her hands along with her body had turned rigid and turning the page seemed like an impossible task for her under his watchful eyes.

Not able to handle his stare anymore, she looked up from her book to look at him, who had not looked away. Instead he continued to stare at her with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Is there something you would like to ask me Lord Nicholas?” She spoke, deciding to confront him.

“You didn’t turn your page. I thought you must have slept with your eyes open,” his lips raised amused.

“I didn’t fall asleep. I was only going through it again,” she cleared her throat as she turned the page, “How much did you finish?”

“I have already read this and I can recite it like a poem if you would like to hear it,” he closed the thick binded book in his hand and placed it to balance on his crossed legs.

“That won’t be necessary,” she said not meeting his blatant eyes and keeping her head bent down to read the book.

She didn’t know what Lord Nicholas was up to. His teasing words had shifted to staring at her which made her squirm internally. Thinking about her remaining limited time at the Rune’s mansion, she felt a small hole in her chest as if wind was passing by it.