Chapter 33.2

The cigar that was in Bryton’s fingers has now fallen on the floor and rolled towards the auburn vintage carpet. Bryton tried to break free from Claude’s grip but eventually nodded his head, as the grasp was stronger than he thought.

“Y-yes, Duke,” Bryton stifled a gulp.

The tension in the room was suffocating. The cold air did not do any good for the situation.

After what seemed like an eternity, Claude finally let go of Bryton’s wrist, and proceeded to clean his hands with a handkerchief. No one dared to break the silence and everyone in the room kept their mouth tightly shut – afraid of further angering the Duke.

The Duke found himself struggling with his own feelings. The shame and disillusionment kept cutting him in turns. It took him back to the first time he had laid his eyes on Canillian who was leisurely strolling in Marilyn’s garden. This meeting had woken up something inside of him. It was a feeling so intense that it cannot be hidden under the guise of mere curiosity.

He desperately craved for the breathtakingly beautiful creature that happened to be Canillian. Didn’t he guarantee that he wouldn’t fall for it? That it will daze his eyes but not shake his heart? So then this feeling of being dazed by a beautiful thing, was it a mistake on his own part?

Claude then summoned Ivan who was patiently waiting by the salon’s entrance.

“Is the horseman coming?” Claude asked him.

“I’m looking for him, but he might be taking care of a long distance customer… His coworkers haven’t seen him these past few days, it seems,” Ivan nervously replied.

“How sure are you that he’s not avoiding us?” Claude’s voice grew louder.

“He might be. But…” Ivan trailed off mid-sentence as he tried to come up with an excuse.

“Alright. First, we’ll solve this.”

Ivan’s face lightened up as Claude backed off the subject.

Claude stood in front of the wide window with a serene expression. The white curtains were slightly parted to the side, which allowed him an ample space to look out from. He sighed after thinking for a while and left the salon shortly thereafter. The attendant followed him out with an umbrella.

“Sir! Please wait, I will bring the car.”

“It’s faster to walk than to wait for the car.”

If I can’t get what I want nor move on… He dismissed the panicked attendant and willingly braved the heavy pouring rain. His well-sculpted stoic face was now fully drenched with rain.

***

Damn it, Count Tholin! Lia swallowed back her thoughts as she turned to glance at Tholin who kept following her. Tholin seemed surprised that he’d been found out and hid between the desks. Did he recognize me? She did not feel comfortable about this unexpected meeting. She never really liked Tholin. Plus, another problem was that in this library, it wasn’t just Tholin there but also a sizeable number of students from the Academy.

Lia felt their stares following her wherever she went.

Where is the person who’s supposed to help me out?

Bryton told her that there will be someone waiting for her in the library. There was absolutely no way that it was Tholin. She tried hard not to pay any more attention to Tholin and decided to scan the wide array of books.

“It looks like Sir Tholin is completely smitten by you,” someone called out to her.

She quickly turned to see who the owner of the voice was. There at the end of the bookshelf was Eddy Kirkham, in regular clothing, bowing politely with his hat off.

Lia looked around to see if anyone was paying them attention. She was genuinely surprised that he had recognized her.

“Uh,” Lia scrambled to think of what to say.

“Sir Canillian Vale,” Eddy knowingly replied.

“Are you the…” Lia quietly mumbled as she didn’t want anyone to overhear their conversation.

Eddy smiled and approached her. He then noticed Tholin’s presence, who was listening attentively.

“Oh, Lady! I’m sorry. Excuse me. I didn’t realize that you were the mother of Princess Rosina von Weize’s uncle third removed, the daughter of Duke Heron’s cousin third removed! Please excuse me, Lady,” Eddy said, loud enough for Tholin to hear.

Tholin then walked away as he heard Eddy’s made-up family tree for Lia. As suspected, he seemed to have followed her out of suspicion. Eddy himself admitted that this antic was absurd, but it worked and that’s what mattered.

Lia let out a scoff. She played along and said, “I will accept your apology.”

“Thank you.”

Eddy dramatically opened his arms, crossed his legs in a bow, and then kissed the back of her hand. Lia felt a chill run down her spine at the sensation of his lips on her skin. She let out a cough, let go of his hand coldly, and then stepped back.

“I’ve heard from Sir Bryton. You’re going to help?” Lia asked him directly.

“I know my ways around Louvre.” Kirkham lowered his voice, fixed his round glasses, and pretended to scan the books alongside her.

Her eyes unnoticeably trembled as she heard that he knew Louvre well.

“It wouldn’t be easy memorizing Louvre…”

“I’m from Louvre,” Eddy said as a matter of fact.

“Pardon?” Lia did not believe her ears.

“Anyway, you look beautiful, Sir Canillian.”

The principal caressed his own chin while carefully observing her from head to toe. Lia decided to escape from his uncomfortable gaze. She thought the best way to do so would be to go over the opposite bookshelf, just across from Kirkham.

Looking over the stack of books, Eddy Kirkham smiled at her and said, “I see why you’re making him uneasy. You’re a sinful one, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you mean, but I want to hear about the plans for later. I politely reject any personal conversations,” Lia replied monotonously.

“Well, alright. As I just told you, I know my ways around Louvre very well. And tonight, they’re going to kidnap you. Let them take you. The moment you arrive at their hideout, I’m going to send the police a signal.”

“You’re going to attack their hideout?”

“Yes. Can you do it?”

Lia nodded her head instead of answering.

Going into Louvre herself was something she wanted. She needed to catch people’s attention and rile up Louvre while in a woman’s appearance. Then hopefully, some of them would recognize her. It was a little dangerous, but there was nothing faster than this method. If it went accordingly as she’d hoped, she might be able to find her mother faster than she thought.

Kirkham sighed heavily, after he failed searching for hints in her intelligent, bright eyes.

“Is your 18th birthday next year?”

“Huh? Yes,” Lia was confused but answered nonetheless.

“It’s going to be a long time then,” Eddy remarked.

Eddy’s dark gaze lowered. As he made his way around the bookshelf, Lia calmly moved away. She took out a few books while maintaining a safe distance from him. The royal library was enormous. There was definitely room for both of them there.

Eddy changed the topic all of a sudden, “Do you want to come back to the Academy after graduating? I mean, as a teacher?”

“I don’t know yet,” was Lia’s honest reply.

“Come train under my guidance. It’s my dream to have an intelligent student,” he tried to convince her.

Their quiet conversation was effectively being drowned by the sound of pages being turned, pen scribbling down on paper, and clothing rubbing against chairs from other students.

“If you’re done explaining, I’d like to be alone. I’ll see you at the agreed time.”

There was absolutely nowhere else to escape to. Lia’s back was pressed against the hard concrete wall while she replied to Eddy. Then the principal, with his head slightly tilted to one side, stepped closer to her and said in a soft voice, almost like a whisper, “One more thing, please help me with something.”