A week has passed since that incident with that mystery annoying dude, and the workers at Master Thelowar's mansion were loaded with work all due to the upcoming banquet. I worked to the bone, scrubbing all the floors, moving from floor to floor. It was tiring, and if you add the relentless heat waves that came in from the outside, it made things even worse.
I leaned against the wall for a bit and Jienna brought me a towel.
"Thanks," I took the towel and wiped the sweat off my brow.
We were sitting in a long hallway that was facing outside to the courtyard. It was in the middle of the week and there was so much stress on the servants. Expectations were to be met and regulations to be strictly followed. It was tiring to have to be under surveillance at all times. I couldn't even rest for two seconds.
"Did you hear?" Jienna asked.
"Hm? Hear what?"
I was curious as to what the tea was. Jienna didn't really talk much since we usually just spent our time, in quiet solitude. The wind from outside whooshed in through the open pillars. I waited for her to speak. She didn't talk for a bit so I turned to look at her. She looked a bit nervous.
"I heard that there was going to be a special guest coming to the mansion," she whispered.
"Hmmm. Have you heard who it was?"
"No, it's supposed to be a secret."
Damn. She's sneaky.
"Oh, where did you hear it from?"
"While I was cleaning near the Mistress's room I overheard her talking about some foreigners coming to stay at the mansion. There was talk about prospective marriage partners and stuff."
"Geez. I guess we have extra work to look after these foreigners."
We both sighed at the same time. Jienna's head drooped onto her knees. Her curls fell out of her bun and I tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. She's only a kid and work was piled on top of her shoulders this much.
Thump, thump, thump!
Frantic footsteps sounded in the distance. Jienna and I looked at each other in shock and quickly scrambled to get our rags. If we were caught, we might have to work overtime.
"You! The two girls over there! Pick your feet up, hurry! Some important guests have arrived!" a maid rushed towards us.
She pulled us by our elbows and dragged us towards the front foyer.
"Umm, what do we have to do?" I asked cautiously.
"You brats!" the maid held onto us tighter, "they came to surprise the Thelowar family and you all need to be there to move all the presents and stuff inside! Where were you when the head maid was shouting for all servants to come down?"
Oops…
She pulled us through a back entrance and towards a crowd of people lined in a single formation. The maid pushed us towards the end and rushed up to the front. A huge gold-lined carriage pulled up to the front.
Jienna mouthed at me, "See I told you."
I gulped. There were a few other carriages trailing behind the big extravagant one. I noticed how many rooms were forced to be cleaned out in the mansion. All the servants may be tasked with over-duty for special clean-up.
The Thelowar family came through the grand double doors. A large golden carpet was laid out on the stairs. At this point, I had no idea who was doing the surprising, and who was receiving the surprise. Pearls adorned the crowns of Madam Thelowar and Lady Thelowars ' heads. Green dresses fit against their bodies and silk veils covered half of their faces. They looked striking in their outfits and pulled off the look with ease, considering their beauty.
The two men in the family also looked equally dashing. They wore matching colors and long outfits that reached their ankles. A velvet cardigan wrapped around their shoulders and flowed out behind them. Each family member wore foreign and exotic clothes, probably to help the foreigners adjust to the environment.
It was pretty smart, and well-thought-out if you asked me. The culture in the Kingdom of Pereshwar was so unique, it may have given the guests major culture shock. The carriage stopped just as the Thelowar family came into view. The door of the carriage swung open.
"Wow!" Jienna gaped in surprise.
Acrobat dancers filed out of the carriage and gracefully created line formations around us. I couldn't help but be amazed by the spectacle myself. It was such an ethereal moment. Porcelain skin, marked with an assortment of lines in different colors blinked in the sunlight. Their faces were hidden in silk and net veils as well. Seductive auras exuded from the dancers and I think some of us may have started drooling.
They brought out flowers and showered the family in a shower of fragrant petals. The wind scattered the petals and it drifted out to the servants. One went in my mouth and I choked. Jienna laughed. Flowers surrounded her hair and fell around her. The servants had a moment of staring at the sky in awe before receiving a stern glare from the maids upfront. As if in sync, we all snapped our heads down and recovered from our silly poses from before.
The dancers stopped dancing and in perfect rhythm, disappeared into the mansion. Master Thelowar clapped loudly. They were in awe as well. A tall man stepped out of the carriage. As his body appeared into view I saw how the sun glinted off the jewels on his body. A large hairpiece glinted in the sun. A ruby flashing brightly. The man had slanted eyes and the most striking blue ever.
Wait… I'm getting a weird feeling...
"Tariq!" the man walked to Master Thelowar.
His Goatee, braided with beads and gold threads jingled softly as the two men embraced each other tightly.
"You geezer! It's been a long time!" Master Thelowar laughed as he punched the other man's shoulder.
I couldn't see his face much from the distance I was at but it looked familiar for some reason. Other people started to filter out from the other carriages passing by. If I were to infer, I think it was the sons and daughters. Regal and foreign beauty graced each Lady and Sire. They all wore shimmering silks and fabrics that were enrobed across their bodies. Most of them had straight long black hair, with a grand headpiece resting on their heads.
"These are my sons and daughters," he proclaimed as he waved them over.
Four daughters and two sons walked over to the Thelowar family and exchanged greetings.
"Wait, there is one more," the man looked around him, "Kaizher? Serenia, where is your younger brother?"
Serenia, I assumed was the oldest, looked around her. Her gray eyes scrutinized the others and they shook their heads.
"Father, I'll go bring him now," Serenia bowed to the Father quickly and turned to go look for her brother.
The man looked displeased, and his smile was thin as he tried to reassure Master Thelowar that he was probably too shy to come out.
"Who's shy?" a lanky boy, holding a huge box, popped up beside his father.
"WAH!" the man suddenly jumped from shock.
He regained his composure and pinched the son in the stomach.
"Ouch!"
"Greetings, son," the father told him sternly.
"I am very sorry for the inconvenience I have caused, right now," Kaizher bowed, "But, I was busy trying to bring out the present for the young lady."
He handed the present box to a nearby footman and he kissed Lady Lamia Thelowar's hand. Her blush crept up her face and disappeared to her forehead. I tried to get a closer look at the boy. I felt like I recognized his voice from somewhere. The footman beside him was obscuring my view so I couldn't see properly. Many others tried to get a look at him too.
As if sensing our gazes, the boy took a step back and observed the clearing.
"SHI-!" I accidentally cursed out loud.
Jienna elbowed me and I shut up. It was the dude from before. He dressed up appropriately this time, so it was hard to tell. But, that unnaturally light brown hair couldn't go by unnoticed. His green eyes scanned the crowd of servants and maids. I lowered my eyes to the ground to look as unaffected as ever.
But, in all honesty, I felt like crying on the inside. Out of all the places you had to stay at, it had to be here?!