Ayano had been sitting in the kitchen where Killian had left her after having her breakfast all alone. The thought had occurred to make herself more assertive in finding the elusive master of the house. She had decided during her walk from the kitchen, that she would present herself to him and whatever happened thereafter would be an acceptable consequence. Surely he wouldn't send her home, for attempting to meet the man that had asked for her hand in marriage. So when she had questioned a maid who was cleaning the halls about the whereabouts of the Lord's study, she wasn't expecting to be treated like an intruder. And the more he kept himself reclusive, the more he made her curious about him and the mystery with which he dwells.
"Would you believe me if I said he was sleeping?" Jeremy answers.
Was this a joke? Ayano thought staring at the man. It was just well bloody a few hours into the morning!
"Sleeping?" Ayano asked in disbelief. " Is he....is he unwell? "
Ayano watched as Jeremy's eyes darted back and forth between them, still scratching his head.
"He's fine, just being his usual self." Jeremy answered. "How about you, my lady?"
Ayano blinked then, thoroughly confused. "Me?"
Jeremy nodded. "How have you been?"
"Oh," Ayano answered her eyes averting to her shoe. "Very well thank you." she was busy gazing at the door behind the sentinel that stood before her and knew very well that she wouldn't be able to get inside with him standing guard.
How to get rid of him? She pondered.
The manor as well as its occupants and guests were very peculiar, especially hosting vampire guests since that wasn't a feat one observed every day if ever. Though their interaction was very distasteful, and Ayano scrunched up her nose at the memory.
"I'm happy to hear that." Jeremy responds finally after ending his silent contemplation of the human.
He was still trying to figure out Killian's interest in being betrothed to the human. He was still attempting to consider any characteristics of the girl that might have caught his master's attention, instead, all he could come up with, was that one would consider her averagely beautiful and maybe a little too curious for her own good.
Perhaps she was Rosa?
Jeremy watched her closely, attempting to find the qualities that were present in the previous Queen's posture, only to berate himself at the silly thought. Rosa was previously a Vampire, there was no way she would be reborn as a human. Killian's obsession with this one should merely be a fleeting thought. Perhaps he's repaying kindness.
While the thought had occurred to Jeremy to thwart Killian's plans and reveal to the girl, that the one she sought was Killian himself, he thought better of it, preferring to keep his head. Sighing inwardly at his dilemma of having to babysit the human, he motioned for her to move ahead of them.
"Shall we then?" Jeremy asked motioning for her to move before him.
Ayano raised a quizzical brow at the older man standing her ground. She hadn't an inkling of where he wanted them to go but she had no intention of leaving the person inside be. She needed to know why the mister, after asking her father for her hand decided to hide himself.
Was it a case of beauty and the beast?
If he wasn't curious enough to know her, she was more than welcome, being curious enough for both of them.
"Um, where are you headed?"
" Why to the kitchen, my good lady, Where else would be more pleasant at this time? " Jeremy answers jokingly. "I'm afraid in my haste this morn, I've forgotten breakfast. There's a lot that goes into maintaining my dashing figure if I must say so myself"
"Oh," Ayano replied averting her gaze, hearing the man speak so highly of himself. She didn't doubt, his ability to eat as it should require much for his large stature. But the topic of his stomach was the least of her concerns at the moment. "In that case, I'll have to decline. I've already had breakfast. My apologies."
Jeremy frowned, realizing that she would be difficult to get rid of. He sighed internally once more.
Killian was a pain in the arse.
What was he hoping to achieve by keeping his identity a secret like this?
"In that case, I'll walk you back."
Ayano nibbled on her lower lip attempting to come up with a plan, her eyes darting down the corridor then back down the door. If she decided to leave with him, who knows what could happen later preventing her from making it back.
No, she couldn't take that chance.
It was decided then, she thought, she'd find a way to convince him to leave her behind.
"No please I wouldn't want to be a bother," Ayano spoke up, her eyes pleading, as Jeremy started on their journey. "My quarters are a way, away from your destination, I can make it on my own."
Jeremy pauses, his silence enough to have her feeling frustrated. Both he and Killian were honestly going out of their way to keep her from seeing or asking anything about her mysterious husband. Ayano began to lament that she wasn't there when her father made that deal with him, at least then she would have an idea about what she had gotten herself into.
"And I'm going to stretch my legs for a little longer since the Lord's unavailable, finding my way around the manor."
Jeremy stared at her for a while before nodding, submerging his hands in his pockets before moving on again.
"Be careful little miss, this place can be treacherous," He replied.
Ayano nodded, watching as the man moved leisurely down the hall whistling to himself, before descending the long staircase. It was only when he had disappeared completely from her line of vision, that she dared to release a breath of relief. She couldn't believe all the trouble she had to endure just to see a man, and if her mother ever found out she fibbed, why she'd never hear the end of it.
Atlas she wasn't home anymore and she was left with no other choice but to fib to the man. Now to the task at hand, she thought turning to look at the large brown door and the simple golden knob that kept it closed. Ayano decided she would quickly take a peak inside, at her suitor, and be on her merry way.
The thought of finally being able to behold him, made her feel somewhat giddy. The last time she had felt this invigorated was when she had been much younger and passed a letter to her crush. Her anxiety almost ate her alive and if that was worse, she had found out later that he was already in love with one of the other young ladies. They had ended up teasing her about it. Even coming from a middle-class family, the caste was still mean to her, especially since her family focused more on providing than appearances.
Still, now she was an adult, and while she had never considered being married, she had managed to be sought by a rather wealthy man. A hand made its way to her chest, head bowed as she closed her eyes reminiscing on her family. She felt overly grateful that she was worthy enough to keep her family from going bankrupt and keep their workers' families from starvation.
Note to self, she thought. I should tell the lord how grateful we are that he sought to favor us in such a terrible time.
She stood still, her nerves getting the best of her. It was a now-or-never time. She was finally going to meet her betrothed behind that door. Her hands trembled ferociously and her thoughts wavered.
What if he didn't like me, she thought.
What if he was intentionally avoiding me? Maybe even thinking of this entire thing as only a transaction between him and her father? Thinking back, he did mention something about returning to them safely.
Shaking herself from her silly thoughts, she willed her mind to the task at hand. She was only deluding herself and her mind was her greatest enemy. Her father had not deceived her. Surely he would not have bartered her off like some old possession. She believed his word for what it was.
Besides, what was the worst that could happen? And Jeremy would be none the wiser to her actions.
Moving cautiously, she hastily glanced down the corridor, checking if anyone was headed in her direction and finding none, inhaled before turning the knob that held the ghost within. The door creaked ever so slightly, which made Ayano cringe, hoping it wouldn't be enough to rouse the occupant from slumber nor call attention from below.
Still alone, she pushed the door slowly, her breath still held as her eyes did a quick sweep of the furnished study filled with a tome of books and a beautiful crimson carpet that decorated the floor. Soft yellow sunlight poured in from the windows, illuminating the precious room. For a moment, Ayano found herself dumbstruck with all the furnishings that lay within the room, more taken aback that flower pots were sitting almost at every corner and not sightless statutes, as she had often heard the rich boast about.
Ayano spotted a small window garden of red roses and pondered whether this was the place he had plucked he had gifted her. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she reminded herself of the task at hand.
To find her suitor.
Another step over the threshold and Ayano moved her head left and right, attempting to find the sleeping figure of a man. Her eyes fell on dark boots attached to long legs clad in black britches, her eyes moving upwards, slowly but excitedly as she took in the strong yet immobile form of a man, his hand framing his head.
Her ghost of a husband was uncovered.
"I've found you," she whispered, her voice soft yet filled with mirth.
Just when she thought of taking another step, she heard the voice of another behind her, before her vision contained only the surface of the closed door.
"Didn't I say he was sleeping, Miss?"
****
Killian smiled beneath his limb. Rosa was turning out to be quite fascinating in this life. He knew all too well that their cat-and-mouse chase would not last for very long, not with her dwindling impatience. He was almost willing to be found out if she had gotten the chance to step closer. He had also considered opening the door to her while she stood there, considering that maybe the truth would either empower her or send her into a downward spiral.
Getting up, Killian grabs the papers Jeremy left on the desk, perusing them. He didn't like what he was seeing and to think he would have to leave and attend to them tonight. He couldn't put it off much longer, but the question was how he would detangle himself from his engagements with Ayano.