After the young lord and lady left the library, another maid came to escort Parisa back to her room. She didn't want to leave, considering Xavier and Cordelia still hadn't returned. Her stomach had started to knot because of their prolonged absence and she genuinely began to wonder if Maria's ladies had done anything to them.
- Don't be ridiculous.
She told herself, shaking the anxiety away as best she could. She was following the maid back to her room, arms crossed. The woman wasn't kind, though she wasn't outwardly hostile either. Rather, her attitude and body language made it clear that she'd rather be anywhere other than with Parisa at that moment.
- Xavier's a knight. What could they do to him? And he'd protect Cordelia.
Though, there was a part of Parisa that suspected Cordelia didn't need anyone to protect her.
"We're here, my lady." the maid seemed to struggle with the last two words, not that Parisa much cared about that. "You're not permitted to leave your room until stated otherwise. Someone will bring food and drink to you at the proper times." The woman turned on her heel and began walking off.
"Wait!" Parisa called. She grabbed the maid's wrist, jerking the woman back. For a moment, the maid was silent, her eyes wide as if still processing what had happened. That didn't last long. She shook Parisa's hand off and scowled at the girl.
"You dare place your hands on me? You're nothing but a filthy piece of trash."
Parisa recoiled at the venom dripping from her voice. Parisa pulled her hands close to her chest and lowered her eyes.
"I just want to-to know if you know where Cordelia is."
The maid looked at her for a long moment before laughing. It didn't last long before all the amusement fell from her face. "I don't know, and I really don't care." With that, she was gone, never once looking back. There was a knight stationed at her door who only nodded in acknowledgement of her presence before opening her door. The tips of her ears heated, and she scurried into the room.
She expected it, but her heart still dropped that neither Cordelia nor Xavier were there.
- Perhaps they got caught up in preparations for this mysterious, high-ranking guest.
The voice chimed in. For the first time since it'd made itself known, it appeared to actually be trying to comfort her. Parisa bit down on her thumbnail and walked over to the window. Snow was gently falling from the grey clouds above, making the outside world look magical. She'd gone out when it was snowing once before, with Xavier and Cordelia. The maid had helped her build a snowman while Xavier had thrown comments as to the things shoddy appearance. It had been a good time and a memory she now cherished.
Parisa tossed a glance back to her bedroom door, where she knew the knight stood on the other side. In all likely hood, the voice was right. They probably were just helping with welcoming this esteemed guest, but all Parisa could think about was the punishment Cordelia had suffered because of her.
She lowered her hands and reached out to the window. Before she could think twice on the matter, she unlatched and pushed it open. The room instantly chilled with the outside temperature. A few stray snowflakes filtered into the room, landing on Parisa's bare arm before almost instantly melting.
"I'll just…go to the kitchen and have a look." she said, her voice trembling. In all her life, she'd never done something like this. She'd never disobeyed an order, but she knew Cordelia or Xavier would do the same for her. "Maybe the chef's seen them."
- You're getting bold. Almost like Su-ho.
Parisa wasn't sure if she'd say the Su-ho from her memories was ever bold. Though she did remember a time when the girl had snuck out from home to meet up with friends.
Parisa bit down on her lip before rushing to collect a scarf and jacket from her closet. The moment she was bundled up, she hoisted herself through the window, landing with a satisfying crunch on the snow beneath. She left the window propped open an inch before pulling up her hood and rushing in the direction of the kitchen.
She was glad that she didn't run into any maids or servants while she made her way. The girl had no idea how she'd explain her situation and she shuddered to think what the baroness would say.
It didn't take Parisa long to get to the kitchen, but when she did, she hadn't expect it to be so cram packed with people. Maids were rushing about and chefs were cooking like there was no tomorrow. She pulled her hood down and hugged the wall to keep out of people's way. People either didn't notice her or didn't care. Either way, none of them were who she was looking for.
"Have you seen the guest yet?" one of the maids asked another. Parisa's ears perked at the question.
"Yes!" the other squealed. "He was so dreamy!"
"Maybe we'll get to serve him."
Parisa stopped listening when her gaze landed on a man sautéing something on the stove. His eyes showed dead concentration.
"Excuse me," Paris said. When the chef didn't respond right away, she reached out and tried again. "Excuse me,"
The man startled at Parisa's hand on his arm. He jerked back, sending the contents of his pan spilling over the stove. The man let out a yell and whipped around on Parisa.
"I-I'm so sorry-"
"What are you doing here!?" He screamed. Spittal flew from his mouth, hitting parts of Parisa's face. The man's eyes burned with fury. "Do you see what you've done?" He tossed his hand out to the mess on the stove.
"I-I didn't mean-"
"I don't care what you meant!" People were looking over at the disturbance now and Parisa's face grew heated. "Get out of here! Someone get her out of here."
"No, wait, I was just-"
Before she could finish her sentence, a servant was ushering her from the kitchen and promptly slamming the door behind her. She looked back at the closed door.
"Isn't that?"
"What's she doing here?"
"Didn't her ladyship say for her to be in her room?"
Parisa's body froze at the voices behind her. She quickly pulled her hood up and hurried from the hallway.
- Well, now you've made a mess of things.
The voice whispered as Parisa hurried down the hallway. She had no idea where else she might find Cordelia or Xavier. The only thing she could think of would be to return to her room and wait for one or both of them to, hopefully, come back soon. She was sure the baroness would hear about her sneaking out.
As she turned the corner of her hallway, Parisa rammed into a solid body. The impact sent her reeling backwards until her ass hit the ground. Pain traveled through her body and she groaned. She heard the other person let out a similar noise, and she looked towards them, finding a dark-skinned man in a similar position as herself.
"Oh Goddess," Parisa said. She leaned forward, reaching out a hand. "I am so sorry! Are you alright?" her hand froze, hovering over the man's face when his eyes, grey as the clouds outside, locked with hers. "I-I wasn't watching where I was going and-"
"Lord Alexei!" Lady Maria's voice was shrill, like nails on a chalkboard. The girl appeared out of nowhere at the man's side, shoving Parisa away. Parisa shrunk back when lady Maria's scorching gaze fell on her. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.
"I-no," Parisa's eyes darted between lady Maria and this lord Alexei, who was now watching her. He held her stare until she couldn't take it anymore and had to look away. The palm of her hand, the one that would have made contact with his face had lady Maria not shown up, seemed to radiate with warmth.
"Lord Alexei, are you alright?" Lady Maria asked, drawing the man's eyes away from Parisa. He smiled.
"I'm fine, my lady." he said, standing from his spot on the floor. Parisa flinched when she heard the movement, expecting a beating of some sort for stepping out of line and injuring a noble. She trembled from her spot on the floor until a dark hand appeared in her line of sight. She looked up, finding Alexei standing over her.
Parisa lifted her hand, hesitating before slipping her palm into his. He had rough callouses on his palm, no doubt from years of swordplay. His grip was firm as he helped her to stand, but the moment she was sturdy on her feet, she yanked her hand away.
"What are you doing out of your room?" Lady Maria asked, pushing her way close to lord Alexei's side. Parisa opened her mouth to respond, but lady Maria was quicker. "Take her back to her room!" she ordered one of her knights. The man moved without any type of hesitation as he grabbed Parisa and started pulling her away. The girl met the eyes of Alexei for one more time before a harsh tug on her arm had her following the knight, tripping to keep up with his long strides.