'Zoey's room is on the first floor of the manor opposite to princess Aria's.'
Noah thought as he ascended the last few steps of the main staircase of the manor. His new shoes produced little to no sound on the crimson carpet that had been laid down on the steps of the stone staircase. He let go of its metal railing, and pushed his glasses up his nose bridge.
'I must find the room that I have seen in my vision...I can't let Voyer slip right through my fingers.'
He scowled upon the thought of that man. He was the only gifted in the world whom Noah hatred with all his existence.
With his chin lifted a bit, and his back straightened, he walked down the hallway. He saw a maid approaching him. She was holding an exotic glass vase with both hands, and it held a bunch of fresh white tulips. He nodded at her, and she replied with a polite smile of hers as the two of them walked past each other.
He turned the corner, and came to a halt. He took a step back, hiding himself front the person who was coming out of the library. It was a little girl who did not look older than 12 years. She had let her long raven black hair fall over her shoulders, and they gladly hid her white nightdress entirely as they hugged her tiny waist.
'Princess Zoey.'
She was hugging a book to her chest. It was a heavy looking one with a black leather cover, and there were golden words engraved in its spine, but Noah couldn't read them from where he stood. She closed the door, careful of not letting her book fall down.
For a moment, she just stood there in front of the library's large wooden doors. She looked to her right and then to her left. She pushed her hair away from her forehead with one hand, and began walking towards her right. She looked a bit tired. She yawned audibly, and rubbed her eyes with her palm.
Reaching the turn of the hallway, she looked at her right and left once again. Noah saw her scrunching up her little nose before she turned around, and walked back the way she had come from. She was in front of the library once again.
'Don't tell me... Is she lost? In her own house?'
He raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and decided to come out of his hiding spot. The little girl was quick to sense his presence, and looked up at him with her big, round eyes, like a rabbit who would perk up his tiny ears at the slightest of the sounds.
"Greetings, Princess Zoey."
She opened her mouth, but then closed it without saying anything. She gave him a slight nod instead, acknowledging him. She looked away quickly, and Noah noticed her rubbing circles on the back of her book.
The princess was feeling shy, but the new servant was entirely unaware of it. But one could not blame Noah for being oblivious to her feelings because that young man had never dealt with children before. A moment of silence went by.
'Well, I have things to do.'
He turned around on his heels.
'Zoey's room...A right turn from the library and-'
He felt a little tug on his sleeve, and he looked over his shoulder to find Zoey grabbing him by the cuff of his shirt. He raised an eyebrow.
"My lady?"
She was quick to let him go, and stepped back. She muttered something.
"Sorry, but I couldn't hear you, my lady."
She pursed her lips, and gave it another try, a bit louder this time.
"Have you seen any servants around?"
"Yes, a maid just went downstairs."
He saw her scrunching up her nose once again, and he sighed.
'What a hassle...'
He placed a hand on his chest.
"You can order me instead, princess."
"I don't know you."
He blinked.
'Huh?'
"How can I trust you?"
Her words had annoyed Noah. He had more important things to do than pampering an air headed princess. He had no choice but to fake a small smile.
"Surely, you don't know every servant of yours, my lady."
"I do."
He frowned at the firmness in her tone.
"Is this your first time serving a family?"
"Pardon?"
Her question had cought him off guard.
"No, it's not."
She tilted her head to the side, and looked at him from head to toe.
"How strange..."
She muttered, and Noah found himself feeling uneasy under her unsettling gaze. It was interesting how much she resembled her father. A word from him would be enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine.
'She's a Haeyet, alright.'
"There was stiffness in the way you bowed earlier...As if you haven't greeted many nobles in your life before."
He pursed his lips, and she tapped her fingers on the back of her book.
"Am I thinking too much about it?"
Noah had never nodded that eagerly before.
"Really? My apologies for doubting you then."
She placed a hand over her mouth, and yawned loudly. Noah released the breath that he didn't realize that he had been holding all this time.
Genius of the Haeyet family. She surely lived up to her reputation. Noah frowned as he looked down at the yawning girl. Anyone would be fooled by her harmless appearance.
'Anyone but Voyer...'
The very thought made him angry. He clenched his fist beside his leg.
"Can you show me the way to my room?"
She asked, and began rubbing circles on her book once again.
'Heh! She really was lost.'
The corner of his mouth curled up into a smirk.
"Yes, my lady."
She grinned at his reply, her fingers coming to a rest on the back of her book.
'She's too slow!'
Noah glanced at the girl that closely followed him. Zoey tried to hasten her pace, but she couldn't match the butler's wider strides. She felt slightly out of breath, and her loose strands were only making her mood more foul by falling into her eyes again and again. She stopped, and pushed them back for the hundredth time.
She looked at the servant who was oblivious to her discomfort, and pouted angrily.
"That's rude!"
She saw his shoulders stiffening up, and he stopped in his tracks. He turned around, and raised an eyebrow.
"My lady?"
"Wait for me, will you?"
Zoey huffed, and crossed her arms. Noah tilted his head to the side.
"Are you perhaps mad at me, my lady?"
She noticed the slight twitching of the corner of his mouth. She glared at him, but it only made it difficult for Noah to hide his smirk.
"Don't mock me!"
She stomped her foot, and Noah instantly placed a hand on his mouth.
"I apologize, my lady. But you harmlessly glaring at me like that looked so funny that I couldn't restraint myself."
Zoey's cheeks turned red upon hearing his honest words.
"I don't like you!"
Zoey stuck her tongue out at him, and Noah raised his eyebrows.
'They all are so similar.'
He grinned, showing his straight pearly teeth.
'I guess it's adorable.'
He stepped aside, and gestured for her to lead the way.
"After you, my lady."
Zoey walked past him, an adorable pout still on the child's face.
'What a weird person! How could Hubert hire him?'
Lost in her thoughts, she tripped over her own feet. She stumbled, and felt herself falling forward. She reached out for anything to support herself, but her fingers couldn't find anything. The floor was getting closer, and she clenched her eyes shut.
The fall and the pain never came.
Instead, she felt an arm grabbing her by the waist. She opened one of her eyes.
"Be careful, my lady!"
It took a moment for the princess to realize that she was high above the ground, and her arms and legs were dangling as Noah held her by the waist.
'How embarrassing!'
She hid her face behind her hands. She heard Noah's deep chuckles, and her face turned even more red.
'My book!'
She sprang her head up, and hurriedly glanced around. The chuckles ceased.
"My lady?"
"My book..."
Noah saw her eyes filling up with tears, and his eyes grew wide.
'Oh, not the tears!'
"I'll find it right away, my lady!"
Still holding the princess like some stuffed toy, he looked around for the lost book.
'Huh?'
Zoey was dumbfounded for once, her tears completely forgotten.
'Really a weird person.'
"Found it!"
He cried, and leaned down to pick up the book from beside the wall.
"Yes!"
Zoey gleefully raised her arms up in the air. Noah handed her the book, and she was quick to secure it in her embrace. She looked up at him, and gave him the widest smile ever.
"Thank you!"
She cried, joyfully, and watched as his eyes softened. A smile effortlessly stretched across his lips, and he said,"My pleasure, my lady."
She chuckled.
"You can let me go now."
He put her down on her feet, and knelt in front of her to brush her hair neatly behind her ears. He looked at her from head to toe before saying,"You look all good now, princess."
He stood up, and once again led the way. He felt a little tug on her sleeve once again. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the princess holding him by his sleeve.
"What's your name?"
He heard her whisper.
"It's Adrian, my lady."
"Adrian..."
They resumed their walk with the little girl grabbing him by the sleeve.
'Walking a little slow won't hurt, I guess.'
There was magic in the air.
Noah could feel the familiar tingling inside his chest. His stone was resonating against his skin.
'It must be Rein.'
He thought as he turned the door handle of Zoey's room. The door creaked open a little, and Noah peeked inside. His eyes grew wide and his eyebrows went up when he saw Rein sitting right there in the center of the princess's bedroom.
Their eyes met, and panic was evident in both of them. Noah instantly shut the door.
"What's wrong?"
Zoey asked from beside him, and Noah stepped in front of the door, shaking his head vigorously.
"No! Nothing!"
He cried, and it only made the princess more suspicious. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Hmm...It doesn't look like nothing to me."
'Rein, you idiot! Why now of all time?'
He cursed his friend inside his head.
"A bird!"
He blurted out, and Zoey furrowed her eyebrows.
"A bird?"
"Yes, there was a sparrow in there."
"But why would you be terrified of a sparrow, Adrian? That's so lame!"
She laughed at him.
Crash!
Smash!
"Aahh! Catch it, Areena! Hurry! Hurry!"
Noah and Zoey looked towards the Aria's room, and then back at each other.
"The cries came from the Princess Aria's room, right?"
Noah whispered, and Zoey nodded in reply.
"Maybe I shall go and see what's the matter, my lady."
He walked across the corridor, and raised his hand to knock at the door.
"You should probably duck when you enter."
Zoey said, reaching his side. Noah turned the handle, and pushed the door open.
"What do you mean-"
A slipper came flying, and hit Noah. Right into the face.
"Ooh!"
"I told you to duck, Adrian."