Athoya Villa, Golem Coast.
Ring! Ring!
The phone kept ringing in the hall, it was 6 in the early morning, and the sun was only peeking from the other side. And as usual, the Villa was rather quiet if it wasn't for the stubborn Telephone.
"Wha.."
Saya opened her eyes and sat up on the bed in haste. She rubbed her eyes and looked around in puzzles, the room was quite large and the bed was a queen size, all the decorations on the wall added up to a suite room from the best hotel there ever was. On the right was the large window, the wind rose the curtains slowly revealing a morning sky lightly red and blue, birds chirping around the garden and the smell of the fresh lilies finally woke her up.
"Oh! No-!"
She removed the cover and stood up on the floor, it was soft.
"Ahhh!" She instinctively moved her toes feeling the soft carpet, and rushed out the door as the phone kept ringing.
'What have I done?'
She thought scratching her head.
'Ahhh so embarrassing! I made Young miss worry from day one!!!'
'What am I going to do?
How should I apologize? Wait what will I tell Lady Athoya....'
'Even after she allowed me to call her Grandma..!'
Luckily she was on the ground floor so it didn't take much for her to reach the telephone.
"Hello!,
Saya nervously said,
"Lady Athoya?"
"Oh... Saya! How are you feeling dear?"
Granny Athoya concerned didn't ask for anything else.
"Hmm? Shouldn't I report first? Lady Athoya-"
"Hahah ha no need to be so formal I thought we decided that you'll be calling me Grandma!"
Granny laughed playfully,
"Besides you no longer report anything to me unless it's about May's wellbeing or safety!"
"But- I.. yesterda-"
Saya was intervened by Granny Athoya,
"So how are you feeling, you could've told me if you were tired yesterday."
"Umm... no Lady-, sorry Grandma I'm totally fine, it's because I didn't eat much yesterday...otherwise I'm feeling great!"
May jumped and stretched her legs to make sure.
"Remember to always take care of yourself, if you're not fine how will you be able to look after May?"
"I'm sorry about that Grandma I'll remember it."
"I'm not asking you to apologize, I want you to be healthy, it's a concern of your Grandma- can I?"
After a pause, Saya replied nodding her head vigorously,
"Yes! You can, of course, I'll be healthy!
She said,
"And I'll be the best helper there ever will be to Young Miss!"
"Hahah hah!
Granny laughed,
"Good! Good! Well, let May know I called. And relax!"
As soon as Granny Athoya disconnected the call, Saya let out a deep sigh and relaxed her stiff posture.
"Hmmm, now all that is left is to face Young Miss and properly this time!" Saya told herself as she looked around.
And as she expected the Villa was nothing less than a Royal fort. The interior was spacious even with all the things that decorated the walls and the floor alike, there was even a bunch of full-body knight armor from Renaissance or probably even older decorating a large staircase on both sides. Even the railing had detailed decorations, that seemed like an art piece. The carpet design had flower patterns along with season themes that stretched covering the entire floor. Saya could only imagine the effort it will take for them to wash it and place it back here.
While still admiring the interior of the Villa her eyes caught the sight of May from the first floor, standing by the balcony.
"Ohh!" She exclaimed as their eyes met.
"I'm so glad you're okay!"
May rushed downstairs,
"Wait. but, are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't know you weren't feeling well yesterday, you had to come all this-
May stopped herself as Saya interrupted,
"No miss, I am fine! Perfectly well and working!"
And for proof, Saya showcased a brief demonstration of her jumping, jogging, and doing some martial art moves. All the while May stood awed at the sight of her doing flashy moves in her white shirt and black pants without sweating a bit.
'So cool!' May thought.
"Umm, so I'm okay!
Saya continued,
"I should be the one apologizing for making you worry!" She bowed her head to the knee.
"Umm no! It's okay!" May smiled with her eyes closed tight.
Saya raised her head and noticed a tiny bruise on May's knee, and automatically rushed toward her and sat under her feet.
"You're hurt!?"
She looked up.
"Uh? Oh.. that? It's nothing-"
May gasped as Saya stood up and started running toward her suit on the sofa.
"I have a band-aid hold on!" She came back holding one.
"..."
"I always keep few!-
She thought for a moment,
"Wait-but we need to disinfect it first!"
"But it's not even bled-"
"Miss May, where is the first aid kit?" Saya looked at her with determination, May could only acknowledge her and lead the way.
Athoya Mansion. Granny's garden.
"Lady Athoya, what is your command for us?"
The old man Sanna said,
"We Rulenns will always honor your decision with everything we have-"
"Sanna!"
"Yes, Lady Athoya?"
"What if I asked you to stay out of this matter?"
"I don't understand."
"Let's say, this is between me and Miss Kariyya...
I don't want you to interfere with something as trivial as dealing with a brat like her!"
"But, your Ladyship-"
"If your brother was alive would he have let you intervene?"
"He wouldn't have let this happen in the first place!"
"And I don't doubt it a bit! Of course, he was such a nice soul-
She continued watering the marigolds,
"Which is the reason why I wanted May to get into this relation but, unfortunately, Miss Kariyya had perhaps better options!"
"Lady-"
"And I'm not furious about it! The only thing that I'm angry about is her audacity to make a fool out of My little girl and to lie about it!
She stopped and starred at Sanna with intensity,
"For which she will answer and nobody shall intervene... is it too much to ask Sanna?"
"No, your Ladyship, not at all!"
Sanna bowed his head,
"I apologize for my lack of discretion, it won't happen again. If there's anything else you would like me to do-call for me I'll be there!"
"Hahah ha don't be so hard on yourself!- at your age, you should be worried about your family first- and yourself the most!"
Granny Athoya laughed wholeheartedly leading Sanna to join her.
Sanna was one of the elite knights from the late king's army. He commanded one of the most powerful order of the Knights of Rulenns clan. His name is feared even to this day in the army, legend has it that once he rescued the late king and his companions from a ferocious Lion pride using his bare hands and the linen clothes used on the tents. And for the proof his hands are covered with scars so big it couldn't be anything but lion bite. The late king even named him 'SuperioLeo' or the Knight's dearly nickname for him 'the king of the lions'.
But what most of the Knights from the other clans didn't know was that he wasn't really protecting the king that day or any day in his loyal Knighthood, it was the king's Regent, the late Sir Won Marsel Athoya the only son of Granny athoya.
Sir Won Athoya was the youngest Advisor in the king's court with the authority to bring order over any matter regarding the kingdom. Was most feared by the prince and the princess, and most importantly by other kingdoms, he was once glorified by the Alcesta for avoiding a great war with a democratic continent by his unmatched wisdom. Not that the Alcesta would've see a loss or anything in that matter. Sir. Won considered that human lives to be the most important above everything else, and he always lived to his own principles holding true to his name, 'the savior of wisdom' 'the one who stopped the war', even though there was no war to begin with, people called him so many things with adoration.
But fate played its own rules like usual snatching away his life at only 34 years old, he caught a terminal illness that not even the world's best doctor was able to save him. In all his life he only spend the last two years with his daughter, with his wife already passing on their daughter's birth. And at that time she was already 8 years old, but he lived those two years like there was nothing wrong with him, laughing and playing to his daughter's heart's content. And on a hopeless rainy day, he passed away in his bed with a smile on his face, holding onto a book that he probably read the night before.
May's world turned upside down that day and it's been raining since for her, only nobody knows it, as she's not the person who expresses her weakness; like father, like daughter they say.