The aggressive sound of the curtains being pulled apart in addition to the burning rays of the morning involuntarily made Eros press his sleeping eyes tighter and murmur, "Hmm. Goddamn it, George, it's still too early."
To his obliviousness, it was the housemaid, Anne, who had been striving to wake him up for the past hour.
The ever-patient woman has finally grown impatient with his heedlessness; with her eyebrows furrowed and fists on both sides of her waist, the young woman imparts the image of an angry grandmother.
"Sir Lucas, it's already 8 a.m!" she yelled at his irritated but still sleeping face.
"To hell with that—ooh."
The young man's eyes opened in an instant, and he was quick to compose himself.
Anne took a deep sigh. "It's Anne, Sir Lucas, not George. And as long as I remember, you and I have agreed that you must wake up at 6 a.m. to begin your chores."
"I'll get ready."
The restless maid excused herself and gave him some time to do so.
As soon as she closed the door, she spoke in a disappointed tone. "I thought he'd easily pass on as a nobleman. Tch. Such a vulgar mouth he has. Who knows what kind of work he did in the past? No, no, I mustn't jump to conclusions. That's not you, Anne. Stay calm."
***
~ Vivaldi: Four Seasons; Winter Largo ~
The sound of metal rolling through the hallway was gradually overwhelmed by the beautiful melody coming from the furthest door, where the tea cart was destined to be delivered.
Eros took a halt at the realization of the music's familiarity to his ears. "That music. I've heard her play it before," he said to himself and continued pushing the tea cart forward.
A little beyond the wooden door awaits a picturesque scene of a lady gracefully playing the grand piano. Her eyes were shut while her lips were softly humming a song.
Contrary to her usual appearance, Lucille's hair seems to have not been touched by a brush in a while. Her silver locks freely flowed down her waist; some were even blocking her face. The morning air has not yet been overcome by the afternoon sun, yet her attire gives the impression that she might have sat there straight from bed.
The music stopped the instant she took another step ahead.
Slowly, the lady's head turned to him. "You're the new butler... Lucas, is it?"
Her voice and her eyes were devoid of life, with the latter having dark circles underneath.
Despite the serious concern and surprise those changes had brought him, he thought at the back of his mind,
Yes, indeed, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
For the first time. . He finally had a lingering and direct glimpse of the woman he had always admired.
"Indeed, my Lady. By the way, that's a beautiful song," he genuinely complimented, and he was about to take another step forward when she slid sideways, further from him.
That was the moment he realized how much closer he had approached her, despite the young maid's reminder not to do so.
"Don't come any closer. Keep a meter distance, and never let your guard down. Please...." she said, almost as if crying.
"I apologize for making you uncomfortable, my lady. I'll be placing your meal on that table."
Eros did as he said, still confused about the lady's reaction.
"Tell Anne that I'll eat in my room for lunch tonight as well. You may leave now."
"But she sent me here to keep you company."
"Remember your contract."
He could not argue any more than that, and the lady's tone has become stronger as well. And so he lowered his head and took the cart away.
"I shall take my leave."
"I..." Eros ceased to walk any further as she uttered another word. "I did not mean to. I do hope we get along well."
His heart raced like a horse in a gambling game. He felt the heat rushing up to his face, but to show off his courtesy, he risked being discovered by facing her still.
"Likewise, my lady."
As soon as he shut the door, Eros furiously kicked the cart in frustration.
"Damn that contract! Where did that man keep it?"
***
Eros' greeted his second morning with an aching pain on his back, most likely because of the heavy chores he had to do the previous day and then having to lie down on the most uncomfortable bed he was offered.
Despite being reminded by George's offer to work in his stead, shifting their positions has never occurred to him. He has never found out anything useful against the duke yet, and this matter with the lady has raised even more questions.
The lady was nothing but hostile; perhaps befriending the young maid can help him seek answers.
"Good morning, Sir Lucas. Would you like some tea or coffee?" Anne asked as she retrieved the kettle from the stove.
"Coffee, no sugar."
"Got it."
The sun has not yet lifted itself completely from the horizon; surely the life of a household attendant is a tough one, he thought.
"How long have you been serving the lady, Miss Anne?" A question precipitated in his mind, which he voiced out right away.
Anne took a pause from brewing the coffee and tilted her head, as if remembering something. "I believe it's been a decade now. My mother was her attendant before she died due to an illness. Then I took over; I was like fifteen by then."
Of course, he has been seeing her around since they were children. He simply thought it could be a rational way to start digging for information.
"Has she always been unsociable?" he asked, despite knowing how the lady used to be.
A gloomy expression flashed through her face. "Quite the contrary, actually. She's always been friendly and cheerful. But then, everything changed that night, or so they say. I wasn't there to testify anyway. Still, I came back to see her in such a state. It's... it feels like losing her entirely."
"What do you mean, everything changed that night'?"
Eros leaned his chest closer to the table as he waited for her to respond.
Anne's eyebrows furrowed. "That man. We still don't know who he is, but after he showed up and left, the lady has never been the same."
Ah yes, it must have been the man he saw her with.
Who exactly is he?
"Did the lady mention anything about him?"
"I heard the duke has been investigating that man's identity, but the lady herself never disclosed anything."
As much as the thought clenched his heart, Eros continued to ask, "Could that be her lover or something?"
Provoked by his query, Anne slammed the table and yelled, "I-impossible!" Then, upon realization of her unreasonable outburst, she sighed and spoke, "She has the Prince already; she's not that type of person, you know."
'Is that so? ' Eros thought. He could not fathom his own feelings either; is he mad? Relieved?
"Oh, I do not mean to say anything against her, but have you heard of the rumors?"
"Yes. They say that she tried to runaway with that man, who got killed, then she went insane. I know who exactly made that up and spread it."
She knew, which best explains why the faithful attendant reacted that way.
"Who must that be?"
"The Matthews themselves."
***
Later that day, Eros was informed that the lady wished to have her breakfast delivered to her room. Realizing they had run out of a certain ingredient, Anne asked him to tend to the lady instead. Heeding that request, he heads there with the cart and keys in his possession. . .
Plus the eagerness to see her.
On the other side of the door, Lucille thought the overcast sky at that time of day must be perfect to walk down the garden. Also, she has always felt perturbed by her harsh attitude towards Lucas; hence, she plans to ask him to accompany her this time.
Thereby, she started taking her dress off to change into her strolling attire.
"Lady, I've brought your—"
Upon discernment of their indecent circumstance, their eyes dilated before turning away from each other.
"G-get out!"
"I apologize; I'll leave this here."
"Your key. Leave your key and never enter my room without knocking again!"
***
Lucille's initial plan was implemented at a later time due to that embarrassing event. Even so, she cannot simply condemn the man for such an action he did not intend to take, so she proceeded to take him with her.
Eros, on the other hand, kept a cool demeanor despite the unsettling feeling that had been torturing him.
The weather suggests that heavy rains will most probably fall later. With the strong wind dashing in her direction, Lucille held her hat tighter, but it was still lifted by the wind and carried over to Eros' face.
"My lady, your hat," he said, handing it to her.
"Have we met before?" Lucille asked as she had a clearer view of his face.
Eros gulped. "Unless you have been into the slums, I would consider it possible."
"Why did you take this job? You're still young; you can easily land a better job with that face."
The way she said that with a straight face gave off various emotions to him. Is he flattered or reassured that she does not think of this persona as attractive because she is still tied to the prince?
"I'd take that as a compliment, my lady."
"I've said that to the previous ones too. What I mean is, I do not wish to have any more people suffer in this place with me. Anne is adequate for me to survive, but I don't want to burden her any further, so, please help her out more rather than sticking around with me."