"So huge!"
Violet stood before the castle's gate and her mouth was wide open. She was told to wait for identification, but from the far away, she could see the whole building where the Duke of Ashford resided.
The palace could easily be proclaimed a cultural heritage.
"Name. State your business here," the unfriendly guard looked at her with a twisted face. He has seen many curious people around the castle, trying to force their way in. This girl just looked like one of Duke's admirers who was trying to meet with him.
"Yes, sir! Violet Thalassa, I'm here to deliver the food!" She pointed at the basket by her side.
As soon as the restaurant opened, the messenger came in and stated that His Grace missed the food cooked there and specifically asked Violet to deliver it to the castle. The owner was so happy thinking that the reputation of her establishment reached the duke's ears and even instructed the girl to stay as long as possible to witness whether the food was finished or not.
They even fetched the common carriage in the city for her, but it had to stop before the gates as only the family relatives and noble guests could drive inside the garden.
The guard took an identification card from her and closed the small window, as he went to confirm her story. After a while, a small door next to the gate opened and she was let in through the servant's entrance.
"Go straight this way until you reach the kitchen. Wait there, someone will come for you. In no case wander around. If you stray from the designed area, you will be punished," he gave the instruction and sent her away.
Violet quickly gathered her things and went the way the gatekeeper had told her. It wasn't her fault if he hated his job, but she didn't want to stand around and argue with him.
"Wow, this garden must have swallowed a lot of money," the girl walked around in awe. Every part of the Duke's estate was a work of art. Even if these parts were frequented by servants alone, it was still well taken care of and even flower beds decorated the path.
"But where am I?"
Because the garden looked the same everywhere, it was easy to trail away from a path and get lost. Violet was also a natural airhead, which also played a huge part in the current situation.
"It's not like they will throw me into the dungeon for trespassing, right? Let's go back the same way…" But the more she worked, the more she was confused. Duke's estate was like a maze.
Finally, she heard a voice in a close distance.
Thinking that it might be another servant who could show her a way, she decided to follow after the sound until finally reached the small gazebo hidden among the roses.
"Huh? It's just Cassiel!"
The ash hair shone under the sunlight like silver. He was seated with his back turned to the direction where she came from and didn't know about her appearance right away.
Violet wanted to call out to him then she noticed another person sitting across the table. The boy who looked just a tad older than her favourite villain gave out a completely different air. He had a smug smile on his face and the hair of vibrant red colour emitted the cheekiness and naughtiness of the youngster.
"Hey, Cassiel! You are pretending to not hear me again, huh?" The boy yelled and hit the table angrily. He was like a spoiled brat who was just denied of his ice cream.
Cassiel didn't react and kept his eyes on reading the book. He doesn't look to be interested in the text he is holding with his hand, but it was the battle of war. How much ruckus can the red devil do, before forcing the little duke to give him any attention?
'How cute! Both are adorable!' Violet swooned hidden behind the bush. The atmosphere was too tense for her to show up, so she just decided to wait for a bit.
After kicking around for the unspecific time, the red-haired boy grew visibly tired, but Cassiel's face didn't show a single change. No matter what happened around him, he was like an unmoving statue.
Finally losing his last bit of temper, the other boy leaned over the table and snatched the book. Cassiel's eyes remained on his empty hand, and then he visibly sighed and shifted in his position. But instead of looking up, he took out the toy from his inner pocket and started to play with it.
The ball caught in the wooden cup was the only existing sound around the garden for a while as Cassiel moved his hand with kendama as an absolute pro.
"What is it?" The red-haired boy asked. "I want it, too! Give it to me!"
The youngster raised his hand, but Cassiel easily avoided him, keeping the toy at a safe distance.
"Do not touch it," he sneered icily. He hates it when people try to take what is his away.
"Heh, I order you to give it to me," the other boy smirked. He sounded confident like he was used to getting whatever he wanted.
Both not this time.
As the youngster stepped closer to the little duke, the ash-haired boy pushed him away while protecting his possession. The boy didn't expect such a force and ended up falling to the ground.
"You…" The red-haired boy looked at the place where he was touched in disbelief. "Did you dare to touch me?!"
Violet clicked her tongue. She didn't like him since he snatched the book from her little angel who just peacefully minded his things. But his behaviour was just getting more and more atrocious until the flash of the cold sharp steel blinded her momentarily.
The boy took out the small rapier that was modified to fit his small statue.
"Don't play with me, Cassiel Ashford. I demand you to hand over what is in your hands right now!"
And without warning, he slashed the weapon.