The young lord sat by the counter, his face alight with satisfaction. From the way his eyes were closed in bliss, Mora knew that she had gotten on his good side.
'Did you enjoy it, my lord?' She asked.
'It is perfect,' he sighed, 'I never knew commoners had this perfect delicacy.'
Mora grinned widely. 'If you want my lord, I can make it for you whenever you want.'
'Really?' He exclaimed, opening his eyes. 'You cannot go back on your word.'
She nodded, still smiling. Studying the young lord, she took a deep breath, then asked the question that had been pushing at her heart.
'My lord, what were you doing here tonight? Were you hungry? You know you can call on any of us to prepare something for you. Why did you have to sneak in here in the dark?'
'I am an elite Fae, so I can see far better than most of you.' He said proudly, then a sad look came over his face. 'I do not sleep very well at night.' He confessed.
Mora frowned. 'Since when did that begin, my lord? Does your father know?'
'It's been happening for a very long time,' he sighed. 'And even if my father knows, I doubt he cares too much to bother.'
Mora had not yet met the Lord of the manor, but she already detest him. His poor son was desperate for the love of a parent, but for some reason he kept pushing his son away.
'What about you?' The young fae asked, his wide eyes open in curiosity. 'What are you doing here?'
'I had a nightmare,' Mora answered truthfully. 'I came out to get a bit of fresh air.'
They both remained silent, enjoying each other's presence. For the short while that Mora had stayed with the young lord, she had felt a strong pull towards him. There was something endearing about the child that made her want to love him as one would a child. Perhaps it's because he grew up so fast, and hasn't experienced the joy of childhood.
'I have to return to my room,' the young fae lord said suddenly, his domineering attitude back.
She frowned. 'My lord, let me escort you back.'
'I came here all by myself. I can find my way back all alone.'
'Apologies my lord, but I will not feel comfortable leaving you all to yourself.' She smiled gently. 'I know you are a strong, capable lord, but please do me this favor of calming my heart. I want to make sure you arrive safely, even though you are capable of doing so yourself.'
The young lord blushed, and Mora's heart turned to mush.
'Okay then,' he said finally, trying to put up an indifferent facade. 'But only because you begged to do so.' He came down from where he sat and walked out of the kitchen hurriedly, with a smiling Mora going after him.
She had taken the candle that she placed atop the shelf and used it to light their path. The young lord's room was at the upper part of the manor, a place Mora wasn't familiar with yet as all her work required her to be on the ground hallway, and the kitchen.
They reached the stairs, and they both began to climb it. Though the light was not enough to showcase the full image of the place, Mora tried to study it with the little light she got from the candle.
'Have you never been to this place before?' The young lord asked suddenly.
'No, my lord,' she answered truthfully. 'I just recently began working here, and I have not had the time to explore the manor. All these while I have been working in the kitchen and the grand hallway.'
'No wonder you were so bold, talking to me like you would an equal.'
Mora grinned. 'Are you still angry with me my lord? I couldn't help it. You were too cute for me to get scared.'
'Hmph!' He exclaimed, more out of embarrassment and shyness than of anger.
They reached the upper hallway, and walked down till they reached a huge door. The young lord paused, then turned around to face Mora.
'This is my room,' He said. 'You can leave now.'
Mora grinned and bowed slightly. 'I wish you a good sleep, my lord.'
She waited for him to walk in and close the door, before she then started to leave. She had but taken just a few steps when she felt a chilly look caress her form. Mora looked back suddenly, raising her candle light to see if anyone else was there. The hairs on the back of her neck were raised, and goosebumps appeared on her skin.
It has to be the dream, she thought. It was causing her to have undue paranoia. Once she returned back to sleep, she would probably dream about another thing and forget all that had happened.
###
The morning came. Mora woke up to someone pushing her aggressively, and she slowly opened her eyes to see Petal's beautiful face boring down on her.
'Come on, wake up! You are going to be late.'
Mora sat up straight, wincing at the sudden flash of pain that passed through her head. She had barely gotten enough sleep since she returned back to her room.
'What happened to you?' Petal asked, her face etched with worry.
'I barely got enough sleep,' Mora answered, getting to her feet. 'Don't worry about me though.'
'Are you sure?'
Mora smiled. 'I'll be fine.'
They quickly went ahead to carry out their daily hygiene activities, and then started their chores. Mora was to clean the hallway entrance that day along with several maids, while Petal worked in the kitchen. As usual, none of them talked to each other or made a sound as they worked. Mora swept the side of the hallway close to the entrance doors, and her mind went back to the night she shared with the young Lord. She couldn't help but wonder if he had managed to sleep. A little boy that age should not be having problems sleeping.
What exactly had happened to the young lord?
'Listen up everyone, and line up.' Mora looked up to see head maid Claudia walking towards them with several maid servants behind her. Some of them she recognised as the ones that had come on the first day of the job with her, who had then been moved to other parts of the manor.
They all formed a line at the hallway entrance, leaving whatever they were doing. Claudia stood in front of them all, two maids flanking by her side. The scene reminded her of the first time she had arrived in the manor.
'The lord of the manor is making his way over here as we speak,' she stated. The announcement caused a hush to pass through the gathered crowd, the tension heading straight for the ceiling.
'You are to be on your best behavior,' Claudia continued. 'Our Lord is not as merciful as I might seem.'
That only further increased the fear and nervousness of everyone in the room. Everywhere went still. Footsteps were heard coming from the dark part of the hallway, the place where Clauida had explicitly warned them not to go. She turned to Claudia, but the woman had her head bowed in greeting, along with the two maids by her sides. All the maids immediately copied her action, their heads facing the floor.
'Welcome back, my Lord' Claudia said. The air grew even tense, and Mora could swear she felt her breath being sucked out of her.
'Raise your head,' a deep, cold voice called out.
Alarm rang in Mora's head, and her heart lodged in her throat. That voice…That voice was eerily familiar. She had definitely heard it before.
Slowly, she raised her head and all breath left her once she took in the sight of Lord Maroke.
Beautiful was a word not good enough to describe the ethereal being standing before her. It was an understatement, almost felt like an insult, a degrading one at that, to use to describe him.
Even though he was fae, his presence was that of a celestial; a dark angel who had come to the world to rain havoc, losing interest in it after he had his fill. His magnificent face, which looked like it was carved by a great sculptor, was covered with an indifferent mask. A halo seemed to cover him, almost making it a blinding task to those who were looking at him. He had long dark hair reaching his shoulders, and his eyes were two dark orbs that looked like they could bore holes through anything. His well tailored clothes hung snugly and perfectly on his form, enhancing his ethereal presence. His eyes caught hers, and she took in a sharp breath, her knees going weak.
'You are all welcome to the manor,' he said, his deep voice like the caress of a lover, causing strange feelings to arise in her.
I have heard this voice before. I know I have.
'Do well to keep to the rules if you wish to stay longer in this manor,' he continued indifferently and suddenly, as if a lamp was lit in her head, she remembered where she had heard his voice from, her eyes widening further with recognition.
Her dreams. He was the voice that always called out for her in her dreams.