EDITED.
"They lit the fire within me with their treachery; now I am an inferno, and their world will burn in my wake." ~Araneae Ruber
~
"WHAT HAPPENED at the banquet party?" Nanette questioned Louisa and Ser. Chandler once that sat inside her office.
"There was a man"
"A man?"
"A man"
Nanette blinked as she wondered where her daughter was going with this 'man'.
"They looked close. Too close for comfort."
"Maybe he is some noble son or something." Nanette said, shrugging the irrelevance of the man's presence. Louisa squeezed her nails, creating bloody crescent marks on her palm.
It seems like her mother doesn't understand how much Luella's reaction differed from their expectation.
"Lady Nanette, Luella was really out of control down at the banquet," Ser. Chandler suddenly spoke up.
Lady Nanette brows furrowed as she wondered what he meant. Her head turned to the side in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
Nodding his head, he sat up, ready to report everything that happened that was to paint Luella in an unpleasant light and leave out his disgusting escapades with Louisa.
"Like Lady Louisa said, there was in deed a man, we didn't know. But he knew Luella"
"Did she know him?"
"I don't really think so"
Nanette glanced at Louisa. Her daughter looked so distraught. 'Just how bad did my daughter's night go?'
"But the man surely knew her. The way he spoke with familiarity and affection was off-putting. It was like he was ready to do everything she wanted and—"
"It was like he worshiped the ground Luella walked on. He was very attached to her and hovered over her like some protective knight, which was very maddening!!" Louisa suddenly yelled, shooting up from her seat as she gritted her teeth.
She slowly felt the anger and disgust raise in her chest. 'That man saw me naked and had no reaction at all?!! He was so unfazed by my nakedness'
Louisa didn't know if she should be ashamed of that fact or not. It surely would have being better to drag him to bed with her.
"Lady Louisa?" Ser. Chandler called to her, affection and worry laced in his voice.
Louisa looked back to meet his eyes. And it felt like the entire anger and disgusted she was feeling in the pit of her stomach rose to her head and blood rushed into it.
'This man was the worst. He had being beaten to shame by the cloaked man, and Luella even slapped him across the face. How on earth did I believe he was a perfect fit for Luella. A genius like Luella would fall for a fool like this. Even I am not in love with this fool'
"Lady Louisa?" He called out again. Ser. Chandler's hands caressed her cheeks, wiping the invincible tears from her eyes.
He then gently placed her head on his chest. "It is alright. I will think of something. I will think of a way to get rid of her."
'Get rid of her? Luella?'
Ser. Chandler didn't mind saying such things in the presence of her family as it was an opened secret that Luella was not loved in the family.
Pulling away from Ser. Chandler, Louisa began thinking again. 'We could get rid of her. There was nothing preventing us from doing such. Because of the shadow manipulation magic, the dukedom of Van-Rensselaer was called an unground assassin dukedom.'
The wheels in her head began to turn and twist as the plan slowly added up in her head.
'I would need mother's help in this,' She concluded. 'But first'
Louisa turned to Ser. Chandler, meeting his worried eyes yet again. Since she hadn't given him a replied, he had stood behind her, holding her hands as she collected her thoughts.
Louisa placed her head on Ser. Chandler's chest as her shoulders shook. And tears flowed from her eyes.
"Ser. Chandler. W–what do we do now?"
Panicking, he immediately wrapped his arms around her as she rocked her softly, trying to calm her down. "Tell me what is wrong, and I shall get rid of it. Is it Luella?" He asked and Louisa nodded.
Her voice cracked and hiccups came mixed with her words, "S-she (HIC) would not want us to be together. But I love you so much, Ser. Chandler — It hurts seeing you two together. Why! Why!! Why!!! (HIC) Does sister always take the things I hold so dear to my heart?"
Ser. Chandler's heart skipped a beat as he listened to his beloved cries and worries. 'She really loves me.' He confirmed in his heart. There and then, he concluded to do everything within and out of his power to ensure his love didn't cry again. And that is starting from the source.
Luella. His fiancée.
Rubbing her back in a soothing, circular motion, he spoke comforting and reassuring words into Louisa's ears, "Don't worry my love, I would get rid of her, and you would be the rightful heiress like you are supposed to be. And no one would belittle you and take anything from you. And I would be by your side as your loving husband"
Loving husband? Nanette thought silently as she watched her daughter.
Louisa nodded.
She didn't understand why she was crying like this. It was initially meant to be a fake, simple tears that would easily move Ser. Chandler to do what she wants.
But it seems she was genuinely angry and frustrated with Luella and her antics and also how everything seems to always go well for her, that she began crying for real.
"Thank you Ser. Chandler" She whispered, pulling her head from his chest as she stood on her tippy-toe and placed a kiss on Ser. Chandler's lips.
Disgusting
Amazing.
These were two contradicting thoughts of the couple as they exchanged a kiss.
Pulling away, Ser. Chandler was still in a daze from the kiss. "Blessings to your night and I pray for a good night slumber, Ser. Chandler. We pray to see the next morning." Louisa stepped away from his and courtesy.
"Yes! Right! Blessings to your Night and sleep well also, My beautiful lady," He replied, stepping forward and placing a kiss on her temple.
Louisa shivered with disgust at this touch but said nothing, but gave him a smile. 'That stranger always asked Luella for permission before touching her. But this pervert touches me like he owns me'
Her shiver didn't go unnoticed by him, as a flustered blushed tinted his cheeks.
'She is affected by my touch' He thought, completely misunderstanding her reaction as something good.
Ser. Chandler turned as bowed to Lady Nanette, who had just sat there watching the entire scene happen in front of her eyes without uttering a single word.
"Have a blissful Night, My Lady"
Nanette only nodded her head in response to him. Hearing the door close, the room remained silent till the sounds of Ser. Chandler's footsteps disappeared.
"Explain yourself, Young lady"