Liora remained on her toes, peeking from behind the pillar; she was careful enough not to make a sound.
Her eyes darted to Lucien, who sat in the chair, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as if he were trying to suppress a headache. His face was barely visible from where she stood; Rowan's white robe blocked most of her view, as his figure was positioned between her and Lucien.The only part of Lucien she could see was his hand, resting lazily on the chair's arm, his fingers curled slightly. Liora's breath was steady as she tried to catch more of his expression, but before she could, a sharp voice pulled her attention elsewhere. "Is there someone else?" Beatrice's words carried through the hall when she demanded the answer.
The servants who had carried the stretcher stepped forward after doing their job as instructed, bowing their heads slightly before turning to Samuel, awaiting further instruction.
Beatrice, however, was watching them closely.
Her sharp gaze narrowed at them, and she questioned, "Is there another injured person?"
Samuel hesitated a little; he rolled his shoulders slightly as his eyes flickered toward Rowan and Lucien. And Lucien looked at Beatrice now, but there was something... uneasy in his posture as he was not focusing on the scene in front of him rather looked disturbed.Rowan, however, answered before Lucien could sense and say anything. "Yes."
Beatrice's brows lifted slightly as her mouth's shape turned into an o... as she asked, "Who?", Rowan hesitated for the briefest second, then spoke casually. "A friend."
Beatrice made a small "oh" sound again before continuing, "Is he hurt?"
Samuel gave a slight shrug before nodding his head and agreeing with his friend, "Yes, madam, as he is hurt very badly, I chose to shift him at the end room."
Hearing Samuel's words, Beatrice turned to the maids standing behind her. "Send a messenger to call for the doctor immediately..and prepare for healthy soup so that we could..."
The women bowed their heads and moved swiftly, but just as they were about to leave, Rowan interrupted, "That won't be necessary." cutting off Beatrices's orders entirely,
Beatrice turned back, frowning at them. "Excuse me?"
Rowan met her gaze, calm but firm. "Madam, he is my friend and I know that he wouldn't like women around, especially the ones who he does not know."
Beatrice blinked, clearly thrown off by the statement. "What?"
Rowan exhaled as if debating whether to explain further. "He's... shy, madam. Let it be. I'll arrange for male servants to tend to him."
Beatrice studied him for a moment, pressing her lips together, but eventually she gave a small nod. Liora, who was watching this all from behind the pillar, felt her curiosity deepen.
'Who was this person they had brought back?' she mumbeled,
Liora chewed on the tip of her index finger, her brows furrowing in deep thought.
She had no reason to be this curious. and yet she was.
Lucien had a cruel reputation already and everyone knew that. Even Mara, a mere palace maid, had whispered warnings about him. But then why was he the one bleeding?
Her gaze flickered toward the quite poorly lit hall, where Rowan stood in his white robes, his body slightly turning as he spoke with Beatrice. His presence made it difficult for her to get a clear look at Lucien, but even from a distance, she could tell he wasn't his usual self. He looked drained and exhausted, with one hand pressed against his temple, fingers massaging the bridge of his nose.
Then there was this third man, the one Rowan had called a friend. Liora's eyes drifted toward him.
Unlike Rowan, this man seemed sharper with his posture being different, his expression unreadable beneath the flickering torchlight. His dark brown hair, not quite long but reaching his collarbone, framed a face that carried an intensity, somewhat fierce and calculated.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Lucien, on the other hand, was growing irritated.
Something felt off. A presence like eyes preying on him, watchful and lingering, this made his sharp blue eyes snap open.
Liora froze as she saw Lucien's face as he dove a little to look past Rowan as if Rowan were also blocking his view and sudden wave of panic crashed into her as she instinctively shrank further behind the pillar.
Lucien's gaze swept across the hall, scanning the area, but there was no one, just Beatrice and the servants attending to him. Still, the unease in his chest remained.
Although Beatrice's voice cut through the silence.,
From behind the pillar, Liora felt her curiosity deepen.
She debated but before she could make a decision, Lucien's voice rang through the hall, cutting through the conversation.
"Madam," he spoke to Beatrice, "must you ask every question at once?"
Beatrice straightened, clearly thrown off by the sharpness in his tone.
Lucien's gaze flickered toward Rowan and Samuel. "Shall we move to a different room for this discussion? Rowan nodded slightly but Beatrice got the clue. Feeling embarrassed for stepping into matter too much, Beatrice said in a low voice, "Sir."
But Lucien interrupted as he turned back to Beatrice.
"Call me when the physician arrives. Send him directly to me." His voice was low, authoritative. "For now, all of you leave."
Hesitantly, Beatrice bowed, gesturing for the remaining servants to follow her out of the hall. And that was when Liora panicked. As They were coming toward the door, and she might get caugh here, her heart pounded as she scrambled backward, knees hitting the stone floor as she crawled behind a large wooden drawer placed outside the room for decoration.
Holding her breath, she tucked herself into the shadows just as Beatrice and the others passed.
Once their footsteps faded, she exhaled sharply, pressing her hands over her face, feeling utterly embarrassed.
"What am I doing?" she mumbled to herself, and heat rushed to her cheeks.
She had just hidden from the estate's head servant. What if she had been caught?
Yet, strangely, a small thrill ran through her; this was weirdly exciting. That's what it was. She had never done something like this before; somehow felt like adventure.
But now she was stuck. She couldn't simply walk back inside. The hall was too quiet; any sudden movement would give her away into the lion's den. She was still being crouched behind the drawer and pressed her lips together, trying to come up with a plan.
Then, Liora closed her eyes praying to her mom and dad 'Please do not let them see me, mama...papa...' Liora sniffed a little as her eyes were moist thinking of them. just then she opened her eyes. They landed on the small windows built into the walls, three of them, no bigger than an apple; they were meant for air ventilation, but more importantly, they connected to the next room.
Liora's eyes widened; they lit up with an idea
"I shouldn't do this."
Her mother's voice echoed in her head, along with her father's stern warnings about proper behavior.
"Spying on private conversations? Shameful."
Liora squeezed her eyes shut, muttering a soft apology under her breath.
Then she tiptoed toward the adjacent room.
She hesitated for only a moment before pressing her ear against the wooden frame, listening intently.
Inside, Lucien exhaled, his voice dropping into a whisper.
"Now, can we begin?"
Rowan scratched the back of his head, shifting uncomfortably. Before he could respond, Samuel smirked, "Clumsy clown."
Rowan scowled. "Oh, shut up."
Lucien ignored their bickering, his tone growing colder as he cleared his throat
"No one saw us today at the market." He paused. "But it might cause problems."
Samuel frowned, running a hand over his chin. "Master, how did you even end up in a fight?" To Samuel's question, Lucien chose not to respond. Instead, his gaze landed on Rowan, who let out an awkward laugh. "Uh…ha.. ha.. well..."
Liora leaned in closer, holding her breath; her heart pounded. Maybe she was about to hear something she probably wasn't supposed to.