A Court Of Nightmares

Chapter Nine The River House

Just as Ignes's father ordered. Mia brought me to his office without so much as a word. It made me lose my mind, but I have to respect her space. So we walked on, letting our footsteps echo onto the white marble floors towards the sitting room. Turns out his study was located a few doors down from it. Which meant that I might need to find a new place to read. Since I wouldn't want him overhearing everything and exposing myself with that supernatural fae hearing of his.

Mia stopped suddenly, turning to a door on her left. It was so mechanical that I wondered if both Ilias and their father had some type of effect on Mia. Either that or it was my presence. She knocked on the door softly, waiting a moment.

We stood there awkwardly in the hall for a couple of minutes. And I was tempted on banging on the door myself to escape it. It didn't even sound like there was anyone in the study. There was no shuffling of papers or chairs scraping the floor that I could pick up. That was until I heard a deep voice.

"Come in." He called, and Mia opened the door for me. Not even taking a step into the study before scurrying away leaving me with him.

As suspected the room was painted a dark blue. Ignes did tell me it was their family color but I was not sure what that meant. Maybe it was a part of their family crest that I kept seeing on the marble floor of a dark pear-cut gem. They seemed to be an important family, but Ignes still failed to inform me why they were so well known and so rich.

As I walked into the room, Ignes's father failed to look up at me. Still glancing at the papers in front of him. As spacious as the room was. The dark blue color on the walls made me feel like the air was being sucked out of it, from the lack of light in the room. Even the chairs were a dark blue. It was clear that he either had an obsession, or he just loved what the color meant for his family. The study was classically surrounded by dark red oak wood shelves filled with books. My eyes mostly focused on the titles which all had some relevance to trading or jewelry.

"Sit," he commanded, still focusing on the papers in front of him.

I didn't want to move, considering how rude he was being. But now that my actions reflect on Ignes, I had to act prim and proper for her sake. So I sat in the chair furthest away from his large dark wooden desk in the middle of the room. The windows behind him showed a little light from the city street but were covered by golden curtains. Those curtains were the only thing keeping this place from looking completely depressing.

I looked around the room trying hard to not pay attention to him. The fear of losing control is embedded into my head since Mia's fear towards me. The worst part was that I was tempted to go into his thoughts. He is like a ticking time bomb. The problem is that you never know when it will detonate till it's too late. I could avoid the surprise completely if I just focused enough. If I just-

"I have your contract here," Ignes's father said, waving the papers around in his hand. Frowning as he began examining me up and down. "You changed your clothes."

I looked down at what I was wearing confused. I changed out of my navy dress to a plain white short sleeve and black pants. It was a relief when I saw it in the closet. Since I started living at Ignes's house all I've been wearing was long day dresses.

The clothes I was wearing now made me feel a little bit like myself. Along with my leather jacket, they were the only clothes I had left that weren't ripped to shreds. Other than my boots that is, but it was far too warm to wear them.

I shifted in my seat.

"Yes, is there a certain uniform you would like me to wear?" I asked, genuinely curious if he would turn me into a big navy disaster. Maybe that would be one of his forms of punishment. The side of my mouth twitched up a bit at the possibility.