King's Sword

The Dust

I stand before the immense manor I once called home, and where I should have felt nostalgic, all that crawled into my bones is fear.

"I can't believe you've never brought me here before." Elijah says as his big eyes take in the sight with awe. "This place is huge. Did you have servants growing up?" I scoff at that, remembering the two old women who cared for me most of the time. What were their names?

Adelaide, are you alright baby girl? What this on your dress?

I gasp and whip my head around to see Vance standing calmly behind me, his hands resting in his pockets as he frowned slightly. Inching closer to inspect my face.

"Miss King?" Vance whispered so I shake my head and turn back around.

"No servants, Elijah. Come on." I say quickly before speed walking towards the front door. I know where the spare key is, even if I had the original in my bag, there would be no spare keys anymore. "Mr. Ambrose, I'm sure you can see to it that locks are changed?" I ask, glancing back at Vance as he gives me a distracted firm nod. His eyes travelled along the walls, painting them in grief with every flicker of desolated brown. "Elijah, you wanted to-" my words are cut off as I turn to my fiancé but he is already searching through the halls with childlike wonder. "He is so quick." I mumble to myself, trying to feel happy for him and all the amusement this brings him, but I can't help but to feel...betrayed.

"Does Mr. Terrance know of the things your family has subjected you to?" Vance's voice is clear but it's no much more than whisper.

"He had a rough childhood, my problems are specks compared to his." I admit before facing Vance, forcing a sympathetic smile to meet my eyes. His face is the opposite, harsh, brutal beauty but there is nothing nice about that look. "Not that my problems aren't important, it just all seemed better than what he had to go through." Vance sighs and shrugs before nodding for me to follow him.

He leads us through the rustic halls of the manor until reaching the large library I once called my own. "Your book is quite good." Vance says as he searches for something on the dusty shelves. I stand back, feeling the cold inside the room engulfing me silently before I wrap my arms around myself and nod.

"You've read it?" I ask, a small genuine smile tugging at my lips when he turns to me incredulously. "It just doesn't seem like your preferred style of literature."

"It's not, I prefer the classics," Vance says with a presumptuous shrug that soon turns into an innocent smile. "Like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and such." I let out a hearty laugh that bounces off the old walls.

I nod as I composed myself, he watches me quietly before I speak. "Comic books." Vance rolls his eyes with a shrug. "Let me guess, you are...team Captain?" He closes his eyes and covers his heart as if I've wounded him. "What? But you're all protect and defend!" I mock him, trying to imitate his low voice with a fist in the air.

Vance chuckles as he watches me but shakes his head lightly, turning back to the shelves. Angling his head back and reaching for a book off the high shelf, he says coolly. "You'll learn I can be very selfish, Adelaide." His voice digs into my stomach and a jolt of fear creeps up my spine, but amiss that involuntarily response, I notice the way he observes me quietly, a hint of realization in hazel eyes. "In my personal affairs, of course. You could learn to be more selfish, you know?" I frown in confusion since I could be very stubborn and cold if I so desired.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean." I say dryly, taking in the sight of the library one more time before turning my heels towards the door.

"Adelaide-"

"Let's go discuss the terms of your employment, Mr. Ambrose." I interrupt him sternly, struggling to maintain a firm stride towards my late grandfather's study to my left and failing when Vance rushes to my side quietly. His body language is that of a calm unhurried companion while we stroll alone, but it becomes sharp and cold in the presence of others so it makes me wonder what impression I must've given him to be able to relax. Am I not enough of a threat to him?