Beyond

Chapter 8

Jesse

Lunch came, and he was nowhere to be found. I'm eating alone at the long table with my heart filled with disappointment. It was Lou who told me that Payne was not joining as he was busy dealing with things. I didn't ask any further questions since Payne and I aren't even that close.

But I do wish to get closer to him.

I looked at the empty chair on my side, the place where Payne was supposed to be seated. I only realized that I enjoyed the food more with his company, and I've gotten used to his presence. Even though there was delicious food served on my plate, it tasted bland and lifeless, just like the garden's view in front of me.

Payne's reaction during breakfast flashed through my memory again. I couldn't help but think that it was related to why he didn't come, but Lou told me that he's busy, so maybe that's not the case.

Just after I finished dressing up, someone knocked on the door. "Dearest guest? The carriage is here. Master is waiting for you," the maid from the other side of the door said.

"Hold on," I said, looking at myself in the mirror, hoping I looked presentable. I stopped. I saw how my eyes widened from my reflection in the mirror when I realized what I was doing.

Why do I suddenly care about my appearance?

I got out of my room after tying my hair and headed outside where the carriage was.

A butler opened the door of the carriage. I went inside and noticed that Payne was looking outside the window. I sat in front of him. And soon, the carriage moved.

"Have you eaten?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Lou told me you were busy," I added. He glanced my way and back towards the window.

"I have."

"Great..." I mumbled.

Silence filled the air again. A few moments later, the carriage stopped. The door of the carriage opened, and a hand reached out to help me. It was the butler who opened the door for me before. I glanced at Payne and saw him looking at me.

I gave him a small smile. "I'll see you later."

He mirrored my smile, and I couldn't help but feel relieved when he didn't ignore me. "I'll see you later," he said.

I took the hand of the butler and went out of the carriage. The butler closed the door, and my eyes stayed on the leaving carriage, getting smaller and smaller from my view.

"Should we buy you some clothes now?" A sudden whisper coming from my ear made me jump in surprise. I covered my ear while glaring at him. He let out a light chuckle, waving both of his hands in the air. "I'm sorry. You seem to be staring off into space," he said.

"Did you sit next to the coachman?" I asked. The butler nodded. "Why didn't you sit with us? It's probably cold," I said. He tilted his head to the side and let out a light chuckle—his eyes smiled too.

"If Master isn't inside the carriage, I would accompany you if you requested. But as a servant, I can't be inside with him. It's a common courtesy, especially since he's a noble," he answered in a calm tone.

"I see," I said. "My name is Jesse, in case you don't know."

"My name is Seb." He smiled. "Shall we get going now?" he asked. I nodded.

My eyes widened as I looked around in awe, seeing the lively faces of the people. I thought that the people were living a miserable life, but I was wrong. We are wrong. The people are living peacefully with a smile on their faces. And it made me question everything.