Swapped Fate

33: An Uncomfortable Lunch.

We all gathered in what I assumed to be the sitting room of the Fairburn manor house to socialise until lunch would be served. Defender Julian, brother to Captain Atticus and Lucia, was out gathering evidence for a trial on Monday. He would not be able to join us until the food actually arrived.

We were served with fruit cocktails, and I was most pleased to find arejinn among the options. Nobody else partook in it aside from the retired Commander, Tristan and me.

I took several gulps, relishing the unique taste before setting the glass back down on the stool in front of me.

My throat felt loved and soothed. "Mmm... spectacular."

"You wouldn't even know the greatness of this drink if it weren't for me," Tristan boasted beside me while everyone else was in a deep discussion of court matters.

"Well, it's not like you would keep it to yourself forever now, is it?" I taunted without looking at him.

"Quite a fancy hair tie you've got there," he remarked. "You at last remembered to buy one for a special occasion."

"It was a gift."

"My mother?"

"Rebecca."

"Hmm. I suppose she is kind enough to do that."

I shifted my position on the settee to face him. "Is Commander Cassius the one who trained you to fight with a sword?"

The question had weighed on my mind since I heard about the Fairburn family.

Tristan's gaze drifted from the scene of the talkative elders down to my face. "So you actually paid attention to my bedtime stories."

I scowled. "Do you not believe that I would be interested in you?"

He arched an eyebrow, a smirk playing at his lips.

"Not like that," I rapped in a stern tone. "What I mean is..." My shoulders lifted. "...I just want to get to know you."

His brows furrowed. The hint of playfulness dissipated, in its place perplexity. He looked in my eyes, scrutinising. Lowly, he asked, "Why?"

I blinked, but maintained his searching gaze. "Because I just do."

He stared at me.

"I don't really have a reason a part from..."

The playfulness returned. "Interest?"

I frowned, glaring. "Not that kind of interest."

He chuckled. "Alright, Maewitch, I'll bite. Yes, Commander Cassius trained me. Taught me to fight with swords and my body. Trained Atticus too. I used to pick fights with Atticus back then, but I could never beat him."

"Pfft. Of course not, he's a greftyr. And have you seen his size?"

"Size isn't all there is to a good fighter."

I glanced at the captain, who mustered a few words here and there. He was a burlier, grumpier version of Adrian.

"What about Adrian?" I asked Tristan.

"He was more absorbed with books and the social scene. Still is. While I was getting my arse kicked, he was doing extra studies in business and my father loved that. He introduced Adrian to the business and mentored him so they could work together as soon as possible. Adrian has more in common with Julian and Lucia."

"And yet today you seem closer to Lucia than Captain Atticus," I noted, my tone heavily suggestive.

My suspicions about the two of them multiplied when he grinned and said, "What can I say? Lucia's pretty charming. More so now than the last time I saw her."