Paper Hearts (Nozel x OC)

45. The backroom meetings

Summary:

Some conversations are happening in the Drazel household, is Helena privy to them all?

Chapter Text

Helena was looking for her father. She wished to talk to him about the details of their relocation to Clover. She passed a couple familiar hallways and a high staircase, before stopping right in front of his office door.

Helena knocked, but she did it out of habit, because Maxim never minded when she walked in unannounced. So not even a second later she pulled on the handle and let herself inside. The room was empty. It had dark brown walls and a row of windows on the opposite side of the entrance. There were multiple bookshelves and cabinets filled with all sorts of documents, that only the Lord of the castle knew which were which. In the middle of the chamber was a grand wooden desk. It was meticulously carved and had tree motifs on its sides. Helena smiled upon approaching it and brushed the hard surface with her fingers. Despite not finding her father, she wished to stay a bit longer in this room. Savor the moment.

She had so many fond memories of this office. When Maxim would work, Helena would sit here with him and play with her dolls, draw, or study court etiquette and other subjects important for a young princess. At some point her father even ordered for an additional smaller desk to be put inside. It was all, so that she could be with him. Later that desk was used by Gabriel, who was being prepared to be the next Lord of the castle. He would inherit this office with the whole estate.

Helena walked to the other side of the desk. A velvet armchair was slightly pushed to the side. The drawers in the desk were closed. Instinctively her hand moved towards one of them. She tried pulling on it, but it would not budge. Magical locks held it shut. Helena sighed.

She was very curious about it, when she was younger. Since Maxim would normally not keep anything locked, so that mysterious part of the desk felt like a forbidden fruit. Once he forgot to close the drawer and she got a peek inside. How disappointed Helena was, when she noticed only a singular red gem lying by itself on the wooden surface. She picked it up and analyzed it, but did not notice anything greatly special about it. It emanated some mana, sure, but most of the magical stones found in old dungeons or dug from Diamond's mines did. Still she found it pretty and somehow felt a weird pull to hold it in her hands. When Maxim found her flipping it between her fingers, he got very angry and shouted at her. Helena was made to put it back in the drawer and promised to not talk about it. She wondered why, so subconsciously each time she was by herself in his office she tried to pull on that drawer. It never again budged, but Helena would not forget the pretty red color of the gem and how her eyes reflected deeply upon gazing at its surface.

She smiled and pulled away, turning towards the entrance. If her father was not in his office there were few other rooms she could check. The most probable of them was Maxim's favorite lounge room, the one with the balcony overlooking the gardens.

Helena made her way there and, not knocking on the door, went inside. Her eyes widened upon seeing four people gathered at a small four-person table. Maxim, Gabriel, Nozel and Fuegoleon were leaning against it.The table by the window, so soft light shone on them highlighting their features. The captains were wearing their squad robes and capes. All the men looked very grim and they had to be in the middle of a serious conversation. When Helena entered they looked up at her and went silent.

"Hola," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Do you need anything, hija?" Maxim smiled at her kindly.

"I wished to talk to you," she stated, confused and swept her gaze through the other men's features. "However I had no idea that you were having some important conversations," she paused. "I also don't understand why I wasn't invited?" Helena said displeased.