Trails of Intertwined Stars: Chapter 74 {Part 1}

~Chapter 48: Village Roses~

And so, as Jiu woke the next day he internally groaned. It would be the start of a very long week, leading up to the dreaded wedding of Henry Mohan and Lady Brandon. Jiu, begrudgingly, got himself ready for the day; before making his way downstairs for breakfast, or if not that, to meet Leora. As he walked, the servants of the manor seemed much busier than normal. They were carrying furniture out to the garden, or foods; getting prepared for the guest arriving at the welcoming party. Instead, he wandered in on the most unpleasant thing imaginable. Mistress Mohan was scowling disapprovingly at the gardener, Archie Mills, who had tracked much dirt into the manor and was holding a basket not so abundant in roses.
"You call these flowers bouquet worthy?" Mistress Mohan snapped, grabbing one flower and crumbling it by its petals in an instant," This is pathetic! Why, back in my day, there were plentiful, gorgeously rich roses; not these..."
She gestured blindly at the basket.
"... peasant-worthy petals."
"Sorry ma'am, it's just the weather's not been the greatest of late; all the pollution from the big factories travel even to the countryside, you see. So...none of them are what they used to be," Archie frowned.
Mistress Mohan instantly held her hand out to him, silencing him," Hold your tongue boy! There shall be no such excuses here!"

Archie bowed his head, miserably. Mistress Mohan turned, and spotted Jiu in an instant. The ghost gulped; unsure whether to hide or just try to preoccupy himself to look busy.
"You! Over here!" She barked.
Jiu miserably shuffled over; not exactly feeling able to stand up for himself.
"Go with the gardener here to the nearby village, get us some proper roses," Mistress Mohan scoffed, wrinkling her nose as she jabbed her finger and the wilted roses basket," It seems the staff at our manor have proven themselves utterly incompetent, and we shall have to rely on the common folk; unfortunately."
Jiu furrowed his eyebrows at the treatment she was giving him.
"With all do respect, madam, I'm not a servant here," Jiu muttered, feeling rather awkward about the whole situation," Henry told me he expected me to be here for the welcoming party. He said I had to be prompt. If I'm in the village, I fear I will be late."
Mistress Mohan scoffed," He did, did he? No matter. I'll have a word with him."
"It's not just that, I wish you'd stop treating me like some sort of servant," Jiu kept his voice level, refusing to show the old woman a moment of fear.
She stared at him, shocked, before that expression morphed into one that looked slightly disgusted by such a suggestion. She stared at him as if he had just walked in covered in mould and fungi.

"So you do not wish to show us a moment of gratitude for letting you stay here?" Mistress Mohan raised her voice, ever so slightly.
"That's not what I mean, Madam."
"And you do not feel the slightest hint of guilt?"
"Madam, that's not-"
"You stand here, refusing to help out on my grandson's wedding, out of sheer pride!" She cried, loudly," And you have the nerve to refuse such a task!? Have you no shame?"
Jiu gritted his teeth. She was twisting everything that had happened between her and him, and made him look like some sort of culprit who'd been greedily expending the manor's money for his own pleasure. He knew for a fact that it was not how it was at all. Leora was the one who'd taken him away from his job; accommodation for making him bound to her covenant should not be an expectation. Yet how was he supposed to tell that to this old, traditional, stubborn woman, who seemed horribly ignorant to everything that did not fit her strict standards. Edward, whose hands were preoccupied with a tray of tea, came over to them; confused.
"Mistress Mohan, is there a problem?"
"Yes!" Mistress Mohan cried," This fiend is taking advantage of our generosity, Edward! He is lazy and selfish!"

Edward sighed, looking quite exhausted from the hustle and bustle of the morning preparations. He glanced at the confused and bewildered expression of Jiu, before looking at the despondent, downtrodden face of Archie; before, finally, meeting that sharp, vicious face of a much too privileged woman.
"Mistress Mohan, Jiu is our guest," Edward tried to get her to understand.
The woman, however, was much too set in her crude ways to care.
"Do not side with him, butler!"
Edward frowned, glancing at Jiu sympathetically," Mistress, please. Allow me to fetch another, hired servant to go to the village with Archie Mills. Henry has personally requested Jiu to attend the festivities as Miss Leora's close acquaintance."
"Close acquaintance?" She repeated, bewildered," The girl does not leave the manor, yet this is who she befriends!? You are joking!"
"I am quite serious, Mistress," Edward repeated, sounding dreadfully tired," Miss Leora will be extremely appalled if you deny his appearance at the festivities. She will, undoubtedly, cause a disturbance."
"Then it shall be your job to remove her from said festivities! Do not argue this further, butler! Send Jiu to the village or I shall get my husband to fire you in an instant for going against my wishes!"

Edward blinked in shock, stunned and hurt by such a threat.
"Mistress, I have served you since Leora was tiny; you always told me that I was a butler without flaws?" Edward frowned, scared and confused.
"You were," Mistress Mohan responded, icely and cruel," Yet if you fight back with me, clearly you lack any sense of loyalty. In that case, I shall be forced to send you on your way."
Jiu immediately put his hand on Edward's shoulder. He couldn't let the butler sacrifice his own life over a stupid bouquet; it wouldn't just break Edward, but Soren and especially Leora. He could imagine it having a chain effect on the entire manor too. Edward seemed to get on with everyone.
"I'll just get the flowers with Archie, don't worry," Jiu muttered.
Edward nodded, weakly," Very well."
He bowed lowly to Mistress Mohan with a lengthy apology, before staggering away with the tea tray. Jiu glared at Mistress Mohan, disgusted that she'd threatened Edward like that.
"Well?" Mistress Mohan scoffed, walking off," Go on then."
Jiu wanted to hit her, but knew better.
"C'mon, let's get those flowers," Archie smiled, sympathetically," We'll be back before ya know it."