Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 70: Embracing the Unseen Truth - Part 1

Two days remain until the exchange:

Many whispers are lingering in the air inside the mansion today about Ervin's scene yesterday.

Several of the maid staff saw him storm through the mansion to the family quarters in a rage, which made them wonder what had happened during his outing. The rumors spread more widely because of the screaming that could be heard from above while the staff cleaned rooms.

A few people visiting family in town that day heard about the commotion at the Wall, and some even saw it from a distance—towering columns of spewing lava like geysers.

People can only speculate that Ervin attempted an assault on the Wall, which is uncharacteristic of the Sullivan Family. One would expect that more from the Maul Family, but family priorities can change depending on who is leading at the time. Especially with only three Mage Families remaining, it doesn't seem too far-fetched to try to expand beyond their usual territory. With the Sullivans showing interest in manufacturing—usually the Mauls' domain—it makes sense.

From how the maids described the sounds they heard, Marlina is glad she wasn't nearby. Although she was hired as Liam's violin tutor, their lessons had already ended for the day so that he wouldn't become too overwhelmed or frustrated. Marlina was then asked to help with other tasks once their session was over, so she wasn't close when the incident happened. But from what they described, it seemed to have occurred in the room the maids had been talking about for a couple of weeks—Elek's old room.

No one has come down from the family quarters since yesterday, except for Roland and his staff, so no one really knows for sure what happened.

Since Marlina now has access to the family quarters, of course, under the supervision of Roland's staff, Cara did ask if Marlina might be able to find anything out. She made no promises, especially since she was being watched and still had her mission in mind.

Right now, she has to steel her emotions because, according to rumors and what she knows, Elek might have been hurt or worse.

Being Liam's tutor these past few days has been challenging, but there has been significant progress. First, it was about helping him feel comfortable enough around her to speak more than just a few words occasionally, and each day, he would improve a little more.

Contrary to what most might believe, Liam has read every book about the violin that Ervin gave him. The knowledge is there, but the challenge has been in applying what is written in the books, which seem to be decades old, and utilizing it in a way Liam understands. One example is the musical scale itself. He knows the notes on paper, but he doesn't understand how they flow together or how they relate to his finger positions on the violin, since there are no diagrams.

How Marlina has conducted these lessons so far is helping Liam connect the book material he's read to tangible examples he can see and understand. This includes understanding which string corresponds to which series of notes, the timing of each note in relation to how it's written on the sheet music, and how these aspects change depending on the time signature.

Today, she wants to try having him play, as the past few days have mostly been spent studying and understanding. He seems ready now that he has a much better grasp of the violin, thanks to her examples. Even though Marlina had never touched a violin before coming here, whenever Liam asks a question about something, the answer comes to her as naturally as speaking.

With her escort from Roland's staff guiding her to Liam's room, they stand beside the door as they usually do, ready to step in if Liam becomes overwhelmed. So far, it hasn't happened, but Marlina is certain that's not the only reason he has one of his own lurking.