Waiting and Awaited

Chapter 5 - Putty or Fire

Cai took a deep breath to calm herself. Truth be told, she took one more of the many deep breaths she'd had to suck in after the Duke's proposal. If one can even call it that.

She did not believe herself a romantic. She rarely daydreamed, and if she did it was usually about finishing her tasks early so she can finally go to Recreations and do what she always wanted to do. Love and marriage she barely even thought about. What was there to imagine? A vial can only break so many ways.

She was the type of girl who looked at the cards life dealt her every morning and made her way through the day. She had plans, yes, but she also had a house to clean, tanks and tanks of fish to feed, hands to scrub, and parents to please. So when she had lost her vial and all hope of trading the fishing way of living for a life on the stage, she barely shed a tear. Every now and then, she felt the pangs of regret and they stung. But every time, she brushed them away and refused to waste her time thinking about what she could no longer change. Instead, she counted herself one of the lucky few who were fortunate enough to not get the job they wanted and got to keep it as a hobby instead.

But the Duke's bargain was way beyond her practicality. Of all the harebrained ideas anybody in the Manor can ever have about marriage, the Duke's was the most idiotic of all.

She did not expect her match to fall head over heels in love with her, least of all the duke. Neither did she expect him to propose marriage mere seconds after meeting each other.

Just because he was who he was didn't mean she'd jump at the chance. Just because he was who he was didn't mean he'd go through the whole thing at the snap of his long straight fingers.

She was fuming all the way down to her level and was stomping towards her family's unit. She opened the door and found her parents drinking tea and waiting up for her.

"Young lady, where were you? We had you paged at Recreations a while ago only to be told there wasn't any log of you having entered at all!"

If Cai didn't know her mother, she would have rolled her eyes. She was old enough to get her own apartment but had chosen to stay because she knew her parents would only visit every night after work and stay for as long as they please anyway. But she knew her mother and mentioning that would only earn her a 30-minute monologue on how she had been in her tummy for 9 – nine! – whole months without any complaints.

Cai sighed and sank down on the third chair around the table. "I just went to the Duke, Mother."

Her parents eyes widened. Her mother looked like she couldn't decide if her daughter had just sprouted horns or was just pulling her leg.

"And?" Mr. Bell finally said after a moment, his expression almost unreadable.

"And he wanted something in return."

"Cai, just stop with the dramatic pauses and tell us everything already."

"I said no and walked out." Correction, stomped out. And he laughed like a madman until the door shut. But of course, she can't tell her parents that.

Mrs. Bell visibly cringed.

"What in the world..? Well, why did you? What did he ask for then?"

"The only thing somebody like him needs, Mother. And I said no, because he didn't ask nicely."

Rone watched her stiff back disappear behind the door to the Penthouse and he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. He should have expected that from a girl who kept a fish out of season and had the courage to come up here to bargain.

His consultants could use some of her defiance, if only to get his mind running during one of their meetings. He hadn't counted the nos she'd dared say to his face but he was willing to bet his best sword she'd said it more times in their short conversation, than anybody else had in a day with him.

He suddenly frowned. She was his match. Not agreeing on anything couldn't possibly be good in their case.

He was sitting on a chair in the same entryway when a man with similar features came in stomping away muddy boots on the pristine cream and burgundy carpet. The man stopped in his muddy tracks and looked at him for a second with brown smirking eyes before lunging for Maron and wrestling the faithless hound to the ground. Maron was supposed to be fierce and loyal to the Duke but he had quite a number of favorite people he didn't mind coming too close.

Rivas Castille, his brother younger only by two years had always been on that list since he had enticed the puppy with his first stick. And now, he'd added Calista too.

When dog finally beat man and pinned him to the ground, Rivas smirked up at him. "You look like you're planning on moving the whole Manor to the other side of the City. Honestly man, I keep telling you, lighten up."

"And I keep telling you, grow up. Mother will have your hide when she sees what you've done to her carpet," he gives a pointed looked at the footprints and slides an amused look at Rivas.

"So it's not the Manor then. Well, if you were thinking about cancelling poor Maron's walk tonight so you can decipher the pattern on Mum's beloved carpet, I would have no choice but to take on the ungodly task myself. Ugh, you canine, you really should learn to pick up after yourself if you want more friends."

Rone knew Rivas didn't really mind as long as he could play with Maron in Recreations, throwing and catching a spinning plate, so he just gladly passed the collar.

"No, not Maron either. Well, tell me then before stinkbomb here decides time's up and drops one on the carpet."

"A girl."

"Ah hah! Now you're talking. Finally, decided to look around then?"

"More like accidentally forced to do a double take."

Rivas chuckled. "Well it's your fault, hugging all this cynical air around your already intimidating figure."

Rone pointedly looked at his brother who had the same build as him.

"You know what I mean. You can't deliberately stay away from all the single females and their mamas in this manor forever. You can actually have fun before you find your match."

"I thought that too and look what happened."

"Ah, enough of that. So you like this girl?"

Rone looked at his brother and mentally debated on how much to tell him. They had always been close but they didn't exactly compare notes on everything. He knew he can trust him but he also knew with Rivas' penchant for poking fun at everything, he would never hear the end of his mocking his own brother's predicament.

"I just met her. But I would like to know her."

"Say no more brother. You have just gotten yourself signed up for courtship lessons with the master himself." Rone couldn't disagree to that. Rivas had been an incorrigible flirt ever since he learned to smile. For some reason, girls fell for it and whenever Rivas was out and about, he always had a background noise of sighs and giggles.

"I will personally teach you all the ropes, you'll have half the girls in this manor in the palm of your hand, and when you finally find your match she will be soft as putty." That he did doubt. But his well-laid, and logical, plan hadn't sat well at all with Calista even when he thought it made perfect sense. Women.

He didn't have experience in wooing anyone. Usually he would either aim a scowl or flash a grin and everyone scrambled to do his bidding. The whole work involved, telling his assistants to purchase candy and flowers, copying verses to letters, dining together, seemed too much trouble to waste on anyone who more than likely would not be able to break his vial anyway.

But this time, he was certain it was his match. And Rivas silly idea just might work.

He grinned.

"I don't know Rivas. I think I like her spitting fire just fine."

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