Summoner's Second Chance

Chapter 20

Sunlight shone through the gaps of the curtain to Olivia's room, but the girl inside shows no sign of letting them completely in. Olivia was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees and hiding her face. Her early morning routine should've started an hour ago, but the young lady of the Windwalker family shows no sign of moving from where she is. The event from last night is still fresh in her memories, and she couldn't help but to feel miserable as she remembered how the man she loved looked at her that time. There was no disgust in his eyes, nor rejection... but regret. Whether it's for himself, or her.

Soft knocking can be heard from the other side of her door, and she raised her face, just a little bit. "Yes?" Olivia replied, her voice filled with dejection. "Olivia, dear, what's the matter? Are you not having breakfast?" On the other side of the door was her mother, her voice teeming with worry. Olivia took a deep breath, and opened the door to her bedroom. As she thought, her mother's face was filled with worry. Olivia rarely skips breakfast, and when she did, she was most likely sick. Olivia forced a smile onto her face, and greets her mother. "Good morning, mother." Even though she tried to bury her feelings deep inside her heart, some of it spills out. And her mother certainly noticed it.

"Dear, what happened to you? You look very pale." Olivia gave her mother a small smile, and shook her head. Lucy knew that something had happened last night, but she did not know what. Lucy smiled at her daughter, and gently pats her head. "Shall I bring your breakfast here?" Olivia smiled and nodded heavily. Lucy asked one of the maid to bring her daughter's breakfast to her, and brought it into the room. Olivia is already sitting at her tea table, and the curtains are already opened. The sun is already quite high in the sky by the time Olivia had her breakfast with her mother.

"Dear, I want you to tell me. What happened to you?" Lucy asked Olivia as she slowly drank her morning tea. Olivia put her cup down, and put her hands underneath the table. "Last night I... I confessed my love for Trace." Olivia looked down at her hands. She sighed and looked at her mother with a smile, but tears are going down her cheeks. "I... I don't know, mother... He did not reject me... but the way he looked at me..." Lucy gazed at her daughter, but she couldn't say anything. What else is there to say? She did not want to hurt her daughter anymore. "Oh dear, I..." Her words was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door.

A maid pushed open the door, and bowed to Lucy and her daughter. "Excuse me, but Mr. Trace Redfate is here." Lucy looked at her daughter from the corner of her eyes, and she realized that her daughter is biting her lips and her eyes are closed. Lucy nodded slowly, and stood up. "I understand. I shall meet him right away." The maid bowed once more, and left the room. Lucy turned to look at her daughter, and noticed a sorrowed expression on her face. Lucy patted her daughter's head once more, before going to the main hall to meet Trace.

Lucy could not remember when was the last time she was this nervous. She felt like there are a hundred butterflies in her stomach, and try as she may, she could not stop the cold sweat running down her forehead. She took a deep breath, before opening the door to the main hall. "Ah, good morning! Madame Lucy, I presume?" Lucy was expecting only Trace, and yet what she saw was an unfamiliar man and woman, accompanying Trace and her sister. Lucy bowed quickly to scorpion after almost forgetting to do so, and put on a smile. "That is correct. My name is Lucy Windwalker, the wife of Argo Windwalker and the mother of Olivia Windwalker." Scorpion nodded a few times, and bowed, followed by Lizbeth. "A pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Scorpion Redfate, and this is my wife, Lizbeth Redfate. I am the parent of Trace and Melody Redfate."

Lucy was still quite nervous, but the weight on her shoulders was lessened, for she is not to face Trace alone. "For what do we owe the visit from Trace's family?" Scorpion nodded firmly, and looked around. "Before that, could we perhaps meet with the master of the house? We have yet to introduce ourselves to him, and I assume that it would be rude to not meet him first before stating our business." Lucy smiled, and nodded. "In that case, please follow me to my husband's study."