Aristocrat | ✓

CHAPTER TWO

"I'll be going now," Marie whispered to me as she squeezed my shoulder and walked past me. I heard the door shut behind me, and it dawned on me that I was now alone in the room with the Lord. The fact that I was now alone in the room with him made me nervous. It was late in the evening now, and the room was lit by oil lamps hanging from the ceilings. I rubbed my palms on the front of my tunic before folding my hands behind me. Lord Evenus was still staring at me, and he didn't say anything for a while. his facial features were drowned by the orange light of the lamp flames.

"How was your trip?" he asked.

His voice caught me off guard, so I found myself frozen in shock with my mouth hanging open. The few times I had heard his voice before, my reaction had been the same. Its booming husky sound was intimidating when paired up with his large figure.

"F-fine," I managed after a while before staring down at the carpet under me. The geometric patterns on it were lovely, and the colors matched the bookcases that were done with deep-brown colored wood.

"Why are you still standing there? Come take a seat," Lord Evenus said, making me raise my head to look at him. His hand was gesturing towards one of the three empty armchairs that curved around the settee he was sitting on. I hesitated for a bit, but eventually walked up to one of them and sat down. The common room became silent again, and I wished I could curl up and disappear from the Lord's gaze. His gaze was intense, and the way his dark eyes fixated on me made me feel self-conscious. I began to wonder if he remembered me, but a part of me knew I was just being paranoid.

"Has Marie told you what your duties are?" he asked, and I nodded. Forcing myself to look up at him so I didn't come off as rude. A lump formed in my throat as my heart raced. I'd never been this up close to him. I had watched him from a distance and sitting right across from him right now made me nervous. His dark eyes seemed even darker up close and his brows were thick and framed his deep-set eyes nicely. Though, the left one was missing some hair where the red keloid scar that cut across the lord's face sat.

"That's good," the lord's voice was low and deeper than it was before. I watched as his eyes moved to his dog who was sleeping at his feet. Every time I had seen the lord before now, he had been with his dog. They seemed to have a close relationship, considering that most folks didn't let dogs indoors. I knew nobles did—but not hunting dogs like the one at the master's feet.

"This is Troy," he said, reaching down to give the sleeping greyhound a scratch behind the ears. "Troy's never been to war so don't be afraid of him," the lord added, making me nod. I hadn't thought that, but I was sure it was common to have dogs join in the battlefield. A small part of me wondered what being in a situation where you knew you might be killed felt like. Lord Evenus went to war frequently on the king's bidding, and he's returned month, after month, after month. I wondered if a man ever reached a point where he was confident that he would live when embarking on something as dangerous as warfare. The thought of me even holding a sword was laughable. I would be dead if I lived in a village that conscripted its youth.

The Lord bobbed his head from side to side as if jogging his thoughts for a discussion starter. "Your name is Manfred?" he eventually said.

"Yes, it is," I answered, blinking and coming out of my daze. I zoned out a lot today, and I hoped I wasn't being too obvious with my detachment.

"Alright, I was just making sure I heard what Maire said right," the Lord said, humming to himself. It was a nice hum. I wondered if he sang, and if so, what type of songs.

"What were you before you got here? I know you're here to pay a debt," the Lord said, making me stare at his face. He had a curious gaze on, and he was smirking—his upper lips with a nice cupid bow stretching with the action. I was taken aback by it. It made my chest ache from my pounding heart. I had never seen him smile before. In every encounter I've had with him over the years, his face had been blank of expression or covered by a hood.