Our Second World book three: Personal Truth

Chapter 45: ???

In a castle nestled comfortably in the hill of a large valley, its inhabitants were just beginning to stir and awaken.

As the sun began its slow crawl into the pastel stained sky, the servants were already hard at work going about their daily routines. One bed, however, still held a slumbering occupant.

In a large bedroom with a balcony overlooking the valley, a young woman lay asleep behind the closed gray curtains of her bed. As the morning sun flittered in through the tall windows to either side of her bed, it reflected off her beautiful long ebony curls and porcelain, doll-like skin. She stirred, and her butterfly like lashes stuck together as she peeled open her heavy eyelids.

As the woman sat up and glanced around her empty bedroom, she spied a man standing nearby. One of her most trusted aids, a cat beastman with brilliant long scarlet hair. He wore a simple white tunic and brown pants as a black sword hung from the belt around his waist.

"Good morning, my Lady," the beastman bowed when he noticed the woman awake.

"It's too early," she groaned, crawling out of bed before moving fluidly to her closet so she could change from her silk black nightgown into proper clothes; A black ankle length dress with an open lace-up back, short sleeves that crossed her chest in an 'X' and the skirt was lined with frills. The dress was shorter in the front than it was in the back and only reached to her knees. She slipped on a pair of heels and returned to the bedroom where the red haired beastman was waiting still as stone in the same place as before.

"Ready to go?" He asked when the woman walked over to him.

"Yes, darling," the woman purred, brushing a hand against his cheek. The man stiffened at her cold touch, but said nothing as he followed her down the hall.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" The woman asked, looking to the man walking next to her.

"You have a meeting with a Lord Fenris, a lunch meeting with a representative, and then an afternoon tea meeting with the treasurer, and an evening ball at the castle of the Lord Ulcraes." The man recited the memorized schedule to the Lady." The Lord Fenris should be arriving within an hour or two, which leaves plenty of time for breakfast today."

The Lady nodded as she continued down the hall. She stopped in front of a large set of double doors a few minutes later, and the man accompanying her pushed them open.

Inside was a large rectangular room with three glass chandeliers hanging over the long oak dinning table, two smaller ones to either side of the largest one in the middle. The long table was lined with chairs, but bare save for the few plates of food sitting in front of the chair at the head of the table. The Lady walked over and sat down, and the man stood off to the side behind her like a shadow while she ate.

As the servants were cleaning up the empty plates nearly an hour later, one of the maids, a young beastman girl with long braided blonde hair approached the Lady meekly.

"U-Um...Excuse me, my Lady?" The Lady glanced in the girls direction, but did not look up." Th-There's a Lord Fenris here to see you."

"Bring him to the garden tea room and have tea prepared at once," the red-haired beastman commanded, sighing inwardly at his Lady's indifference to the servant.

"R-Right away, sir!" The blonde maid bowed and scurried off.

"My Lady, you mustn't ignore the servants like that," the beastman scolded as the Lady stood up.

"But you deal with them oh so elegantly," the Lady replied teasingly." I'll be more mindful of our guest."

"Much appreciated, my Lady." The beastman bowed and followed the Lady out to the hall and a five minute walk to one of the many tea rooms in the castle; one overlooking a garden of white roses.