Aristocrat | ✓

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

     The Lord got better over the course of a week. He started sitting up by himself, and soon he was walking about the castle and going for walks with Troy like he used to.

     With his recovery came his duty to start preparing for the campaign he was supposed to hold up north. The castle that was once lonely except for a few humans was soon buzzing with young men in the afternoons. They came to offer up themselves as soldiers, and some came in to drop their supplies with Lord Evenus in preparation.

     The stables became busy with the influx of horses and donkeys. Sometimes I would watch as young men tended to their animals as I took Bessa for a walk or a ride around the Castle's manor.

     I tried not to let it get to me. I practiced riding, and Lord Evenus showed me how to hold a gun. He also read with me in the common room a lot. It all felt like he could sense my anxiety around me leaving and wanted to give me comfort. Nevertheless, the days went by, and soon it was a day before Lord Evenus and his crew of one hundred men had to march up north.

     "How does it look?" Lord Evenus asked, making me look up at him. He was doing a small turn around in his armor.

     "I'm not sure," I muttered, sitting up in his armchair. I was in his bed-chamber, helping him do last-minute checks so that he didn't forget anything. "I've never seen armor up close before," I added, watching him stare at me with a raised brow.

     Like most things in Barcombe, the armor was dark—pitch black without a tint of color. I wasn't a fan of the way the armor bulked around his stomach and shoulders, but they had to be that way to provide space between their bodies and any weapon that might pierce through.

     "The more so learn about you, the more I wonder if you were born a boy," Lord Evenus said, looking away from me to adjust his belt. I smiled at that, knowing that my upbringing was strange. Most boys learned to hunt and fight, but I had been sickly and had spent most of my days beside my mother, helping her when I could.

     "Speaking of which," the Lord started, catching my attention. "Are you going to go visit home when I'm away?" He asked, taking off his armor and setting the sheets of metal aside before strolling over to his bed.

     "Well?" he asked, throwing on his top before moving his fingers to button up his shirt. I blinked, scratching my neck before shrugging my shoulders. I had no idea. I hadn't made any plans at all. When my family had been contacted there hadn't been an indication that I would have any holidays. "Manfred you can't just stare at me." My head snapped up, and my eyes widened when I noticed I had spaced out again.

     "I'm sorry..." I trailed, watching as Lord Evenus sat down at the end of his bed. "I never thought of going home, so it's a hard question to answer," I admitted, and watched as Lord Evenus' gaze narrowed at me.

     "Don't you want to visit home?" he asked, and I stared down at my lap. I was wearing breeches and a loose top today. The clothes were part of the set that the Count had sent to me on Lord Evenus' request.

     "I do," I said after a while of thinking of the Lord's question. Sometimes I thought of my parents and my siblings, but I had pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind since I didn't think I would get the opportunity to see them again until my service at the Barcombe castle was over. "I miss my mother," I mouthed under my breath, looking up to see the Lord staring at me with knowing eyes.

     "Then I'll prepare for your departure after I'm gone. Marie will arrange things for you," he said, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt before smiling at me. I smiled back as a wave of excitement filled me. "I'll also have you go back with some things for them."