The Masked One

Chapter 1

I watched as the sun shined brightly upon him, his blue hair gleaming in the spotlight, as if blessing his very existence. His broad shoulders carrying a burden greater than anyone in the world. His magical sword on his side a sign of a knight, a fighter, a warrior, a protector. Yet no one knew who he truly was. Only I was aware of his true identity. The true soul that lived inside that body.

I stood in awe as I watched, his back towards me. I felt my heart thump and skip a beat. My cheeks were flushed pink up to my ears as I held my breath and watched the man of my dreams, the one that used to hold my heart in his hands, being received by everyone with a wonderful parade to celebrate another victory. I sighed and dreamed a wistful dream that I knew would never come true. Our paths had divided many years ago. I could never reveal the real me. Yet dreaming never hurt.

"Rosela! Come on!" a hurried voice was brought me back to a reality I just could never end. I sigh wistfully and steal a glance once more of the wonderful knight in my dreams before hurrying towards the path Mary was already taking. I knew a mere servant could never meet such a high positioning person. They say it is cheaper to dream than to hope for a better tomorrow.

I smile wistfully at the words my father used to drone into his children, my heart aching for his reassuring voice.

"Seriously! The madam will not be pleased if we arrive later with her order," Mary chastised causing me to worry, feeling a small frown etched on my face.

Both Mary and I worked for Countess Mariella, the wife of Count Vincent. She might be the most beautiful lady that has every been born to nobles, but being spoilt had its drawbacks, meaning she was arrogant. It was either follow her orders or meet her wrath.

We made haste and arrived back at the villa before sundown, carrying the boxes of dresses the lady had ordered for the upcoming banquet. Quietly, we entered the mansion so as not to draw attention to ourselves, especially from the madam. Just when we sighed in relief after making it back on time, we heard a commotion coming from the parlor. We looked at each other in worry and fear before making our way towards the parlor. Once we entered, we could sense the situation was not the best. The tension was suffocating.

"How many times have I told you to watch how much you spend!" the count roared towards his wife. His face was beat red with a vein popping out, no doubt needing to come vent after being informed of his lovely wife's spending. His blonde hair and blue eyes shining with rage. The count had made it clear to the Countess she must watch how much she spent, even going as far as threatening to cut her off from purchasing anything for three months, but she paid no heed to his warning and instead divulged in expensive dresses for the upcoming banquet.

The Countess was on her knees in front of her husband, holding her left cheek, annoyance clear in her brown eyes, her ruby hair still in its hairdo. Everyone knew she did not care what he had to say, but humiliation, even in front of the servants was something that she could not take. She valued pride and prestige more than anything else. She believed that to advance in noble society, she must look and have what others in higher ranks could afford.

The count was different. He valued the opportunity to save wherever he could and invest in mercenaries in order to better their lives without living in the lap of luxury. His thinking had always been more reasonable than his wife. 

Unfortunately, he had married the worst woman who just wanted to climb the social ladder. He was handsome enough during his youth to pick any lady he would have liked to be his wife, and yet he had the misfortune of marrying a gold digger.

As the count kept lecturing his wife, we stood in a corner silently with bowed heads, hands clasped in front of us, waiting for our masters to give orders. We could not interfere in their quarrel so the only thing we could do was call for our backup, Lady Priscilla, the daughter of the count and countess. I gave a nod to Mary and she quickly and quietly left the room, without being detected, to find the lady. Hopefully she could stop their quarrel and reason with both of them. I sigh inwardly, feeling a bit of pity towards the wife, knowing fully well that her antics might cause her to force her husband for a divorce.