The Outsider (Outsider #1) ✔️

Chapter 100 : Catherine's Meeting

Dusk felt it weird that they were not willing to let her go back to the hotel even, to pack and get her things to the Palace. It was as if the Lord and Lady were more worried than Catherine, that she will run off and not come back.

In the end, the Maids were dispatched to pack up everything and get the things over. Her Head of Security went and checked out for her, and apparently, Lord Gregner paid the bill (in spite of protest from Dusk that this time she was here on her own work and she should pay for it.)

Dusk was given a massive and luxurious suite, with Susco on the opposite side of the corridor. Catherine had a room at the end of the wing, one with windows on 3 sides.

Her Suite had a bedroom, a dining room, a study on the opposite side, and large lounge. The lounge had one of the most sophisticated holovision projectors she had ever seen, with 3D VR type of imaging. It reminded her of what was on the yacht.

The dining room had the largest refrigerators she had seen aside from the one in the Tavern which was used to store their perishable supplies. And it was fully stocked. It has every fruit juice, alcohol and spirit she could think of, 3 types of bread, 5 types of ready to eat meat, 3 pastries, packets of cheese and quite a few types of fruits.

There was a liquid dispenser that had proximity sensor and option of water (normal / still, aerated, flavoured, cold, hot), tea, coffee, milk (plain, chocolate, blackberry and strawberry). It actually greeted her every time she passed by! When she ignored it, the dispenser asked her if she would prefer it call the chef, butler and maid to help with anything.

She found another two doors and opened them. One turned out to be a 'Walk-in Closet'. She had heard of those, but never actually seen one. Her clothes were neatly hanging all over the closet, segregated by different types of clothes, colour, style... a place separately for shoes and another side for undergarments. The maid had also kept a separate note of what clothes were missing and question on whether Dusk will get them herself or whether the maid should go and get them for her.

The other door led to the bathroom, which was bigger than the one in Continental Plaza. But at least she did not have to worry about how to use it. Catherine had taught her that. she found in the 'vanity closet', which she had not even heard of before. It was full of cosmetics.

"Ah, the life of the rich and how much money they wasted!" Dusk thought.

Dusk felt that the room she was given was bigger than her entire home in Longburn. She suddenly felt a pang of homesickness as she thought of the earlier times, of much simpler life. She wondered, whether her old life was actually better than what she had now and whether she would really consider going back.

At least it was simple. All she had to worry each morning when she woke up, was whether she should wear the light blue jeans or the dark blue jeans and whether there was any clean fresh tee shirt in the cupboard. After that, if she no longer had college to attend, it would be long and mostly boring hours of serving the customers in the tavern. Few hours with friends and perhaps a date if it was a weekend.

But was that what she really missed? Did she really want a quiet life? Her life here in Ci'gazze and Regis was so very different from Longburn. Everywhere she went, there were scores of people waiting to listen to what she said, coming to her for guidance, appreciating her work and her intelligence. Yes, she had to put in extra efforts due to the fact that she was constantly around the Royal family, but that was probably an acceptable compromise.

True, she now had a dependent teenager, as if she just acquired a fully grown daughter that she never gave birth to. But the antics of this girl, did keep her occupied for long hours. Thinking about it, she also realised that she was learning a lot from Catherine. She was getting attached to the kid and could no longer really think of what she would be doing if Catherine was not with her.