55. What the Wind Blew In

[This is so boring.] I mumbled to myself as I watched an old woman with a weird haircut make even weirder faces.

It was apparently called ‘Opera’ and was ‘very refined’. Lionheart explained that it’s a type of music, so I wouldn’t really get it either way.

After the break, there had been a more interesting performance by what Lionheart called ‘mummers’. The play didn’t have any spoken lines, so it had been pretty exciting to be able to follow along, but this ‘opera’ thing was just too much.

Just as I was about to doze off, Lionheart poked me on the shoulder ans I sat up in a panic.

[I’m awake! I’m awake!] I said out loud as I turned to an amused Lionheart, who pointed behind us. 

There, standing in the open door, was the boy from earlier. 

His name was… M… Something.

-Young lord Mȓs here wanted to know if you would like to go play with him.- Lionheart explained.

-Play?- I asked, surprised.

Why would he want to play with me?

-Play what?-

Lionheart turned to the boy, who said three short words to which Lionheart nodded.

-He is inviting you to play hide and seek with him and his sister.-

Hide and seek? I haven't played hide and seek in ages!

Before I realised, I had already jumped from my seat and headed toward the door, but I realised I should probably make sure I was allowed to go first. 

I turned back to Lionheart, who simply smiled and nodded.

Excited, I nodded back and followed the M-something boy out of the room. He guided me to the end of the hallway, back to the main room, where his little sister was impatiently waiting for us. 

They spoke to each other for a bit. The boy looked uncertain for a moment but relented.

He turned to me and smiled as he pointed at himself before covering his eyes and then showing himself counting down with his fingers. He then looked at me and tilted his head.

AH! I guess he means that he’s going to count!

I nodded energetically. He looked satisfied at my response and gave me a thumbs up before walking toward a wall and covering his eyes. 

His sister immediately ran off somewhere, and I started looking around for a hiding spot. There wasn’t much time before he would be done.

The room had many places to hide, luckily. There were tables everywhere, plants and decorations. I spotted an especially large pot in the corner of the room and headed in that direction. As I expected, there was a little space behind it where I could fit.

I slipped in, glanced at the room from my hiding spot and noticed the boy had finished counting. I quickly backed away, but accidentally nudged the pot. It started trembling from side to side. I tried to make it stop, but it was too late. In a flash, the boy was standing in front of me, arms crossed and a satisfied look on his face.

[I lost…] I mumbled.

After quietly gloating, he extended a hand toward me. I guess he’s not a sore winner like the kids at the orphanage, at least… 

I grabbed his hand and got to my feet. I quickly patted the folds of my dress down, but… 

Hey! 

Without a word, he started walking, still not letting go of my hand.

That M boy wasn’t releasing my hand!

[Wait! Stop that!] I tried to complain, but it fell on deaf ears, and he continued walking around with a smile on his face.

I could feel my cheek burning from embarrassment. 

I didn’t mind holding hands with Dad or Jade… But a boy I didn’t even know? It felt weird. What if someone saw? I tried to hide my face, but noticed a few people snickering as we passed. They were definitely looking….

The boy took his time looking for his sister, sometimes looking back and smiling, but turning away before I could say anything. 

I was certain he had looked for me much quicker than he was now doing for his sister! Was he playing a joke on me?!

As we walked down the hall, I noticed a curtain shifting.

[Ah!]

I pulled on the boy’s sleeve, who surprisingly responded and looked back at me. I pointed at the curtain and he made a surprised expression. 

The boy finally released my hand and put a finger on his lips to tell me to stay quiet. I nodded, and he slowly inched toward the curtains. He then wiped them aside, revealing the ginger-haired girl. She looked stunned for a second before an angry expression drew itself on her face. She closed her fist and brought it down roughly on her brother’s head. 

It mustn’t have hurt much since he started laughing uncontrollably.

He looked like a bit of a jerk, but curious, I looked up at his sister. Her puffed cheek perfectly emphasised her small amethyst eyes as her thick ginger hair bounced around while she shook her head. She looked a bit like a squirrel…

I let out a snicker at the thought and received a well-earned thump on the head from the girl. 

I guess I’m also a jerk now…

After the girl had calmed down and everyone had settled down, it seemed it was now my turn to look for them. 

After waving goodbye to them, I turned toward the wall and started counting to 10. 

[1…]

Now that I think about it, it’s really a bit nostalgic. Playing hide and seek like that.

[2…]

When was the last time I played? Maybe at the orphanage?

[3…]

No, if we had done something like that, Hare would have scolded us.

[4…]

So then, the last time I played must have been…

[...5...]

…That day.

[...]

No, I don’t want to think about it. 

I shook my head and resumed counting.

[...6…7…8…9…10!]

I turned around and, as expected, the two had run off to hide. I used to be confident at hiding, but searching on the other hand… I let out a sigh. 

This won’t be easy.

I looked around the second-floor hall. There were many tables around and corners to hide in, but seeing how good the girl had been to hide behind a curtain in a secluded hallway, I probably wouldn’t find them here. 

I still looked around quickly before moving on. I didn’t find anything, but I did receive some curious smiles. 

A woman even tried to speak to me, but, not knowing what else to do, I bowed my head, gave an apologetic smile and moved on.

There was no point in trying to explain. No one ever got it. 

I turned a corner and headed down the hallway that led to the booths on the left side of the theatre. I considered opening the doors to the booths, but I figured I could get in trouble if the occupants found my presence a nuisance. At the end of the hallway was a small archway covered by a curtain. 

Curious, I peeked through. 

The room was dark, but I could see light further down. Curious, I decided to investigate. The ground was different here; wood planks covered the floor, and I could feel them bend under my weight. 

I cautiously made my way forward and reached the corner of the room where an opening stood on the right. I peeked through and noticed several men walking around. They were pulling on ropes and moving props around a sort of bridge. Underneath, I could see what looked like the play’s backgrounds. 

A man noticed me and looked at me angrily before shooing me away with his hands. Slightly scared, I retreated in a hurry back to the hallway. 

As I crossed the curtain in a run, my head struck something roughly.

[Ouch!] I moaned as I rubbed my forehead and looked up. 

A man was standing there.

[Sorry!] I said out loud as I quickly bowed and tried to run away, still thinking about the angry-looking man in the dark room, but the man blocked my way.

I looked up slightly and noticed the man’s hands moving.

-Are you all right?- He asked as he bent down.

-I’m f…- Was about to reply, but then stopped.

Wait. He just signed to me!

I looked up. 

He had a strange smile on his face. The sort of servants wore when they were having a long day. It was inscrutable, but meant to look kind. His two eyes were barely visible between the slits of his eyelids and the bangs of his green hair.

-You know the secret language?- I asked him, confused. 

This was the first time I met a stranger who knew how.

-That’s right. I use it for work.-

Was there work that uses the secret language? It reminds me, Darkie and I had thought about becoming secret language teachers in the past, maybe it was something like that..? 

I frowned. Something still felt wrong.

-...But how did you know that I also speak the secret language?- I pressed.

His smile curved upward. Maybe that was meant to be an actual smile? Yet his eyes remained the same.

-Why do you think?- He replied as he observed me. 

The same way a predator would watch its prey.

I suddenly started feeling nervous as I hesitated for a moment.

-Do you… Know who I am?-

His smile became even wider while his eyes still remained inscrutable. It was becoming unnerving.

-You’re a clever girl. Yes, I know who you are. I know your dad, too.-

-I– Is that so?-

I glanced to the side, looking for an opportunity to walk away, but it felt like he had me cornered.

-That’s right, Si-li-ka A-s-h-b-roo-k.-

I felt a shiver run down my spine; the way he spelt my name felt so strange. As if he were trying to say something else.

-So, how do you like your new home? I hear you only recently arrived in the capital.- He asked innocently.

I began to reply, but my hands froze up for a moment. As I wondered if there was some sort of hidden meaning in his words.

-It’s nice. I like it.-

-More than where you lived before?- He asked his question almost before I finished signing my answer. 

This conversation was becoming uncomfortable.

His face twitched as though he had just seen something at the corner of his eyes, yet he kept staring at me.

-Y– Yeah.- I answered his strange line of inquiry.

Why is he asking me this? I don’t like thinking about where I used to live…

-That’s good! And your father? Do you like your father?-

I nodded nervously. 

I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t see any way to sneak by, and I was scared of what he would do if I tried to run away.

His face twitched again, making his green bangs move away from his face for a moment, revealing two shining pink eyes. 

I hated the fact that I was suddenly reminded of Dalton’s somehow.

-Ah, that’s great! Great! So let me ask you one last question: do you prefer your father or your new home?-

I frowned.

-Dad.- I responded without any hesitation, but felt angry that he would even make the comparison.

His smile grew so large I thought his face was about to split open. It was disgusting.

-I’m glad! Well, homes are only roofs and walls when you think about it, so what’s the point of getting attached?- He signed quickly.

He slowly stood up, towering over me.

-Well, I won’t hold you any longer! Have a good trip, young lady.-

Just as I tried to walk away from him, he blocked my way one more time.

-Ah! I almost forgot! Here. For taking up your time.- He signed before digging a small object out of his pocket. 

On closer inspection, it looked a bit like a golden brooch with an emerald flower on it. Although it didn't look like it would hold in anyone's hair…It was pretty, but its colour scheme somehow reminded me of the man himself, so I also felt slightly disgusted.

A gift was still a gift, so I politely curtsied in thanks without a word.

-Please don’t throw it away; it would hurt my feelings.- He said as he opened up the way and allowed me through.

I held back from ticking my tongue. My first thought had been to get rid of this weird brooch thing at the first opportunity.

I made it back to the main hall, where the two siblings were waiting for me. 

When they spotted me, they rushed in my direction with a worried expression. It seems my encounter with the strange man had taken longer than I realised. 

Not being able to really explain what happened, all I could do was make a pathetic expression and mumble an apology. The little sister exploded into relieved tears as the boy let out a long sigh and smiled. 

Lionheart emerged from the stairs leading down and looked relieved when he spotted me.

-There you are! We were so worried about  you!- He said. 

The little girl released me, and Lionheart replaced her, hugging me tight. He didn’t usually come and hug me like this… 

Was he really that worried?

-I’m sorry.- I managed to sign from my awkward position. 

He released me slightly.

-I was talking to a strange person.- I tried to explain.

-A strange person?-

I nodded and showed him the contents of my hand, but he quickly covered it up as he glanced up. Once he made sure no one had noticed, he took the brooch from me and stuffed it into his belt. 

I felt slightly relieved about not having to hold on to it anymore.

-We'll talk about it later. I’ll keep this for now, ok?-

I nodded. 

The couple from earlier noticed us and rushed in our direction from the other side of the room. 

Lionheart stood up to greet them, but the woman completely ignored him and kneeled on the ground in front of me, dirtying her pretty dress as she hugged me tightly, to my complete surprise and confusion. 

She looked me up and down with her amethyst eyes. She looked worried, but let out a sigh once she noticed I was alright. She turned to the boy and scolded him strongly. 

He looked pretty miserable and turned to me. He said something and bowed in apology.

[It’s ok, it’s not your fault.] I said out loud before signing the same to my dad, who immediately relayed the message.

The boy looked relieved and bowed again. His mom still looked angry, but had a satisfied expression on her face. She bowed to Dad and me and forced her husband, who had been standing around with a confused expression, to do the same.

After the situation was resolved, we greeted each other and they went on their way.

Lionheart picked me up.

-Is the play over?- I asked him when he started heading down the stairs.

-That’s right. Did you have fun?- He asked with a worried expression.

-Yeah, it was great!-

He made a relieved expression and kissed me on the forehead.

I felt flustered. I think it’s the first time he’s ever kissed me. I felt all warm and fuzzy.

-You really gave us a scare.- He signed.

-I’m sorry…-

-It’s ok, it’s not your fault.-

We finally stepped outside the theatre, where a carriage was waiting for us. He sat me beside him and draped a blanket over my knees.

The carriage departed, and I leaned back against the seat. Lionheart took out the brooch and looked at it attentively, almost as if it was meant to mean something.

-Did that man say anything to you when he gave you this?- He finally asked after a long moment of silence.

I shook my head, but then thought better of it.

-He asked me how I like my new home… And if I liked Dad.-

-And you answered…?-

I looked at him, feeling offended.

-I said that I like the house and that I like you!-

He smiled awkwardly.

-Of course, sorry. That was a dumb question.-

He went back to staring at the brooch for a moment.

-Did he say anything else?- He insisted.

It was odd. For some reason, Lionheart wasn’t surprised that the man and I could speak to each other. 

-He just said to have a nice trip.-

-A nice trip?-

-I think he meant it as a joke. He was smiling a lot.-

Lionheart made a slightly disgusted expression.

So he WAS familiar with the man!

He nodded to himself and gave me the brooch once more. I wanted to hand it back to him, but he stopped me.

-Keep it.- He signed with a firm expression on his face

-...Why?- I couldn’t help but ask. 

I really didn’t want to hold on to such a gift.

-Ha. I guess you don’t know what this is, do you?-

I shook my head and he began explaining.

-It’s called a signet. It’s something that you usually give to important servants and vassals… Or to very close friends. With this, you can freely enter the signet owner’s estates and receive hospitality… Think of it like a key, but to a noble’s estate.-

A key? Wait… Why did a complete stranger give me the key to his estate?!

-Why did he give this to me?- I asked Lionheart, but he had a complicated expression.

-I have to admit, I’m not completely sure…-

He fell deep in thought for a moment before looking back at me.

-But whatever the reason may be, it can't hurt you to have this handy.-

I spun the brooch a few times in my hands while looking at the lamppost’s light reflecting on the emerald stones.

-So… Whose estate is this for anyway?-

Lionheart let out a tired chuckle. It didn’t look like an amused laugh.

He mumbled something to himself before answering.

-The signet belongs to the Prnm family.- He answered off-handedly.

-Prnm…-

The name didn’t ring any bells, but neither did most names. 

Lionheart's expression shifted to a smile.

-So, it looks like the Mȓs are quite fond of you!- Lionheart said to change the subject.

-Yeah, I was surprised; I didn’t expect the madam to hug me like that!-

He chuckled quietly.

-You and I both! But I hear she’s not the only one who’s very fond of you!-

I tilted my head.

-What do you mean?-

-A little bird told me they saw a cute girl holding hands with a boy all around the place tonight.- He said with a playful expression on his face.

I immediately felt my face turn red.

-I– I don’t know what you’re talking about! I– I– I  didn’t see anything like that!- I stumbled on my hands.

I knew someone saw me… And now even Dad knew about it! I just want to disappear…

I pulled up the blanket and covered my face with it. Maybe that would hide me from Dad, but from the way the bench was shaking, I could tell he was laughing loudly.

The carriage continued along, and before long, we arrived at the estate.

Lionheart pulled me out from underneath the blanket and tucked me into his arms. He stepped down from the carriage and looked at me fondly for a moment.

-Don’t grow too fast.- He signed before caressing my cheek affectionately and shifting my weight in his arms.

-I don’t get it.-

-Maybe it’s better that you don’t. Come on, let's get you to bed.-

He walked up the stairs to the entrance hall, and the coachman opened the door for him. 

When we crossed the threshold, I felt the air shift immediately. Lionheart’s posture straightened up, and I could feel his heartbeat going wild.

Curious, I turned around. 

Servants, including Stash and Mili, were standing around the hall with solemn expressions. At the centre, an older man was standing dressed almost exclusively in black with a heavy travelling cloak drapping over him. His expression was sharp, his face chiseled, covered in a trimmed beard, and his golden eyes jumped from me to my father. 

He pulled back his grey, parsed black hair and said something to Lionheart.

Dad replied to him with equal seriousness. 

He looked down at me before calling out to Mili.

-Sorry, Silika, I can’t put you to bed. I have to talk to our guest.-

Understanding that the situation was serious, I nodded quietly. 

Lionheart smiled apologetically and put me down on my feet. 

Mili took my hand and we started walking up the stairs. I glanced back just in time to see the old man putting his hand on Dad’s shoulder as this one looked down at the floor.

A mixture of sadness and resolve in his eyes.