Chapter 32

Chapter 32

* * *

“My lady, an invitation from Lady Maria.”

I couldn’t help frowning slightly as Emily handed me the card. Although I had been expecting it, it was still rather unpleasant. During one of his visits, Jeremy had somewhat sheepishly fessed up to having blabbed about Cassis to Maria, but only since he had assumed she already knew. Her genuine surprise at the news had been what cued him in otherwise. My guess was that his mouth had run on ahead of himself while trying to goad her as he so often tried, yet failed to do.

The boy was generally rather sly and cunning, but there were times he could be downright stupid. Of course, it was in line with his character in the novel who had blabbed about Cassis’ death to the heroine Sylvia. But the fact that he had openly confessed his slip-up to me suggested that he most likely hadn’t harbored any ulterior motives when he let his tongue loose. Definitely nothing like when he had purposefully egged Charlotte on. He seemed to have found it distasteful that Maria’s interest had piqued at the mention of my toy. I’m certain there was no love lost from Jeremy towards Cassis, but my guess is that he was more worried about how his mistake would affect me.

In the end, I commended him for being forthcoming with me. He must have been dreading a colder reception since he started wagging his invisible tail again as soon as he realized I wasn’t too upset with him. It also hadn’t been his first time to act so foolishly. But more importantly, I thought owning up to his mistake like that deserved a little pat on the back. Had I received such an invitation from Maria completely unaware, I really would have been perturbed. Generally speaking, Maria wasn’t really the insistent type.

After mulling the situation over, I began to compose my response. She had asked that I bring Cassis to the tea party, but I was obviously against that. Since the neck marking incident, there was a distinctly different air whenever we met. In a way, I suppose it was to be expected. How could it not be awkward for him to look me in the face after what happened? I’m sure the reason he put up with it was likely because he had already assessed what it would mean to become my charge, and what that meant as far as the role he was expected to play. Since then I would catch him quietly staring at me, but not exactly in the warmest manner.

I began bandaging my arm despite the fact that the bleeding had not fully stopped. I had started feeding the egg blood much more often, which was another change since Deon’s return. As I looked beyond the curtains towards the setting sun, I thought about Maria’s tea party scheduled for the next day. It would be the second time for me to attend one of her teas.

* * *

Maria’s tea party was held in the glass chamber in the middle of the mansion. Unlike the greenhouse where toxic plants are housed, this space strictly served as an area for rest and relaxation. It also hosted other get-togethers, although less frequently. As I said before, the Agreces were very individualistic, and so most of us even ate our meals separately. The main time we ate together was at the grand feast, and even then it only included the top three performers among Lante’s offspring. My point is that in our entire house, there was only one person who would gather people together for events, and that was Maria. But that isn’t to say everyone accepted her invitations. Most only came when it suited them.

“Come in, Xana.”

As I entered the glass chamber, Maria rose from her seat to welcome me. The sun was shining brightly through the arched dome of the glass enclosure. Seeing her always greet me with such warmth and enthusiasm, sometimes tempted me to wonder if she considered me her child rather than Deon.

“Seems I’ve arrived last, Lady Maria. Thank you so very much for the invitation.”

I spoke exceptionally calmly. There were around 10 people at the gathering this time. One glance showed me that the last remaining seat was intended for me. And as luck would have it, it was right next to Maria. I was to sit to her right, while my mother Sierra sat on her left.

“Xana!” she exclaimed, as if she hadn’t at all expected my presence. The others stared in my direction curiously, or kept their heads together as they whispered to each other in hushed tones. It seemed Maria hadn’t informed any of her guests that I would be attending either.

“So you’re here as well, Mother,” I spoke as I approached the seat Maria was beckoning me toward.

Mother’s hand trembled for a moment at my greeting. While it was obvious that she had been taken aback by my presence, I wasn’t at all surprised. Mother being at Maria’s tea likely wasn’t news to anyone since her inability to say no resulted in attending them from time to time. To put it bluntly, my mother was a pushover. Whenever she met Maria, Mother always appeared as if she was being harassed, yet she could never refuse her invitations. It was very much like watching a snake and a mouse. Maria was a stealthy predator, while my mother always served as her hapless prey on the bottom rung of the food chain.

What made it worse is that it was Maria’s own son who had killed Achille. Under the guidance of the bailiff, young Deon had been given the “honor” of ending Achille’s life as a way to acknowledge his own achievements. I am of the mind that a father who would order his young son to kill his other son, and that a son who actually killed his half-brother as he was ordered, could not be any further from sane. Of course, Deon may not have had a choice but to follow our father’s orders, but even knowing that did not take away from the fact that he wasn’t the sort of person you’d want to get close to.

Maria, meanwhile, remained oblivious to such undercurrents. Or perhaps being who she was, she had already forgotten all about what had happened back then. Regardless of whether she had, my mother definitely had not. She wasn’t the type who could simply let go of the past. I could tell just from looking at the uneasiness etched across her brow.

“I didn’t know you’d be here as well, Xana. I wish you would have told me.”

Her face actually appeared to darken, which made me think she really wasn’t happy to see me there. The was understandable. Maria’s tea parties were not at all what one would call “normal” gatherings. That was why I had made sure to stay far away from them after the first one I had attended a few years prior. But no matter. It was unclear to me who would need to worry about who.

“Sierra darling, I was keeping it a secret. You know, to surprise everyone!” Maria said, beaming at me and Mother as if we were her prize-winning blooms.

Meanwhile, Mother who had poorly tried to disguise her true feelings with an awkward smile, seemed to be getting paler by the second. The party had hardly begun, yet things were already getting tense. I imagined that by the time it was in full swing, my mother may very well wind up on the floor. According to various sources, not much had changed since my last appearance at one of these gatherings.

“I’m so happy to see Xana since she so rarely comes to these. I do hope you will start dropping by more often. I mean, just look at how happy you’ve made your mother.”

As I mentioned before, from what I could tell, my mother almost seemed disappointed to see me there.

“Certainly. Time permitting, of course,” I answered curtly before picking up the teacup in front of me. A deep and aromatic flavor met my lips. The tea was indeed top-tier, but not exactly the sort I enjoyed.

Most of the attendees at the gathering were Lante’s wives, along with some of their children. Maria addressed the table.

“How nice it would have been if Xana’s toy had come here as well. Don’t you all agree?”

Everyone nodded in unison as if they had rehearsed their reaction beforehand, then responded one by one.

“Oh, yes! I was so surprised when I heard the news that Xana had taken a toy.”

“I had a passing glimpse of it, and let me tell you, it was the prettiest toy that ever crossed our halls!”

“Yes, it’s understandable why Xana took an interest in it.”

“I haven’t run across it yet, but I had hoped I would today. Why didn’t you bring it?”

Words of curiosity and disappointment continued to pour out of the women’s mouths who were sitting around the table. Then with a rather mysterious smile, Maria interjected.

“I know, right?! I even prepared a special cage.”

Sure enough, there were indeed huge birdcage-like contraptions at one side of the room. Already inside of them were the various toys the attendees had brought along. The cage in the middle, which also appeared to be the most elaborate, was empty. I inferred that it had been meant for Cassis. Had I brought him, he would have been on display just like the others. Would he have gone along with such degradation? Since I had made those bite marks specifically for display purposes, perhaps it wouldn’t have been the worst thing... But as there were other ways to achieve my purpose, I had determined it was better to avoid inciting his wrath by dragging him to the party.

“I’m sorry, but my toy is awfully unfriendly. I was afraid he might try to bite someone.”

The faces of almost everyone at the table appeared even more intrigued at my simple excuse.