Loud footsteps echoed in the whole house. It only stopped when the old woman was standing in front of the painting. Madam Kris' brows were furrowed as she looked at the poor thing. Then she looked at the corner, where a young boy was standing. The boy had a blonde hair with blue eyes. Sydnee was surprised to see his features. Those features were of royal blood.
She remembered some time ago, a news in the television that featured the coronation of Prince Edrick as the Crown Prince. He has a blonde hair and blue eyes, traits that were seen in western countries. It was justified because the current queen has the same traits, but some folks believe that the current crown prince was a fake one.
Seeing someone with the same royal traits, Sydnee could not help but to swallow hard. She had a bad premonition of what would happen to the poor kid if the king knew of it.
"Hector," Madam Kris called the boy. "You can't play saucer inside the mansion. You almost hit Sydnee. Apologize to her!"
She was startled by Madam Kris' words. She hurriedly shook her head. "No need. He did not hurt me at all!" she said and laughed awkwardly.
Madam Kris raised her brow at her and looked at the young man standing beside her. It was at that moment that Sydnee remembered the one who pulled her back to avoid being hit by the saucer.
"Sir," she said and turned towards him. She bowed. "Thank you for saving me."
There was silence, and then a deep laugh echoed in the four corner of the mansion. Sydnee froze when she heard the familiar voice. "Miss, no need to be polite!"
Two warm hands held her shoulder up and helped her to stand straight. Sydnee raised her head and she saw the same young man who she had met upstairs. He was smiling down at her. Flustered, Sydnee immediately looked away. "Uh..uhm okay," she whispered.
"Alright. I'm glad that the problem's resolved immediately. Sydnee, you can go to the kitchen and get something to eat. Charles, help Sydnee out. Sheila, follow me outside. And Hector, go to the punishment room to receive your punishment. You'll copy a hundred of memorials. And make your handwriting clear. Do you understand?" Madam Kris asked the poor boy at the corner.
Hector nodded. "Yes, Madam."
"Good." Then Madam Kris and Sheila walked towards the entrance.
Sydnee then stepped forward, walking towards the kitchen when Charles stopped her. "May I introduce myself?" he asked.
She looked at him and smiled. "No need." Then she turned around and continue walking ahead.
Charles watched Sydnee's back and then smiled to himself. He found an interesting girl, but Madam Kris warned him not to mess with the new tenant. He wondered why? Nonetheless, it was fun to watch Sydnee's flustered face. He grinned and followed her.
When Sydnee arrived at the kitchen, she saw a few cooks who were working hard. She took a glimpse at the big wall clock near the door and found that it was almost six in the evening.
"What do you want to eat?" Charles stood behind her. "Tell them and they will cook it for you."
"I thought we will cook our own food?" She tilted her head to the side while watching the two cooks busying themselves at the kitchen.
If there were cooks, then where do Madam Kris get the funds for their salary? Uh. She forgot. They were Duke Theodore's men. 'Of course, the duke will provide,' she thought to herself.
"There's no need for that," Charles said.
"So tenants who can't pay the rent are only task to do the cleaning?"
"Clever girl."
Sydnee walked towards the table full of light dishes. Those dishes were also served at the duke's mansion, and she did not know the names of some yet she found them delicious.
"Miss Sydnee, Madam Kris told us that you'll only eat light foods because it is already late," one of the cook said.
"Late? What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
She then heard a chuckle from behind. "In this mansion, we are not allowed to eat past six in the evening. It is not good for the body to eat late. Also, it is recommended to eat light foods if you eat past six."
"Uh." She looked at the foods on the table. "Okay then."
She just woke up and if not because her stomach was grumbling, she would not eat. She had no appetite after woking up but now that she knew about the little tradition in that old mansion, might as well eat than wait for Madam Kris' scolding.
Charles sat opposite her and he watched her as she ate. She was flustered as she felt the penetrating gaze from him. Sydnee tried to ignore his presence but whether intentional or not, Charles would put something on her plate when she was not minding him.
"C-Can you go out?" she whispered.
"What?" Charles asked, even though he heard clearly what Sydnee was asking of him. He just wanted to tease the girl sitting in front of him. He was a little bit annoyed that Sydnee was ignoring him.
"Can you not s-stare? It's rude," she said and her brows furrowed in annoyance.
Charles smirked and smiled at her. Before he could utter a word, he heard heavy footsteps coming in their direction. His eyes widened a little bit. He was familiar with that sound of footsteps. Wasn't those from the duke?
He was right when he saw the man appeared in the entrance of the kitchen. The two cooks heard those footsteps ahead and knew that the duke visited once again. They stopped their work and bowed facing the entrance.
Sydnee felt the strange atmosphere so she turned her head to look at the entrance and saw Duke Theodore. Her mouth gaped in shock and she hurriedly stood. "D-Duke," she greeted, flustered by his sudden appearance.
The duke raised his hand and Sydnee calmed down. The butler behind the duke spoke, "Miss Sydnee, the duke is here to fetch you."
Then Duke Theodore looked behind and the butler nodded. "You can eat your dinner first. We will wait for you."
And just how fast they appeared, the two disappeared before her eyes. Sydnee gulped hard. The duke would wait for her?
She immediately sat to finish the food in her plate.
"So you are that commoner who was picked by the duke," Charles said.
Sydnee did not mind what Charles was saying. She put all her attention in finishing her food. A few minutes after and she cleared her plate.
Charles chuckled. "How lovely. You finished it all."
Sydnee reached for the glass of water and drank. "I'll go," she said and stood.
But Charles also stood and held her wrist to stop her. She was startled and she looked behind. Before her eyes, she saw Charles smiling at her. What's wrong with this guy?