Unfortunately, the breakfast for Feyt today wasn’t served by Eliza. Instead, it was back to what I expected, something slightly high-class. But, it was unique enough to make me notice.
A plate of sliced meat roasted alongside some herbs, a side dish of seasoned scrambled eggs, coupled with a small bowl of warm broth, a cup of joe with sugar cubes, and a small shot of cream on the side.
Well, this is different.
I hadn’t had coffee in a good while, so I gladly took it inside and began scooping them up, trying my best to do so elegantly. No matter how much I tried to copy off of Carine’s muscle memories, I never could do them as consistently or as perfectly as she did.
I would always wobble a bit here or there, maybe miss a step from time to time. As expected, copying Carine’s memories wouldn’t be the easy way out I was hoping for. But still, it gave me some good framework I can train Feyt’s body out of.
After finishing the last of the dishes, I took a sip of the coffee. I immediately recoiled from its bitterness. My face was scrunched up, like a dried-out sponge. It felt like someone blended some dirt with water and called it a day. Needless to say, I dumped all the sugar cubes on the tray into the cup.
At least it woke me up though, and I needed that wake-up call.
After all, it was the day the sword class got kicked back on.
Already I saw a couple of carriages coming by, dropping kids and teenagers of all ages in front of our gate. A few of them hung around the front gate, possibly waiting for their friends, while a few already started their walk across the garden.
Although I should’ve been excited about this, I couldn’t help but find my chests still heavy to breathe through. But it doesn’t escape my notice that it didn’t feel so heavy compared to last night.
Leila’s presence was… definitely a big factor in that.
The breakfast in the dining room ended as quickly as it started.
Mother, as she did yesterday, walked off the dining room without uttering a single word, not even a glance at me, Father, or even Leila. We were all subtly looking at her as she made her leave seamlessly through the servant-opened doors. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
Leila, who stood behind my chair as she usually did, approached my side and poured another cup of tea as if nothing had happened.
I took a sip of the freshly poured tea, calming down my mind a little bit.
Father cleared his throat before talking to me. "Carine, I’m sure you know that your schedule starts today, right?”
“Yes,” I said with a nod, setting my cup down with not a single clink. “What about it, Father?”
He shook his head. “Just a reminder. The sword class will begin at early noon.”
“Of course, Father. I won’t be late,” I said with confidence. I mean, what else could I do besides being holed up in my room? But then, a question popped up in my mind, which I quickly translated into words, “Father, if I may ask, will Mother be teaching today?”
Father held silence for a moment. He exhaled through his nose and shook his head gently. “No, she’s not yet well, I believe. Perhaps a few more days of rest would be beneficial.”
A part of me wanted to feel relieved. This sense of helplessness all came from Mother after all, and having a class without her could probably help me focus more on the lessons. The other part of me though… was conflicted. Having a class without Mother felt… wrong, incomplete even.
I was starting to wonder if what happened that night was really my fault. I didn’t want Mother to avoid me any longer. Sure she was usually cold and overestimating me all the time, but never once had she acted this… distanced.
It was already the second day since Mother lashed out at me, and still, her sharp words echoed in my mind. I decided then and there, that was it.
I needed to settle this thing with Mother.
With how much this was hindering my mind, I definitely wouldn’t be able to focus on my training or even brainstorm ways to improve Carine’s reputation.
Tonight, after everything scheduled was done, I would try and talk things through with her at dinner.
I needed to steel myself. And for that, I needed to take today’s class seriously.
Several of the students who were already here had begun lounging around mostly on the first floor of the manor. They never wandered off willy-nilly though, they stayed in groups and either hung around in the lobby, sitting in the outer garden, or at the training courtyard further inside to warm up.
I saw quite a lot of familiar faces from this second-floor gallery, but also some new ones.
I began to wonder if having new classmates meant having to relearn the fundamentals again…
Yeah, that would be disappointing.
The entrance doors were opened once more by two maids, welcoming another student to the entrance lobby. I recognized his face in an instant, and I felt the urge to hide behind a pillar.
It was Raymond, the kid I was forced to “discipline”... Actually, it was more like bullying.
He wore casual clothes—casual for an aristocrat anyway—and carried with him what seemed to be a heavy bag. Some of the other students also brought their own bags, and while theirs do seem quite heavy, Raymond’s seemed like it was a level higher than theirs.
On one hand, I was glad he didn’t give up on learning swordsmanship because of that incident. My conscience wouldn’t let me sleep well if he quit because of me. On the other hand, I really didn’t want to face him directly after what I did to him.
And clearly, he didn’t either.
Raymond took a few steps inside, scanning the lobby for a few seconds, before inevitably looking up, locking eyes with me. In those eyes, I could still see the hatred he carried ever since that day. But, alongside it, I sensed an unnerving amount of… blankness.
I wondered if I imagined it.
Naturally, I began to regret not trusting my urge.
Deciding it was better late than never, I took this chance to take a step back, turn a heel, and walk away as if I saw nothing.
But I knew I needed to confront him soon. If I couldn’t even apologize to a kid of my approximate age, how was I going to apologize to Mother?
I didn’t mean that he was some sort of a stepping stone or anything, not at all. But if I was going to confront Mother seriously tonight, I needed to at least get past his hatred towards me.