Silver Skeletons: Book 3 The Rose Tree Chronicles

Chapter Two: A Plot Enacted and Threats Cast

"The Sovereign and his Parliament of the Kingdom of Noelle hereby hold that a 'Person' is defined as a citizen who possesses a free will and individual voice unobstructed by another absent of Royal Blood, Noble Classification, or Royally Appointed Authority... Therefore, a Person cannot be controlled or spoken for by another Person."

Makiar opened one of the large iron doors to welcome home Sir Rallian, who trudged into his castle with a heavy sigh. Slowly the seventy-two-year-old count, who appeared to be in his late forties due to being of a slowly-aging race, removed his mustard yellow coat and handed it to his butler along with his ivory dress cane.

"How was your meeting with the queen, my Lord?" Makiar asked.

"It was quite a bore at first, but it grew interesting rather quickly," the count replied. "Thank you, Makiar."

He peeked into his drawing room where he found Nadia asleep on the magenta settee. He gestured towards her as he spoke to Makiar. "Send her and Nazar into my study, please."

"Yes, my Lord," Makiar replied with an obedient nod of his head.

Then the count turned to the two slaves he had brought with him, Garnet and Mauro, who stood patiently by his side and waited for his next command. He waved Mauro away and then addressed Garnet.

"Fetch me something to drink; whatever is immediately available. Then learn the status on the cuff and report back to me."

"Yes, Master," said Garnet with a graceful curtsy.

Moments later, the count entered his posh study and sat at his desk right before Makiar entered with Nadia and Nazar. The count turned to Nazar and held out the sample of the seal for the Kingdom of Saíd.

"Have this seal forged for me, promptly."

"Right away, my Lord."

Nazar bowed and left the room. Then the count turned to Nadia.

"Nadia, have a seat."

Nadia sat in front of the count's embellished maple desk. From a simple glance of the room she gathered that the count certainly enjoyed his research and studies. The walls were lined with bookcases and a maple table had been set at the center of the room with a large map of Xyntriav stretched across the top of it. It seemed that this might be one of the few rooms which the slaves were rarely allowed to touch as there were books and papers aimlessly scattered about. The candlesticks which sat on every table and shelf were burnt to the base so that melted wax stuck to the furniture. Ink-stained quills lay on his desk and other tables, which created stains on papers scribbled with the count's own handwriting. Then Nadia couldn't ignore the used plates and chalices that were set aside in a corner of the room. They only just started to attract flies, even though she had yet to smell anything besides the faint scent of incense.

Count Rallian waved everyone in the room away so that he could be alone with Nadia. He leaned back in his throne-like seat and Nadia could only shyly glance at him once. In the window behind the large, intimidating man, she caught sight of a dim glow through the lavender curtains, but she looked away as quickly as she had looked away from the count. The last thing she wanted to do was bring any more unwanted attention to herself, or to Rein whom she suspected was the light in the window.

"I am Sir Rallian, Count of Helvetica," the count began. "The queen and myself are old acquaintances. This morning, she informed me that you were to be sent to the palace. Do you know anything about that?"

Nadia shook her head without looking up from the cream and tan rug on the stone floor. Slowly, realization seeped into her heart and mind that she had indeed went from princess to slave in but a couple hours. This would be her new life and there was nothing that she could do to prevent it. Her eyes watered, but produced no tears.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Rallian continued. "In either case, plans have changed. The queen has requested that I prevent you from arriving to the palace by any means necessary, and that I am to do with you as I please. Clearly, she has no desire for you to be anywhere near her. I can't be certain as to why, but instead, you will be living with me here at Aimonbay Estate."

Garnet returned with the count's drink. Nadia looked up at the young slave who appeared to be only slightly older than herself. She dressed elegantly like the rest of the slaves who worked inside the castle with her bright blue bedleh outfit. Her gold and emerald jewelry matched the accents on her top and around the waste of her large pantaloons, all of which jingled with her every move. The two girls made eye contact before the count addressed Garnet.

"Thank you, my dear. And please tell me that the cuff has arrived."

"It's ready when you are, Master," Garnet replied.

"Excellent. Bring it in along with Alik and Nazar."

"Right away, Master."

The count continued his lecture to Nadia once Garnet had left the room.

"So, my dear Nadia. I have many slaves, and I have many servants. Servants get paid, slaves do not. As I have many servants and carpenters, stonemasons, glass-smiths, landscapers, and blacksmiths – all of whom I must pay – and many people on my estate to feed and nurture, I cannot afford more servants. This means that while you live here with me, you cannot be a servant. You must be a slave. Worry not, there is nothing unfair about this situation since I will be feeding you and providing you with a roof over your head in return for your labor. It's a much preferred alternative to living on the streets, wouldn't you agree?"

Nadia nodded her head and casted her eyes back down at the floor. Rein, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, unable to accept this excuse as valid reasoning for owning slaves. Not to mention the fact that Nadia's alternative over Aimonbay Estate was the Helvetican Palace rather than the streets.

"Of course it is, especially during our brutal winters. And though my name may be Sir Rallian, you are to refer to me as 'Master,' as it is appropriate for slaves to do so."

Here, Garnet returned with the gold cuff on a violet, velvet pillow and presented it to the count. She was followed by Alik and Nazar, who waited patiently behind her for their next assignment.

"Beautiful," said the count. "Show the child."

Garnet held it lower so that Nadia could read what had been engraved into the gold:

                                                           Nadia

                                                Property of Sir Rallian

                                                   Count of Helvetica

                                                    Aimonbay Estate

                                                   Kingdom of Noelle

"This is what my slaves wear on their arms," the count explained. "You will do the same."

Nadia felt Alik's bony hands on her left shoulder and right forearm. His touch caused her to jump, which made him tighten his grip. Though Nadia put up no struggle, Alik held her firmly still while Nazar snapped the cuff onto her right bicep.

"These cuffs lock permanently and can only be removed with one tool. I have that tool and I only have one. This cuff will remain on your arm until you're freed, sold, dead, or need a new sized cuff because you've grown."

Those tears finally streamed down Nadia's cheeks, but the count paid no attention. Instead, he paced around his finely-decorated study and continued to explain Nadia's future to her.

"Slaves here at Aimonbay live differently than slaves elsewhere, even with wealthy owners like myself. This is because I have a large number of slaves, so I must have a differing strategy to ensure their respect and loyalty to me. I give each slave a job or two – sometimes more, depending on their various skill-sets. Since you're young and even you don't know much about yourself yet, you will merely clean and fetch water for the time being. My servants are to keep track of my slaves and keep them in line. They report any issues back to me by the end of each day. You will be assigned to Alik, my abarimon servant. I suggest you make him happy so that he reports good things about you to me."

Nadia glanced over at Alik and examined his boots. His feet were backwards, confirming he was in fact an abarimon. She tried to hide her surprise as she had never met one before. Of course, there were many ethnicities with which she had never been acquainted as she had lived the entire twelve years of her life beneath the ocean. She cast her glance back to the floor and continued to listen to her new master's words.

"I require my slaves to dress themselves," the count went on. "Your colleagues have left the duties of crafting clothing to those who are part napaeae. I'm sure they'll inform you more on that later. Lastly, you will be pleased to hear that I do pay my slaves as well. I give each a star a day and you get paid at the end of the month. This is simply to provide you with means of clothing. If you decide to do something else with your stipend, that is up to you. Just as long as you remain clothed well so to reflect the master to whom you belong.

"I also allow breaks for my slaves. This is only common sense if I want work completed correctly. I grant one day off a week and three hours each day. You may do whatever you will during those breaks, I simply ask that you keep out of the way of the construction and continue to reflect me well in public. I discipline my slaves strictly. How rash the fault determines how rash the discipline. The especially rash faults get whippings. The discipline for escape attempts, however, is far worse. If you really wish to know the consequence for escape attempts, ask around and perhaps you'll learn the easy way. While you ask around for that information, ask about the Slave Arena. Legally, you must be educated about it, but I'm far too lazy at the moment and I have a lot of work piling up by the minute. Garnet will show you to your bedchamber. I will call you back later tonight to speak with you more about your work schedule."

Nadia stood up to follow Garnet.

"Nadia." She paused. "In the future when I finish speaking with you, you will respond properly upon leaving. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master," Nadia softly replied, still unable to look him in the eye.

"Very good. You're a fast learner, I like that. Garnet, you may escort her to your chamber now."

"Yes, Master," Garnet replied with a curtsy.

Garnet led Nadia out of the study, which was directly across from a sizable parlor, and they proceeded down a massive corridor lined with large portraits of the count's family framed in platinum and silver. The two girls soon passed the grand hall and Nadia noticed an extensive mess of dust and broken stone where there used to be a large wall. This must be part of the construction that the count had mentioned during his lecture. She found it interesting that the disarray did nothing to hinder the faint whiff of mahogany cologne and fresh lilac which lingered about the castle.

Nadia continued to follow Garnet to a flight of stairs draped with a red and orange rug, which led the girls to the upper levels of the west wing. Garnet showed Nadia to the third floor and down to the end of another corridor where a second flight of stairs led up to a fourth floor. They didn't ascend these stairs, however. Instead, Garnet opened the door to the bedroom directly adjacent to the stairwell. Nadia stood in the doorway while Garnet entered and she studied her new residency. She observed two bleak beds, two termite-infested dressers, a window with no curtains that looked out to all that lay behind the castle, and a small iron table with a single chair and chamberstick. Nadia felt as though she peered through a door into her future, and she hesitated to step over the threshold. She was not yet ready to accept the bleak bed and termite-infested dresser as hers.

"We get to share a room," said Garnet with a genuine smile, excited to finally have a roommate.

Nadia glanced at this happy slave in a subtle kind of disbelief. Garnet looked back at her with sparkling green eyes, and Nadia couldn't help but softly smile in return. Garnet seemed like such a cheerful person, which Nadia felt she needed in her life after all that she had been through for the past several years. Right when circumstances were supposed to improve for her, they appeared to only worsen. Then without warning, a cluster of sobs forced their way from Nadia's chest and once the tears started to flow, she couldn't get them to stop. Garnet was quick to embrace her and gently led her through the door and into the bedroom.

"Oh, no, Nadia! It's not so bad here. So many others have it worse. You're actually kind of fortunate to be at Aimonbay."

                                                                ***

Rein only stayed long enough to see where Nadia's bedroom was located (or "bedchamber" according to the count), and then she flew off towards the palace of Helvetica. Now that she felt confident that Nadia was safe for the time being, she had to learn more about why the intended course of events had been interrupted. She found it difficult to believe anything that the count had told Nadia. For some reason, Queen Ariana didn't want Nadia to arrive and had asked the count to do something about it? Rein had to find out if this was true, and if so, if anyone else was in on the scheme and why. Once she was aware of all the fine details she could figure out what to do to fix this, or if there was anything that she could do to fix it.

Rein approached the palace two hours after the Southern sun had set, and the Northern sun neared the horizon. The lavender sky reflected off the silver dome towers and the white walls of the Helvetican Palace. It took Rein some time to find a window that allowed her a visual of the throne room. There, the king and queen sat anxiously on their embellished silver thrones where they impatiently awaited Nadia's arrival. Rein found herself blinded once more by the bright colors which dominated the throne room. All light bounced off the platinum floor, which acted as a mirror for the present royal court and the buffet, which consisted primarily of green, purple, and red grapes. In fact, mirrors almost completely covered all four walls of the throne room, which made it appear larger than it really was. Rein's attention mostly focused on the mass quantity of mirrors as it was a decorating style foreign to her, and it made her curious as to the source of inspiration.

After forcing away her perplexity at the over-use of mirrors, Rein turned her attention to the throne room as a whole. It was clear that at least someone still expected Nadia to show up because the room had been gloriously decorated with pale pink banners and pink, lavender, and yellow flowers. Everyone present was dressed up for a ball, a banquet had been prepared, the band was ready to play, and now all there was left to do was to welcome the little girl home.

Rein examined the faces of everyone present and it seemed that they had been waiting here for quite a while. The three princes (Myrdor, Raynar, and Colton) stood in line from youngest to eldest beside their mother's throne and tried desperately to appear as disciplined as possible in their white and silver military uniforms.

The king's leg bounced with anxiety and he chewed his nails so low he would soon gnaw on his fingertips. Had this graying sovereign no idea that his own wife had impeded on Nadia's arrival to the palace? His own wife who sat next to him and stroked the white rabbit in her arms. Or was everything that the count had told Nadia a lie? But then again, how would he have known that Their Majesties were expecting Nadia's arrival if the queen hadn't told him?

Queen Ariana, who appeared to be many years younger than the king even though she was only a couple years younger, would glance at her husband with an irritated glare in her eyes, but she would say nothing. Finally, right when Rein was about to leave from boredom, Ariana's husband spoke up.

"You're certain she's coming?" King Darren questioned Polaris.

The royal adviser stood beside his king's throne with his arms crossed over his chest. He was the only one present dressed in a dark tunic and pants, but he too grew weary of waiting for someone, anyone, to show up.

"Unless another bears knowledge of your dream, she should arrive," Polaris assured.

"Who else could know of our dream?" Queen Ariana asked. She brushed the rabbit fur off the yellow ruffles of her gown.

"And what difference would that make?" added Darren.

"If you told someone, or someone overheard, they could make an effort to compromise Nadia's arrival," Polaris explained. If he was at all worried about this theory, he didn't express it.

"Why would anyone prevent her arrival?" asked the king.

"To spite you, sire."

"Well I've told no one," Ariana said.

Rein narrowed her eyes at the queen. It was clear by Ariana's quick evasions that Count Rallian had told Nadia the truth.

"Nor have I," Darren added.

"And nor have I," said Polaris. "So, unless someone overheard, she will show."

Right then, a courier entered the throne room with a letter on a silver tray. He strode passed the hot pink pillars which led him directly to the thrones, where he kneeled on the sky-blue runner in front of his rulers. King Darren received the letter and read it to himself. All present waited anxiously to learn of its contents, but he failed to acknowledge their curiosity.

"I will not be made a fool like this!" King Darren roared once he finished. He shot up from his throne, which caused some of the silver butterflies in the room to spin away. "The nerve I tell you!"

"What is it, Dear?" Ariana asked, feigning concern.

Polaris took the letter, examined the seal, and read its contents. Rein leaned forward from the window in which she stood, hoping that he would read it aloud. She was quickly disappointed.

"Nadia was kidnapped and the Kingdom of Saíd is responsible!" King Darren answered his wife. "We are to surrender the kingdom if we wish to see her!"

"What?" Rein asked under her breath. "That doesn't make sense..."

"Well this is just horrible!" said the queen.

"It is humiliating! Unacceptable, and I will not stand for it!"

"Well... what are we to do?"

"After this insult? I will attack Saíd before they attack me!"

"I would advise against that," Polaris stated calmly.

Ariana's gaze shot in Polaris's direction. "You would what?"

"Well you must observe the situation, Your Majesties," Polaris explained. He stepped in front of the thrones to face the king and queen directly. "You've received letters from King Klaris before. Does this resemble his handwriting to you? Or his signature? Does this letter sound at all like the others? And since when did Klaris show any interest in Noelle?"

Rein was extremely interested in that letter. She wondered what it was about the writing style which made Polaris so certain that it had not been written by King Klaris. Then if it hadn't been written by Klaris, who had written it?

"He could've had his scribe write it," Ariana argued. "And people often change, Polaris."

"Indeed they do, Your Majesty. But so quickly? The last time we've heard from him was only a week ago. And we both know he prefers to write his own letters."

"Something could've happened. He may have been too occupied to write the message himself."

"Then just heed my warning, Your Majesty. A sovereign shouldn't be so quick to go to war. By what I see from this letter, I suspect Nadia is still in this kingdom – in Helvetica even. Perhaps as a slave as she was in the Slave Market in your dream. It appears someone intervened and bought Nadia for himself and the original gentleman was unable to do so. I would suggest assembling a search party for, say, a month to search everywhere in the kingdom. In the meantime, reply to the letter. Explain to Klaris about this one you've received, your suspicions, and ask if he wrote it. Then, if he replies in the affirmative, send your own warnings and attempt to settle the matter through negotiation. If he still fails to be civilized, then you will be justified to go to war."

"That is a preposterous waste of time, Darling," Ariana calmly said to her husband. "It's clear by the seal that this is from the Kingdom of Saíd. We need no reassurance."

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, seals are easy to forge when one has the means."

"But what are the odds?"

"I'd say the odds are good in Helvetica. There are many wealthy people to whom you send letters. Families of the nobles may live in prosperity, or even conduct business in other countries. It shouldn't come as a surprise if any of them have access to other royal seals. This would give Helveticans the means to forge this seal and write a letter themselves pretending to be King Klaris."

"Why would someone wish to pretend to be King Klaris and demand we hand the kingdom over to him?" Ariana asked.

"There are some citizens who desire a war for their own purposes, Your Majesty," Polaris answered. "Lord Mendor, the baron who owns the major weapons forge in Mayove, is a prime example of a noble who would profit well from a war."

"Darren," Ariana said to her husband. "His plan is daft. We don't have time for senseless search parties and needless reassurance. It is clear that Noelle has been threatened!"

"He is right, Ariana," Darren said. "We shouldn't be so quick to go to war and the letter is suspicious. I will write a response and send out a search party until I hear back from King Klaris. But mark my words, someone's head will roll for this note of offense, Klaris or not!"

King Darren crumpled the letter in his fist and threw it on the platinum floor, which reflected the court's reactions of fear and confusion. Rein's hopes shot up and she waited desperately for a chance to retrieve it.

"Clean this up!" Darren demanded as he gestured madly at the decorations. "I want everything looking the way it was before this happened!"

Then he stormed out of the throne room in a massive fit of rage, and his sons silently trailed behind.

Queen Ariana sighed angrily and glared at Polaris through her baby-blue lashes. "Very well. I suppose it shouldn't take an entire month to hear a response from Klaris."

Then she, too, left the throne room.

Polaris glanced at the servants who stood around him motionless. "Well you heard the king. Clean everything up."

Then he left the throne room as well, combing his fingers through his short black hair. Rein waited for the court to exit next and then glanced around at all the busy servants who did as they were told and paid attention to nothing else. She gently pushed open the unlocked window so to make no noise. This was her chance. Quickly, she darted into the flower-filled throne room, snatched the letter, and took it with her into an adjacent tree. She spread the parchment out in front of her and used her glow as a light so that she could read what had been written in it. Her brows scrunched together as she tried to make sense of the words.

King Darren of Noelle,

My men have stumbled upon a noble gentleman with a young girl pleasantly making their way to your palace this morning. The girl says her name is Nadia and mentioned that you may be expecting her. How unfortunate that she was unable to make her entrance, but allow me to offer a proposition: she may arrive eventually if you surrender your kingdom to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

                                                                                                                         ~ His Royal Majesty

                                                                                                                            King Klaris of Saíd

"I don't understand," Rein said to herself. "How... how?"

She folded the letter back up and glanced around in thought as if the answer was written in the air. Then she recalled the count handing something to his servant and saying, "Have this seal forged for me, promptly."

"So... this letter is a hoax!" Rein rubbed her face in frustration. What could she possibly do now?

                                                                ***

Queen Ariana stormed up to her bedchamber where she set her rabbit on a section of red brick flooring among his fluffy friends and stomped up to her writing desk. She whipped out a piece of parchment and quickly dipped her quill into her inkwell to begin constructing another letter. She wrote with such a heavy hand that she nearly ripped the paper apart with the nib of her quill. Then, she sealed the envelope and rang the servants' bell beside her bed for Lusi. While she paced the white fur rug with angst, her wrath grew to the point of eruption. Unable to contain herself any longer, she snatched the flowerpot from the mantle of her fireplace and chucked it against the wall so that some of her many mirrors tumbled to the floor. Shards from the pottery and glass mixed with the dirt and landed about her rabbits. The poor rodents dodged the sharp pieces and hissed at the queen, baring their pointed fangs.

"You fancy yourselves frightening?" Ariana snapped. She took a seat at her vanity and lifted a small crystal vial from a reflective tray. She twisted it between her thumb and index finger in front of her face. "We have no fear of you or your venom."

She swirled the thick, pink fluid around inside the bottle. Finally, her lady in waiting entered and curtsied.

"You rang, Your Majesty?"

"Take this to Sir Rallian immediately. Then fetch someone to clean up that mess and hang new mirrors on the wall!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

                                                                 ***

In the meantime, Count Rallian was busy in his own chamber, cleaning out his maple wardrobe and dresser drawers of silk and satin shawls and frocks. He put most of what he found in wooden trunks, as if he was packing to move.

"I require a separate trunk for her trinkets," he said to Nazar, who stood off to the side.

"Yes, my Lord."

Makiar entered and stood in the doorway just as Nazar bowed in response to the count. The two servants accentuated each other's appearances when they stood side by side. Nazar was tall and thin and his bow did nothing to make him appear any shorter while Makiar was short and meaty and this was only exaggerated in contrast with Nazar.

"My Lord," said the satyr butler after Nazar had left the room. "You have another letter from Her Majesty."

"Bring it here," the count ordered.

Makiar left to retrieve the letter from Lusi. The count sat on the edge of his white and silver bed to take a moment to rest and watched his light-skinned daughter fold a dark green tunic to place neatly in a trunk. Her petite lady's maid knelt beside her and worked silently through another pile of fine clothing.

"Do any of those fit you, Skye?" the count asked his daughter.

"Unfortunately, no," she answered in a melancholy tone.

"Then take the jewelry to your chamber. They're yours. Perhaps you and Miss Lynn can share them."

His daughter looked up at him with round, lavender eyes. Then a light pink smile slowly grew on her face and her lady's maid matched her excitement.

"Thank you, Father," said Skye.

"You are too kind, my Lord," Miss Lynn added.

Lady Skye stood quickly, but paused to address her lady's maid. "Wait here, Lynn. I'll simply put this on my vanity and I'll be back to continue packing Mother's things. We can look through it together later tonight."

"Yes, my Lady," Lynn replied.

The count's daughter quickly left the room with the sterling silver jewelry box. Makiar returned with the letter on a silver tray and Rallian read the contents while Nazar entered with the requested trunk. Then the count sighed and stood up from the creaky bed to address Makiar.

"Go out to town and purchase some black dye, then place an order to recreate Nadia's cuff. Her new name shall be... Lila. I expect it to be complete within three hours from now. Take it to my study when it's finished."

"Very well, my Lord. Shall I inform the lady to await a reply to Her Majesty?"

"No, simply tell her that the contents of the letter have been noted and send her on her way."

"Yes, my Lord."

Makiar bowed and left the room just as Lady Skye returned. Her pale green dress brushed against his furry legs and she gathered the skirt up in her delicate fingers.

"Skye," Rallian said to her. "I have some important business to attend. Finish packing your mother's things for me. I'll endeavor to return before you're finished."

"Yes, Father," Skye replied.

She brushed her bright turquoise locks behind her pointy elf ear and played with the twisted tips while she joined her lady's maid to continue folding and packing clothes.

                                                                ***

Nadia was near finished crying when she heard a gentle tap on the window. She and Garnet turned their heads and Nadia recognized Rein immediately.

"Rein Bow!" she exclaimed.

Right away, Nadia got up and opened the window to invite Rein in.

"Nadia!" Rein said.

"You know a pixie?" Garnet's eyes twinkled at the sight of Rein in her bedroom.

"She's a family friend," Nadia explained.

"I swear, Nadia," Rein said. "I will get you out of this as soon as possible."

"How?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll figure something out and I'll get help. I don't have all the pieces together, but I think the count is trying to start a war and is using you as collateral. He sent a note to King Darren under Klaris's name asking for the kingdom if they want you back."

"You know the king and queen?" Garnet asked Nadia.

"No, I was just supposed to go live with them, but I never made it," Nadia answered. "The queen doesn't want me there."

"Indeed, but I doubt she wishes for a war between her kingdom and another's," Rein said. "Hopefully something changes when she finds out about what her friend is up to." She glanced at Garnet. "Can she be trusted?"

"What?" said Garnet. "I can keep a secret. Just don't tell anyone I know about it if it's found out."

Rein paused. "Fair enough." She turned back to Nadia and pulled a golden ear cuff from her satchel. "Wear this over your right ear to hide the chip. It's a tell-tale sign that you're cursed, and we can't have the count knowing about it."

"You're cursed?" Garnet asked as the smile faded from her face.

"No one else can know of this," Rein explained.

"My lips are sealed."

"Good. Nadia, where's the ball?"

"I left it in that cave by the Aquamarine," Nadia answered.

"You what?" Rein exclaimed.

"It's buried, it's safe!"

"You'd better hope it is! Next chance you get, Nadia, go get it. We must find a better place to hide it."

Then there was a knock on the chamber door and Rein flew off to avoid being seen.

"Nadia?" came Alik's voice.

"Yes?"

"Your master wishes your presence in his study."

Nadia was about to step out of the bedroom when she realized that she was still dressed in her dirty clothes.

"May I change first, sir?" she asked.

There was a moment of silence on the other side of the door. "Be quick."

Garnet let Nadia borrow a bedleh purple outfit from her wardrobe. It was slightly big on her, but it would do for the time being. Then, she put the cuff on her ear and followed Alik to the count's study. She didn't like the upset look on the count's face when she curtsied before him.