Chapter 23
***
"By the way, Martin."
Caius turned and called the butler back.
"Speak, my lord."
Martin turned around from a couple of steps away and looked at his young master.
Caius spoke in an unpleasant tone.
"The wolves at the entrance to the hunting grounds, release them on the mountain."
Martin's eyes narrowed; it was a command he had longed for, but had always been denied, no matter how many times he had asked.
"You mean all..................?"
Caius simply nodded at the butler's uneasy tone.
"All of them. And get some turkeys and pheasants and big birds from the poultry house and move them over there."
It was the strangest order he'd ever heard, but Martin didn't ask why.
"Yes, master."
He was thrilled to get those vicious wolves out of the manor.
***
Returning to her room at the end of class the next day, Louise saw a few gold coins on her desk.
Her weekly paycheck for the second week glittered on her plate, and she felt a little empty. There had been no invitation from Caius to dine with him this time.
He'd been out a lot lately. Hunting in the increasingly cold northern weather, and the front door was bustling with visitors.
Louise put the coins in her pocket and counted them. She hadn't lost a penny since coming to Burg, so she was definitely on target.
After some thought, she put the coins back in her pocket and left the room. She was surprised to realize that this was the second time she had visited his room uninvited.
Knock.
Maybe he was away, she thought, but she heard "Come in." The man's voice sounded exactly the same as usual.
Louise cautiously turned the doorknob, the cuffs of the dress he'd given her tickling the back of her hand.
As she stepped into the room, there was a pungent reverberation, unlike before. Caius jerked his chin toward the half-open window and spoke coolly.
"I wouldn't have smoked it if I'd known you were coming."
Sure enough, there was a cigar still smoldering on the side of his desk.
It smelled unfamiliar and strong. Cigars were one of those expensive hobbies of aristocratic men that Louise didn't understand.
"It's okay."
Caius watched Louise awkwardly tug at her lips.
"You didn’t come here just to stare, should I expect to hear an answer?"
The thought of her answering back had never occurred to him. What the man was doing was, at best, urging, at worst, blackmail.
What a fuss. It felt like a love game between lovers.
His absurd choice of words made her blush. Louise pursed her lips in embarrassment before answering.
"Your Excellency, how could you say something like that.................. that would be misunderstood if others heard it? I mean, I've asked you before.................."
Caius didn't wait for her to finish before interrupting.
"Alas, you mean the funeral, hmm, you want to go now?"
For a moment, Louise read a hint of distress on his face.
It was natural to want to rush to her mother's funeral, but it was already too late.
If, for some reason or other, she had to delay it for a few more days, she didn't know what to do.
"Louise, the truth is."
Caius paused, as if about to say something, then stood up. Louise waited for him to continue, but he merely closed the open window and put on his coat.
The man grabbed another tail coat, this one with fur on the collar, and looked at Louise.
"If you're not too hungry, how about we take a walk together?"
Emerald eyes blinked in confusion.
He draped his coat over Louise's shoulders. The man's scent wafted in.
When Louise flinched, Caius smiled, rather amused.
"I'm not sure Miriam gave you a proper tour of the garden."
Maybe it was the unfamiliar scent, but the words made her feet tingle like a spell.
She had taken two walks with Miriam in the past few days, but they’d only visited the goldfish pond as promised.
Miriam's nervousness as she gazed out at the forest to the west had made her too anxious to explore further.
Pauline had told her that the goldfish pond was a small area, less than two-thirds of the garden.
The hem of his coat, which should have touched his thighs, squirmed under Louise's knees. The unfamiliar weight of the large garment was also awkward, and she hesitated.
"I can stop by my room for a moment and put on my own clothes.................."
Caius insisted.
"My clothes are warmer. Let's go."
***
The sun was just setting in the garden, the tall trees rustling their leaves in the breeze.
Dotted with oil lamps against an ultramarine blue sky, they worked their magic, making even the open garden mysterious.
She didn’t know if it's the joy of finally having her mother in the shrine that made it all so beautiful.
"I've noticed it before, but the garden is beautiful, Your Excellency."
Caius responded humbly to Louise's praise.
"Thank you for your kind words. It's more Martin's work than mine."
The heavy coat draped over her shoulders made the crisp late-autumn breeze only slightly cooler.
They walked through the gorgeous gardens in the twilight.
With her difficult employer, Louise's steps were lighter than they had been during the day.
Perhaps it was because she was relieved to be in the company of a strong man, instead of Miriam, who was anxiously glancing off into the western woods.
She could no longer hear the animal cries that had been haunting her ears the entire time.
As they approached the pond, Louis gathered her courage.
Hunting was considered a favorite pastime for aristocratic men of this era, but if the Margrave recognized his sister's fear, he would ensure that it never happened, at least not inside the mansion.
Just as he realized his sister's abuse too late and worked to punish the teacher.
"You said there were animal cages near the hunting grounds?"
Caius nodded slowly and asked,
"Nothing much, but would you be interested in seeing them?"
She hadn't expected him to be willing to show her. Louise was a little taken aback.
"What kind of.................. animals? Do you keep any scary mountain beasts?"
The man burst out laughing.
"Are women always this imaginative? Even Miriam said she heard something crying, and she hasn't looked at the west garden in a while."
"Then......."
Caius glanced toward the western woods.
"It's a short walk uphill, would you like to come with me to see?"
Louise swallowed dryly. If the wolf was there, she had a favor to ask of him, and if not, she had to clear up Miriam's misunderstanding.
"If you don't mind if I.................. go."
He led the way willingly, heading west into the forest.
The sky was growing darker and darker. Louise walked close behind, afraid she would lose him.
-Beep, beep!
-Carrrr, carrrrr!
Louise stood in awe at the animal cage she finally came upon.
Two large turkeys and three pheasants scurried around frantically gobbling up food. The floor was littered with grains that the birds had pecked and spilled.
"These flying beasts are easy to capture. They're fun to shoot with a rifle, but they're also a valuable source of food and eggs."
Louise hiked up the hill imagining dire wolves.
But all they had were the ubiquitous livestock, and food came naturally to this aristocratic man's lips. Louise felt like she was dreaming.
After a moment of stunned silence, she burst out laughing.
The man chuckled as well.
"Are you laughing? Do you think it's funny that a Count would hunt and eat pheasants himself?"
Louise shook her head.
"Of course not, it's just...... It's just not how I vaguely pictured you."
"I'm probably not as bad a guy as you think either."
Caius's outburst made Louise pause. It was as if she'd somehow managed to pull out all the stops to reject him.
Perhaps, like mistaking a cattle pen for a wolf pen, she had misjudged the man. (*there were wolves but Caius told Martin to release them in the mountain).
***
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