Chapter 26
****
Louise felt like beating her chest in frustration, but she forced a smile.
Caius was her employer, and it was obvious that she had been asking him for favors.
"Your generous offer to me has nothing to do with this............."
"No, then I have no reason to do you a favor."
"Your Excellency, but.................."
He left the bewildered Louise standing and nonchalantly picked up the whiskey bottle and refilled the empty glass. The gurgling sound of the liquid echoed jarringly in the warm room.
"It's getting late, Louise, and unless you'd like to join me for a drink, I'd rather get back to my work."
"Yes....?"
He leaned over again, setting the glass down on the tray above the tub, and Louise half-turned in surprise.
His robe, which had been closed carelessly, had grown looser and looser with his continued movements, exposing his firm chest for a moment.
Still, as if Louise were the only one who seemed unperturbed, Caius slipped his large hand into the tub and swirled it wordlessly once. His touch was light and relaxed, even as he checked the water's temperature.
But to Louise's ears, the splashing sounded like thunder, like it was digging deep and churning in her stomach.
"Just think about it a little longer. I'll be back tomorrow..................."
She managed to say and turned around completely. As she reached for the doorknob, a voice rang out behind her.
"You should think about it. If you accept my offer just once, you won't have to ask me for such a lame request."
An innocent man was imprisoned, and he had no compassion for him. As the lord of such a large land, as a leader, did he not have the heart to do the right thing?
The evening's excitement was shattered by his stubbornness.
Such a cold man. What a selfish man.
He would choose her for a momentary need, and when her usefulness was over, he would leave her without a shred of compassion.
Louise knew it.
She knew he was like that from the way he treated Miriam that first day, but she was foolish enough to let the sweet temptation fool her into forgetting. She hated herself for being so excited.
Louise left his room, closing the door behind her.
She chewed her lower lip as she walked down the long hallway.
How could she help the Engel family? Should she really accept Caius's proposal?
No, she wondered if there was any way she could not accept this proposal.
Childishly, she wanted to take off the dress he'd given her right now.
****
The next day, she had a sleepless night.
When she woke up early, she chose her mother's dress, which Pauline had just given back to her, instead of the new one Caius had given her.
It wasn't that she was disappointed in him, that she was skimping on gifts, but that she was just trying to get back to being herself, she told herself.
Fortunately, it was a morning without gunfire.
She already knew when Caius was eating, because she needed to know his schedule to avoid him.
She waited for him to finish breakfast and went to his room.
Knock.
She was a little relieved to hear the man's voice calling her in, the same as the other times.
Once inside the room, Louise bowed awkwardly.
The man who had shown her his bare back the day before was dressed as usual. There was not the slightest hint of early morning weariness.
But when he saw Louise, he sighed, perhaps it was because she had taken off the dress he had given her.
"Is he really that important to you?"
Louise blinked slowly at the unexpected question.
"As I said, I have no personal connection to him.................., only that the Engel family has been in my favor over the years, and so.................., with all due respect, I ask again."
With that, she grabbed the hem of her dress and bowed politely. Caius shook his head as if she could not be dissuaded, and finally said.
"I'll complain to the Burg police, it's better than you fussing over it all the time."
Louise looked up. Her cheeks, hardened with tension, flushed with pleasure.
She gulped.
"Is it so good?"
"Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you so much........................"
"And while you're thanking me, you can do me a favor. Give and take, you know."
Louise understood his joke now, so she struggled to keep her lips from curling into a smile, then carefully opened them again.
"I was wondering, with your permission, if I could go to Melk today?"
She quickly added, not wanting to offend him again.
"I won't stop at my house, if you're worried, I just want to go to the church, lay my mother's ashes to rest, and tell the neighbors the news."
It should have been obvious at once that she wanted to break the news to Viscount Engel. Caius asked in a concerned voice.
"Why don't I accompany you, then we can stop by the police station and you can tell them in person that this man you are so concerned about would not steal something from your home."
At any other time, this would have been an unreasonable offer. But his offer to accompany her to the police station sounded so sweet.
She knew from experience that the police wouldn’t listen to her.
She wondered what it would be like to have a powerful man by her side.
With him, maybe she could save Pietro.
"..................I know you're busy."
Louise replied, unable to resist, and Caius let out a faint sigh.
"Of course I'm busy, but this seems like a chance to score big with you, and it's hard to pass up."
Eventually, Louise replied with a flushed cheek.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
***
The first thing Louise did was ask Miriam's permission to go out.
When she rejoined Caius and went down to the garden, the carriage was already waiting. It was ornate, with the coat of arms of Burg emblazoned in gold leaf.
Louise gasped briefly at the sight of it, but Caius escorted her in with a nonchalant touch.
"Let's get in."
Ehe wished she hadn't taken off her fancy dress this morning. Her attire was equally out of place next to the gleaming carriage and the Count.
Louise took the man's outstretched hand with embarrassment, and somehow, with that simple gesture, he lifted her up, and she found herself tiptoeing to the high carriage.
The ride to Melk with him seemed much longer than it would have been alone. As she hugged her mother's urn tightly, trying to forget the awkwardness, Caius spoke up.
"What was she like?"
It was a question without a subject, but since he was staring at the urn, she quickly understood. Louise smiled faintly, remembering her mother.
"She was a good............... woman. She was strict, but she also had a funny side."
The man listened and was quiet for a long moment.
It seemed he still had no intention of showing Louise the broken house. The carriage drove straight to the Melk Church.
The priests rushed out, panting as the Count’s carriage came to a stop. Caius sat in the carriage and grunted.
"I'll wait here."
Louise nodded quickly. She'd never expected him to act like a faithful believer, and it was a burden to accompany him under so many eyes.
Fortunately, as soon as she paid the price, she was given a small seat in the vault.
Standing alone, looking at her mother's urn, she felt a pang of sadness; for the past month she had been unable to lay her to rest because she had only a few coins.
The priest, who knew nothing of the situation, prayed in a calm tone.
"Now your mother will continue her spiritual life in paradise, where there is no need for lanterns and sunlight."
"Thank you."
Louise turned to face the priest and bowed her head.
As she straightened up, a white bouquet of flowers suddenly appeared before her eyes. Caius stood there, nonchalantly holding out the flowers.
"Flowers. She didn't have a proper funeral."
Louise took the flowers and fought back tears from her reddened eyes. The thank you was mumbled to herself, but the man would have understood.
She gently placed her mother's urn with the white flowers.
"I'll come back to see you again, Mother."
He said nothing behind Louise's back as she made the small promise, and she was grateful for the silence. If she had been alone, she would have cried.
It was only after a month that she found her mother a place to rest. Louise, her burden finally lifted, repeated her gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Your Excellency, for coming all the way here..... with me."
***
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