Night of Eden 64

 Chapter 64

***

Everyone at Belvida noticed that Theodore Macmilan was  stranger than ever.

He was not engaging in conversation, not playing billiards or poker, not participating in any games. It was clear that something was bothering him, but no one knew exactly what.

His teammates Andrea, Emil, and Marcus were sure he wouldn't, at least not for this practice match.

They'd been upset by the Crown Prince's team in the final of the last competition, and Theodore had been sharpening his knives enough to change eight of his competition horses and their trainers.

But now, the last bit of faith he had left in them was crumbling.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Marcus shouted uncontrollably as Theodore committed his third foul.

"Are you sick, did you eat something wrong, huh?!"

Theodore didn't even pretend to listen and walked past Marcus.

"You, asshole!"

"Stop, stop."

Emil stopped Marcus, then looked back at Theodore.

"That was really dangerous. If you can't ride parallel to your opponent, don't even try to ride off. You've been telling me that every time we practice."

"Yeah."

Andrea chimed in.

"And it was a foul on the penalty line. You missed the free hit, but if it was Edwin, he would have scored. For sure."

Theodore shrugged off all the rebukes and reprimands and headed for the dugout.

"Master...."

Tilly handed him water and a towel, panting. Theodore took off his kneepads and flopped down in the auxiliary chair, still listening to the shouting outside.

"Man, what the fuck is wrong with him?"

"Watch your mouth, or you'll get your ass kicked again."

"...What the hell?!"

Tilly's heart sank. The last thing he wanted was for the captain, Master Theodore, to be the cause of team discord.

"Dude, let's not do this between us."

Thankfully, someone intervened.

"And Marcus, didn't you say earlier that you needed to go see your dad?"

Seconds later, Tilly saw Master Marcus stumbling out of the arena, his eyes following his back, then turning back to his master.

His master was still not even looking at them.

Surely this wasn’t how they were going to be eliminated from the qualifiers?

Wasn't this the same master who led them to the runner-up spot in the last Continental Cup?

Tilly was secretly hoping. Since he was traveling with him and not Nordstrom, maybe his master would allow him to stay with him until the final.

And now a mere maid was going to ruin it all.

I hope you can get over it in the real world... Please.

Tilly's prayers were to no avail, and Theodore was unable to concentrate at all on the mobs that were popping up everywhere on the field.

The sight of the maids' hats was enough to blind him now. Breathless and feverish, his eyes frantically searched for the light brown hair.

There was a line that must not be crossed.

Theodore had enjoyed being on that edge, even indulged in a bit of narcissism as he exercised his self-control. But now, that kind of self-control felt futile and overwhelming.

The memories in the warehouse made his body burn with desire. Even the frantic prancing of his horse and the twirling of his merriment did little to quell the twisted urges.

...What is she doing now?

She’s not seeing Nicola again, is she?

Dana had denied it vehemently, but the image of her smiling shyly in front of Nicola was still burned hotly in his mind.

At the same time, the unpleasant realization that she had never smiled in front of him before followed like a thread on a needle.

At least once, she would have smiled out of politeness, but she never did.

Yeah, she has never smiled in front of me. Damn it....

Feeling a burning sensation scratching at his throat, Theodore reached up and took a gulp of water.

When he faced forward again, he found himself face to face with someone he never wanted to see.

"Brother." (*Liana calls Theodore ‘brother’ out of respect for he’s older than her.)

Liana walked over, waving.

My fiancée.

"It's hot, isn't it? I've prepared tea for brother and your friends."

Her golden hair, the kind you don't see on the continent, glistened. The face of a woman everyone would hail as beautiful beamed back at him, but Theodore felt nothing.

It wasn't that he held any ill will toward her; he was just surprised that she looked so much like an object.

Liana Hastings was just 'there', like this ashtray, or that chair.

...Why would he ever think of marrying a chair?

He swallowed the newfound realization, and the next moment his thoughts were scattered. The sweet scent of wildflowers washed over him, making his ears ring.

"Quickly, Dana, before the ice melts."

Theodore's thoughts were quickly jumbled again by the haloed figure.

***

"Oh, my God, it's ice!"

"Edwin had put all that expensive machinery in the basement just for today!"

"Lady Hastingsis truly an angel."

Rob bowed politely, bending at the waist.

"To think that I should hand you, so kind and thoughtful, over to that cold-blooded man!"

Edinger pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose and pretended to swallow back tears.

Liana cupped her hands to her heated cheeks. Her heart softened somehow, along with the childish thought that she should have brought her friends.

"Dana, can you get the gentlemen over there a drink as well?"

"Sure."

Dana replied, pouring tea into glasses. The brick-colored liquid made a refreshing sound as it hit the clear ice. Wiping the water from the glass's surface, Dana tried not to glance toward Theodore.

Her body still shook from the events at the warehouse. But she couldn't dwell on it.

The moment to leave was fast approaching, and now it was time to think about how.

Under normal circumstances, she would have told the head maid by now that she had found a new job. But that was not what happened.

She'd be shocked, and she'd pry into her reasons for quitting so abruptly.

Her affair with Theodore Macmilan was a secret she would take to her grave. For her own sake, as well as for the young lady's, she must keep it that way.

Perhaps the head maid would say no way, how could she do that now, after all her training as a handmaiden. There was also the matter of the fact that telling the truth might be within earshot.

Putting it all together, Dana came to the sad conclusion that she should vanish like smoke.

Run away.

From the people who had become like family...

From this Belvida that felt like home....

"Ah, delicious. You did pretty well."

Lady Liana's cheerful voice said.

Dana had been slowly noticing that the young woman was suddenly distancing herself from her. She was a little disappointed, but not resentful. Resentment was an acceptable emotion when nothing was wrong.

Besides, Dana was not a very good handmaiden. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to say or do anything that would make her master look better.

Nor could she be a friend. Dana really liked her, but she wasn't brazen enough to continue to like her in this situation.

All she could do was do her job.

To do her best as a handmaiden until the end, that was the only thing she could do now.

Dana pulled herself together and placed a few glasses on the tray.

"Here! A drink for my master."

Someone raised a hand toward her.

It was the dark-haired man who had been the meanest man* in the smoke room so long ago. 

She was suddenly terrified. Hadn't Master Theodore followed her to the warehouse and done the unspeakable things to her because she'd spoken briefly to Nicola Richter?

Dana turned her head to look for him. Theodore was talking to Lady Liana.

"I hope I wasn't too intrusive." (Liana)

"...Not at all." (Theo)

"Still, I can't tell you how pleased I am that everyone enjoyed the tea the maid prepared, and I think I'm going to start learning the tea ceremony." (Liana)

"Whatever you say." (Theo)

He seemed so nonchalant as he answered.

Dana felt relieved, but also sick to her stomach.

How could he be so shameless?

“It's a good thing you're willing to make the embarrassing confession that I've been playing with the maid.”

She couldn’t believe he could say something like that and then stand by his fiancée like that.............

Dana was furious. At the same time, she felt strangely weak. A jumble of emotions tangled like a thread.

"Hey, here. Didn't you hear me?"

Dana snapped out of it. The dark-haired man was waving in her direction from earlier.

"Oh, sorry."

Dana quickly handed the cup of tea to him. She deliberately kept her expression stiff and her eyes on the ground.

Fortunately, what she feared hadn't happened. The other men recognized the maid from the waterfall and talked to her for a moment, but he didn't speak or pretend to know her.

A well-educated nobleman would not harass a maid. At least not in front of a lady.

Nothing of consequence happened until Dana had finished serving everyone in the room.

"When you're done, you can have a drink and rest."

"Yes."

Dana replied, looking around for a place to sit. There was an empty chair in the awning next to the athlete's box.

Dana pulled up a chair, sat down, and popped an ice cube into her mouth. The cold ice hit her cheeks and made her salivate.

The stinging sun had eased. A cool breeze blew over the hills, cooling her sweat.

At this time of day, when the sky was slowly turning darker, Dana liked to watch the sunset over the oak trees and mountain tops in the distance.

Maybe this would be the last time.

Dana thought bitterly, rolling the ice against her cheek with her tongue.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation. She looked up to see Theodore staring at her. The red man's eyes never left Dana's cheek, which had become puffy from sucking on the ice.

Hot saliva mingled with the cold ice. The feel of the man's tongue, the one that had lapped at her tongue, mouth, and lips the night before, came to life.

Dana felt violently dizzy, like she was being sucked into a whirlwind.

She gulped down the excess saliva and turned away from him as if to flee. Theodore turned his head just as quickly.

Just then, a muffled cry came from somewhere.

"Huh? What the hell?!"

Dana couldn't help but look up in surprise.

Marcus Drayton was stomping over the stadium safety board.

"Why is that bitch here?!"

Dana stumbled backwards, realizing that his accusing finger was pointed at her.

The men, remembering what had happened at the waterfall, hurried to block Marcus' path.

"Hey, wait!"

"You're in front of the young lady, watch your language."

Liana's eyes widened and she glanced back and forth between Marcus and Dana.

"Hey, get out of the way. That's her, right?"

He swung his arm this way and that. The other men gathered around, undeterred. Liana whirled around.

"What is going on? Why is brother Marcus doing that to you? Did something happen?"

"Oh, no. It's not that...."

Dana shook her head frantically.

"Get out, you!"

Marcus suddenly started charging like a bull.

“Dude, stop it.”

“Stop him.”

The calm waiting area quickly turned into chaos.

While everyone was distracted by the commotion, Theodore quietly pushed himself to his feet. Cold energy vibrated from him.

His pupils locked on Marcus, he slowly curled his fists and cocked his head to either side.

Tilly's heart sank as he watched.

His master must be stopped.

***

To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page 

https://ko-fi.com/doradora