Aubrey 47

 Chapter 47

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The rumor traveled from house to house and finally reached the ears of Aubrey, the party.

"What the hell....... Who's spreading that crap around?"

In front of the stunned Aubrey, Trin became even more angry.

"That's right, do you know how ridiculous I thought it was when I heard that?"

Trine said she'd heard it from a fellow maid at the market she visited once a week. The lady you serve is getting married soon, she said, and even though Trin knew Aubrey couldn't possibly be getting married, she wondered if it would ever happen.

"If she knows, the rumor has already spread as far as it will spread....... What are we going to do, Miss?"

The only thing Trin was worried about was that the rumor would keep Aubrey from getting proposals. That all the nice gentlemen would give up on her. Trin chewed her lip and studied Aubrey's expression. She was steadfast, even if she was worried about the weak-minded young lady being swayed backward by a bizarre rumor. She didn't drop her notebook, nor was she angry.

"I can't help it, I just hope people don't believe the rumors."

Aubrey was sure it was Murfrio's doing, that the despicable man had finally gotten his hands on her.

"Ignore him, Trin."

With that, Aubrey left the room, but Trin was worried.

"I hate how people love to start rumors like that......."

She muttered something unspoken and hurried after Aubrey. 

***

The townhouse she had been looking for so long was now empty. All the furniture had been removed, as if they had really started rebuilding it as a hotel. Workmen, caked in gray dust, roamed the desolate expanse. Where should we hold our next meeting, she wondered, surely not at the Duke of Karnus’s mansion. As Aubrey frowned at the thought, Annie approached.

"There you are, Miss Sandalwood. And......?"

Annie cocked her head at the sight of Trin standing behind Aubrey.

"I'm sorry I'm late with the introductions, this is Trin, she helps me, and she said she wanted to come with me today."

At Aubrey's words, Trin awkwardly folded her arms at the waist in greeting. Annie smiled inwardly at the sight of her.

"The head of the company is upstairs. Shall we have the same tea as last time?"

"Yes. And if you'll excuse me, could you prepare something for Trin to drink?"

"Of course."

Leaving a smiling Annie behind, Aubrey climbed the stairs. This was her third visit, but for some reason, she couldn't get used to the grand staircase. Khaled was wearing a white shirt and gray slacks. Perhaps he likes that color, Aubrey thought. 

He was sitting on the couch, a couple buttons on his shirt undone, fiddling with his gold carter. Aubrey nodded lightly, and then sat down on the couch across from him. His gaze followed her, and then turned to Trin.

"Who is it?"

It was a simple question, but Trin froze and held her breath. It was the first time she'd ever seen Count Lavonne this close. Even at the banquet at the lord's mansion, she'd only glimpsed him from a distance, and even within breathing distance, his aura was murderous. She had the unreasonable fear that he was going to eat her lady.

"She’s helping me, and I brought her here because she wanted to come with me, and I'd like to stay with her, if you don't mind."

"You've already brought her and you're asking permission."

"Because I can't leave her outside."

Trin looked at the young lady, who didn't bat an eye in the face of the fearsome man. Wondering if she had taken some sort of strange drug before coming here, Trin quickly looked down when she realized the blue eyes were staring at her intently.

"You like freckles?"

Khaled asked.

"Maybe."

Aubrey's answer was simple. She flipped open the notebook she'd brought with her. As Aubrey leaned down to skim through her short story again, Khaled silently raised his hand, and then gestured toward Trin. It meant go down.

"Ah, Miss, I'll wait downstairs."

Finally, Aubrey looked up. She blinked innocently, then looked up at Khaled, who shrugged as if he knew nothing.

"I just thought you two were having a conversation and I was kind of intruding."

"Not at all."

"Yes. I'm having a hard time, Miss, I'll be downstairs."

"Well, just give me a minute, then, and I'll finish up and come down."

Still, Aubrey watched Trin's descent the entire way down. Khaled chuckled at the sight.

"You're very concerned about her. Do you care for her quite a bit?"

"She’s the only one on my side."

He had only asked if she cared for Trin, but Aubrey's eyes widened as if she were about to lose Trin. She tried to explain her scenario.

"I've heard some weird rumors."

At that, Aubrey forgot what she was going to say, not to mention the horrible rumor replayed in her head once again. Her thin eyelids fluttered shut.

"It's a rumor."

Aubrey tried to dismiss it quickly, but the man's gaze was insistent. As if he wanted another answer. Finally, she had no choice but to stare at him.

"Why?"

"Is it really a rumor?"

"I suppose you believed the rumor to be true, too?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, you don't, so let's get to work."

She was impatient. She had to get it all done before the rumors became true. She wondered if she's ever been this hot in her life. Aubrey swallowed hard as she thought about it. Come to think of it, she'd been with him the whole time. How ridiculous.

"Do you like him?"

His question pierced through her thoughts and stuck in her ear. His face was serious. There wasn't the slightest hint of playfulness, which only made Aubrey feel more bewildered.

"What are you talking about?"

"I asked if you liked him."

"Who? You don't mean Lord Hamburg, do you?"

Khaled waited for an answer, his expression unchanged. Aubrey was already annoyed, but it wasn't enough. She desperately wanted to hear that voice.

"You're asking questions that aren't worth answering."

"If it's not worth it, it's easier to deal with. Answer it."

"Ha....... I don’t, okay?"

If that wasn't annoying enough, Aubrey nailed it a few more times after that with, "I don't like him. Never." Then a slow smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Aubrey glanced at him and handed him the notebook.

"I've written about it briefly, but you should read it."

Khaled took the large notebook, which looked like it could have hit someone over the head. His icy eyes scanned the small print quickly. Aubrey licked her dry lips a few times with her tongue, though she feigned nonchalance. Being evaluated by someone was a pretty nerve-wracking experience. Especially when that person was Khaled Karnus. Only after a long moment did he move his lips.

"Autobiography."

He sneered, slamming the notebook down on the table.

"Sounds like the story of someone I've seen a lot of."

Khaled crossed his legs and scoffed.

"It's the story of a girl from a poor family who dreamed of a bright future despite having to share a bowl of watery soup, and how she won her dreams and love through virtual hard work......."

He trailed off, then shook his head.

"Does Miss Sandalwood think this is funny?"

"..."

"Such a lame story."

Aubrey clamped her mouth shut and stared at her hands on her thighs. She wanted to shoot back, but she couldn't think of anything to say, because he was right, the story she'd written was about a poor girl from a working-class family who eventually realized her dreams of shining, and he was right that it was a lame story, but there was a reason she'd written it.

"It's a story my mother used to tell me."

Diane would often get her books and read them to her. Some of them were fairy tales she'd made up herself, but all of them had protagonists living precarious, pitiful lives. Aubrey knew it was her. Because at the end of each story, Diane would tell her that if you work hard, you can have everything you want.

"I know it's lame, but it was the story I wanted to write, and it was the story I needed to write."

She would be thrilled to see this story turned into a play and put on stage. She could smile confidently at Diane, who would be watching from heaven, and tell her that she had done exactly what her mother had hoped.

"Miss Sandalwood."

A gruff voice woke her.

"Who do you think is coming to see this?"

"That..."

"You seem to have forgotten that it is the arrogant nobility who flock to Lavonne."

The heat of shame and embarrassment cooled as the unexpected truth sunk in.

"I'm going to make the Cannon Hall a very expensive affair, and I'm going to charge a fortune for every drink and food item sold in it. Not to mention the theater. Now tell me the play they would be willing to pay to see is the story of a poor girl's rise to success?”

"..."

"Would you like to see something like that if you were Emily Ravant?”

The answer was obvious. She didn't even have to think about it. But the man's words were crueler than ever: He was telling her that the future she and her mother had dreamed of was a lousy story that no one would pay to see, and it stabbed her in the heart.

"...... I'll rewrite it."

Aubrey fumbled for her notebook. The fumbling was pitiful and pathetic, even to herself. Sadness followed. She shouldn't have cried, but her eyes quickly filled with tears. Aubrey forced her eyes shut and never blinked. If she did, the tears would fall.

"Well, I'll get up first."

"Sit down."

Aubrey started to stand up quickly, but stopped in an awkward position.

"Write here."

With that, Khaled got up and headed for his desk.

"Rip that story apart or rewrite it, but do it here."

She should have asked why. But as soon as she opened her mouth, tears threatened to fall. Aubrey pressed her lips together and sat back down on the couch. Across the room, she could feel Khaled slide into a chair. The sounds of scribbling, papers flipping, and matches being struck were briefly interrupted. Aubrey squinted against her tear-streaked vision.

Don't cry. There was nothing she wouldn't do to survive. And for that, tears were a luxury. Aubrey quickly wiped the back of her hand across her eyes. The faint scent of cigar wafted through the air and touched her throat, which was still wet from the sobs she hadn't been able to swallow. Aubrey coughed a small cough and sharpened her pencil.

***

That was a miscalculation. There was no way he was going to get anything done with her in the study. Having failed spectacularly, Khaled irritatedly tossed the papers he'd been poring over away. His head fell back slowly. He rubbed at his face with both hands, shifting his gaze away out of habit.

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