Chapter 50
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Late at night, he barged into the lady's quarters in such a casual manner. It occurred to Aubrey in retrospect that he was the owner of the estate. Aubrey smoothed the collar of her nightgown with her hand. Trin hastily grabbed a towel and dried her hair. Khaled watched the process wordlessly.
But something was off.
He was just looking at her with his usual eyes, but the places his gaze swept over felt unusually hot. She felt naked, even though she was clothed. It wasn't until her hair finally stopped dripping that Aubrey was able to sit up to face him. Trin stepped back and stood pinned against the wall.
"What happened?"
His gaze was still strange. So she couldn't even look him in the face. Aubrey lowered her gaze as if she were looking at her racing heart.
"I was just wondering if there was a woman on my property who left without a mouse or bird noticing."
"It was out of my control."
"I know. That's why I didn't blame you."
Aubrey narrowed her eyes. Wasn't 'the woman who left the house without a mouse or bird noticing' a blaming phrase?
"Where were you yesterday?"
He asked, leaning his upper body closer, a faint hint of his cool, crisp scent wafting around her nose, mingling with the warmth he exuded.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I asked where you slept last night."
"I slept here."
"Alone?"
"Uh, no. I shared a room with Trin."
Aubrey held her breath as she looked at the man's face, which was closer than she'd expected. For once, she couldn't figure out what was wrong with this man.
"Have you been drinking?"
She realized now that he smelled faintly of alcohol.
"Did you sleep alone?"
"I slept with Trin. Why?"
Khaled jerked his upper body back and licked his tongue. Aubrey watched, breathless.
"You've been drinking?"
"I had a meeting."
"Do you drink at meetings?"
"If the other person is a drinker."
So that was it. Aubrey nodded. She'd thought he'd followed her all the way here, but apparently not.
"I thought you were in the capital, but you're here on business."
"I was going to make something out of nothing."
"What?"
"Because of you."
For a moment, her thinking stopped. He had followed her here after all. Make something out of nothing. But why?
Was he afraid she was going to run away?
"Have you written a new scenario?"
He changed the subject, which was odd. She felt like she was on a boat with no destination.
"I'm working on it, but I'll definitely have it ready next time you see me."
"I bet you've been sitting next to that fat guy and thinking of all the best scenarios."
The man's sarcasm was familiar. No matter what she said, he acted like she was in the palm of his hand. But now it was strange. It felt strangely misdirected. Aubrey decided he was drunk.
"You'll have to leave now. I hope you're sober when I see you later."
"Okay, bye."
Khaled stood up, surprisingly obedient. But when he reached the doorway, he turned around.
"What are you doing? Follow me.”
***
Aubrey couldn't believe this moment. She couldn't believe she was walking side by side with this man through the darkened plaza. The cooler night breeze made his presence all the more palpable. Aubrey ran a hand through her still-dry hair.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to ask you something."
"What is it? Why couldn't you just ask me at the inn?"
"If I wanted to ask you there, I would have asked you earlier."
The man's voice seemed more vivid in the darkness of the night. There was a slight hint of fatigue in his heavy voice. Aubrey didn't ask more. He wasn't the kind of man who would answer even if she did. She tried to think of what he might ask. But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't figure it out.
Aubrey glanced up at his face. A faint breeze ruffled his disheveled hair. The man who already knew everything about her, what could he possibly want to know about her. The two of them headed north toward the square.
Slowly, they heard voices and saw lights. Aubrey let out a small sigh as they entered the shopping district. Despite it being quite late, most of the shops were brightly lit, and there were quite a few tourists.
Soon enough, Aubrey forgot about Khaled and became absorbed in the sights. She thought she'd been around the block enough with Murfrio, but she really hadn't expected to find such an interesting alley. There were even shops selling street food. It was something she had never seen before in the capital. The vendor under the green awning held a freshly grilled skewer out in front of him, brandishing it proudly. Aubrey couldn't take her eyes off of his skillful handiwork.
"How long do you want to watch?"
His voice was abrupt. Aubrey blushed and pressed her lips together, wondering if she'd drooled.
"Didn't that fat guy buy you dinner?"
"I already ate. I was just looking at him."
She replied more firmly.
Of course, she did finish her dinner. In a spacious and pleasant restaurant, too. But she hadn't even had a chance to eat, and she'd only gotten a few bites of steak because Murfrio had been talking to her and stealing glances at every opportunity.
"You want to eat?"
He asked, and Aubrey turned around, noticing the colorful silk in front of her. Everywhere she turned, she saw.......
The thought didn't last long. Aubrey bent down and gingerly swept her fingers through the pile.
"You have good taste, young lady. This is from the country of Delonique."
The old woman, who appeared to be the owner, smiled.
"Delonique?"
"There's a man there who is famous for his silk."
Khaled added nonchalantly. Aubrey nodded and went back to examining the silk. She wished she had a shawl to give to Trin. Eventually, after begging the man's indulgence, she bought a piece of silk, a fuchsia and turquoise color, on the old woman's recommendation.
She was tempted to buy a white one, which was different from her previous one, but the old woman insisted. She said it was an upcoming fashion trend. On her way out the door of the shop, Aubrey narrowed her eyes as she recalled the old woman's words, which made her think again.
"I feel like I've been tricked somehow......."
"Fooled."
"Isn't that right? I've never seen such intense colors in the capital."
Aubrey replied nonchalantly, glancing to the side, then back to the front, afraid to spot the man. She was embarrassed, so she kept her distance from him, but as time went on, her resolve crumbled.
The streets were lined with things that appealed to her hump, and she ended up buying gifts for Barbara and Emily. She even bought skewers. The plump, well-seared shrimp were so plump that the flesh popped open with every bite.
The next stop was the Prime Theater. As if the show had ended and gone dark, the Theater bustled to life as the lord of the manor appeared. The darkened, empty theater had a different atmosphere than the one in broad daylight. Aubrey looked at the empty seats and stage and imagined the laughter that must have once flowed from this place late into the night.
"What do you think we should do with this place?"
His voice cut through the silence.
He had a question.
"I'm asking what you think we should do with this big, useless space, since it will lose its value as a theater when Cannon Hall is finished."
Aubrey felt a pang of sadness at the thought that this serene theater was about to be abandoned. She'd grown quite fond of the theater, actually.
"I don't know, I'm not sure."
"That's the only time you have an easy answer. Think about it."
Aubrey pursed her lips at the brief slap and thought hard. But there was no way she could come up with anything the manor master hadn't already thought of.
"I don't know."
And even if she did, she doubted he would be receptive. It was almost certain to be followed by a slap for even thinking of it.
"Lehman wants to tear it down and turn it into a hotel. Or turn it into a shopping center."
With that, Aubrey glanced around the Prime Theater once more. Lavonne already had a fully functioning shopping district, why would they need to do the same here?
"Are you sure you want to tear this place down? I think it's fine to keep it free and open."
"I can't help it, some bums come in and play games."
"We could just keep the doors closed."
"Do you think I've been keeping the theater open all this time?"
It was no use, Aubrey conceded quickly. She pursed her lips again. An open, ceilingless space. Dozens of seats overlooking the stage. Green grass underneath. Aubrey thought it would be so nice to hear beautiful music here, and her imagination brought up a black and white piano and a cute little girl on a deserted stage. Just like Emily.
"Why don't we make it a venue for street performers?"
"What?"
The idea she had finally come up with was interrupted by the man's incredulous look. She had forgotten that this was the kind of man who wouldn't even look at you if you weren't worth his money.
"Oh, no."
"Keep talking."
"No, I don't think I know anything, and I'm so ignorant about this stuff anyway, it's not going to help."
Suddenly, she remembered all the faces that had cringed at the idea of her writing screenplays. Of course they didn't understand why she would choose to be a professional, but Aubrey felt their concern was directed at her lack of knowledge-a kind of entitlement.
"Tell me, and I'll listen and judge if it helps or not."
Sighing, Aubrey's lips parted uncontrollably.
"I just thought it would be nice to hear some music here. I've been walking around Lavonne all day, and there are quite a few people playing in the streets."
As was typical of Lavonne's reputation as a city of culture and art, street performers were everywhere. They were dressed lightly and brought accordions, bandoneons, violins, and more, and played with smiles on their faces, while people threw coins into empty cases.
"So I thought it would be nice to have a place for them to play where they could feel comfortable, and maybe they like the street, but anyway, I just thought...... Yeah, I was just thinking."
She paused, wondering what he was going to say. She bit her bottom lip again in embarrassment and pretended to look around.
"If I give street performers a place to perform, what do I get in return?"
Khaled asked.
"I don’t know, which is why I told you up front that it's not a helpful idea."
"A performance venue......."
"Yeah. That was stupid. Well, I guess I should get back to the hotel."
Aubrey turned around quickly.
"Not a bad idea."
Aubrey questioned her ears. She thought the man was teasing her.
"Tell me what you think the theater should look like."
"Are you serious?"
She asked in disbelief. Khaled rubbed his brow and narrowed his eyes.
"I don't waste my time on useless things. It was an idea that wouldn't make me any money, but I figured if I took care of the poor musicians, it would improve my reputation at the bottom of the barrel, which isn't a bad thing in that respect."
Khaled swallowed hard as he looked at Aubrey. She looked genuinely pleased. As if this was the first time anyone had ever listened to her humble idea. Her unguarded smile was enough to embarrass him.
Her white, round face was smiling wryly. White teeth showed between lips that were redder than her hair. The eyes were folded up like half moons. Red hair flowed in the wind down her slender back. He should have known then.
He should have known then that he was a pathetic human being who was falling for her tricks.
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