āIt looks quite suitable for you.ā Tap, Rashidās finger lightly brushed Hanielās cheek. But this time, it wasnāt painful like how she had remembered it to be. Rather, it felt quite ticklish, and Rashid held back his chuckle as he brushed against her other cheek.
āYou seem to like it.ā
[N, no! I donāt like it!] Haniel fell down again once more. Though her reaction was late, but she remembered what Mr. Darren had said.
āI shouldnāt be lying though.ā She had found it slightly interesting, but not most of the time. Mr. Darrenās words about her not being able to be a virtuous lady if she lied rang by her ears, and her face turned anxious.
[Uhā¦]
āWhat are you upset with this time?ā Rashid put a hand to his chin while holding back a sigh. Haniel couldnāt overcome the weight of the jewel hung at one end of the ribbon and hit her head heavily, which Rashid then wound it up for her.
āDo you not like this?ā
[N, no, thatās not it!] She started chirping back as she had no intentions of lying any longer. Even so, the expression on Rashidās face hadnāt changed one bit. Instead, he continued to stare intently at Haniel with his hand still supporting his chin.
āAlright, if so, Iāll let you have until this partā¦ā
Cut.
Rashid made a gesture with his hands like a scissors and grabbed that end of the ribbon. Though she still didnāt like his voice, it wasnāt as detestful as before.
[Hmm?]
āā¦Iāll give the rest to your mother.ā
***
āMr. Darrennnnnā! I yelled at the top of my lungs, almost ruining my vocal cords. I could feel fire burning at my throat just as the school came into sight.
āMr. Darrn! Where are you!ā
[ā¦Cough.] Whilst I was shouting, Selene on the other hand, seemed to be in a huge shock as her beak twitched non-stop.
Anyone would think that her husband had died if they saw her state. Her flurried body was shaking, and her head drooped.
āAhh, what should we do! You saw it earlier right? That size and shape, the way it looked after all its feathers were plucked out, and its shiny luster, it definitely looked like someone from our lakeā¦ā
[Your Ladyship?]
āā¦Mr. Darren?ā I turned around with the still shaking Selene in my arms. Mr. Darren, with his soft silver feathers shone neatly, was here where he should be.
āH, how are you hereā¦ā
[Pardon? I came after hearing you call for me so desperatelyā¦ What is the matter?] Mr. Darren folded back his wings with a slightly flustered look. Now that I had a closer look, the one laid on the table at the Winter Palace had a different build and size.
After confirming with my own two eyes that Mr. Darren was well and alive, my legs had given way and I plopped to the ground. āAhh, what a relief, really.ā
[Just whatās the matter? And why has Ms. Selene fainted?] The kind Mr. Darren expressed his concern towards Selene who was just about to step foot into her grave. However, seeing that he didnāt approach any further, it seems that Seleneās one-sided love would just end at a crush.
āAhā¦ Donāt worry about her. Iāve misunderstood something earlier.ā
[What kind of misunderstanding was it? Are you both all right?]
āOf, of course.ā I couldnāt bring myself to explain that we reacted in this manner after seeing āhimā lay motionless in a grilled form on the table. However, I wasnāt fully relieved just yet.
āUm, are there any missing animals from the lake?ā
[Missing animalsā¦]
āThe ones who are cursed. Are there any who suddenly disappeared today or reported missing?ā
[No. Iām not sure about wild animals, but as you know, those who are from the lake donāt venture too far out on their own.]
āAhā¦ā Thatās right. Though I knew about that, it was only now when I heard from Mr. Darren that I felt totally relieved and nodded my head.
As per his words, the animals at the lake there were rarely any animals who would venture out of the boundary from the Dukeās residences. It was for the first time I felt relieved that weāre scared of Lania.
āUmā¦ā How did Mr. Darren end up here at the lake? I thought to myself as I stared blankly at him.
I heard that Lady Melleo had invited him to the lake so I hadnāt suspect much but I never thought that a handsome looking teacher would appear so randomly.
[Your Ladyship, are you alright?]
āā¦Yes.ā Why do you bother? Just be thankful that a handsome looking teacher appeared.
I felt my cheeks flush as Mr. Darren tapped his wings on the back on my hand, comforting me.