POV: Sylas
Word Count: ~1,050
The third day began with a knock.
Not hers.
The steward appeared before breakfast with a single sentence:
"You'll attend her during tutoring today. Sit. Observe. Say nothing."
I didn't nod. I just followed.
---
The lesson room was bright, with tall windows and polished wood. At its center stood a narrow desk and two chairs — one for her, one for the instructor.
Seraphina was already seated when I arrived, her back straight, hands placed just so. Her braid was tighter than usual. Not her work. Likely the maid's.
The tutor entered moments later. Mid-40s. Skin like marble. Voice sharp enough to carve stone.
Lady Elbrei.
I knew of her. She'd taught noble etiquette for over a decade. Believed children were born wrong and had to be re-shaped — like clay.
She barely looked at me.
"Stand by the wall. Do not interfere."
I obeyed.
---
The lesson began with posture drills.
"Shoulders down. Chin up. You are not a bird pecking for seeds."
Seraphina adjusted.
"No slouching, Lady Seraphina. Nobility bends for no one."
Again, she corrected herself.
This went on for nearly fifteen minutes — adjustments, corrections, lectures that repeated in colder and colder tones.
Then came the penmanship.
Seraphina's hand moved too slowly for Elbrei's taste.
"Too weak," she snapped. "Hold the quill like it matters."
She tried again.
"Still wrong. What is this curve? Are you writing or doodling like a milkmaid?"
Silence.
Seraphina bit her lip.
"Again."
---
I didn't move. I didn't speak.
But I studied the room.
The tutor's gloves were pristine. Her belt pouch held a folded fan and two rings. Her voice never changed pitch. Not once.
She wasn't angry.
She was enjoying herself.
---
After a particularly sharp rebuke, Seraphina's hand twitched. Ink bled off the edge of the paper.
Elbrei stopped.
The room grew quiet.
"…Is this a joke, Lady Seraphina?"
"No, ma'am."
The girl's voice was barely a whisper.
"Then explain this." Elbrei held up the page like it was filth. "Your letters wobble. Your spacing is inconsistent. You embarrass your house."
Seraphina didn't reply.
I saw her knuckles go white.
---
That was when I stepped forward.
Just a little.
"Apologies, Lady Elbrei," I said. "The ink bottle is slightly crooked. It caused her to misjudge the center line."
She turned her gaze to me like I was a stain.
"She is expected to adapt, regardless of imperfections. We do not blame furniture for our failings."
"Understood," I said. "But your ring is leaking ink onto your glove."
She blinked.
Then looked.
A dark line was spreading across the bottom of her glove — where her finger had brushed the bottle just moments ago.
Seraphina hadn't noticed.
But now she looked.
And something shifted in her eyes.
---
Lady Elbrei's mouth tightened. She removed the glove slowly, placed it on the desk, and said:
"You may leave, attendant. Your presence is no longer needed."
I bowed.
But I met Seraphina's eyes before turning.
And this time, she wasn't looking down.
She was smiling.
Just barely.
---
I waited outside the room. The door remained shut for another half hour. When she finally stepped out, her posture was the same — but her expression was different.
Not tired.
Not fragile.
Composed. In a way that didn't feel forced.
"You didn't have to say anything," she murmured as we walked down the hall.
"I didn't."
She looked sideways at me. "You pointed out her mistake."
"I observed one."
"She'll be mad at me next time."
"No. She'll be cautious."
"…You scare people sometimes, Sylas."
"I wasn't trying to."
"I know."
She didn't smile this time.
But she did walk closer to me than before.
---
Back at her chambers, before the door, she paused again.
"You didn't lie to protect me."
"I didn't need to."
"You just noticed something they didn't."
"Yes."
"…Can you teach me how to do that?"
I hesitated. Then nodded once.
"When you're ready."
She smiled — real this time. No curl. Just warmth.
And then she went inside.
---
I remained alone in the hallway again, arms folded.
This house had many sharp tongues.
But not many sharp eyes.
And in the quiet moments between commands and corrections… Seraphina was starting to notice the difference.
So was I.
---
End of Chapter