Albert slowly walked in and sat down, leaning on the opposite wall with a bottle of his own. Minutes ticked by in silence as they said nothing and sipped the wine. "Are you out?"
Arthur looked up. This time, his brother's grim face reflected his grief. It appears he was done spitting on him. At least for today. Arthur nodded. "Yes," and let the bottle drop from his hand with a shrug.
Albert offered his bottle to him. He shook his head.
"I am done."
They became silent again.
"I sent someone to retrieve her, you know."
Arthur raised his head. "From that clan in America"
Albert pushed himself up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's bring her where she belongs."
Their eyes met. Arthur closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Then he opened them with a grim resolve. "Yes. She deserves it."
As he stood up, Albert spoke, "Arthur."
He paused.
"We are very close to losing her, too."
"She has survived so much. She is strong. After she discovers her powers and her family, she will find joy."
"She used to be strong, Arthur. You should go to that bridge. She is completely untrained in magic. But she'll figure it out sooner or later."
He sighed and walked out.
-----
Agatha's Pov
I didn't feel like eating food. You could say I had no motivation to do so. I had shown them my face and given them the news about my mother. That should be enough, right? Not that they would want much to do with me anyway. Will they kill me to hide the scandal? I feel like my thoughts have derailed. That happened a lot lately. I was either too active or too lazy. Like a pendulum. I let out a dry chuckle. That was funny. What was I thinking about again? Yeah! Right, my magic!
I needed to figure it out. I wasn't feeling suicidal today. Maybe the warm bath helped. But in any case. I needed to figure them out. Especially how it had changed me.
There was a knock on the door, which derailed my thoughts. "Lady Agatha?" Oh it was Maria. I should invite her in. I kept staring at the ceiling. She knocked again. "Are you alright, Lady Agatha?" She sounded worried now. "Lady Agatha!" She called again.
A bit later, she came in directly, "Pardon me for the intrusion."
I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I don't know why I did that. "Looks like she is sleeping." Someone else was with her. I pretended to stir and groggily wake up.
"We're sorry for disturbing your sleep, Lady Agatha! We were just worried when you didn't answer." The other maid went down to her knees.
"It's fine. Just tell me what it is you woke me for?" Oooh, Active Agatha was back.
Maria and Kate still hadn't told me why the servants acted so terrified.
"The Lady Helen wanted to have tea with you this evening. She wondered if you were free at around five?"
Lady Helen? Oh, Albert's wife. I still had a bit of trouble keeping all the new people straight.
"Sure. Why not?" I was in her home. It was the polite thing to do.
"Very well, my lady, I will inform her," she said.
Then an awkward silence filled the room as she kept staring at me.
I checked my clothes to see if they were in order.
"She is waiting to be dismissed, M'lady."
M'lady huh. I noticed that only Maria shortened it. All others used full addresses like My lady or Lady Agatha. It all sounded so….British, I guess.
"Oh, right. Um… You are dismissed," she bowed once and left.
I looked at Maria. I needed to make the most of it while I was active. "Is there anything I need to do or prepare when I go?"
Maria thought seriously. "No, Lady Agatha. But a dress would be preferred by Lady Helen. And it is customary to bring a few sweets like cookies or cake."
I puckered my face, thoughtfully. "Can I get cake here?"
"Yes, M'lady, just tell me which kind of cake you want. I will have it baked."
"Just get the one that lady Helen likes."
"Right away, M'lady," she walked probably towards the kitchen. I guess giving an order also counts as dismissal.
I found it a bit odd that I will be giving her cakes from my own kitchen. But I didn't know any shops around. Were there any shops around? Not that I could afford the shops that could have been around here.
I lost my train of thought again.
What was I thinking about? Oh, right, Food. What should I eat today? I had access to a chef. It would be a shame not to take advantage. Yeah, I know! Let's have Chilly Potato. He would know what it is right?
Chilly Potato was my favorite. Those warm, spicy pieces of crispiness that melted in your mouth. I would have to ask Maria or Kate for them. But I was actually feeling sleepy now.
So I decided to go to sleep first.
A forgotten memory came to my mind somehow. I had been sitting outside the barber shop watching TV. They had glass windows. And the movies usually had subtitles. When a few girls went past me. Talking and chittering amongst themselves.
"You have good grades, you have the strongest shift in class, and if Alfonso likes you and asks for your hand. You will have heaven on earth, Melissa. How can someone be so lucky!"
Melissa blushed and lightly tapped her friend on the shoulder. "Shut up, you guys, and I'm not that shallow. My heaven does not depend on some boy."
They laughed. "Oh, really, then what's your heaven?" One asked, waggling her eyebrows.
"Oh, Oh, let me think." She made an exaggerated thinking gesture. "Yeah, I know. Unlimited cake and a Queen-sized bed to sleep in."
They all laughed. But I couldn't see them anymore over the pain that blossomed in my sides.
"How many times do I have to tell you. Don't block my storefront."