Chapter 20: Tea party on war grounds.
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Lydan kept gaping at the letter in Ayrton's hand, he'd an expression of someone who's seen something disgruntling in front of them, "I don't need it." Lydan signed to Ayrton and turned to leave the room.
Ayrton hurried toward Lydan, who was about to leave the dining room. "You should at least take it from me; uncle Carlos especially requested me to give it to you," Ayrton hastily said.
Lydan stared at Ayrton and then at the letter—he grasped the letter from his hand and shoved it in his pocket before leaving the room.
"And here I thought he will like it" Ayrton's notion murmured.
...
"Your highness, allow me to guide you to the main hall," Ethen said.
Lydan who had just come out of the dining hall, squinched back as he heard a new voice, "What happened, Lydan?" Ayrton said as he came out of the dining room after Lydan.
Lydan looked back at Ayrton before looking at the youthful menial again in front of him. "I have seen him before in the room," Lydan's notion muttered.
"What is your name?" Ayrton asked.
"My name is Ethen, your highness" Ethen replied as he looked up.
"Where's Edmund?" Lydan signed.
Ethen couldn't understand the gestures Lydan framed, a confused expression wormed onto his face, "Pardon me, your highness?" Ethen said.
Ayrton scowled at Ethen: "He said, where's Edmund?" Ayrton said in a rigid voice, "Who do you serve?"
Lydan glared at Ayrton, who was looking at the menial with a slight mow on his face, "What are you doing?" Lydan signed as Ayrton looked at him after noticing his glare at him.
"He is on an errand given by his highness Ophni, that is why I am here in his stead" Ethen answered.
"I am asking him what you wanted to ask," Ayrton said to Lydan.
Lydan ignored him as he looked toward Ethen with a smile and signed to lead the way. Ethen understood the easy sign that Lydan made this time he signaled toward the hallway while smiling heartily.
"What did I do?" Ayrton mumbled as he followed Lydan, who was walking in front.
...
"Where are they?" Arlo yelled, he was seated on a divan parallel to the divan, on which Feron was leaning with a book in his hand; Ophni was seated in the opened window that was a few course distance from the Davenport.
The commodious main hall had a huge Davenport set with a lot of windows and a fireplace—there were different kinds of relics that were enhancing the beauty of the room.
"They must be having their lovely converse all alone," Ophni said while looking out of the window.
"What do you mean?" Arlo said, looking at Ophni.
"Do not tell me that none of you noticed how Ayrton was behaving in front of the lady" Ophni said.
Feron, who was busy reading his book, glanced at Ophni and then Arlo before starting to read again.
"Now that you said this, I think it was really strange," Arlo grunted.
"When I first saw him acting like that I thought he was cursed but that was not the case," Ophni said in a low voice as if he was telling a secret.
Feron glanced at Ophni again. "But isn't Lydan beautiful?" Arlo blurted out.
"Lady surely is beautiful but he is hiding something," Ophni said again.
"What do you mean, he is hiding something? and why are you calling Lydan a lady?" Arlo's voice was filled with curiosity.
Ophni, without saying anything looked outside the window again as a smirk crept on his face, "Hey, tell me" Arlo bayed.
Feron placed a golden splint as a bookmark in his book and closed it. "Lydan is cursed and he hasn't the slightest bit of idea about it," Feron said as he looked up.
Ophni and Arlo were shocked as soon as they heard Feron—Ophni was about to say something, but before he could do that, the door opened, unveiling Lydan, who was smiling while looking at Ethen.
"Thanks" Lydan signed at Ethen as he entered the hall with Ayrton.
"Lady?" Ophni grunted.
Lydan entered the hall as he saw Feron's calm face on one side and the other side on Ophni's and Arlo's shocked faces.
"What happened here?" Lydan's notion muttered.
Ayrton noticed the look on Arlo and Ophni's faces, but he decided to ignore it. "Where's Sebastian?" Ayrton asked Feron.
"Maybe in the kitchen" Feron answered.
Lydan trudged forward and sat on one of the davenports in the room—Ayrton followed Lydan and sat beside him.
"Lady, what do you like for dessert?" Ophni said as he walked toward the Davenport, he placed his hand on Arlo's shoulder and squeezed it to signal him as he sat beside him.
"I like cakes, what about all of you?" Lydan signed.
"I should interact further with them," Lydan thought to himself.
"I like every sweet thing," Arlo said after taking the hint from Ophni.
"I do not like sweets," Feron said as he placed his book on the middle table.
Lydan goggled at Feron, who smiled, gaping back at him—the door opened as Sebastian, with some retainers, came in—they were holding servers filled with different kinds of goodies and tea.
All the retainers left the room after serving; Lydan glanced at everyone seated in front of him. "When did you all arrive at the academy?" Lydan signed.
"Yesterday," Ophni said.
"I came today with Lynorr," Arlo said.
"So that is why you were not in the orientation today" Lydan signed while ignoring Ophni, who smirked noticing that he was ignored.
"Yeah," Arlo said while avoiding eye contact with Lydan.
"They were busy preparing for the blast, that is why they were absent," Feron said.
Lydan was surprised to harken it "We were just testing," Arlo yelled.
"Testing?" Lydan signed.
"Yeah, we were checking the buckler of this academy because we were dragged here against our will by the order of our parents" Arlo explained.
"You did not want to come here?" Lydan signed.
"Yeah, my dad said that it'll be safest here. I do not know what they are trying to protect us from—they even made an academy in the middle of all the six fiefdoms for it," Arlo went on.
"To protect us?" Ophni asked.
"Yeah," Arlo answered.
"But my dad said that it was for some kind of power-sharing," Ophni said.
"That's what my dad told me, too, but I happened to eavesdrop on it from my mother's char," Arlo said.
They all were chatting with each other for quite a stretch except for Ayrton, who was taking tea while staying quiet in his seat.
"I also suppose that there is another reason for this" Feron said as he placed the cup from his hand on the table.
Lydan was harkening to them with all his attention, "What do you think is the peril?" Lydan signed.
"I do not know but my dad looked tensed while talking about it," Arlo said.
"If your dad was tensed about it then it might be something dangerous," Ophni said with a serious tone.
"What's so special about his dad being tensed?" Lydan signed.
"His dad is the only person who's known to noway take anything seriously in his life even on war grounds," Feron said.
"Can you believe it? his father was formerly having a tea party with his soldiers when he suddenly got raided and the best part of it is that he still won," Ophni said while laughing.
"That wasn't a tea party, he was just trying to boost the spirit of his soldiers," Arlo said.
"Yeah, we know that," Ophni said while teasing Arlo.
Lydan always used to smile, but this time he started to laugh, making all of them stunned as they looked at him.
To be continued...
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