'Brrr, ugh, I just got shivers down my spine! Oryn isn't near, is he?' Lev thought to himself, pausing the work he was doing to rub his arms.
It had been a day since I had returned to the Andraste Estate, and while I was more comfortable here than in the manor back in the Silversun Kingdom, there was still the lingering threat of Oryn popping up out of nowhere and bothering me.
"Is something bothering you, My Liege? You seem troubled again," Arwan inquired, looking at me with a look of worried pity. He was helping me sort through some files while Victor was away, showing Lorenzo, Sephtis, Nari, and Praxis around the city.
"Hm? It's nothing, just go back to work," I sighed, giving a tired look before turning back to my own paperwork. I really didn't want to do it, but as the lord of the city, it was my duty, especially after being gone for so long.
"Alright, feel free to let me know anytime you want to chat. I am always available!" Arwan smiled and nodded, turning back to the files on the shelf. It was nice of him to offer that, but I wish he wouldn't; he is my subordinate, not my friend.
A few moments later, my ears twitched as I heard the sound of Victor and the Silversun group return. I acknowledged it with a mere hum, not wanting to let myself get distracted from my work…at least until I smelt food, really good food.
"Arwan, why don't we take a break? It seems like the others have returned with something good," I announced, leaving my papers and heading out of the office and going downstairs.
Reaching the bottom of the steps, I was greeted by Victor, who seemed to be making his way to the kitchen, Praxis following.
"Oh, hello, Your Lorship. I was just about to send Praxis to go get you. We brought you back some snacks we thought you'd like," Victor affirmed, motioning over to Praxis, who nodded.
"Lovely, I was hoping you would share, though I didn't expect you to bring it back for me, thank you," I poked, intentionally wanting to get a reaction from Victor, "Where is everyone else, though?"
"Lorenzo went to train with Sir Malyen and the other knights, Nari joined the Young Miss Avery in her lessons, and Sephtis went to tidy up the tearoom and set the snacks out," Praxis explained, his tail swaying behind him.
"Ah, alright. Then, Praxis, why don't you and Sephtis join me? The more the merrier!" I offered, forgetting that Arwan and Victor were also there.
"If that is what you wish, then I am more than happy to," Praxis nodded with a slight smile.
"Great! Victor, could you bring some fruit tea? The weather is nice, so it feels like a fruitful day," I joked, chuckling as I walked away to the tea room.
It definitely felt different being back here after being gone for so long; at the same time, though, it was also a reminder for me not to get too comfortable. In the long run, though, I was glad to have some new faces along on the ride. New faces who knew I was more than just a cold, stone-faced nobleman.
While I immediately got to work as soon as I got back to the manor, it was nice to know I now had moments where I could just take a break from being a ruthless Viscount.
"Thank you for sharing with me, Master," Praxis commented, opening the door to the tearoom for me.
"Huh? Oh, of course! Tea and snacks are best when shared with loved ones after all," I chimed, looking at Sephtis, who looked back at me as I entered the room.
"Best spent with l-loved ones…" He mumbled back, blush creeping on his face, "Your Lordship, I put out some plates and the snacks on the tower thingy magigy….I don't know what it is called, heh."
"Heh, thank you, Sephtis. Sit and join us, the more the merrier!" I smiled back at him, blush forming on my cheeks as I looked at him with the most warmth I could fathom.
"..." Praxis stood there for a moment, watching the interaction. He clearly noticed something, not sure what, but he simply sighed and pulled out a chair, "Here, Master."
"Ah, thank you, Praxis. The snacks look good! Tell whoever picked them out my thanks," I praised, nodding as Praxis pushed the chair in and sat on my left, Spehtis on my right.
"You can thank Sir Gwyneira for that, he helped us choose what to get," Sephtis admitted, putting a lemon bar on a plate and handing it to me, "All of us wanted to bring you back something as a show of gratitude, Sir Gwyneira gave us the suggestion of food and told us what you liked!"
"He did? Wow, I suppose I'll have to give him some praise later," My smile deepened as I realized just how closely Victor paid attention to Lev. It reminded me of my friendship with Yasuo, Keiji, and Akihito, something truly irreplaceable.
'It honestly makes me feel a little guilty…I feel bad for taking Lev's place, though it's not like he's dead, just…replaced, of sorts.'
"My Lord, I've brought the tea," Victor announced, knocking on the door. "Is it all right to enter?"
"Oh, yes! Do come in," I replied, coming back to reality, 'think of the devil and he shall appear, huh?'
As Victor entered and put the tea down in front of the three of us, I was tempted to say thanks there and then, but thought it best not to. The tea he poured into the cups had a red-ish caramel look to it, smelling of apples, flowers, and sugar.
"I've brought apple, rose, and brown sugar tea. I thought it best to go with the sweets, as it has a fruity taste that pairs well with the specific snacks in front of you, but also helps with digestion," Victor explained, as if reading my mind, "Do enjoy."
"Heh, yes, I will. Thank you for being quick as always and knowing exactly what suits my palate, I am always grateful," I added, smiling as I took a sip of the tea. It tasted just as Victor said, and I'm sure just as sweet as the emotions Victor was feeling as he paused in his steps.
"Thank you for your generous words, M'Lord. I will make sure to keep those in my heart," Victor smiled at me as he put a hand on the door, blush creeping along his cheeks, then left.
"..." I was left speechless, I didn't think Victor could or rather would ever give 'me' a smile like that, let alone in front of others. Once more, Lev's heart beat wildly at the slight display of affection from the usually cold butler.
'Ah, I am sure of it now. Lev truly loves Victor, and Victor must feel the same for him…Oh dear, this is something I never should have learned.'
Panic welled in my throat, my hands trembling as I began to learn more and more about the relationship between Lev Griffins and Victor Gwyneira. When Hunapo suggested I go back home for a little while, I was more than sure this wasn't why he told me to.
I don't think even he knew a development like this would occur, but I myself didn't think of it as a good thing. Guilt welled within me; I couldn't stand the thought of being the cause of ruin to a possible relationship, the thought of separating possible lovers.
I was panicking so much that I forgot I was with Sephtis and Praxis, not noticing the expression forming on my face or the teacup in my hand. It wasn't until I felt Sephtis catch the cup right as it fell out of my hand, or Praxis' reassuring touch on my arm.
"Lev, are you alright?!" Sephtis exclaimed, he was standing up, cupping my cheek to turn my head towards him, "You suddenly looked so panicked, and froze out of nowhere. I-I thought you were having a heart attack or something!"
"Indeed, you worried us quite a bit," Praxis added, making me turn towards him. He wore an expression of genuine worry, one I didn't expect to see from him.
"Oh, uh, thank you. I am fine, there isn't anything wrong, just some sudden thoughts, no heart attack, hehe!" I smiled and gave a nervous laugh, pulling Sephtis' hand away with my own trembling one, and moving my arm from Praxis' hand, "Let's just eat, alright?"
'Those thoughts are best pushed away and out of the way. You don't have the time for such things, remember? What you need to focus on are thoughts of avoiding Llyr and not having a bad ending, okay, Saito?'
***
"Your Majesty, a letter asking for an audience has come from the Andraste estate…and it has Viscount Lev's seal," the king's secretary announced, entering Roman's office, letter in hand.
"Ho? I suppose that means he has returned, no? Let's see here," Roman chuckled with amusement, taking the letter and opening it, "Well, the Viscount is most certainly efficient, I would expect nothing less from my Lit. Colonel. What say you, Foreign Affairs Minister Leondis?"
Klaus Leondis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Ender Empire, was sitting on the couch across from King Roman Fortunanta, discussing recent war improvements with Roman on behalf of Emperor Arik von Lorcan.
The familiar Gray-ish violet hair of his seemed to have a blue undertone to them this day, rather than the usual silver. His gray eyes were shining with a newfound excitement at hearing the news of Lev's arrival back in the Quare Kingdom.
"Well, as he is a subject of Your Majesty, I find my input rather useless here," Klaus smiled, tilting his head as his pointed ears twitched.
"Hahahaha! I take it that you are saying that I should summon him right away, then?" Roman jested, crossing his legs and leaning his cheek against his knuckle as he motioned the letter over to Klaus.
"My, now could I ever dare to advise the King of another country?! That would be rather uncouth of me," Klaus chuckled back, his smile filled with a feeling of 'slyness' to it.
"HAHAHAHA! And this is exactly why I like you! You and I always seem to get along. Emperor Arik certainly does have a good eye when it comes to picking subordinates and where he places them," Roman praised, his laughter filling the room.
"My thanks, Your Majesty. But a mere minister like me is undeserving of your praise," Klaus hummed, his hands laid on top of one another in his lap as his eyes filled with a calculating emotion.
"Heheheh, Secretary, send a letter of summons back to Viscount Andraste. We all know how impatient and pissy he can get. I wouldn't want to keep him waiting too long," Roman barked, pettiness filling his voice.
***
I went back to work after finishing the snacks with Sephtis and Praxis. Sephtis went to go train with Arwan while Victor and Praxis were in my office helping me with the piles of paperwork I had that Victor couldn't do for me while I was gone.
"Master, this paper is asking for more funding for agriculture and farming. Should I put this in the ignore pile?" Praxis asked, unsure of how we treated requests for funding for farming in the mortal plain.
"No, hand it to me. This is the first request I've gotten, so it is likely for a good reason," I pondered, taking the paper and looking over it. It was just a request for better tools and money to buy more land, one that I was more than willing to approve.
"What about this request for funding to improve the docking area? The last time we went,t it did look a little rough," Victor added, holding the paper out as he flipped through his pile.
"No, send that one over to Lady Sakamoto; that area is under her jurisdiction," I reminded, a little annoyed that some idiot would try to bypass asking her, which immediately let me know she already rejected the request.
That went on for a couple more hours, until we finally reached the end of the stack of papers. "Ung! Thanks for the help, you two, that would have taken me ages otherwise," I exclaimed, stretching.
"Of course, I am happy to know that I was of assistance," Praxis bowed slightly, his face staying as doll-like as ever.
'Haaa, I really do wish he would show a little more emotion. His doll-like expression creeps me out sometimes.'
'Knock..knock..knock' came from the door, startling me a bit, "Your Lordship, it is Diarmaid. A letter of summons has come from Arisu Palace, requesting your presence tomorrow afternoon."
"...You may come in," I groaned, a headache forming as soon as Diarmaid finished his sentence.