“The shipwreck caused a great flood of souls into the gates, Your Highness. The grim reapers were overwhelmed. If they hadn’t sought your help, the sorting of souls would have been compromised. It was an unpre—”
“Stop,” Henri abruptly said forcing his secretary to pause and look up at him across the mahogany table.
There were stacks of papers and record books spread in front of them, a result of their earlier business meeting. Henri had been super patient this whole time while Mr. Reynold reported what he missed during the honeymoon and what caused his sudden return to Sattus, but when he suddenly felt a break in space and an entrance of a monstrous being inside the estate, he couldn’t help but stop his secretary.
“Your Highness?” Mr. Reynold gulped as he watched the master’s attention diverted elsewhere, “You… you want me—”
“I said stop talking,” Henri lashed, his eyes still fixed on a corner of the office wall.
Seconds turned to minutes until a slow grin grew on his lips.
“It seems that my wife had just summoned my pet,” he muttered.
“The Or—Oratongi, Your Highness? But that can’t be.” Mr. Reynold quickly shook his head. “That’s impo—”
“Nothing is impossible with the Queen of Sattus, Reynold,” Henri interjected.
With a sudden burst of energy, he stood up and righted his black shirt to position. He gave his secretary a cool gaze as he went on, “I’ll leave the work to you. I can’t miss this opportunity to spy on my wife and my pet’s first interaction.”
Mr. Reynold’s eyelids fluttered behind his spectacles.
“As you wish, Your Highness,” he instantly agreed, pressing the report book against his chest.
***
“The Oratongi, or better known as Cereberus the Guardian of Hell, that is the name of your familiar,” Lady Ursula stated as she cautiously watched Solene and the four-headed behemoth interact.
Somehow, her powers were able to contain the beast’s real size, but with its spiny back touching the nine-foot-tall ceiling, it still towered over them.
Solene, at first, was stunned, but later on, something inside her synced with the creature.
“You’re a beast of beauty,” she calmly stated as she lifted her hand up. “Come here.”
Cereberus’ wolf-like head—all four of them—managed to fit the little space in front of Solene and allowed itself to be petted. It whimpered when her hands touched its snout and it whimpered some more when she moved closer and rubbed one of its chin.
“It isn’t challenging you. It is actually submitting to you!” Lady Ursula pointed out in amazement.
“It knows I’m its master,” Solene simply replied with still her eyes trained on the beast, mesmerized by its metallic black scales and its somewhat child-like attitude.
Lady Ursula, feeling guarded earlier, now relaxed. She watched as the master and familiar interact, gave them a chance to just acquaint themselves with each other until such time when she realized they were still in the middle of training.
“I guess you’re going to have to bypass proving yourself worthy of your familiar’s services,” she raised a brow and scoffed. “Henri’s pet is basically enthralled by you.”
“Come again? I didn’t quite get the last part,” Solene stated, tossing the old woman a look of confusion. The beast was thoroughly enjoying her petting that it made loud noises of delight.
“What I said is we need to continue with our training,” Lady Ursula answered, this time in an elevated voice. “Call your familiar out. We need this room for your lessons.”
Solene sighed and awarded Cereberus a soft smile. The latter huffed and whimpered again.
“I’ll summon you later, okay?” Solene stated. She lifted her hand up and with one wave and a word that Lady Ursula hadn’t even taught—asniku na—Cereberus disappeared.
Lady Ursula, after seeing this, was impressed. The Rantzen Mistress was truly a gifted woman, she thought in her mind. Maybe then, she’ll just skip some of the milder lessons and just go directly to the serious ones.
“There, sit,” she urged, pointing to a sofa chair next to a coffee table at the far end of the room.
Solene did so and silently waited for the old woman’s instructions.
The same book from earlier materialized in front of her and slowly floated down the table.
“This is my grimoire,” Lady Ursula started. “If anything, only its master can read it, but since you have a higher power inside of you, you can basically open and read any grimoire you wish.”
Another book materialized in front of Solene, but this time, she gasped at the sight of it.
“This is your father’s—or basically—your grimoire,” the old woman went on. I took the initiative to summon it here since you’re, well, here. No one book is the same as the other as you can see.”
At Lady Ursula’s signal, Solene studied the physical properties of the books and realized she was right, they were both different in terms of thickness, size, design, and color. Hers was thinner, smaller, and darker colored than the former’s.
“Yes, your grimoire looks thinner than mine, but it actually holds more information and incantations, spells, and whatnots,” Lady Ursula continued. “By the time you turn twenty-one, the knowledge that will surface from inside you will all come from your grimoire, and more. Your father made it sure you are prepared for any worst possible scenario.”
“Noted Milady,” Solene answered, too engrossed staring at her grimoire to even form a longer reply. Finally, she picked up the book and opened a page for the very first time.
“Huh!” But then, she gasped when this page started glowing brightly.
“I’ll leave you for a few minutes. You need some time with your father,” Lady Ursula stated, moving towards the next room.
“My father?” Solene cried out, blinking many times when she was bathed in light and a blurry apparition appeared in her midst.
‘Hello, my cupcake,’ her father’s voice then reverberated all around her.
Solene got teary-eyed when Jacob, now in full-body apparition, smiled down on her. He wore a typical white shirt and white pants-combo, had healthy brown hair, and a handsome 3 o’clock beard.
“Dad! You’re alive!” she quickly stood up, wanting to embrace him, but then Jacob stopped her with a hand up.
“Unfortunately, I’m not, Solene. This is just me in my spirit form,” he said. “I’m in a different place now. The realm of the spirits. The King of Sattus granted me at least this incentive in return for my services when I was still alive. I’m glad I could talk to you again, sweety. I missed you so.”
“I missed you more!” Solene cried out. She allowed her tears to fall unhindered from her eyes. She wasn’t embarrassed. She didn’t care if someone would see her weak side. “Your untimely death affected me and mom so much! You weren’t supposed to leave us so soon!”
“I’m sorry, sweety. I really am,” Jacob softly said.
“What happened, father? How did you die?!” She clenched her fists and stared at her father with anger and sadness in her eyes. Anger after remembering that blue-haired grim reaper and sadness after feeling so clueless. She wanted her father to explain as much as he could, give her some form of a headstart on her quest to find this entity, but then…
Jacob lowered his eyes on the floor and sighed. “I’m sorry again, sweety, but my responses are only limited to what I only recorded in this grimoire. I never thought you’d ask such a question. You were so little then, I thought you’d forget about me dying in front of you.”
“I could never…” Solene voiced out through clenched, feeling disappointed.
Jacob neared her and cupped her face. The gesture was somewhat dull since he technically didn’t exist in solid form but still, this brought a bit of calm in Solene’s heart.
“Listen, sweety,” Jacob said. “My main purpose of appearing here is to lift your spirits. This grimoire has been with me all my life. It is a part of me. Know that I’ll always be with you through this book. You will become the most powerful conjurer there is, I know it.”
“What good is becoming a powerful conjurer if you’re not here? If I can’t even resurrect you?” Solene blatantly pointed out.
A grim expression appeared on her father’s face then. “Solene St. Fair, you are smarter than this.”
Solene exhaled long and directed her attention on the ground, feeling ashamed of her words. Probably, if her mother was here too she’d receive a double sermon.
“Hey,” Jacob lifted her chin up and made her stare back at him, “at least you get to kick ass now.”
With this, she lightly chuckled. “Dad, don’t joke around.”
“Listen, sweety, because you’re my daughter, evil entities will soon hunt you,” he said with a grim expression again. “You will be in danger always and whoever you’re with, will be in danger too. With this grimoire and with the powers you hold, you will be able to fight back, protect our family, and the ones you love.”
“That’s my goal, dad,” she answered. “I’m determined to fight back.”
“Good. You are strong, sweety. You are the best. Always remember that,” he continued. His thumb brushed a rogue tear from her eyes and gave her a serene smile. “I love you, sweety, and your mom too.”
Solene now controlled herself from crying. She didn’t want to blur her sight anymore and waste this golden opportunity.
“You know we love you too, dad,” she answered and gave him a big hug. “Wherever you are right now, please take care.”
“I will,” Jacob nodded and kissed the crown of her head.
They stayed hugging each other for a few seconds until Jacob slowly vanished. The glow of Solene’s grimoire faded too and this told her their interaction had ended. It was just brief. It gave her heart pain. It showered her with sadness, but it also lifted her spirits like what her father intended to do.
It was the one push she needed to fulfill her part as the new owner of the grimoire; the new conjurer in the House of St. Fair. When she indeed becomes a full-fledged conjurer, maybe then she could use her powers, summon her father and see him once again.
Now alone in the room, this time she allowed her tears to fall once again. They were tears of sadness and joy combined. She embraced herself and lowered her head, her wet gaze trained on the grimoire of her father.
“Crying alone won’t do you good,” suddenly though, Henri’s voice cut her sobbing.
Solene looked up and saw him step out from a dark area of the room, his arms wide open.
“Henri…” she muttered, quickly wiping her tears dry. His interruption was unexpected but so welcomed. In a flash, she stood up, crossed the room, and buried herself with his embrace.
“Let me guess, you’re spying on me again,” she softly stated, a hint of tease present in her voice.
Henri further tightened his arms around her and pressed his cheek against her temple.
“I can’t help it,” he murmured. “Punish me if you must, Solene.”
With this, her sadness from earlier disappeared. She couldn’t help but giggle at his remark. Oh yes, there was only one punishment she had in mind and she was going to execute it on him this instant.
Slightly pulling away and looking up, she then gave him a kiss… a kiss that soon became so heady that their hands began to wander into other places. Henri’s hands had found its way under her blouse while Solene’s were unbuttoning his shirt.
It was no mystery what had ignited inside them during this sweet moment and surely enough, not one of them wanted to stop, but then, someone interrupted them with a loud clearing of a throat.
“Ehem,” Lady Ursula, in her usual composed self, stared at the couple with sharp eyes. What a not-so-unexpected surprise indeed to find the Master of the House in her room, mouth, and hands busy with his wife.
“Your wife is still in the middle of her training, Henri,” she pointed out.
Solene, hearing this, quickly pulled away, but then Henri’s arm tightened his hold around her, pressing her even more against his chest.
“Save it for tomorrow, Ursula,” he simply stated with a grin. “As her husband, my job is to cheer her up.”
He didn’t wait for the old woman to reply. He grabbed Solene’s hand and pulled her out of the room in quick strides.
Solene, on the other hand, gave Lady Ursula an apologetic face and a brief nod. She wanted to train, yes, but she also wanted to spend time with her husband. The fire he had ignited inside her due to their kiss earlier was burning still and it was spreading fast in between her legs, wanting to be thoroughly attended.
“Psshh, newlyweds.” Lady Ursula scoffed at the sight of the two retreating.