Thanks to that day when two bad things happened in a row, it’s no wonder that Young Usher paid more attention to Young Vione than usual. So, he often looked out of the window to catch a glimpse of Young Vione as she went about her duties as mentioned earlier-checking the plants in the Palace.
The book lay open, untouched by Young Usher. The laptop screen, which had been lit, was now dark. Everything was neglected as his focus was entirely on young Vione, so much so that he didn’t even notice the arrival of a maid with a tray of snacks and tea.
“It looks like Vione is doing well,” the maid remarked.
The young Usher was startled from his reverie. He turned awkwardly. “Y-yes, she’s fine.”
The maid smiled politely and placed the snacks and tea on the table. Afterwards they wanted to leave, but the young Usher spoke quickly again.
“Just a moment.”
The maid turned to Young Usher again. “Yes?”
“I haven’t thanked you yet. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to save Vione in time,” Young Usher replied, looking at the maid with sincere eyes. “Thank you very much.”
“Oh.” It seemed the maid hadn’t expected Young Usher to say that. She was stunned for a moment, as if she needed time to process Young Usher’s words. Then she smiled again and nodded politely. “It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help you.”
The maid’s words reminded Young Usher that he was the only son of Alpha and Luna. It was natural that people would be happy to help him. It didn’t mean that they were trying to impress him, but it was a common thing.
However, Young Usher felt something strange. His feeling of unease caused all the memories stored in his mind to spin one after the other.
A suspicion that almost felt like certainty made Young Usher squint. His gaze changed, seeming to scrutinize. Then, just to be sure, he asked, “Haven’t you always helped me? I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve informed me about the bullying that would happen to Vione.”
The maid didn’t answer, but continued to maintain a polite demeanor. Her smile and body language seemed controlled, though it couldn’t distract Young Usher from the memories of the past.
Young Usher was certain he wasn’t mistaken. Among the many memories still embedded in his mind, the one that stood out the most was when he saved Young Vione in the backyard forest of the Palace. He couldn’t forget the incident, considering that they had experienced a thrilling ordeal of life and death, almost drowning in the lake.
“Why?” The young usher asked again, continuing to press the maid. “Why do you seem so eager to help me when it comes to Vione?”
Now there was a faint frown on the maid’s forehead. But it wasn’t enough to erase the polite smile on her face. “What do you mean? I’m only helping you because I know you’re good friends.”
The reason sounded reasonable, but strangely enough, it made Young Usher even more suspicious, especially when he remembered yesterday’s incident.
The palace library was empty. Only Young Usher was inside. He was studying in preparation for his first public conference. Suddenly, the maid came to him and told him that Vione had been kidnapped by a group of other young werewolves.
“Is this all true?” The young usher asked.
The maid nodded. “Of course it is. I have no other intentions. Besides, I’m the one who’s curious about something.”
The young Usher remained silent, waiting for the maid to continue.
“Why are you so attentive to Vione?” the maid asked, glancing briefly out of the window. She could see Vione moving about with garden tools. “She’s nobody. She’s just the adopted daughter of some forest rangers. Besides, she seems weak. You could say she’s a troublesome she-wolf. So why do you care about her?”
Young Usher’s mouth opened, but no words came out. His tongue felt dry. He couldn’t answer the maid’s question.
“You can’t answer that. Why?” the maid pressed.
The young usher was at a loss for words. He hesitated for a moment. “I thought it was none of your business.”
“Of course it isn’t.”
Young Usher held his breath, thanks to the slight change in the maid’s smile. It seemed he wouldn’t be wrong to guess that his attitude had put the maid on cloud nine.
“Besides, there are some things in this world that cannot be answered. So, I’ll assume that you really don’t want anything bad to happen to Vione,” the maid continued, smiling politely for the last time. Then she said goodbye. “Excuse me.”
The maid left. The Young Usher was left alone. He was stunned with a mind that felt full and empty at the same time. A moment later, he let out a long breath.
Young Usher picked up his cup of tea. He sipped at it, moistening his dry throat. The warmth seeped into his body, providing the comfort that should have dispelled all the worries that filled his head.
The cup landed back on the coaster, and it turned out that the restlessness still lingered in Young Usher’s mind. So, he rubbed his face roughly, then forced himself to concentrate on his studies. At least his consciousness was still there, so he realized that the most important thing now was to prepare for his first public conference.
The time passed with exhausting effort. The young Usher finished his study session with a struggle. No wonder he rushed out of the palace library as soon as his study time was over.
Young Usher took a deep breath, as if he had just been released from the suffocating restraint on his chest. He paced, intending to return to the palace immediately, but a sight brought his steps to an immediate halt.
“It can’t be. How could you find such a cute dog in the palace garden?”
Young Vione smiled broadly. “It seems to be my lucky day, doesn’t it?”
“It seems so.”
The conversation was like a buzzing bee in Young Usher’s ears. He paid no attention to what Young Vione and Lewis Elliston were discussing. In fact, his eyes and all his senses were focused only on Young Vione at that moment, on her happy smile and face.
*