Xavier's hand passed right through the doorway. The Duke noticed him and looked at Xavier, a confused expression on his face.
"There is no door, young man."
Meeting gazes with the Duke's windy, emerald green eyes, Xavier felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
"Ah... Gerald must have told you that there was a glass door there. He tends to do that with newcomers... It's a little prank he enjoys pulling. There is actually no glass door. I prefer to keep the breeze from the outdoors running cleanly through the manor. As much as it can, at least." The Duke gestured to an exit to a balcony to his left.
Xavier looked down, the embarrassment kicking into overdrive.
"Well, you must be one of the young boys Gerald picked in the Eldervale yesterday. Come, sit." The Duke stood up from his desk chair and pointed to a coffee table close to the entrance. On either side of the dark wooden table were two leather sofas.
The office itself was quite nice. All of the craftsmanship was high quality. In the very front was the coffee table and sofas, a bit back was the desk, and behind the desk was a bookshelf wall. To the left, there was a lamp standing tall; however, it was currently off. To the right of the entrance was the balcony area the Duke had gestured to moments ago, with white curtains that hung above the archway-like entrance, lightly swaying from the breeze.
Xavier walked into the office and accepted the Duke's offer to sit on the sofa across from him.
"So, young man, I would like to ask you... How exactly did you end up in the Eldervale? The area is very tightly off limits. It's peculiar for youngsters such as you and your friend to end up on the inside of the gates." The Duke's head tilted slightly.
Xavier's anxiety was growing. The increasing fear of making a single mistake and having his head lopped off was greatly looming over him by now. He responded, though quietly, "I kind of just... woke up there. On one of the cliff edges near the outskirts of the forest."
The Duke hummed in understanding, "I see... Ah! Pardon me, please. Where are my manners? I, young man, am the current overseer of the Ventus Plateau, Duke Windstrom. What is your name, young man?"
"...Xavier." Xavier's posture curled inwards slightly, subconsciously attempting to sit in a ball.
"Xavier... A very strange name. I would assume you are not from around here, Xavier?"
"I don't think so... My memory is still quite foggy."
The Duke hummed again, "Well, Xavier, you must be quite hungry. Gerald found you and your friend quite beaten and battered. I'll go and have him prepare breakfast for you. We have quite a bit to discuss when I return."
The Duke stood up and walked from the room, leaving Xavier behind. Though he wasn't left alone. One of the housemaids was ordered to stand outside the office and watch over him. A safety precaution to make sure he didn't do anything scandalous while the Duke was away.
As soon as the Duke fully left, Xavier let out a hefty sigh and relaxed, reclining back on the sofa.
'Ventus Plateau, huh... I wonder how large this world actually is.'
A few moments later, Xavier heard footsteps approaching the office from the hallway. Turning to his left, expecting to see the Duke, he was met with a welcome surprise. Stephan, in a purple and yellow suit, had entered the room.
"...Really? Like, seriously?" Xavier's mouth was hanging open after commenting on Stephan's outfit choice.
"What? It looks great! The material is really comfortable, too!"
Xavier cupped his face with his hands and spoke into them, "You cannot be a real human being, I swear..."
Stephan sat on the other end of the sofa that Xavier was on, leaving the other one open.
"So?"
"So what?" Xavier tilted his head slightly.
"Did you meet him? The Duke? You were here earlier than I was, clearly."
"Oh, right. Yeah, I met him. He left a few minutes ago to have his butler prepare breakfast for us. Apparently, the butler found us unconscious in the woods and brought us here. It was a place called the Eldervale. Private property of the Duke, I'm assuming. It's closed off from the outside world, so he was surprised that we were found there."
"Ah, I see... Well, a fitting name for that forest if I do say so myself."
"Yeah... By the way, I went with an amnesia story. That we woke up in the forest with no recollection of any past events before waking up."
"Alright, noted. Any sign of Bruce?"
"None at all."
Stephan hummed lightly, expressing his deep thinking. A few minutes later, the Duke returned with the butler Xavier encountered earlier. The butler was pushing a cart with several trays of food.
Xavier's eyes gravitated towards a unique plate of pancakes. They were fluffy with a golden hue and drizzled in thick golden nectar syrup. A pinch of glowing dust was sprinkled on top, making them lightly glisten. He could almost feel his mouth watering instantly.
Stephan's eyes gravitated towards a striking orange-red colored omelet with red flower petals sprinkled over the top. Spilling out from the middle were mushrooms and herbs alike, with a small amount of runny cheese leaking from behind those.
On the other plates were fruit-based dishes or lone fruits. A few cups of tea were also sitting in a line on the very edge of the cart. As the Duke sat down, the elderly butler began moving the plates, cups, and silverware from the cart to the coffee table.
"Please, help yourselves. And, Xavier, it would seem your friend has finally joined us."
Stephan raised his hand to wave at the Duke, but Xavier pushed him downwards from his back, forcing Stephan into a bowing position.
"N- nice to meet you, sir... My name is Gojo." Stephan's voice was slightly strained.
Xavier's eyebrow twitched, and he whispered to Stephan, "You're going to keep that bit up?"
Before Stephan could respond, the Duke spoke with a kind smile on his face:
"Well, Xavier, Gojo, we have much to discuss. So, please, quickly help yourselves to the lovely breakfast I had Gerald and the kitchen staff prepare."