Serenya's breath seemed to leave her. She gulped, the action loud against the silence in the room. The papers shook in her hand. Before she could open her mouth, he beat her to it.
"What are you doing in here?"
She tore her gaze from his questioning eyes and dropped it to her feet. Her desperation cracked through. "I was....sleepwalking."
Brilliant. Just brilliant. Of all the excuses you could have come up with, ofcourse you went with something as stupid as this. Why not go ahead and say you were possessed by some midnight ghost while you're at it?
Darian raised a brow and stepped further inside the room, letting the door close behind him. The quiet click of the lock echoed louder than any slam. "Sleepwalking, you say?", he asked, his voice low and calm, drenched in disbelief. "And, does this sleepwalking come with lock-picking too?"
Serenya felt her mind spin but she forced her body to stay still and loose. Showing any signs of deception would certainly lead to her demise in this moment. "Aye," she said, raising her shoulders into a shrug, with a feeble smile on her face. "Happened plenty at times at home. Big bro had to change latches thrice-said I'd end up breaking into the neighbors' one night."
He remained silent, studying her intently. She felt as though he was peeling her skin off to see the lies hidden beneath. It was worse than outright accusation and punishment. Though, for a moment, his gaze seemed to shift from suspicion to something akin to remembrance.
He does remember her.
And, as if to prove her point, he said, "I have seen you before."
Her heart stuttered. "What?"
"The market," he said, stepping closer to her, "just yesterday. You walked into me, wearing a hood, carrying a basket."
Serenya felt blood rushing through her ears. She forced a scoff, "You mistake me for someone else. I've only just started here."
But his gaze seemed to cut straight through her lies, and she felt stripped bare. "I see, you're new. What is your name?"
"Rhyn," she answered.
His mouth twitched, the faintest smirk on his lips. She stared, half worried that he didn't believe her, half thinking that he should smirk often. Ofcourse, she was horrified at the second half.
"Rhyn," he echoed, the name rolling over his tongue like he didn't believe her for a second.
Her knuckles burned due to how tightly she had gripped the sheets. She set it back on the desk and moved to walk away from it. He stepped in front of her and she felt her breath take a shape intake, cursing herself, and him, silently.
Darian leaned forward till there was only a breath left between their faces. She could see the outline of a scar lining his jaw, catching in the moonlight. "I don't believe you." he said, his voice low and close enough to brush her skin. She felt her pulse run a thousand miles for multiple reasons, but kept her voice neutral. "I told ye. I was sleepwalkin'. Must've looked mad, aye, but I'm no thief. "
He didn't answer. He was close enough that he could feel her breath shaking. For the briefest moment, she saw his gaze drop down to her mouth before returning to her eyes. She felt like the world around her blurred until there was only him left. Then, he leaned back, putting enough distance between them. She let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding.
"Go back to your cot, Rhyn."
Her chest twisted with not just relief but also disappointment, which she didn't quite understand. She nodded quickly, not about the lose the opportunity to make her escape. "Yes, Captain"
She turned to the door, her steps measured so it didn't look like she was fleeing. But before she could open the door-
"Rhyn."
Serenya froze. But he didn't give her the chance to turn.
His voice was cold now, not low and calm like earlier. This carried some amount of threat that raised goosebumps on her skin.
"Next time you walk in your sleep, it'll be the last."
Her chest tightened. She forced herself not to look back, not to let him see how her breath caught at his words, how they felt like a warning and something darker, something unspoken.
She walked until the door closed behind her.
Only when she reached the stairwell did she press her back to the cold stone and let her breath shake loose.
He didn't believe her.
*******
The morning dawned quicker than Serenya wanted it to. Fortunately for her, there was no sign of the Captain. There was no sound of his heavy boots thudding down the hall, no voice cutting across the servants' chatter.
She didn't have to ask where he was, word spreads quick among the servants-he was down at the barracks. Something about checking the newly recruited soldiers. Well, whatever it was, Serenya felt relief settle over her shoulders. She distracted herself with her new job, scrubbing the floors, fetching water for the cleaning and then some more scrubbing. The rhythm of chores eased her nerves, surprising her.
While cleaning, she passed the study, only once. There hung a new lock, thicker than before and seemingly more complex to pick. There was no way she could coax this one open.
Darian Valeric had wasted no time.
She gave up on the thought of ever finding answers from his study. I have to find another way, she thought. For now, she forced herself back into her routine work, listening to Brisa's tuneless humming, to Marta complaining about lazy servants.
Just then Brisa's voice called out, "Oi, Rhyn! Ye comin' or not?
Serenya blinked. "Where?"
"Errand, silly. Cook wants more onions, an' Marta's too sour to be trusted with folk." Brisa said, with a grin, already pulling off her apron and tying on her cloak.
They went together, holding a basket on their hips. The street bustled with mid-morning chaos. Vendors yelled prices and children dragged their mothers to candy stalls. There was noise of all kind, including the blacksmiths hammering on steel.
Serenya let the noise engulf her, finding comfort in this chaos. For a moment, she was just another servant girl holding a basket, out to buy items. She listened to Brisa chatter on about some cooper's apprentice with shoulders "as broad as the riverbank"
Then it happened. A brush of hand against hers, too firm to be accidental. Something rough meeting the her opened palm. Parchment. A stranger passed by her-a tall man wearing a long cloak with hood pulled low. She couldn't see his face as he walked past. She gripped the parchment tightly and quickly stuffed it inside her cloak.
Serenya kept walking, showing no surprise and maintaining her pace. She nodded absentmindedly at whatever Brisa was talking about now. By the time she risked taking a look, the man was gone. Her pulse raced. She did not think the underground forgot about her, it was a foolish thought, but she did certainly did not think they would make contact so early. It seems whatever they required from the Captain was urgent.
Brisa nudged her shoulder, "Ye're quiet. Somethin' on ye mind? Maybe Jimmy?"
Serenya furrowed her brows, "Who?" she asked.
"The cooper's new boy I've been talkin' bout, are ye even listenin' to me?", she pouted.
Serenya immediately felt bad for ignoring her, she was kind to her from the beginning. She fumbled over her words, trying to find a decent excuse. "I-i'm sorry I was...distracted. By the...." she looked around trying to spot something, "the sweets there. I love those!"
Brisa grinned and forgot all about it, dragging her towards the stall. "Then I'll buy some for ya, come on"
Since Serenya had no coin of her own yet, she couldn't stop her from paying. She made a mental reminder to get her something nice.
They bought the sweets and found a bench, enjoying them until the the sun started going down, which alerted both of them to get back to the residence.
Back at the house, Serenya kept herself scarce-serving at dinner, vanishing before the Captain could notice. Only when the servants' quarters had gone still did she dare draw the parchment from her pocket. The seal cracked in her hands.
Her breath caught at the first line.