Chapter 15 - Into The Forbidden
That was it!
By Argon, that was it!
Her heart leaped for joy, her pulse racing, her eyes scanning the room quickly for Louie, only to hear his voice echoing from far away as he rambled on about something she honestly didn't care about.
She had listened at the beginning of his conversations to see if the information would be useful, but it had all been conversations and conversations about a personal event he seemed to be the head planner of.
She wondered if he had an event planning business on the side.
How would that fit into the schedule if a bodyguard though?
Well, that was none of her business.
Having confirmed that Louie had noticed nothing, Idalia's attention was back on what she had found.
The circular metal had intricate patterns carved on it.
Her finger trailed it gently.
There were tinier details that she couldn't see but could feel.
She knew this security system. Her father had begun to indulge in the creation of it, before… before…
She shook her head, snapping herself out of it.
This was not the time!
These things usually——
"Julie!"
Her heart jumped, and she quickly pushed back the wall and hurried away from it, grabbing a napkin and adjusting her cleaning apron, as she watched the circular metal disappear behind the electric lamp, right at the moment Louie stepped into the hallway.
"——can you imagine that?" His face was twisted into a frown as he awaited her response.
Idalia had heard nothing, her heart still thundering in her chest from the fear of how she had been so close to getting caught.
"What?"
"I said—— " Louie paused, looking around and finally realizing that they were under the staircase.
"What are you doing here?"
"Cleaning."
"There is nothing to clean here, Julie."
Her heart raced, but her voice remained steady.
"Yes, but this light here was flickering, and I intended to check it to see what was wrong with it, but look at that, it stopped." She laughed. "I'm so bored, there is nothing to clean anywhere. At this point, I think I am starting to hallucinate work for myself." She complained, walking out of the small enclosure.
Louie followed.
If he suspected that she was lying, she couldn't tell.
"Now that I have your attention, Louie, can you please drive us to the supermarket to get some supplies?"
He was about to say something when his phone vibrated, and irritation seeped into his face. He swiped his finger over the screen, and the vibration stopped. Then he shoved the phone to her face, the brightness of the screen burning her eyes.
Idalia took a hurried step back, afraid that the light would do something to her. Grandpa Alfred's tales had told her enough about humans and their dangerous technology.
However, Louie's next words put her at ease, and she could only thank the source of his distraction that he hadn't noticed how strangely she had behaved.
"I need you to decide what colour looks better. The pink on this side or the pink on that side?" Louie was in front of her now,
"The left."
"Thank you, J." He nodded in agreement. "John has no taste in color. I don't know why I employed him to do this. I'm practically doing everything!"
"The Supermarket——"
"Later, Julie. I'm so sorry, Julie but——"
His phone was ringing again, and a curse slipped past his lips, and he walked away to answer it. "I'm honestly too busy right now to hear a thing you are saying." Then he snapped as he brought his phone to his ear. "What is it now, John?"
His voice was growing distant.
"I want it perfect, John. It's tomorrow, you know that! For goodness' sake, this wasn't the ease you promised me. You said you'll handle everything. I don't have time for this, and I need it done already! What is it again…."
Finally, he sounded far away enough.
Event planning could be hell at times. She would know. She had always had to plan the Quarterly Crescent Moon Den Dinner with her mum, and it was, well——
She shook her head again, forcing herself to forget, as she sank into the sofa in the sitting room.
She had more important things to think about. Like, where to find the counterpart to the circular metal attached to the wall. That would be the key, and for a security system like this, it was only the one created for that particular lock that could work for it.
She would have to search the storage room on her floor for it. Louie still hadn't gotten the door fixed, and it seemed to have the keys to every door and everything.
Although a part of her mind told her that she wouldn't find it there, she couldn't help but try first.
Now, she would just have to sneak into the storage room as she had done before.
Would she be so lucky this time not to get caught, though?
"Julie?" Louie was back. He stopped abruptly next to her and traced her line of sight to the TV with a blank dark screen.
"You are very bored."
"How do you switch it on?" She asked, and he quickly grabbed the remote and turned it on for her. His hand slipped through his hair to rub his nape.
"I—— em—— I——" he cleared his throat noisily.
"Are you alright?" Idalia asked, trying to keep her voice leveled as she thought of the only other place she might have to check if the key turned out not to be in the storage room.
No!
She wouldn't have to go there.
The key would be in the storage room. It must!
"This is crazy." He mumbled to himself. "God help me, I'm going to kill John for this."
"Murder? You must be going through a lot." She chuckled. "You are starting to scare me about whatever it is you want to ask me."
Indeed, she was starting to be afraid.
He settled into the sofa, sitting close to her. Since she had known him, he had always been doing this. Louie must not know anything about personal space.
"I really need to leave——"
"Leave?!"
"Yes, but I won't be long. I promise," he said quickly. "The thing is that I'm planning this surprise and—— I——"
"You can leave. I love surprises, and I support one hundred percent in planning this!" She smiled.
She did love surprises, sincerely, but she desperately needed him to leave so she could continue her search in peace.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" He was standing up already. "I'll be back in like the next 30 minutes. Wouldn't even take that long if this estate weren't so damn big! The thing is, we'll, you see John——"
So the estate was big. That big to take 30 minutes to drive out of it?
Ah!
"You don't have to explain yourself." She smiled. "Hurry off now and get that surprise ready."
He smiled, walked, came back, and pulled her into an embrace before she could even stop him. "Mr. LY will never know about this, or he'll kill me."
"Well, I'm glad to have your life in my hands." She chuckled, and he did too.
Then he pulled away from her and shook his wrist in the air. "You need me——"
"I ring you."
He nodded, and with that, he left.
She waited for a about a minute, not moving from the chair before the silence of the mansion finally dawned on her.
Alone.
By Argon, she was alone.
Finally.
Not wasting another second, Idalia rushed upstairs to the storage room and began her search, but it quickly dawned on her that she couldn't keep denying the truth in foolish optimism.
Mr. Lythoryn would never let the key to his prison be kept in a room on the servant's floor.
If she needed that key, she would have to go to his floor.
The very place that was forbidden for her to go.
She would have to search for his room and she would have to go in there for find the key.
She tried to force more optimist thoughts to her head so she could keep searching the storage room. But time wasn't a luxury she could afford and she had two ticking things at which she must have completed her search before they would happen.
Arik's Cry and Louie's return, one could happen before another and either would ruin her search.
Determined, her feet flew quickly, ascending the stairs. She didn't stop for a moment, not until she came face to face with that doorway that Louie had stopped her from entering merely yesterday.
The warning that had been etched into his eyes as his grip had stopped her flashed in her mind.
Her breath turned heavy and unsteady. As she looked up and found Coin perched on the iron that was attached to the ceiling. The raven stared intently at her, and she gulped, her hands tightening around the railings of the stairs.
Beyond the raven, the hallway was dimly lit, and it felt like darkness tempting her to come in.
Her heart kept pounding in her ears.
Stay away from him.
Don't go there.
Louie had warned her yesterday.
For the survival of you and your baby, just stay away from him.
She stared intently at the doorway.
She would never have a chance like this again.
It was now or never.
Besides, she would be quick with it.
They would never know.
With that, she headed right into the doorway, walking past the raven that suddenly began to laugh, its haunting sound following her quick movements into the darkness that laid in wait.
Tick…
Tock.