Staring intensely at her brother, Horatia just couldn't understand what was going on in his mind.
As she finished the last bite of food on her plate, she watched as the servants rushed in and cleared it off before standing up from her seat.
What was he thinking!? Since when did he think that speaking for me was a good idea!? He's lucky father didn't cut him into tiny pieces for speaking out of turn.
"What did you think?" Hearing a sudden voice behind her, Horatia let out a short startled gasp and whirled around to see her brother crouching in front of her so they were staring face to face.
"Huh?! What in the world are you talking about?!"
Placing his hand under her arms, Lucian lifts her, and Horatia couldn't help but notice as she dangled in his grasp that he looked like an overly excited dog with how wide his eyes were.
"When I stood up for you, that's what! Did I look cool?! You were so nervous, and I just knew I couldn't let my precious little sister get caught off guard so suddenly!" Despite the clearly annoyed expression on Horatia's face, Lucian just didn't seem to get the hint.
Seriously? He could at least act properly and not pick me up like a ragdoll!Does he want me to praise him or something?
Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Horatia looked away and could only bother to mumble under her breath. "Yeah…I guess you were slightly cool. Not by a lot, though! Just a tiny little bit!" As Lucian placed her back down on the ground, Horatia quickly looked away from him and crossed her arms.
"Really!? I knew it!" Acting a bit too pleased with himself, Lucian ruffles Horatia's curls and stands up to his full height.
Feeling her face heat up in embarrassment, Horatia couldn't help but feel a little humiliated as he patted her head like she was some kind of animal.
How dare he! He's so weird! What makes him think that he can just touch my hair like that!?
Feeling a sudden surge of anger, Horatia rushes to the dining-room door and opens it before turning back to look at her brother.
"I was actually lying! You actually looked super duper ugly when you spoke up for me! And don't touch my hair like that, you big meanie!" Slamming the door behind her as she left the dining room, Horatia practically flew down the hallway as she struggled to suppress the urge to scream at him super loud.
Back in the dining room, Lucian stood there, stunned at Horatia's outburst. For a few seconds, he had a blank expression on his face before it suddenly turned into one of horror as he slowly fell to his knees.
"A meanie? I'm a meanie?" Slowly repeating what his sister said, he covered his face with his hands before slumping forward onto the wooden floor of the dining room.
"Young Master Lucian? Are you feeling well?" One of the servants who cleaned up the table entered the dining room and looked at Lucian with a concerned expression as he continued to lay on the ground and repeat the same sentences over and over again.
"Young Master Lucian?"
…
By the time Horatia manages to calm down, she finds herself standing at the entrance of her room. As she tries to catch her breath, she sees a familiar person walking towards her, and immediately, she couldn't help but smile.
"Miss Mabel!" As Horatia sees the familiar face of her longtime nanny. She rushes towards her and looks up at her excitedly. There was still a few more years until Horatia would be appointed a governess. So for now, she actively sought out the solace of the woman who practically raised her.
"Did you get it!? Please tell me you got it! You said you would try!" Forgetting the incident in the dining room, Horatia excitedly jumps up and down as Mabel smiles at her charge and raises a finger to her lips.
"Please calm down, my lady. I did get what you asked for. However, you must keep your mouth sealed and tell no one about this, alright?" Ushering Horatia into her room, Mabel nervously looks around to make sure there's no one in the hallway before closing the door behind her.
Inside Horatia's bedroom, she struggles to take off her shoes before sitting on the edge of her bed as she watches Mabel set down her basket of fresh linens before lifting off the top and revealing an aged book with old lettering on its front cover.
She actually found it!
The book in front of Mabel and Horatia was actually quite common. Despite the clear signs of age and mishandling, the Empire of Truscan had several copies of 'Basic Spells for Mages'.
Just not in the land that House Briedis managed.
In fact, no magic at all was allowed.
As Horatia gazed at the book in awe, she was just about to pick it up when Mabel suddenly picked it up and held it out of her reach. "Now listen here! I spent a long time getting the book. But, we're going to have a few rules in place, alright? Or else I won't be able to trust you to handle it carefully. "
Her excited expression instantly falling, Horatia looked up at the book in Mabel's hand before lowering her head. "Yes, Miss Mabel…"
Setting the book down on the nearby nightstand, Mabel then sits on the bed next to Horatia. "You have to understand that no matter what, you cannot attempt to use magic." Moving closer to Horatia, she gives her a mischievous look and smiles.
"If you try to and someone finds out, do you know what will happen?"
Shaking her head, Horatia looked up at Mabel with wide eyes. "What will happen?"
Mabel's smile deepened, but her voice fell to a whisper. "You must understand something very important, my lady. Since magic is forbidden, anyone caught practicing it faces dire consequences. Even though no wendigo has tried to use it, it's been rumored that any who attempts to use it will be cursed."
Horatia's heart skipped a beat; her excitement suddenly mixed with fear. Even though she knew she should be cautious, Horatia couldn't help but slowly trace the lettering of the book. "I understand, Miss Mabel. I won't!"
Whenever she would go to noble parties, the other children there would occasionally talk about how pretty magic was. That's why she begged Mabel to try to get her a spellbook that she could at least read.
Even though I can't try any spells, I can at least look at all the pretty drawings.
She nodded slowly, swallowing hard. Mabel gave her a smile and patted her head. "Good. Not a word to anyone. It'll be our little secret, okay?"
Horatia nodded again as Mabel stood up and grabbed the linen basket. After one last warning look, Mabel quietly slipped out of the room.
Slowly changing into her nightgown, Horatia couldn't help but glance at the book every few seconds, as if it might suddenly run away. When she finally crawled into bed, she pulled the blankets up to her chin and turned onto her side, facing the nightstand.
I'm not going to use it. I'll just…look tomorrow.
Horatia frowned and rolled onto her back, then onto her other side. Her mind wouldn't slow down at all. She kept thinking about the pictures inside and how the letters looked all curly and fancy. She wondered if the spells had names, or if some of them were sparkly, or if magic really did look as pretty as the other kids said.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened one again to peek at the book. Still there. Still tempting.
With a quiet huff, Horatia buried her face into her pillow and kicked her feet under the covers. Sleep eventually crept in, but even then her thoughts were all mixed up with drawings, strange words, and the old book waiting patiently beside her as she lay in bed, restless and unable to stop thinking about it.