Esme's POV
For the next hour, I moved around a dark hall, taking note of the doors that followed Ruby's command of 'say anything and they'd obey'.
I differentiated it from Eidrin's domains that needed the presence of a brother to open. The poor young man had always wanted one of them to visit him.
"This is a new room." I spoke, amidst quick gasps. At some point while walking, I had broken into a run. I didn't understand how this building looked more compact on the outside than it did on the inside.
Finally, I had reached another end of the hallway that didn't belong to Eidrin, Ruby, or Grandus. It didn't have a family energy around it. I straightened my posture before knocking.
Apart from those three, the only ones I had never met were the youngest twins and Grandus' twin. The oldest brother—I wouldn't be thrilled to meet him.
The black mahogany door creaked open, and I caught the thick whiff of vanilla and sugar mixed together. I shoved the door wide and fought my way in. Did someone own a bakery here? "Hello?"
"State your name and flavour—"
It was a tall young lady. She had a curvy body with supple pale skin that complemented the red dress she had on. My eyes stayed glued to her thighs because of the flowery patterns on them. I wondered what they represented.
She was stunning. Her long white hair covered the open cleavage of her dress. However, when I looked at her face, my brow knitted together. She was completely faceless. I found it more comforting than being unable to make a face.
"Um, I am the Mistress." I said, a little quietly. How could she look that good while cooking over a fire? The women of this family were truly a work of art.
She flung her hair to her back. "Hello, Mistress. Welcome to my kitchen. Would you want anything?"
She was formally casual. I appreciated she wasn't being submissive or outright scared as the other knights I had met had been. I could also tell she was a knight, I just had no clue whose. "Sure. Anything."
I still needed to move around and check out more rooms, but that'd be after I had had my fill of the delicious meal I'd be served.
If I really had one of the brothers who cooked a nice meal, then this Haven would become my primary and permanent residence.
"As you please, Mistress." She spun around and vanished. Before a frown could settle on my lips, she returned holding a bowl. I couldn't tell its content. "Would you be sharing this meal with the young Prince?"
Did she mean Sora? I nodded, even if I never planned for that. Why refer to him as a 'Prince' if he was an incarnation of the Sixth Prince? Wasn't he a knight like she was?
"What's your name?" Perhaps she was actually a Princess but in a different form.
"Iris Glen. First Knight to the Fourth Prince." She raised her split dress to the side. So she had her Prince's surname. The Fourth Prince really doted on her. She was clearly a knight, so Sora might be called a Prince since he served as the Sixth's son.
"Uh, Mistress. The meal will take a while," she said, a little nervously. "Do you plan to wait for me? I'd feel too nervous that I'm keeping you waiting."
I blanked, then jumped out of the dining seat I had made myself comfortable on. "Ah, yes. Sorry. Don't mind me."
Why did I think that because they were supernatural beings the food would be created in a snap of a finger? "I will uh… continue my patrols. Keep up the good work." I let out a small nervous chuckle.
Now we were both nervous. I didn't expect her to be very vocal about her discomfort. But I couldn't blame her. She kept her hands behind her until I left.
A sigh left me after hearing the door close behind me. I would make sure to remember this room, or she might feel hurt if I didn't try the food she'd make.
I added more details to the map of the hallway I was making. My body stiffened. I was careful about sauntering like I owned the place. These immortals could get uncomfortable if I came on too strongly.
Moreover, the knights would be busy doing what they do best. And apart from those three, the other four brothers weren't currently in the Haven.
"I should sit down." I pushed the notebook in my pocket and walked back towards Eidrin's room.
"Are you already discouraged?" Sanya teased. "Odd. Where is your curiosity?"
I'd rather swallow it down than make them feel I was immature. "These immortals had standards, you know. If a mortal like me started running around the hallway, they'd question their respect for me."
I had barely done anything that should make them respect me. Stabilisation to keep them balanced. That was the primary role I served, and just my presence was enough. Nothing else was needed.
"You cause that stabilisation, either by beating them to a balance, or helping them sort weary emotions. You don't serve them anything, Esmeralda."
What an odd way to put it. She made me sound like a tyrant when the dangerous one was her and her Blood's Will. That magic had bloodlust buried under its foundation.
"I hear you. But I can't tell what they think. Yes, they wouldn't hurt me, but they might only care because they needed me." I stopped in front of Grandus's room.
"You want to be able to know what they think?"
Why did she ask that as if there was a way? I hadn't grown my mana yet. There was no way I'd be able to start casting spells on these immortals. "So I could help them better. Yeah."
Sanya's presence drifted further away from my consciousness. I exhaled. At the moment, I was left with my thoughts. Was she going to find a way?
I leaned on the wall. Should I return home and wait for Uncle's return? No, the Fourth's Knight would be upset I didn't try her food. If Uncle returned, I wouldn't be able to return here for a while.
"I should walk around the forest till she was ready."
When I stepped away from the door, it tore open. I paused, waiting for what he had to say. He was panting lightly, staring at my back.
"Weren't you coming to see me?"
Why would I come to see him? During the two visits I had made, apart from his looks, there wasn't anything interesting to spend time with him for.
"I am feeling better, so you don't have to worry." He added. Had he been feeling unwell? I turned to him, my annoyance faltering slightly.
At least he wasn't putting on a defiant air today. "Your hair ornaments are pretty." I said, one of them catching my eyes. "And what's that about being unwell? I didn't hear."
He touched the pin on his head gently. "Sora didn't tell you? Saying things like my brothers and I are currently unstable so we wouldn't show ourselves to you, and that I was the worst hit?"
My eyes widened. Sora did say that, but with very little urgency, during the day of the ritual. "Wait, is that why your brothers are hard to see around here? Except Eidrin, of course."
"Eidrin has it easier because he rarely uses mana. Just basks in his dark room all day. Instability is caused by excessive mana usage against our mortal souls."
Mortal souls? How could immortals have that? Their souls were mortal but their bodies… weren't. So that's how they were created. The exact sins of mortals served as their source of life.
The imbalance would be the fight against their autonomy. A body built as the pinnacle of power, shielding a soul built from mortal sins.
"Um… do you really feel better now?" I could see why they would need a 'tyrant' because they could easily go haywire if they leaned towards their power or mortal souls.
Why did the Sun God make them so flawed, dependent, yet beautiful and powerful? Did he really have nothing in mind when he created his sons?
"I don't have it that badly." He leaned towards me, keeping my eyes locked on his blue ones. "So visit me anytime. I will be very conscious of my words."
I made an 'hmm' sound, watching him from the corner of my eye. Having an unstable mana didn't require making mating jokes with your mistress, Grandus.
"Since you so badly want me to visit you, better entertain me." I folded my arms.
He seemed surprised by my response, and then he grinned, standing straight. "I do like a challenge. Will you give me ten points if you're entertained?"
He still held onto those ten points from back then. So he had a competitive side? I shrugged, a smile creeping to my face. "Only and only if."