A Snake Entwining Flowers

Contrary to the tranquil first impression of Gredel Hill, the village was bustling with life, a stark contrast to the pastoral Mistymoor Hall. It could easily be considered a different region altogether.

As they reached the entrance of the village, Richard brought the carriage to a stop and extended his hand to Charlotte, just as he had when helping her into the carriage earlier. She had blinked in surprise at his earlier gesture of escort, but this time, without hesitation, she took his hand and stepped down. At that moment, Richard caught her by the shoulder and gently pulled her towards him. Simultaneously, a horse narrowly missed Charlotte as it passed by, its rider seemingly oblivious to her presence.

While a cool gaze followed the horse, a stable hand approached and took the reins from Richard, who then turned back to Charlotte.

“I’m heading to the bank for a bit. Do you have any plans?”

His tone suggested she was welcome to join him if she had no other plans. Charlotte responded immediately.

“I thought I might explore the area a bit… since it’s my first time here.”

“Understood. Let’s meet back here in an hour.”

She hadn’t expected that he would also accompany her back, but it made sense given the distance was quite a walk. Charlotte nodded and watched Richard curiously as he seemed to ponder something. Then, from a pocket in his vest, he pulled out a small pocket watch, intricately made of silver. It was clearly an expensive item, prompting Charlotte to wave her hands in refusal.

“I can’t accept this.”

“I’m lending it to you. I detest waiting.”

“But still…”

With a crooked smile, he cautioned her, “There are many eyes watching.”

“…”

“Shall I make it grasp your hand instead?”

At his words, Charlotte looked up sharply. It was true; people passing by did glance their way, most of them at Richard Kensington, whose striking appearance commanded attention wherever he went.

Charlotte muttered to herself in disbelief.

“…Grasp it?”

“If you wish.”

He seemed to offer a choice, but realistically, he had blocked off all paths but one, guiding the situation in the direction he wanted. Charlotte hastily reached out.

“Thank you. I’ll make good use of it.”

“It’s two o’clock now; let’s meet at three.”

Before she could nod, Richard had turned and disappeared into the crowd. Left alone among the throng of people, Charlotte too began to move busily.

The first place Charlotte visited was a glove shop. The array of gloves caught her eye: satin gloves, gloves adorned with frills, and others embellished with pearls.

As she entered, an attentive clerk approached.

“Do you have a specific type of glove in mind?”

“No, just looking around.”

Feeling too embarrassed to ask for the cheapest gloves suitable for church, she avoided further engagement with the clerk and scanned the area. The shop was quite renowned locally, judging by the number of customers.

While she examined gloves on display, she overheard a conversation between two women browsing nearby.

“Did you hear the latest news?”

“What news?”

“The wolves around here have become more ferocious lately.”

The word ‘wolf’ made Charlotte stiffen. She remembered a pack of wolves that seemed ready to pounce and tear at her neck.

“Really? Is that true?”

“Yes. There have been animals found dead and left in the wastelands and forests. Mostly wild ones.”

“That’s odd. They kill but don’t eat? Isn’t it usually for food?”

“Exactly, it’s strange…”

The more she heard, the more the conversation chilled her. Unknowingly, Charlotte clenched her fists. Then, someone touched her shoulder, startling her. She turned to see bright blue eyes looking at her.

“Miss Charlotte.”

“Ah…”

“I didn’t expect to see you here. What are you looking at?”

The man was Felix Barker, who greeted her with a friendly face. The tension seemed to drain from her body, and her legs nearly gave way. Felix quickly steadied her by the waist.

“I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“No, not really.”

Charlotte straightened up and shook her head, and Felix’s hand fell away.

“What brings you here, Sir Felix?”

“That title sounds a bit formal. You’re not a maid, and I’m not your employer.”

If Richard made her tense, this jovial man made her uneasy. He was a type she hadn’t encountered before and wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Then… Mr. Felix?”

“Just Felix is fine.”

“…Felix.”

“That sounds much better. It’s not like we’re at the mansion anyway.”

Pleased like a child who had answered correctly, Felix smiled broadly and responded to her earlier question.

“I’m here because it’s Kiara’s birthday soon. I came to buy her a gift.”

“That’s nice. Please extend my congratulations to the lady.”

Charlotte remembered the letter Richard had received from the Earl. The seal was unfamiliar at first, but it seemed to be from the Spencer family. Felix glanced at the gloves Charlotte had been looking at just moments ago.

“Were you looking at these?”

The price tag on the gloves exceeded her monthly wages several times over. Charlotte shook her head.

“No, I haven’t chosen anything yet…”

Before she could finish speaking, Felix called over a passing clerk and asked for two pairs of the same gloves to be brought out. He then immediately took out his wallet and paid for them.

Moments later, two boxes tied with satin ribbons were brought back. Assuming they were gifts for his cousin, Charlotte began to walk towards another display, but Felix extended one of the boxes to her.

“Take this. It’s a gift.”

“For me?”

“It’s fate that we met like this.”

Charlotte gasped at the small box suddenly placed in front of her.

“No, really, I can’t accept this.”

“You would really embarrass me by refusing?”

His reaction was like that of a man rejected after a confession, looking like a big dog with its ears drooping.

Charlotte was flustered. The shop was crowded, and many eyes were watching. Not surprisingly, murmurs were already spreading.

“Isn’t that Felix from the Cloverfield family?”

“Who’s the lady with him?”

“She doesn’t look like Kiara…”

The idea of becoming the subject of gossip was exactly what Charlotte dreaded. If those who appeared to be ladies knew her position, what would their faces show?

‘Such a quiet look, and yet…’

‘How could she be with the son of the household…’

Voices she imagined made Charlotte internally shake her head.

“In that case, I’ll accept it. Thank you.”

She had no other choice. Hastily taking the box from Felix’s hand, she bowed in gratitude. Her priority was to get out of there. She could always return the gloves later.

“Let’s go outside.”

Whether he sensed her mood or not, Felix had already strode to the door and held it open for her. With a sigh, Charlotte stepped outside, and that’s when she heard it.

“…Richard?”

“Felix.”

Felix spoke with surprise. Richard’s presence was equally unexpected. His cool gaze shifted between them before settling on Felix.

“If you’re here for Kiara’s gift, you’re too late. I’ve already bought it.”

“That’s unfortunate. But that wasn’t my purpose.”

“Ah, is that so? Well then, we’ll be going.”

Charlotte was bewildered to find herself included in ‘we.’

“Miss Hegel.”

A voice as soft as melting butter came from above. Charlotte looked up to find Richard observing her, unblinkingly, as she clutched the box he presumed she had received as a gift.

“What if you had suddenly disappeared? I’ve been looking for you.”

She felt the weight of many gazes again. She felt like a fickle woman who had just weighed and discarded two handsome men.

Her face heated up. Yet, despite her flustered response, Richard seemed in no hurry to leave.

The eyes of the two men met over her head. Eventually, Felix conceded.

“Ah, I didn’t realize there was a prior engagement. My apologies, Miss Charlotte.”

“No, thank you again for the gift, Felix.”

With a friendlier address, Richard’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Felix, as if flaunting his farewell, smiled and said, “It was nice to meet you like this. Until next time.”

“Yes, it was nice. See you again.”

After Charlotte bowed her head in greeting, Felix gave Richard a nod and left. Now, only Charlotte and Richard remained.

As Felix’s figure receded, Richard spoke softly, “It seems you’ve gotten quite close in the meantime.”

“That’s… a misunderstanding. It’s not like that.”

The suggestion sounded almost like an accusation, and Charlotte quickly denied it. Being close was not an appropriate description for their respective social standings.

In her time assisting the maids, Charlotte had learned various tidbits of information, including that Felix was the sole heir to the Earl of Barker—a position she could hardly compare herself to.

Richard’s gaze softened as he looked at her flushed face again, though his voice was no longer as gentle as before.

“You seemed quite familiar when you called him.”

“It felt uncomfortable, so I…”

“I see.”

His eyes lingered on the luxurious box that she clearly could not afford on her salary but soon dropped away.

“Felix is generally kind to all women.”

The implication was clear—it wasn’t anything special, and perhaps it was even an extravagance she didn’t deserve.

“I’ll return it.”

“What do you mean?”

“This gift that I received from him.”

Richard’s lips curled into an unreadable smile. Silently, he turned and began walking toward the village entrance. Charlotte followed, and when she asked if they were returning, he briefly confirmed they were. As she faced forward again, feeling a pang of regret, Richard stopped abruptly.

“You can just keep it.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s a gift, after all.”

His tone implied it should have been obvious. Just moments ago, he seemed displeased as if it was improper for her to have such an item given her status.

As Charlotte wrestled with this sudden shift in his demeanor, Richard suddenly stopped walking. Lost in thought, she nearly bumped into his back. Wondering what had caused him to halt, she looked ahead and saw a young woman approaching them.

 

 

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