Chapter 36:

Lana woke Eres in the morning, ignoring her heavy eyelids and the still-smeared bit of chocolate on the side of her mouth. She planted Eres in front of the mirror, wiped the mess away with her sleeve, and started checking over her wardrobe before Eres came to true consciousness.

Eres blinked, and suddenly she was wearing an emerald dress, hair carefully styled, and looked at Lana as the woman approached with a case of something unknown and dangerous. Eres’s instincts flared for her to escape, but the Head Maid was not so easily avoided. 

“Sit down. I won’t have you attending the party without proper presentation.”

Eres grumbled, but sat on her bed. “It’s just a birthday party. And I’m a maid. Leo’s the real star today.”

Lana tapped her lightly on her forehead, lips pursed. “Can I not celebrate my daughter’s birthday? I swear, if I’d known you’d pass the attention off to Leo every year I never would have suggested celebrating it the same day.”

Eres sniffed, pouting. Like she wanted the attention! Lana had made the suggestion when she was young, maybe a year after arriving at the household. She’d been horrified that Eres didn’t know her own birthday. It was easy enough for her to convince Duchess Aurelia to celebrate it with Leo’s. 

Eres suspected it was so the workers wouldn’t need to change their schedule for a holiday twice.

And now, her mother doted on her each year with increasing intensity. Maybe she saw her daughter growing and felt the coming of her own age—it wouldn’t surprise Eres to learn it was a form of fulfillment, like mothers forcing their daughters to attend ballet. 

Lana unlocked the case and brought out a variety of instruments, each more terrifying than the last. Eres took it for devices of torture at first, until she realized it was something worse.

Makeup. 

She longed to run away, images of the arduous application looming ahead, but the presence next to her surely wouldn’t allow it. Lana indulged her most days, allowing her to remain slightly unkempt, but she had a firm stance on her birthday.

“My daughter will never look sloppy on her most important day!”

And so it was that Eres suffered her mother’s administrations. The woman chided her to keep still if she so much as twitched. Eres thought it might be better to face a dragon again than the woman before her, so she kept as still as she could, her mind wandering to a million different things as she waited. 

She’d begun bouncing her foot as she always did when bored, but even that was taken with a sharp glare and a reapplication of eyeliner. If Lana strived for one thing, it was perfection.

Finally, her great work finished, Lana stepped back, pulled Eres to her feet, and moved her in front of the mirror. From behind, she smiled at her daughter, reaching to pull a strand of Eres’s hair behind her ear. 

Eres didn’t recognize the girl in the mirror. She was beautiful; her red hair gleamed in the light, the dress glimmering as it shifted, her face painted without fault.

A strange feeling bubbled in her stomach. Her lips stretched into a quiet grin, and she turned her head back and forth, observing the reflection do the same. 

“Damn,” Eres said, before her brain could filter the thought. She froze, stiffening as her vision flicked to Lana. Surely she won’t punish me on my birthday?

Instead, to Eres’s shock, her mother smiled. She leaned close to her ear with a soft chuckle. “Yes. Damn.”

Eres’s eyes shot open, mouth fell agape. Had the head maid just…? 

Who was this woman and where was her mother?!

The pod person rubbed Eres’s shoulder, gave it a loving pat, and looked over her again. “Now you see why I want you to present yourself better. We don’t do it for others.” She grinned. “Though, I imagine the young master certainly won’t mind.”

Before she could protest, Eres was pushed from her room, down the hall, and into the dining room. 

The air was festive across the mansion; workers smiled at her on the walk, wishing her a happy birthday, the decorations and tables were still finding their way to the courtyard by hired hands, and preparations for oncoming guests had people she’d never seen scurrying about. Even the dining room had servants darting in and out, setting the decor. 

In front of her, a multitude of platters filled the dining table, threatening to spill over; desserts stacked chest-high and heaps of meat sat at her usual spot, waiting for their recipient. She walked over, taking her seat next to the man who sipped at his coffee.

Leo looked up from a book he’d been reading, and upon seeing Eres, choked, nearly spurting coffee across her face. 

Lana saved them, having somehow appeared behind him, covering his mouth with a deadly clamp of napkins. The white cloth stained brown, and Lana leaned close to his ear.

Her words were soft and venomous. “Young Master. It is rather undignified to spit coffee on your fiancée’s face. Especially after she’s spent an hour on her appearance.”

Leo nodded best he could, eyes wide with panic. Lana pat his cheek like a mafia boss, then released her hold, stepping back. His face paled, and he looked between her and Eres. 

Eres coughed, holding back a laugh, and Leo noticed a glint in Lana’s eyes as they flickered to Eres pointedly. 

Leo smiled at her. “You look amazing, Eres.”

“Uh…thanks? You too, I guess.”

His lips twitched. Eres, bewildered, looked at him with an eyebrow raised. Had he been replaced too? Though, she wasn’t lying. Leo did look rather put together today. He wore a handsome suit, the fruits of his growth and training showing in the way the clothes fit him like a man and not a boy. 

Eres turned her attention to more important matters: the plates of food before her. She would be remiss if she didn’t appreciate the chef’s efforts; she picked her silverware up in dainty fashion and showed her respect the way she knew best—ravenous eating. 

Perhaps her stomach wasn’t so bottomless as she thought, though it might be close. For the first time in a few weeks, Eres sat back against her chair and felt satiated. 

Behind the kitchen door, through the window, the head chef squeezed his hat in his hands, mouth twisted and brows furrowed. The meal they’d spent hours cooking since before dawn was gone in the time it took to boil a kettle of water. Tears dripped from his eyes as he looked upon the monster sitting in the green dress. 

They were tears of frustration, yes, but also happiness, for never had he met a person so elated after tasting his food. 

It almost made it worth it. Almost. 

Eres stifled a burp and glanced at Lana, blushing. The woman appeared troubled as she looked over the empty platters. “I should be glad your birthday is only once a year. I don’t imagine the coffers could afford more.”

The three of them looked at the empty table with complicated expressions. Eres twiddled her fingers together under the table. Would they throw her out? Return her to the streets? The physician had said there was nothing wrong with her, attributing it to youthful hunger, but this was far beyond that. 

She stood, wanting to escape. Lana stepped forward, but Eres shot her a smile. “I just need some fresh air.”

Lana called out to her as she left. “Eres!”

But she slipped out and down the hall and to the fountain. It was only when she was in front of that familiar sight that she felt at ease. Eres sat on the bench. She nearly put her face in her hands, only to stop short, remembering it was not to be disturbed. 

She sat there for a long while, listening to the trickling water.

Her quiet was interrupted by the rustling steps that approached. Leo?

The man looked similar, strikingly so, though his face had more lines and his cheeks more hair; the color on his head a soft blonde instead of the black that his son sported. 

Lionel Fritz smiled at the girl as he walked over. Eres scooted to the side, feeling rather awkward. The Duke made her nervous, though not by attitude; rather, he was friendly to Eres in the few times they’d met.

He was a man who rarely stayed at home, usually off dealing with business, but he always made it a point to return for his son’s birthdays, and at least once a month in between. 

The Duke sat next to her on the bench, crossed his legs, and smiled at her. “I see you’re fond of this place.”

Eres nodded, a bit too nervous to speak.

He chuckled. “I used to take Aurelia here when we were young.” Lionel winked at Eres. “I like to think I won her heart here.” 

Eres didn’t know what to say, so she smiled. The man continued. “It was the other way, of course—from the moment I saw her I was smitten.”

He pat his knee. “When she told me how you’d met my son, we laughed together. And when I met you, I understood. I’ve no doubt Leo feels the same.”

Lionel looked at Eres with kindness. “When you stepped into our home, you were family.”

Eres smiled wryly. “Did Leo send you here?”

Lionel raised his hands. “Guilty.”

“Honestly,” Eres said, “I’m grateful to your family. Really. It’s just—between Leo and me—it’s not like that.”

Lionel rubbed his knee, thinking for a moment. “Well. Even so. Feelings change.” He shot her a grin. 

Eres snorted. 

“And if they don’t,” He said, voice light, “You’re welcome to stay here nonetheless.

“I never told Leo this,” Lionel said, tone dipping, “But he was supposed to have a sister. I was supposed to have a daughter.”

Their eyes met, and Eres saw a sadness in them. “So even if it’s not in that way, don’t think you’re intruding.” 

He stood, readjusted his jacket, and began to walk away. He stopped after a moment. “Oh, and about the food.” 

Eres stiffened, eyes darting to his back. 

Lionel looked over his shoulder, grinning. “The Fritz family has deep pockets. Don’t worry about it. Especially after today.”

“Today?”

He waved a hand over his head as he walked off, raising his voice. “Important guests! You’ll see.”

Eres scratched her nose, before realizing she’d touched her face. She looked both ways, and when seeing the area clear, tried to dab the makeup from her finger back. 

Lana wouldn’t notice. She hoped.