Indecipherable Looks

Chapter 2

As soon as she got back inside, Maxi headed straight to the kitchen. If the staff were surprised by her visit, they didn't show, hardly batting an eye as she came through the entrance and found the milk in the huge icebox. Fishing a bowl from the nearest shelf, she quickly poured some into it before someone became interested in what she was doing and bothered to ask. Then she grabbed a handful of scraps too, unsure if it needed to eat, and brushed them into a separate container as well.

Rushing back to her room, some of the milk sploshed out of the bowl, but she just couldn't afford to slow down and get caught. If anyone told her father she was taking care of the orphaned kitty, he'd throw it out to die- right after he beat her. But she just didn't want to leave it alone. Honestly, she was unsure why she had told Calypse she'd take care of it- he wasn't begging for her help. Maxi shook her head at her own foolishness. What was she trying to do, impress him? It didn't make sense.

Now she was at her bedroom door, trying not to think about why she did what she did, pushing it open with her shoulder and swiftly kicking it shut. But she didn't see the kitten anywhere.

"D-Daphne?" She called, and it came out from under her bed, nipping and pawing at her legs as she giggled, setting the trays down on the floor so she could finally pet her new cat as it lapped up the milk.

Daphne was actually a boy, but she had named him after a character in a book she'd recently read anyway. It was about a fairy named Daphne with long, flowing red hair, which would be a similar color to her cat's fur. For a short time while she read about the adventures the magical being went on, and read the description surrounding her rare appearance, she liked her own hair. Though as soon as she finished a chapter, the insecurities dependably came flying back.

Still, it seemed like a fitting name for the cat. She smiled when, finished drinking his fill and having sniffed at the crumbs, finding them unsatisfactory for his tastes, Daphne settled into her lap. Disturbing his peace, Maxi lifted the kitty up to eye level with her, pressing little kisses onto his face. Then she stopped and softly asked a question.

"W-what d-do you think of h-him?" Daphne meowed once, then landed a hit on her nose. "Okay." She sighed and put him back on her lap where he curled up, contented to take a nap. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, she understood that. It would be nice if she had a friend, another girl she could talk to. She used to day dream about being close with Rosetta, but those fantasies were found null every time her sister looked down at her.

A few years ago, she even tried to make friends with a new servant girl that was around her age, even though it was prohibited. She was just so desperate and alone, always. Of course her attempts didn't work. The girl namely thought her way of speaking was funny; Maxi noticed the way she was talked about behind her back. Besides, that servant and everyone else were scared of the Duke and what would happen if they were caught helping her, indulging her, or simply being nice to her. Anything Maxi ever tried was doomed from the start.

Just one companion was all she ever wanted, but maybe that was asking too much. After all, she still had sins to pay for.

There was a knock at the door then, and Maxi jolted, nearly waking up Daphne, but thankfully he stayed in his peaceful sleep.

"J-just a m-minute!" She heard the nanny huff in annoyance but thankfully the woman listened anyway, giving her enough time to hide the kitten and his trays under the bed before she put on her most innocent face. Please don't wake up just yet.

She opened the door then, and her nanny walked in with a dress under her arm, giving her a jaundiced look.

"Your father wishes for you to attend dinner again. Be on your best behavior," She said curtly, leading Maxi to sit down so she could comb roughly through her hair and put it into two braids going down her back. "It's my bad luck to be dealing with this unruly mess." Maxi didn't bother to say anything, just wishing that the follicles on her head had grown straight hair, if only so she wouldn't have to endure the ridicule anymore. She found herself not wanting to go to dinner, the silence and her torturous thoughts ruining any appetite she might have had. Not that it mattered what she wanted anyways.

Maxi looked down at her hands as she stood up, suddenly feeling shame as her day dress was stripped off and replaced with the new one. What had Calypse thought of her, walking around in such a poor garment? She hated that he had seen her that way. But still, even as she looked in the mirror at her new image and the light blue gown she was wearing, she didn't feel better. In fact, she felt like a cheap copy of her sister, a fraud dressed in beautiful things that would never match her own face or persona.

It wasn't right.

And as she walked to the banquet hall, Maxi found herself even more anxious- she wasn't sure if she wanted to see the knight or not, her mind pulling her haphazardly in different directions until she felt the need to scream. Besides that, she had to do well in front of father. What if he noticed something off about her? Did Calypse mention that he had met with her? She didn't think he and the Duke spoke much, but what if it slipped out somehow?

She knew she couldn't avoid a beating forever. They were frequent and persistent, but if she followed instructions, she could perhaps lessen the severity, or make them fewer and far between by just a little. That little was needed for her to survive. The truth was, she didn't quite know why she was alive. But her instincts told her she couldn't die on the end of his cane. She just couldn't.

"Stop your shaking before you go in. You don't want to draw attention, do you?" Maxi shook her head fast.

"I-I'm j-just cold," She lied, avoiding the nanny's gaze. Everything felt like too much, but she had to calm herself and go in before she was late. "I'm okay." She said more to herself, before entering the room and going to her seat beside the Duke. A servant pulled out the chair for her, and she felt bile in her throat for a moment, knowing her father's eyes were on her. Thankfully the moment passed as others began to file into the room, and the food was served.

Sir Calypse hadn't said anything.

She knew he hadn't, because in the case that he had, her father would have quickly told her of the punishment she would receive after dinner, leaving her to stew in her anxiety the whole night. But he didn't speak to her. It was okay, for now.

When their eyes met across the table, she was worried he would say something, but he only nodded at her, and she swiftly nodded back, having to shove some food into her mouth to avoid smiling, as that would make the Duke suspicious. It was like they had a secret no one else knew about and- the idea made her somewhat giddy. She was even able to eat most of her dinner, the idea of having an ally at the table making her happy, though it was really over the most trivial thing.

She just allowed herself to be a little cheerful, for the time being. The knights wouldn't be here forever, anyways.

When the food was finally cleared away, her father instructed her and Rosetta to turn in for the night so he could converse with the knights. He said the talk was not fit for their ears, and so they both went, being escorted down the hallway by their own maids in silence. The turn was coming soon, where they would part, and Maxi finally decided to speak her mind. She had to talk to someone, even if she didn't exactly trust Rosetta, or the servants around them.

"C-can I-I a-ask you...a question?" She had to swallow mid-sentence, nerves making her throat feel tight.

"What?" Instead of shooting her down like Maxi expected, she encouraged her on. Rosetta actually looked mildly interested, and that made hope blossom in her heart.

"D-do you, or, w-what do y-you t-think of Sir C-Calypse?" She tried to sound nonchalant, like she didn't care about the answer either way, but she didn't know if it worked.

"That's who you were staring at?" Maxi's face went pale. Had it been that obvious? "He's a half-breed, dumb oaf who can carry a sword. How unremarkable- you are so easily impressed," Rosetta waved a hand at her upset expression, like she was no longer interested in the conversation. "Give up on that one, and be happy father didn't notice your silly pining." Her sister walked away without a single glance back. Maxi reached for her, but she didn't know why. To scream at her? To prove her wrong? Maybe to just beg for forgiveness and friendship.

She couldn't do any of it though, because the nanny grabbed her arm and jerked her towards her own lonely room. There she left Maxi in a cold heap on the floor to get out of the dress herself, the improperly worn corset making it painful to cry.