Raising a Hero

Chapter 64

It was me who finally broke the silence.

"I'm so sorry about Gus," I said.

"No, it is fine. I understand. Though there are two doors going in and out of the servants room. You can just lock the one that connects your rooms. I did mention that to him, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." I was blushing again and had to put my teacup down to hide my face. "Ugh, I could strangle him right now."

"Rest assured, I don't, um, suppose anything of that. I do know your relationship."

I sighed. "I've never met a teenager so insistent on being treated like an adult."

"That aside, even if he doesn't see you as a mother, a relationship between master and apprentice doesn't allow such, um, romantic possibilities?"

I didn't want to talk about this anymore. I didn't want to think about it either. So I fell into another round of thanks to Roman, which he brushed off with the same well-bred grace and a reminder of how thankful he was, as well as how happy he was to have me working at the estate.

"You could have a lot more power and prestige as a saintess, and yet you know the real price of such. I admire that wisdom, Miss Lilian."

"Wisdom? More like anti-social, baby-hungry rebel."

His hand flinched, spilling a bit of tea. "Pardon, I'm not familiar with, uh, baby-hungry? Is that what I...?"

Ugh. Now who was the one not thinking before they speak?

"I'm sorry, I have no idea how to talk to a noble, so I'm just letting whatever roll out, that's really rude of me. If you could lend me a book on it I'll clean up right away."

"No! No, I appreciate your candidness. People have tip-toed around me all my life due to my malformation and birth, not to mention there is no one's thoughts I want to know more than yours. And if you don't want to deal with the intricacies of socializing, I'm more than happy to oblige. It's not like you need to say all the niceties to heal colds and broken bones–though that doesn't mean you aren't kind, or that I don't think you're kind, miss. Not that at all!"

"Calm down, chief. I don't offend that easily."

Thank heavens he seemed to believe me and relax, because his getting all tense made me tense, and I'd had enough of that for the day.

"Let it stand that I like the way you talk. If nothing else, it puts me at ease and let's me feel like I can be candid to. It's a very freeing sensation."

"Alright then, but if someone sticks a knife in my gut for not calling you 'your highness' or whatever the paltry refer to you by, it's your fault."

"Note taken."

I hoped he remembered that note. I was lucky that, up unto this point, I'd only met a few of his knights and the butler, who all seemed to follow his lead when it came to how to react to me. But there'd always be someone with a stick up their butt to defend their master's honor—I mean, take the situation the wrong way...misconceptions and all that. I'm not slamming on the master-servant relationship or hierarchies in general, that'd be super supremist of me, or is it racist?

"I'll have you know," I added as an afterthought. "I know there is an important purpose to those 'niceties' you speak of. In a world where an offence can mean life or death, or the frustration of getting your work done, having an overly-polite way of doing things makes sense, and is necessary, even."

He gave me an odd look over the tea cake he had just picked up.

"Are you certain you weren't something akin to a noble before?"