Death Frost | Deathsworn #2

Chapter 73 ❆ Ways

Dinner was quick and cordial. Maun and I were very polite with the food—more me than Maun, really. I had to admit it was quite adorable of him to be stuffing his mouth like this. Although I could not say that our hosts thought the same, they did not look all too bothered by it anyway.

Kaiser was the most enthusiastic of everyone, and I feel his sincerity and goodwill for me had gone through the roof. Which was a good thing, I guess, but it felt a little burdensome.

Thankfully, his attention was divided and he did not focus on me alone. The entire time, he was piling food on his mother's plate. His chatter was constant, mentioning how this or that particular dish hadn't been tasted by the woman for a long time, and that he remembered her saying she craved for it.

It was a joyful family atmosphere. I thought I would feel awkward, but Kaiser's mother was such a charismatic person that I never once felt left out in any of the conversations. Maun could not speak, so I often had to act as a translator for his sign language whenever he had to be asked a question.

"So when did you start learning to play, Evyionne?" Kaiser's mother inquired.

"I don't quite remember, ma'am," I said. "Very young."

"You can call me Gertrude. Or Tru," she told me. "You make me feel so old."

"Alright, Mrs. Tru..." I awkwardly said.

She chuckled. "You better come around more often. My son can use some good influence. You're much younger than him, but you're way more matured."

"I'll try, but I'm afraid I have a lot on my plate, and I don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense. This place is cold and boring most of the time. My brother and husband are often out on missions, sometimes more than a few days. Sometimes even up to months! Kaiser here will be going to the Academy very soon, and he boards their rooms for convenience. He only comes back on weekends so I'm often left alone," she said.

"I understand, I'll strive to visit every now and then," I told her.

Thinking back on the business with perfume that I'd wanted to do, Mrs. Tru might be a lot of help. Of course, I could always ask my mistresses for their opinions, but they tended to be very biased towards me. Everything I did was excellent for them, so I lacked proper feedback and opinion on the products I make. Mrs. Tru seemed to be a very refined woman and she seemed like the type who would know about luxury and cosmetics.

I could bring her samples of my perfume. This way, I would not come empty-handed, and it'd be the best excuse to accept her invitation. After all, I would feel bad if I turned up for absolutely no reason at all.

Eventually, dinner came to end this way. Mrs. Tru wanted us to stay overnight and simply go to class in the morning, but I told her we lacked permission to sleep out. We needed to report our presence to the Temple, otherwise, we might get punished for violating the rules.

Maun and I were driven back on a carriage just few minutes before curfew. So many things happened today, but at least my weekend was not all for naught. I got to accomplish much of the agenda that I had on queue.

I climbed the steps up the beautiful landscape with Maun as the Temple's gates closed and the disciple monk guarding them checked off our names from a list.

"Thank you for today, Maun. I'll see you tomorrow," I said, ruffling his hair.

I patted Maun's back when we came upon the fork on the road. He handed over the harp that he insisted on carrying for me and we went our separate ways towards our own respective tiny courtyards.

Tomorrow, classes would be resuming. I made a few discoveries concerning my ability, so I would have something to bring up to the Abbot. Maybe he could tell me what to do next. If ever, we could make some adjustments with my current training to accommodate these new findings as well.