To be fair, possessing dark curly hair in this world is not entirely uncommon, so Umi insisted that she is not to be blamed for not recognizing Ezra earlier.
Moreover, the original Vera hadn't seen this young boy ever since her marriage. This fair gal came from another country and she had only seen baby photos of Rara. Earlier, she was consoling the little boy for not being able to distinguish someone through a black and white photograph. Now, her level of sympathy had only reached its new height.
Now that the two brothers were standing side by side, Umi can see the resemblance indeed.
Needless to say, this slip-up was the result of her lack of vigilance. Still, Umi believed that there are no problems that can't be solved, unless you were already dead then you have no way to solve that problem, but anyway…where were we?
Snapping out of her thoughts, Umi was then alarmed to have just realized that she was caught staring at Ezekiel's right hand extending for a handshake for who knows how long.
The esteemed Ezekiel Fraunces, with no regard for courtesy to anyone other than his family, was offering a friendly handshake to someone who was supposed to be a stranger?
"Delighted to make your acquaintance, Master of the Fraunces Mansion," Umi readjusted herself and finally replied with a confident tone. As it was improper to keep someone's hand hanging in the air, she then reluctantly stretched out her own.
Out of all times, why did she forget to wear her gloves now that they were absolutely needed?
With a raise of an eyebrow, the man carefully held the lady's unexpectedly cold hand and brought it to his face, "You know me?"
Before Umi can reply, shivers suddenly ran down her spine when the man's lips gently grazed the back of her hand. It goes without saying that the woman was startled, but when she raised her head to see if she was only hallucinating, she automatically flinched when the man's eyes were glued onto her hand, as if he was afraid of missing any tiny detail on it.
Retrieving her hand in a rather abrupt way, Umi cleared her throat, "Should you still be surprised? The news of your excellency would never escape the ears of my home country."
Umi truly wanted to meet this man when revenge was due. Yet, with this unexpected setup, she can only pretend to be a stranger in front of him. The timing is simply not right.
"You're from another country? So the news of you being a distant relative of the Malcolm Couple is true then?" the man implored, his eyes still glued on the woman's hands. The shadows of her wide-brimmed hat disabled him to get a glimpse of her face yet the darkness of the night couldn't conceal those fair hands of hers.
"How did you know?" Umi was calm on the outside, yet her insides were oddly boiling without anyone knowing.
"I told you, Rara told me everything he knows about you," Ezekiel was unperturbed, he held no shame even if Umi had far realized how his eyes traveled to every bit of her body.
Umi then gave the little boy a look, but Rara simply couldn't read the atmosphere and only smiled cheekily.
Just...what else did you tell him?
"It is late, I suggest you start heading back now," Umi uttered as she crossed her arms, attempting to hide her exposed skin from the man's radar.
"Not now. I should say something to that boy living in that manor. You might not know this, but we have already crossed paths before. We have…things to discuss."
Truth be told, Umi never knew how Ezekiel regarded Lucian after Vera's death. It was unknown to her if he was still blaming Lucian for something that the youth didn't do. Ezekiel's character is complex. He might have not known that Lucian was innocent, just like Vera.
Umi couldn't risk making decisions that might bring complications later. After all, Lucian was being good to her these past few days, might as well save his butt from this man.
Afraid that his actions might trigger something within Lucian, Umi replied heavily, "I suggest you keep it to yourself. Lucian suffered an unexpected memory loss, he doesn't need an additional thing to worry about."
Ezekiel was taken aback, "Memory loss?"
"You shouldn't concern yourself over something that isn't of your business. You should leave."
Yet, who knows what's inside the genius mind of the richest businessman in town?
"The car broke down."
"Yes, have a safe trip…what?"
Umi couldn't believe her ears. His car broke down? How shameless can one be? She clearly saw the perfect condition of this black car of his!
"Excuse me?"
"I agree, it is already quite late. We shouldn't be driving home with a car that can go off in any second," Ezekiel insisted with a straight face, leaving no openings for the other to discern his true intention.
Umi wanted to use all her strength and smash the car to see if it was truly broken but she couldn't. She can't lose control during this critical moment. Based on her observation, the man still didn't recognize her as Vera. Things should be fine.
Rara, the little boy who was hugging his brother's side, couldn't help but put on an anxious face upon hearing their conversation. Is the kind Miss Ivy driving them away? Soon, tears started to well up on the corners of his eyes.
"Miss Ivy…do you not like me now?"
Rara's pitiful voice echoed in Umi's ears and she couldn't suppress her surprise anymore.
"What? Why would you think that? Rara is a good boy, of course I like you."
"Then why are you driving us away?"
Umi felt very wronged. Why does it seem that she's being a snob right now? She only wanted to let them go home. Wasn't that their purpose in the first place?
Rara ran towards Umi and hugged her in the front, his tears and snot becoming unstoppable as more of them came out. "Miss Ivy doesn't like me anymore!"
Umi was rendered speechless and had her hands up in the air, not having the slightest clue of what just happened.
Is this child throwing a tantrum right now?
"Calm down, Rara. Tell me, what do you want me to do for you to stop crying?"
"Tell me you like me," Rara asserted in between sobs.
"Fine, I like Rara."
"Then, tell me you like brother Eze."
Umi blinked, unwilling to surrender, yet with the growing tightness of the boy's hold on her, she yielded reluctantly, "Of course, I like...your brother."
Umi truly wanted to slap herself. Well…at least she wasn't going out of character? The new Vera was supposed to be a seductress, a flirty one, so saying that line should be considered as flirting?
To be frank, she was getting quite anxious about her new character setting. How on earth would she flirt randomly ah? Should she start flirting with the other ghosts then?
"But…brother Eze said that our car broke down…that we can't go home like that…we need a place to stay for the night or we will be eaten by monsters if we remain outside!"
This boy definitely knew his words. Umi can only breathe out an aggravated sigh.
With no words being said after a few arrangements, the three of them successfully set foot inside the manor's main sitting room.
Lucian certainly outdid himself. With the ongoing redecorating of the manor, it seemed as though everything was put to place properly. The only thing left was the painting of the external walls. Umi internally made a note to stop the young man somehow, or else this manor won't look like a proper haunted house in the future.
Moreover, the youth was rather delighted to have another guest come by, so he was hastily making refreshments for everyone.
"It has been a while since this place was crowded with people!" the youth was ecstatic.
To call a group of four a crowd was truly an exaggeration, but Umi only press on her temple to suppress the incoming headache.
"So, you are the respected Master Ezekiel Fraunces! To have you in this humble house is truly an honor. Please, make yourselves at home."
Lucian was running around everywhere, preparing the snacks and handling the tea.
Umi's eyes then landed on the person sitting across from her. She truly couldn't discern what the other man was thinking. Ezekiel had on an unreadable face, his poise relaxed but his eyes vigilant. His blue eyes swept around the room and stayed on Lucian's figure for a while, following his every move.
"Miss Ivy, don't you want to take off the hat?" Lucian was being nosy.
Umi held a hand in his face, her voice cool, "No need."
"Brother Luci! Miss Ivy told me she likes me!" Rara was more hyper than Lucian, his face had become stuffed with cookies as though his little stomach wasn't full from dinner just a while ago.
"That's good to hear, Rara." A strange blush was already creeping on Lucian's face. Umi couldn't tell what was on his mind at the moment. "Do you need any more cookies? No, you should eat more. I will go get some."
Umi exhaled heavily as soon as the youth was out of sight. Lucian can be so dense sometimes.
"Nice hat," Ezekiel suddenly commented, his eyes narrowing at what's on Umi's head, as though he was contemplating something.
Umi sneered, "Why thank you, it only cost me an arm and a leg."
A smirk suddenly showed up on the man's face, but it only disappeared within a blink. Umi even thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"You humor me, Ivy."
Tell me, what part of your straight face is laughing?!
Also, this man's character is truly as what it said in the original story's data. Stern and prideful. Although he never looked down on anyone, he also refused to call someone with titles other than the person's name. Most of the time, it may come off as being discourteous, but to him, respect should be given to those who earned it.
Umi waved a hand to cut the conversation, "I should get going. I will leave your accommodation to—"
The woman truly thought that this evening couldn't get any worse, but before she can even finish her sentence, Umi was yet again proved wrong.
Robert appeared out of the blue, facing the others' back, suddenly carrying the already forgotten ominous book that Lucian used for the ritual. His eyes on the book were curious and inquisitive as he carefully approached their location without looking ahead.
"Miss Vera, I found something interesting! This book contains rituals that can turn anyone to—"
It was a good thing that he's only a Heavenly Hollow, so he should constantly be in his Spirit Form. The others couldn't hear nor see him. The only issue here was the existence of an eye-catching book that was on his hands. To any regular person, even if they were completely sane, they would, and without doubt, see a strange floating book in the air!
When their eyes met, both ghosts were startled. Umi was fervently signaling him to go away with a sharp glare while the other was surprised to realize that they were not the only ones in the room.
The poor bearded ghost was shocked to the core that he accidentally dropped the book, producing an audible thud that anyone from the vicinity can hear as long as they have ears!
The brothers in front of Umi were busy wondering why the woman suddenly went quiet in the middle of her talk, when they heard a loud sound behind them. Turning their heads simultaneously, they found a black book on the floor that wasn't there before.
Umi internally hissed at the cowering ghost who retreated on a corner. If he wasn't a hollow in the first place, Umi could've sworn she saw how the bearded man turned pale by the second.
Ezekiel's eyebrows scrunched together just in time when Umi ran over to pick up the book. Hiding the book in her back, Umi stuttered as she explained, "T-This is my diary. I wonder who put it here."
What diary?!
Anyone with eagle eyes could clearly saw the words 'Book of Hollows' written on the cover. To say it was a diary of hers, Umi's brain must have malfunctioned.
Suddenly, something in Ezekiel's blue eyes was ignited. With a profound look, he got on his feet and stood tall, towering over anyone in sight.
"The car must be fixed by now. After all, it only needed some time to operate back. We should get going to not trouble you any further."
Umi truly wanted to smash this book in that man's head. Just a minute ago, he was intent on staying, and now he's leaving? Before she can even breathe out something to tell the man off, Ezekiel was faster.
"A week from now…"
Umi raised an eyebrow as she closed her mouth shut.
"There will be a party at my house, I hope you come. You can bring anyone with you."
Umi scoffed as she folded her arms, "I will have to politely decline the offer."
Once when she finished her sentence, Rara's eyes began to water again. Umi even speculated that the boy must have had a button to automatically cry like that. Rara might even surpass this one's acting skills ah!
"It's my birthday party, Miss Ivy. Don't you want to attend?"
Umi never knew that this boy would give her nightmares but who knew that he's really skilled in that department.
"You are my only friend here…and I'm leaving soon after to go back home," Rara was pouting while wiping away the snot in his face with his sleeves.
After what seemed like a fortnight, Umi eventually sighed helplessly, "Fine, I'll go."
"Pinky promise?"
With a heavy heart, Umi locked the childish pinky promise, much to the boy's happiness.
"Pinky promise."
As if there weren't any tears on his face half a second ago, Rara's face turned brighter with a wide smile, "Yippie!"
Umi couldn't help but praise herself for not going berserk when she saw how the car's engine perfectly turned on with just a wink's time. Soon, the pair of dark-haired brothers were gone with the wind.
Umi raised a hand to caress her imaginary beard, attempting to analyze the man's actions in her head.
If one is to think things through, Ezekiel must have only been worried about his younger brother's whereabouts. Indeed, if a sensible elder brother learned that his sibling gained strange friends and was playing at a house that looked straight out of a horror movie, it is only reasonable that he should investigate the house and the so-called friends for his brother's well-being.
Maybe the man had already deemed Umi trustworthy enough to be friends with the boy so he left with ease, even inviting her to a grand party at his mansion.
Also, Ezekiel's vigilance might just be the result of his past encounters with Lucian. He should have thought by now that the new Lucian wouldn't dare to hurt his brother.
Of course, these were all just speculations, but Umi was somehow confident.
With that flawless thought in mind, Umi eventually shrugged and strode towards the manor.
Lucian greeted her by the door, a pink apron hung around his waist and a tray of freshly baked cookies was on his hands, "They left already?"
"Yes, you can store those cookies for later," Umi only regarded him with a nod and passed by him. Procuring the ominous book from where she hid it, Umi walked straight towards the stairs before looking back, "Good night."
The woman was in a hurry, for she still had a ghost to chastise.
Observing the retreating figure of Miss Ivy, Lucian can only smile. The woman may be cold sometimes, but to him, she was his only warmth. With a shake of his head, Lucian eventually went back to the kitchen to do what he was told to do.
The manor had become quiet again, and as soon as the grand foyer was cleared of people, Chiki landed on the floor to ponder for a while.
His eyes traveled to the kitchen, then the stairs, and towards the woods outside the entrance of the manor.
Raising both hands to rest on the back of his head, the God of Mischief nonchalantly whistled a tune as he contemplated something seriously. His casual poise contradicted the turmoil going on inside his head.
Shortly after, a slight change in his expression suddenly appeared, and soon, he was already quite amused to find himself unexpectedly laughing.
Seems like his trip here wasn't all for nothing. With a cold light shown in his eyes, he finally thought of going back home to where he belonged.
To conclude, Umi was not the person he was looking for. If that's the case, then he can only leave and start looking somewhere else.
After all, this may just be his inkling, but there's a big chance that the ones who were after Umi wasn't of his league.
Chiki frowned. For a God of Mischief, it was an expression that was rarely seen on his face.
He should warn Effie.