Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 69: The Mansion Has A Red Room.

Chapter 69: The Mansion Has A Red Room.

Evening.

Tavern & Alley.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

****************

Theodore’s eyes locked with the man who had screamed an announcement. He is a server in Theodore’s favourite tavern, the one he had brought Lydia the last time screamed into the market wind.

"Get your Crits ready for you shall spend some of ya money on them" he added loudly.

"Get back in here you old geezer, set the tables!" a fat woman with muscles men envied roared, she owned the place.

"Oh for fucks sake woman!" the announcer yelled going back in, his apron dark and

Theodore stepped inside the noisy place and slowly he turned to look behind him, his eyes narrowed at the unsuspecting area behind him.

"Give me ale" Theodore asked as he reached the counter.

The woman grinned a toothy grin. "It has been a while young lord, your missis don’t let you out of the house?" she questioned.

"Yes, I am a married man now, everything is different" Theodore replied.

"But ale and rum would remain the same"

Theodore nodded absent-mindedly, there was a gaze he had been feeling on him since the magistrate left his side earlier and it was beginning to keep his attention because whoever it was following him inside here.

He smirked, this might get interesting, he left the tavern, his hand full with the bag of ale, and rum. He started to walk with purpose toward a juncture where he knew he could trap the person who was watching him. He reached a place and then he stopped, the area was quiet and narrow, he turned and their figure met.

"Who are you?" he asked, pressing the stranger with a gaze.

The man dropped his hood, he had fiery red hair with eyes that held intense curiosity directed towards the lord, he was an inch taller than Theodore yet less intimidating.

"I was merely curious if the rumoured ruthless monster can feel his surroundings," he said teasingly.

Theodore saw no reason why a random stranger would be curious about him if he obviously already knew how he looked unless perhaps he had heard his name from the magistrate’s persistent foolish call earlier.

Theodore narrowed his eyes at him. "You are a witch," he said.

"No Lord Theodore, I am merely from Critic Izinghale" he clarified making Theodore nod.

"Why were you following me?" he asked.

"I am a Glassman and I need a job" the stranger admitted.

Theodore looked puzzled, his gaze darkened as he said. "Critic Arley has enough glassmen and why are you not laying this request to the council or magistrate?"

"I prefer your straightforwardness, Lord Theodore" the man added.

"Do not follow me like that again, follow the right process to get a place" Theodore warned with a bit of advice.

"Thank you, Lord Theodore" the red-haired man expressed and his face followed the Lord till the lord disappeared into the road.

The Lord sure is formidable, he thought.

*

* *

*

Evening.

Theodore Mansion.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

***************

Solomon was ready to leave the mansion at that time so he cleared up and met the lady of the house to announce his departure, he looked dusty and exhausted when he reached her. His boys always leave earlier.

"I shall take my leave for the day, Lady Theodore," he said, he had prepared to leave with his boys but Plank had demanded his attention after the painter had left earlier, and Lydia was happy to let the carpenter go.

"Have a nice night Mr Solomon" Lady Theodore wished him generously.

"Thank you, the night is cold"

Lydia nodded going back inside she will get a chair to wait for Theodore outside now.

*************

Solomon left with a smile, Lady Theodore is not only a beautiful lady but a bright and considerate one, he felt full and sleepy.

As he went closer to the gates he met the lord outside. The carriage stopped and the lord got down, he was with his and full still as the carriage waited for him. "Lord Theodore" Solomon acknowledged.

"Let me have a word with you," Theodore said.

The Carpenter shuddered. "I fear when you are not around your wife" he confessed.

Theodore looked to the sky with a sigh. "You knew me before I had a wife" he pointed out.

The man shrugged. "Yes, but I am now comfortable in the presence of your wife"

Theodore merely shook his head. "I do not care about your comfort Solo, I have a job for you" he said.

"Yes?" the carpenter waited.

"A hassock, I need you to make me a hassock"

"When do you want it?" the carpenter asked quickly.

"Hastily, do not take your time" he warned.

"Alright, Lord Theodore" he agreed.

"I would give you your pay today, but my hands are full"

"Let me help" the carpenter offered, Theodore scowled.

"No, they’re for my wife, do not touch it" he declared with a frown.

"See you tomorrow, Lord Theodore" he wished and headed off.

Theodore got back inside his carriage and Blanc drove into the mansion, he stopped at the right place and Theodore stepped out when he caught Conan, the man reached him and they started for the mansion together.

"I heard something interesting today dear sir Conan," Theodore said teasingly into the silence.

"What is it, my lord," Conan asked interested.

Theodore smirked. "I shall tell you if you tell me what conversation you had with my wife" he bargained.

"I had a conversation with your wife?" Conan asked feigning disbelief.

"It is fine if you are not curious about our old muckraker" Theodore shrugged.

Conan paused in his steps as he neared the lord to ask. "What about the muckraker?"

"Please refrain from coming too close to me, you are keeping a secret with my wife you might suddenly lose your head" the lord threatened.

Conan frowned. "You don’t have to be so dark all the time," he said.

"Oh I am not dark, Conan" Theodore said in a whisper.

Conan nodded. "You’re right, the other one is," he said. "But what do you have on the muckraker?"

"She is coming to Critic Arley tonight" Theodore dropped the information shocking Conan.

"Where did-" his question was interrupted by a squeal.

"Theodore!" Lydia’s soft squeal made Theodore’s heart swell.

The lord’s face bloomed into a smile as Lydia lifted her dress and started to rush down the stairs for him. How days change for the better.

He frowned when the running wife didn’t hug or kiss him like he expected but instead placed a very warm palm on his warmer skin as she tried to pull him up the front stairs.

"Come come, I have a surprise for you" she said and his face lit up again as he comfortably followed her in, her small hand tugged him making him smile.

"Where are we going to?" he asked softly.

"The library" she mumbled, slightly short of breath.

He bent and picked her up making her squeal in surprise and then delight.

She started to wiggle and giggle making him remember her first day in the mansion when she had confessed to being ticklish in the rib.

He rearranged her in his arms and from his shoulder she caught Conan turning around perhaps to leave the mansion.

"Close your eyes first" "Do not say anything until you have seen it all carefully"

"Okay," he agreed.

"Drop me please" She took his arm after he dropped her. "Now open them" she advised after stepping into the library with him linked in her arms.

Theodore opened them and he was instantly shocked, the room was red!.

In the vast expanse of the once-empty room, Theodore is faced now with a crimson-hued library, silence echoes against the scarlet walls. All the towering shelves are painted in the same rich red, the racks stand like wardens waiting to embrace a multitude of books.

The absence of literature leaves the space with an eerie emptiness, as if the room suddenly craves the weight and wisdom of countless volumes, in its red self, from the ceiling to the ground it now has a different edge to itself than the one whole mansion had.

The shelves, stretching from floor to ceiling, create a maze of possibility, Theodore watched it and he saw different ways he could have Lydia in this room.

The Red Room.

Soft ambient light filters through the space in large windows with wooden covers, casting a warm glow upon the empty shelves, creating an atmosphere that yearns for stories and secrets it would keep.

"You painted the room red" he pointed out.

"Yes I did," she said with a grin.

"This is brilliant Gooseberry" he complimented drawing his smiling wife into his arms. "I am pleasantly surprised" he added sincerely, her back to his chest.

"This shall be the only room painted in the mansion and you choose to paint it red" he said making her turn in his arms. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Why are you repeating it like it is a strange thing?" she asked.

He shook his head, his lips pressing her forehead. "It is not, Gooseberry you amaze me" he confessed.

"What shall we do in the red room?" he added kissing her neck, she held his shoulders to balance herself.

"It’s a library, of course, we... oh," she said in realization when he winked at her.

Her cheeks became tinted with red, she tried to leave but he held her tighter, his arms snaked around her waist, drawing her closer. He pressed a kiss to her neck, trailing it up to her ear, she held on to him for support while he continued his journey kissing her skin.

"Theo... " she moaned.

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