Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 71: Hating Anything That Wasn’t Human.

Chapter 71: Hating Anything That Wasn’t Human.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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"Did something happen?"

Shi’Enz has been silent alongside Hound since they got inside the carriage to take her home. She smiled when he opened the door and joined her inside thinking they were to talk and laugh, but he had been sitting there gloomy for nearly the whole ride now, she needed to talk to him so she did.

"No" his answer is cold and short.

Something definitely was wrong but she was too tired to talk, so she sighed, faced her side of the window and hoped none of the family members noticed her arrival if possible her absence too.

They reached the estate and they knew this because Blanc knocked on the carriage to inform them, Shi’Enz sighed as she got her dress ready to step out.

Hound was out of the carriage before Shi’Enz and he meticulously held the door open for her.

She met his green eyes for a moment before stepping out, her small hands in his. She looked up at him after getting down with a smile.

"Thank you for escorting me home, I-" Hound cuts her off.

"Come back soon" he grumbled.

If she didn’t come to him, he would be forced to seek her.

She nodded, her eyes warm as she turned around and strutted inside, Hound watched her until he couldn’t see her.

Shi’Enz stealthily walked closer to the estate front, the carriage had parked early on the road as per Shi’Enz’s request.

"Where were you all day?"

Georgina’s question shocked Shi’Enz who hadn’t seen anyone sitting in the dark.

"Mother" she gasped.

"Why are you sitting in the cold, all alone?’

Georgina sighed "No one is home"

"I was at Lydia’s" Shi’Enz replied.

Her answer made her mother’s eyes widen. She stood up from her seat.

Her lips parted as she asked in a screech. "The Lord’s Mansion?!"

"Yes" Shi’Enz answered her mother’s question.

She frowned "He let you stay there?" her question.

Shi’Enz started "Lydia invited me and she’s his wife"

Georgina curious and slightly disturbed she asked. "How is she?"

"She is fine mother, she wanted to... oh my God!" Shi’Enz’s eyes were wide in realization.

Panicked Georgina grabbed her daughter’s arms. "What is it?" Shi’Enz felt slightly horrible for freaking out and startling her mother.

"Lydia intended to give me a letter for Mathilda, and we both forgot" she confessed softly.

Georgina waved it off briskly. "It’s fine, the maid wouldn’t mind," she said.

Shi’Enz pouted. "Perhaps when I go there next" she lets out.

"You wish to go there again?"

The marchioness is concerned, that is still a forbidden place, the emperor might be letting the family think he has no problem with them but he took Liza.

Only heavens know what he is doing to her. Georgina thought.

"Are you against it?" Shi’Enz invited with a pause.

"No, but your father will be against it, he is not around now, but he small come back and he might not want you anywhere near the mansion" Georgina confessed.

"Will you defend me or Lydia?"

Shi’Enz feels it is time Mother finally starts to talk about some things that aren’t that wrong as a family but Georgina remains silent unable to promise to fight for her daughters against the love of her life.

"Good night Mother, today was long" Shi’Enz wished, she turned and left her presence.

Georgina stood defeated as she watched her youngest daughter grow, meeting her still the way she had been from the beginning.

Detached and a bystander in her life.

*

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*

Late Evening.

Conan’s Bungalow.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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Conan went straight to his house after he left the mansion for the day. He had been offered to stay in the mansion but he refused, this bungalow started from his first wage, he had been elated and believed he was building a home but it had become just a bungalow that housed him whenever he came back.

He reached home and the door was locked, it was never locked even if Helena was inside, he had his keys and had given her, hers.

He took his time getting out of his clothing but he didn’t feel her gaze or her feet padding towards him, he finished dropping the required things and raised to his full length and she still wasn’t standing in her ridiculous dresses.

"Are you home?" he asked the empty house softly.

"Helena?" he called out and silence met him.

She is out and isn’t back yet, he thought with a frown.

Where could she be?

He walked into the bedroom and it was empty, devoid of her presence, he sighed, and freshened up before looking intently around the house.

She kept everywhere tidy and clean, maybe she was out to a friend. Then he remembered she had said she didn’t have anyone in Critic Arley, then she must have been to the marketplace.

He nodded before leaving for the kitchen.

This is strange, he thought, he felt strange coming back home and her being absent, it settled uncomfortably in his chest.

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

Conan took his time making dinner as he was elated about the muckraker being back, he would need to cook before leaving for the papers.

If she was back that meant Salvatore hadn’t reached out to her, they had judged him wrongly but the muckraker had published something sensitive and suddenly she stopped publishing for almost a month, the suspicion was sure to arise.

Helena came skipping home, she knew Conan was back because there was light on, his horse neighed at her arrival and there was an aroma that made her stomach grumble in anticipation.

"Conan!"

A squeal from outside the door, Conan rushed to it.

"Conan, I got us a pet!" she squealed from the front steps as she pushed the door open to a smiling Conan.

"What?"

His smiling face instantly turned into a frown.

"A cat" She raised the wholly black kitten into his view, he took a step back as he raised his right hand to point his index towards the animal.

"No, take that back" he ordered coldly.

Helena looked horrified as she roared. "What? Why?"

"I hate animals, everything that isn’t human" he bellowed.

Her eyes widened as a shiver ran down her spine.

"You do?" she breathed out.

He nodded firmly his face still with its scowl. "Yes, I despise them, I know a lot of people appreciate their presence but I do not" he declared openly.

A tear fell from her right eye suddenly.

Conan caught the tears and his eyes widened, he hadn’t supposed his words would get her so emotional.

Helena turned around angrily and she was out of the door before Conan could come after her, just as he held the door, it banged shut in his face making him frown.

What just happened?

He stood shocked looking at the door, he was sure he had held it open but suddenly, angrily it left his grasp, it was as though an external force had pulled it, Helena.

He shook his head, the wind was strong outside, and what needed to be thought about was what to do with a hurt Helena, her fingers were still delicate and the cold was biting,

He had not intended to hurt her feelings by telling her that, he just didn’t appreciate the extra work pets concoct for their owners, he had seen how irrational pets had made his mother.

A pet drew his mother to her blindness.

She had been fighting for what was done wrong to it when she got attacked.

He won’t let that happen to Helena, a love for an animal to control her emotions.

Like just now, she has already started to cry about it. He shook his head with a sigh.

Helena used magic to keep Conan behind she felt like running into the woods and never coming back.

"Obnoxious fucking human" she angrily wiped her tear.

"Stupid, feeble tears" she cursed.

She continued to walk in the cold, her posture slouched, she felt hurt and angry.

"Ebony I shall return you to the kind lady, she will keep you for me until I have a home okay?" but then she remembered she had been intending to make Conan fall in love with her so she could be a noblewoman in Critic Arley, she started to cry louder.

If Conan hates anything that wasn’t completely human that means he would also hate witches.

What is she to do?

She is a witch, a magic practitioner and she couldn’t change that.

The cat meowed drawing a stream of tears again, she sniffed, crying was her body’s second reaction to stress.

She heard footsteps approaching, making her rush to a corner where she hid, she couldn’t let anyone see her cry.

Her stupid tears spill whenever they wished, uncontrollably consistent.

"Helena!"

She heard his shout, he was looking for her.

He hadn’t found her reaction stupid and irrational, despite the biting cold and her rudely banging the door with magic.

He came for her.