CHAPTER TWO: Piano Sheets
It had been approximately three days since the annual ball of Lutwidge Academy, the memories of everything that had happened was still fresh on her mind. The way he caressed her with his hand and the gentleness of his touch still felt warm to Ada. Of course she has also lovingly accepted the warm arms of her lover, Master Vincent, but his touch – it was gentle and careful unlike the indifference Vincent was showing her.
And she loved how protected she felt on his arms. The arms of the legitimate Nightray heir, Elliot.
It was only recently that she had found out about her mysterious dance partner's identity, thanks to her friends to happen to see the whole thing. They swept her off that night to interrogate and ask her why was she dancing with the famed Elliot Nightray.
Ada was shocked that a Nightray such as him were able to look at her with such eyes and hold on to her with such gentleness. She knew of the strained relationship between the Vessaliuses and Nightrays that she couldn't believe herself to be acquainted (if that's what she should call it) with a pureblooded Nightray.
Ada sighed. Classes were over and most of the students either went back to their dorms or spend their remaining time of the day somewhere in the campus. As for Ada, she stayed behind the last classroom her last period was held. She sat up on the railings of one of the opened windows. This was one of her favorite spots in the campus. Here she can have a good view of the sunset over the huge buildings of Lutwidge. She looked over the fiery-orange sunset with awe.
The scene would have been perfect along if she still had the pocket-watch her big brother had given her the time he visited Lutwidge. Along with it carried a beautiful melody skillfully put in together with the clock. Ada had it perfectly combined with the sunset view before it had disappeared, probably somewhere during the Lutwidge ball. She frantically searched over and under the hall, but she found nothing.
During the ball, she was supposed to be accompanied by Vincent, she receives a bouquet of yellow tulips in his stead along with it was a card.
To my Lady Ada Vessalius,
I am sorry for I cannot come to the ball tonight. I have matters to attend to and I do wish you would forgive me for abandoning you.
My sincerest apologies,
Vincent Nightray
Well, she had it coming anyway. Vincent was a mature grown-up and important affairs would always be a first priority for any man like himself. Ada had only wished he would give her some time for the least, but asking something like that seems too much and she knows that. All she can do for now was to patiently wait for her time and to loyal to her lover – albeit secretly.
A knock on the room snapped Ada away from her thoughts. She looked towards the source, only to find one of her music teachers, Mister Stanford. She stepped down from her sitting position and walked towards her senior.
"Ah, Miss Vessalius isn't it?" he asks. She nodded and smiled.
"I have a favor to ask. You see, I'm in quite a hurry right now so I can't drop by the music room any further to deliver this," he shows a pile of papers, piano sheets to be exact. "So could you deliver it in my stead? I'm sure you're free right now right?" without waiting for her answer, the older man reaches out for her hand and places the papers for her to grab on. He waves a quick goodbye, leaving in a hurry.
And that's where Ada Vessalius' afternoon had started to go awry.
Elliot was sure he had instructed Leo to get his piano sheets almost half an hour ago.
He was leisurely playing the piano a few minutes ago, got tired and hopped on the sofa across the grand piano. He read the eighteenth volume of the Holy Knight to kill some time, only to find out that he had been rereading the same paragraph all over again about Edgar's death.
Which lead him into thinking about the odd boy he had met at Lutwidge almost a 3 weeks ago. He was a Vessalius no doubt – especially given that his elder adoptive brother had addressed him as such. They met back at the library, talking about the Holy Knight series and ended up arguing about the chivalrous-stupidity Edgar had. Well, on Elliot's opinion that is.
Elliot cringes at the memory of the boy not older than him, especially that Gilbert called him as 'Oz Vessalius', the Vessalius heir that should have died ten years ago after he was thrown into the abyss. And after finding out that the squirt before him was that infamous person, he just couldn't believe everything. First, there was the chain that had attacked them and the Baskervilles, who should have perished along in the tragedy a hundred years ago; and now Oz Vessalius?
And to make matters worse, he had probably met with his sister, which irritates him greatly. He should've known that emerald eyes and blonde hair anywhere! Yet he was a fool to even entertain one of his blood relatives into a dance. Speaking of that blonde girl, he still had the pocket watch she left back in the ball.
Elliot held out to his pocket, the circular-shape of the watch present to his touch. He had opened the watch out of curiosity once they got back to their dorms that night. And to his and Leo's surprise, it carried the melody of the piece Elliot had composed himself. How could she have that piece when he composed it and gave a copy to no one in particular?
Everything was just so confusing. He needed answers.
But as his pride would let him, he was not going to ask answers from either of the Vessalius siblings.
Unconsciously, Elliot drifts into slumber as the Holy Knight book slides down his hands, down into the carpeted floor, with no more than a muffled thud.
The door to the music room creaked open, emerald eyes consciously scanned the area withno signs of living human beings breathing inside. Or so she had thought. Once she stooped inside, the silence had let her hear every breathing – even hers – of another person who was probably somewhere inside the room.
She looked over to her right, a red sofa sitting across the grand piano, its back turned over to her. She noticed a pair of white shoes hovered onto the hand rests of the sofa. She meekly scooted over to see who it was, and to her inward delight, it was someone she had longed to see.
Leo trotted away rather hurriedly knowing he had overstayed his visit at the Academy's library. He was only supposed to borrow a book and carry out Elliot's errand to pick up his music sheets – which seem to have been mysteriously disappeared according to one of the teachers he inquired to – and get back, deliver the 'devastating' news to his master about his piece's disappearance, head back to the dorms and drown himself into the book he borrowed.
That was the plan. Yet it had become awfully Plan A and that Plan B should be put into consideration given the situation he just stumbled in.
Ada looked over at him with such gentle eyes; the urge to pat his head came into mind. There, her secret 'slight crush' (or so she says) lies quietly, his breathing slow. His eyelashes looked longer than she had thought back during the ball and how she wished he'd look at her again that way.
Giving in to her desire to touch his handsome features, she caressed his head, curiously wondering how it would feel against her hand. She giggled at the touch; his soft mane brushed her hand at such delicateness. Her giggles seemed to have reached him as he stirs in his sleep, his face frowns slightly and back again to the peacefulness it once held.
She rests her chin on her slumped arms over the sofa watching over him. She wished that he would overlook the fact that the both of them came from quarreling families. She wanted to befriend him the least, knowing him better given she has already been (yet obliviously) attracted to the younger Nightray boy.
Master Vincent was a different case. Though she knows she loves him (as he accepted her for what she is) she couldn't help but feel cold shoulders whenever she was with him. With him, she would always have to put on a façade, but it was all for the sake of their relationship. She makes sure she's a respected lady around Vincent and to make sure he's comfortable whenever she's with him.
Yet to say she's a respectable lady seems to be contradicting given she's slowly being attracted to someone other than her lover – his adoptive brother to say the least.
Ada's warm smile ceases as she realizes what she was doing. Her thoughts interrupted as a voice echoed through the room.
"Miss Ada Vessalius?"
In surprise, she stands straight from her previous position, her eyes widening at the sight of Leo. He walks up to her, crouching down to pick the piano sheets she has seemed to drop when he startled her. "Are these…" Leo looks up to Ada, her shock expression replaced by a friendly one.
"U-uuh, are you by chance Leo? Elliot's valet?" she nervously asks. Her friends told her that Elliot came into the Academy with a valet. The thick-glasses, short and unruly haired, Leo. And much to their descriptions, they were spot on. Leo nodded in response. "I am. Why do you have Elliot's piano sheets?"
"Mister Stanford asked me to place the sheets here in the music room. I didn't know who owns those though… until now." The last words seemed to be delivered quieter than usual.
"I see." Leo cocked his head over the sofa behind Ada. She shifted from her position, noticing he wanted to examine the person on the sofa. He walked closer, a sight of a sleeping Elliot mumbling something made Leo sigh. Guess he was away for too long that this master of his fell asleep.
He's hopeless. He thought.
"Oh, and Miss Ada, don't get me wrong but I do believe you should –"before Leo could even finish his sentence, the back of his head met the hard cover of the Holy Knight's eighteenth volume. He cowers in pain, his attention diverts back to the arse of a master he had.
"Why did you do that for!? And I thought you were sleeping, you dumbass!?" Leo shouted with vigor. He snatches away the book from Elliot's hand, an attack came hitting Elliot on his face head-on. Just like his manservant, he quivers in pain and placed his right hand over his swollen face in hopes of healing the pain. Though as stupid the idea may seem, it seems to work just fine.
"You idiot! I waited for you for over an hour now! Have you no shame!? Making your master wait like that….!" He stood up as he pulled Leo's hair in annoyance and his manservant did the same as he pulled the famed cowlick hair of Elliot Nightray. "But being violent doesn't give you an excuse to punish me damn it!"
The two boys before her quarreled endlessly, and they didn't seem to notice Ada's presence at all. They punched, kicked and pulled each other's hair out until one stopped – and thankfully, it was the person who started all the brutality.
"Geez, just don't wander away in the library when I gave you some errands that obviously does not have anything to do with the library, you got that?!" Elliot scratches his head, and seems to have finally notice the other person inside the room. Leo gulped, Elliot stared and Ada shifted uncomfortably under the gaze of Elliot Nightray.
"You." The mere word dripped with venom and distaste that made Ada twitch slightly.
"Elliot, she just happened to –" Leo tried to divert his attention, but Elliot's menacing glare kept on Ada's features as she looks away – away from the death glare she received from him. From the person she had longed to see three days ago.
"Tsk. What are the likes of you doing here?" he asks, more on a demanding tone than a curious one. He needn't know of the reason why she was actually here. He just couldn't believe she'll walk up to him and think that they were friends just because they shared a dance. He loathed how oblivious she was.
"I was asked to deliver your piano sheets by one of our music teachers." She mumbles, afraid that if she said something wrong, he'll flip out and god knows what he might do. She didn't know of the depths how Elliot would hate on a Vessalius just like her.
Elliot turned his back, his hands on his pockets – one was gripping the pocket watch tightly. He hadn't felt like giving it back yet. He felt rather sadistic at this point, and letting her feel frantic about the loss of the pocket watch was something that he could live with.
"Considering you've done your part, you're free to go." Ada snapped herself back to reality as he heard his words. Her eyes were now starting to water, she hung her head low, and her bangs covered most of her eyes, hidden from Elliot and Leo's view. She nervously walked towards the door, not before he heard harsher words than before.
"Don't ever come to me again. You're an eyesore."
With that she left, now fully aware of the situation she's put in. And how she was heartbroken with the cold-hearted words he dropped for her eyes to glisten and the tears fall uncontrollably that even Leo can see.
Leo turned to Elliot, his mind clouded with disappointment about how Elliot immaturely handled the situation. He sighed before walking towards him, a resolve to lecture him about the matter.
"You know, that was harsh." He commented, waiting for his master to turn around and give him a look of his face. Elliot did just that, but his head hug low as she stared at the pocket watch on his hand. His features didn't look angry at the least, but it was blank and expressionless.
"Why didn't you give that back to her?" Leo inquired.
Elliot's eyes narrowed, turning into a subtle glare. "I'd rather have her go crazy looking for this thing."
Leo's lips formed a thin smirk. "You mean to say Master Ell-i-ot," emphasizing the words 'Master' and 'Elliot' to taunt, obviously considering that he'd never call him 'master' for that matter because he thinks Elliot didn't suit the title, and only mockery was his way to openly say that.
"You still want to see her again that you'd keep it obviously knowing she'd be in a fit to look for it. And because you were one of the persons she had interacted with that night makes you a prime suspect." Leo chuckles at Elliot's expense, given that the latter was already flushed with the probable truth his servant was saying.
"What are you talking –" Elliot tried to tell him otherwise only to be cut off by his Cheshire grin.
"You're a prime suspect, and god how ironic that sounds – you want to steal her heart." He finishes, the playful smirk came back to Leo's adorable features. Leo was only trying to make Elliot embarrassed, changing the dark topic about the Nightrays and Vessaliuses and making it about Elliot and Ada. Two different people apart from their family background.
He didn't expect Elliot would react strongly such as this. Who knew.
And with that, Elliot Nightray flushed uncontrollably. He sat back down to the sofa avoiding any eye contact with Leo.
No, no, no. He's wrong. Elliot told himself.
Outside the creeping twilight, the blonde-haired Vessalius wandered, her previous tears dried up and were now sticking to her cheeks. She finally wiped them away, her expression from complete hurt turned into a firm determination.
If he looks down at me so much, then I'll only have to make him see me as an equal! A friend no less! She thought happily with her newfound resolve. Given she had already expressed thoughts of becoming his friend the moment they ended the dance, she also saw him sincerely trying to reach out to her outstretched hand, a sign that signals his desire to become her friend.
At least she had that assurance at hand. And all there's left to do was to convince him that befriending her wouldn't be bad. That their houses shouldn't prevent them from becoming friends since they aren't the embodiment of their whole family. They should make their own choices and live life the way they want to.
That's what Ada Vessalius thought at least.
She happily went back to her dorm with a firm resolve. Starting tomorrow, she has a mission to have Elliot Nightray's approval to become friends with her. And his mere ice-covered words wouldn't stop her from entering his life.
At the same night, a blood-shrieking scream echoed throughout the school, waking whole student body.
Footsteps ran towards the source of the scream, the music room. A female teacher lay brokenly at the doorstep of the room; her forefinger pointed to the blood-covered corpse that lay on top of the piano. Its inner body parts gone, only the carcass of the skin and bones were left intact.
And here, the start of a mystery begins.
