Disclaimer: I do not own Familiar of Zero or Yu Yu Hakusho, they belong to their respective owners. I'm not making money, this is just for fun and a hobby at most.
AN: Hello, I've been bedridden sick for a week, so this chapter took longer than I originally planned. Covid test came back negative though, and I'm feeling a lot better. Poll up in my author page for this story for readers to vote if you want to, or you can leave a comment on your preferred pairing if your a guest reader. Please Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower
Count Mont's mansion was quite lavish. While it was a mansion appointed to the current noble looking after the lands nearby, it was quite obvious that the Count had done his best to improve its decor. A lot of artistic potted vases with flowers, paintings, and well made furniture. It was a bit errie though, made worse by the lack of staff.
"This place looks so tacky and over the top. Louise are all Tristain nobles homes like this?" Kirche asked sweetly.
"No idea. Why do you care Zerbst? Do you fancy the count?"
"No, he's not too my preference..." She blushed as she looked back over her shoulder.
"Your preferences seem pretty open to me." Louise said without holding back a tinge of disgust.
Before Kirche could make a comeback reply, Tabitha felt it prudent to interrupt.
"Feeling better?" Tabitha asked Louise.
"Ah.. Yes.." Louise quietly said.
Realizing it was pretty pathetic to argue with someone carrying you, Louise started to squirm.
"Put me down Kirche, I can walk now." Louise started to flail on Kirche's back.
"But Louise your not a burden.." Kirche tried to elaborate.
"Injured." Tabitha stared at Kirche. Kirche was still recovering after all.
"You know I'm feeling better Tabby!" Kirche whined at her friend in a pout.
Louise huffed as she was set down. It was best not to show weakness after all, she was a noble.
After that little scuffle over nothing, the girls earnestly started looking through the large mansion. Fortunately for them, nobles tended to keep a similar house structures, so it was not that difficult to find their way around. There were a few oddities, mostly due to Count Mont's preferences, but the majority of the setup inside was pretty standard. In the end they spent a couple hours looking through the large place, instead of the whole day.
"Master bedroom.." Tabitha said barely audible.
"He's an appointed noble of the royal family. Wouldn't it make more sense to find him in his study working on his noble duties?" Louise questioned as they approached his bedroom door.
"Louise you know nothing of men. This is likely his favorite room." Kirche stated with little tact. Implied meanings going over Louise for a short moment.
"Zerbst! Not every other man is as perverted as you! You..." Louise started blushing.
"Look, I'll open the door and prove that Count Mont is..." Louise was interrupted as Tabitha opened the door.
The door slid open, smearing the sticky, nearly dried blood on the floor. The rest of the floor was also dyed red. The most disturbing scene was the naked girl in the corner of the room. She was facing the corner sitting in a posture for meditation. The white linens of the bed were also soaked red, and Count Mont's mangled corpse splayed on top of it.
Louise was far too shocked to speak. Tabitha was already darting her head around in puzzlement.
Kirche's response was perhaps the most relatable.
"What in Brimir happened here?" Kirche spoke out to know one in particular.
"Murder." Tabitha coldly stated. It was nothing knew to her, as she had to live with that man, and his lapdog Sheffield.
"Is that Siesta?" Louise asked while pointing at the bloodied woman in the corner.
"Yes." Tabitha affirmed.
Kirche stormed into the room despite the blood. Looking around for a brief moment she found a bureau. While it was locked, for whatever nefarious reason, a quick fire spell melted the lock. Inside was a blanket she pulled free, for its new purpose. Kirche draped the blanket over the girl. Kirche couldn't help but think Siesta looked like a wilted flower as the blood on her soaked through the blanket.
"Zerbst what are you doing! She's a criminal for Brimir's sake. It's noble law we bring her forward for punishment for what she did!" Louise reprimanded Kirche.
Before Louise knew what was happening, Kirche had stormed back over and slapped her across the face.
"Louise! How could you be so inhuman!" Kirche started to cry.
"Did you even understand yourself Louise! She even saved your life and you want to turn her in!" Kirche made her way back to Siesta.
Louise could not respond.
"Heartless.." Tabitha said.
"Nobles most steel their hearts! That's what it means to be noble, to uphold the laws and set an example!" Louise tried to defend herself.
"Don't give me that rule of steel crap you always spout Louise! Where was Count Mont's steel, his good example, huh!?" Kirche yelled back.
Louise for once didn't have an answer. But she tried, she was stubborn after all, just like her mother, nay just like her family.
"If we cannot uphold our own laws how can we expect others too, or for that matter expect the commoners to stay in their place." Louise stated.
Kirche had a moment of self doubt, but it was only for a moment. Ever since she had nearly died against Louise's Familiar, she started thinking being a noble meant crap. It was already true she had escaped her own home life to come study at the academy. At home she had been like a bird trapped in a cage and pressured by her family to do things against her will, just because it was the noble way.
Being a Noble was terrible if she had to live by some stupid codes that created a society where a girl could be raped, and then sentenced to death to keep the status qua. The fact she nearly died from a commoner just ingrained in her more that nobility wasn't all it was chopped up to be. Yeah she could do without it if it meant Siesta would go free.
"We will not turn in Siesta, Louise!" Kirche stated firmly, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Louise knew she had lost her argument, and if Tabitha sided with Kirche, it was her words against theirs.
"Do you feel the same Tabitha?" Louise looked over to the blunette.
Tabitha nodded her affirmation.
Louise sighed, there was no winning this argument. To think she was now playing cover up for a commoner girl, a maid no less. Some nobles would of course demand to know who murdered the Count, she was not at all happy to cover this up.
"Come on lets get her cleaned up so we can get back to the academy. I think I saw a young maid outside that can help." Louise said.
*Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower*
It had taken quite a while, but Guiche de Gramont had made his way by horse to Count Mont's lands. Whilst his injuries still affected him, he was still quite able to ride a horse. The girls had turned down his offer of help, but Guiche wasn't going to let that stop him.
Lately his life had changed. You could say he matured a bit, or perhaps was awoken. Yes ever since hitting a record all time low, Guiche had time to think. He wanted to change, reinvent himself if possible. What he was before he no longer wanted to be.
It was only last night when his dear Montmorency came by his room and offered to apologize to him over drinks...
Yet Guiche felt himself disgusted... How could she offer him an apology, Guiche the man who had fallen so low. To take that drink now would be the same as admitting to himself he was that low creature. This apology was nothing more then a offer for Guiche to fall again. To feel pain and sorrow again. No Guiche wouldn't go back to the way he was!
Momo had cried a whole lot that night. New Guiche was still discovering what he wanted out of life, and being reminded of his old life was unacceptable.
That's how he now came to be in front of Count Mont's gates. Not as a pompous shill of a man chasing skirts, no! Guiche was here as a man of action, a man set to help his friends, or future friends...
Disembarking from his horse, his sword clanging on the side of his leg. He was quite dashing. He had ditched his school uniform to wear a set of armor his dad had given him for his birthday. Yes he would help rescue the Maid along with his friends. Guiche was a smart young man, he knew where that old Count would bring her first.
*Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower*
Louise, Tabitha stepped outside the mansion. They had the simple goal of finding the maid from earlier. Thankfully it wasn't to hard to find her. All the other maids had been partying while she was strangely enough watering plants in the garden. The flowers in the garden were beautiful.
"Hello Master's. How can I help you?" Said the maid with a wide smile.
"Umm, we need help in the mansion, and you looked like the most helpful maid around here." Louise said.
This was quite the true statement as the rest of the maids were all partying out front and celebrating... This seemed to imply something terrible in Louise's head, but thinking back to Siesta's condition... Well the way the staff was currently acting was appropriate, if not wrong in a nobles sense.
"Sure I can help you. I'm Fran by the way mistress." Fran bowed.
Tabitha did not like this young creepy girl one bit. As one who suffered at a young age, Tabitha felt she was able to recognize a damaged child, such as herself. This child however was not damaged. The girl was not celebrating like the others, nor was she acting like she was broken. No, this girl was in her element here, and that sent red flags to Tabitha.
"Good. Fran we have someone we need your help with." Louise grabbed the small girls hand.
*Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower*
Guardsmen Armel had enough. His job was to protect his lord, Count Mont. Not put down a non existent squabbles among farmers! He was even starting to suspect Count Mont's housekeeper of something more sinister. Sure, in the past Count Mont had relayed orders through her, but never as stupid orders as these. The Lord was currently unprotected. Not that he had known that at first.
Yes his men where doped, company by company, to go do various errands for their lord. All of his men all said the same thing too. The housekeeper was passing along the Count's orders. Yeah there was something foul about this whole situation.
Armel had always told the Count that the old woman was dangerous... Well hopefully Armel wouldn't arrive to late back at the mansion to prove him right, he might even be blamed, best he get a move on and catch that bitch and whoever she was working with.
*Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower*
Fran didn't particularity like scrubbing down this older girl covered in blood, not that she let that show to her masters, still it was odd they were scrubbing her down at all. Weren't the nobles just going to have the maid killed like that old flower? Well Fran would make the best of the situation.
"I couldn't find the murder weapon." Kirche stated as she walked back into the bathroom.
The bathroom was pretty standard for a nobles mansion, and was actually about as big as the baths in the academy. Meaning that they could all comfortably bath together, should they choose too. Not that now was such a time.
"That's not good Kirche we need to get rid of it, or else Siesta may get implemented." Louise declared from a chair near the baths.
"Tabitha any luck asking Siesta?" Kirche looked over to her friend who was also lounging in a chair with a book she had mysteriously appropriated from somewhere.
Tabitha nodded her head.
"Silent.. No talk." She put her head back into her book.
"She doesn't respond to anyone, I think we might need a mind healer?" Louise added in her two ecu's.
"Damn, well maybe someone at the academy can help, once we get out of here." Kirche sat down.
Fran continued to listen to the girls chat and watched them try to get the young maid Siesta to respond. It was probably fruitless Fran thought. Broken flowers were discarded after all. But if the masters wanted a damaged flower, then she could help with that. She was a good Gardner after all. If they wanted wilted flowers, then the flower patch would look even more beautiful.
After many failed attempts, it was decided they needed to leave, Siesta wasn't talking. Besides the absent guards would probably eventually come back. They didn't need to be around for that.
Outside Slyphid cooed as the girls finally returned. Slyphid was happy to see her older sister and her friends back again. She had started to smell approaching male scents, so she was keen to leave before the guards could cause trouble for her big sister.
"Fran would you like to come with us?" Kirche asked the small child.
Tabitha wanted to stop her friend from making that offer, she still didn't trust Fran. Luckily for Tabitha it seemed Fran didn't have any interests in coming with them.
"Thank you for the offer, but if I leave, who will take care of all the flowers?" Fran stated as she glanced back towards the mansion. If one where to look closely, you could see she was looking towards the celebrations occurring.
"Your flower garden is beautiful." Louise stated as she thought back to the garden of flowers.
"Thank you, I'll do my best to take care of the flowers!" Fran shouted as the dragon had already started taking off.
Tabitha would have no part in that child's life. She told Slyphid to take off the moment the girl declined the original offer.
*Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower*
Guiche wondered what all the commoners were celebrating about, it was quite annoying. Here a noble was trying to get through on an important mission but these drunk girls were getting in his way. Now sure in the past he would have welcomed such a scene, but right now he was Guiche, man of action.
Pushing his way through the female crowd and into the mansion he found it oddly silent. Where are the Count's guards, did he give everyone today the day off for a festival or something? Might explain the outside festivities.
Brandishing his sword, Guiche prepared to kick in the door to the master bedroom. If he were a better, this is where that fat Count Mont would be. Yes, he the hero would rush in and rescue the girl from the man vile acts. Se... Acts... Guiche blushed. A man most act correctly to be seen as a real man!
Guiche burst through the door. Carnage is what he saw.
Dropping his sword on the floor, covered in thick blood, Guiche yelled. "What in Brimir happened here!"
*Chapter Thirteen: Wilted Flower*
Armel's men had secured a horse by the gate. It had to belong to somebody. Worried about the maids partying out in the courtyard, Armel ordered several of his man to look around the mansion.
A short while later one of his groups of men reported that the mansion's valuables had been moved into a carriage half haphazardly, and the housekeeper was nowhere in sight.
Taking this as a bad sign, Armel ordered them to form a perimeter around the mansion. If someone had tried to steal from the Count, like Fouquet. With the goods still here, in the carriage, chances are the perpetrator was still here.
"Search the house! Floor by floor, room by room! Find the thief!" Armel ordered to several of his men.