A Noble Exchange

The carriage creaked loudly; despite its lofty appearance, it was just as hollow and shabby as the ones it served.

"Ojou-sama, we'll be at the manor soon; please bear the ride a little while longer."

"I know!" I yelled in frustration. "Quit telling me such obvious things."

"S-, Sorry, please forgive me."

"Whatever," I said, looking through the time-stained window of the carriage.

Our destination was in sight, the small town of Axel; in it, the current Lord, Dustiness Ford Ignis, the man I was to meet with.

I closed my eyes in respite; the journey was long and I slept little, but before I knew it the maid who accompanied me, Lillianne, woke me.

"Ojou-sama, we're here, we've arrived."

Looking out the window once more, I saw the Lord of the town standing just beyond the steps of his manor, by his side, a set of servants, a simple maid and butler.

Lilliane disembarked first and opened the carriage door for me.

We approached but the Lord said nothing. His eyes were locked to mine, a look of anger written clear upon his face; why did he look at me so?

"Lord Dustiness," Lilliane said with a bow, "I present to you—"

"Rosenthall Viira Irene," I interrupted, displaying a perfect curtsy. "A pleasure to meet you, my lord."

Even after this he remained silent, but when I was about to worry if I made a mistake, he spoke.

"So young," He simply said.

"I-I'll have you know I'm fourteen!" I snapped.

"Ojou-sama!" Lilliane interjected. "Forgive her, Lord Dustiness." She bowed in apology.

"Think nothing of it," He replied. He then gave a nod to the servants beside him.

"Shall we take your luggage, madam?" The Butler asked.

"Whatever," I said, looking away.

"How arrogant," I thought; how arrogant of this man to look down upon a maiden of House Rosenthall.

A few minutes later, we were escorted into the mansion and into the drawing room.

Tea and desserts sat upon the small table between me and the head of the house. Lilliane, being a servant, stood behind me.

"Ahem." Lord Ignis coughed gently. "Forgive me if I've offended you, it wasn't my intention."

I averted my gaze slightly, pretending not to care.

He went on. "Do you like sweets? My daughter has quite the craving for them. Please, help yourself."

I stared upon the aforementioned sweets, and hesitantly, took one. After a while, I noticed I went through a handful—though the Lord Ignis said nothing the whole time. Not even his face, which I thought would carry a look of shock or disgust, showed revulsion; in fact, quite the opposite, this man stared at me in happy silence. Where did that angry expression he showed me just minutes earlier go? Perhaps, I misjudged him.

"M-, My Lord," I said, feeling slight embarrassment, "allow me to state the reason for my visitation."

I looked back at Lilliane, to which she nodded.

She withdrew a pouch laden with coins and placed it upon the table.

"A tribute from my father, Lord Edward."

The smile Lord Ignis bore quickly faded and the angry face he showed earlier returned.

He took a deep breath, and closing his eyes, said, "I see."

"Is it, not to your liking, my lord?" I asked, mildly worried.

"No, it's fine."

Suddenly, the door burst open and a young girl rushed in.

"Papa! Papa!"

"Lalatina, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to rush in here when I'm with guests?"

The girl looked at me and quickly hid behind Lord Ignis' seat.

"No need to be afraid, Lalatina, this is...Lady Irene."

But the girl continued to stare at me, her perfect blue eyes piercing my own.

"Irene," she said in repetition.

"Umu," I remarked, causing her to quickly go back into hiding.

The girl, Lalatina, ran off and hid behind the entrance to the room. She stared at me for a few seconds and then gently closed the door.

"Sorry about that," Lord Ignis said. "Her mother, my wife, passed a few years ago; she's been fairly lonely since then."

"A shame," I thought.

"Lady Irene, you must be tired from your travel, would you care to rest?"

"Ah—ahem—Yes, Lord Ignis."

"Rina!" He called out, and at once, a maid entered.

"Yes, Lord Dustiness?"

"Would you be so kind as to show Lady Irene to her room?"

She bowed in agreement. "At once, Lord Dustiness. Madam, if you would please follow me."

I did as was asked, Lilliane following closely.

"Here we are," the maid said.

It was a large room, slightly more extravagant than I was used to.

"Thank you," I said. "You can leave now."

She bowed and left, as told, leaving me and Lilliane alone.

"Would you like me to leave as well, Ojou-sama?"

"No, it's fine, Lilliane, you can stay."

Lilliane sat down in a nearby chair while I climbed onto the bed and laid down. I could feel the weariness starting to set in.

"Lilliane?" I said, in the corresponding silence.

"Yes, Ojou-sama?"

"Why is it I have to stay here, again?"

I waited for a response but Lilliane remained silent. I glanced over at her, when I did, she spoke.

"It was Lord Edward's wish for you to stay."

"Father, hm?"

Right. I remember now; he told me to stay a number of days to get on Lord Ignis' good side. A standard tactic for noble houses was to get the house head to ingratiate themselves to another. While not as luxurious as our own, the Dustiness house was known to have connections to the royal family—and as such, influence.

I glanced at Lilliane once again. I noticed the pained expression she wore.

"What's wrong, Lilliane, are you tired as well? Do you want to lay down?"

"Huh? Oh, no. I'm fine, Ojou-sama."

"What are you talking about, I know you're tired; if I'm tired, you definitely must be." I rolled over. "Come, you can sleep on this bed for a bit."

"I-I couldn't, Ojou-sama, if—"

"I wasn't asking!" I yelled, looking over my shoulder at her. "Now come!"

"Y-, Yes."

She timidly walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Lay down," I said.

Carrying the same hesitance, she did.

After a couple of seconds, I slid my back closer to her.

"Ojou—"

"I'm a bit cold so...can you stay next to me?"

"Ojou...sama...hm, very well."

Suddenly, I felt Lilliane turn and hug me. I was startled for a second...but I didn't mind; this feeling...it felt so long since someone last hugged me.

Long before I could realize, I fell asleep.

Sometime later, I finally awoke. When I did, I noticed I was alone.

"Lilliane?" I said, sitting up. "Lilliane?!"

I called out to her several times, but no matter how many times I did, she never showed. As I was about to rush out of the room, the door opened and the previous maid I saw, showed up.

"Madam, is there something wrong?"

"Lilliane, my servant, where is she?!"

"Oh. Miss Lilliane is no longer here; she departed last night."

"What? Liilliane's...gone? Impossible. No. No, that can't be right. She must be here somewhere. Lilliane!" I called out once more, walking past the maid. "Lilliane, get out here, I'm getting mad!"

"Madam, please, you're disturbing the residents. Miss Lilliane is no longer here."

I stared at her incredulously, I couldn't believe her; I was left?

"T-There has to be a mistake. Lilliane, the maid I came here with—she couldn't just leave without me! ...She wouldn't. No, think about this rationally. Father wouldn't permit Lilliane to return without me, there's no way. If she did leave, it would only be temporary—Yes, that's it—Lilliane left, but she'll return to pick me up once the days of my stay are up." Coming to this realization, I calmed down. "Sorry, I was a bit panicked. Did… Did she tell you anything?"

"No. Setting that aside, Madam, would you like some breakfast?"

"Breakfast?" And at that opportune moment, my stomach growled loudly. "...Um...please."

When I arrived at the dining room, Lord Ignis and his daughter were already eating.

"Ah, Lady Irene, would you care to join us?"

"If it's fine with you, Lord Ignis."

"But of course," he replied, gesturing to a nearby seat.

I graciously took my seat.

"Did you have a good nap?" he asked.

"Well enough—My Lord, may I ask you about the whereabouts of my servant, Lilliane?"

"Ah, her. Of course, but first, let's get you something to eat." He made a sign to one of the maids.

As prompted, the maid quickly served up a plate a of the current dish and placed it in front of me.

Frankly, I was quite hungry; I hadn't had anything to eat since before I left the estate. So, as much as I wanted to satiate my curiosity, I first had to satiate my appetite.

Because I was so hungry, I quickly began to scarf down the food. Before I knew it, half the contents of the plate were gone and an odd silence permeated the room. I looked up in perplexity and instantly realized my folly.

Across me, the Lord's daughter stared at me in surprise. I could feel a cloud of embarrassment begin to well up within me, then I glanced at Lord Ignis who was sat beside me; he too stared at me in shock, but as soon as he noted my glance, he smiled gently.

"My Lady, if you were so famished, you should've told me earlier."

I couldn't hold back my embarrassment and looked down in the consequential remorse.

"Please, finish your meal," he continued. "I have something to attend to."

"But my question!" I quickly yelled.

"Worry not, Lady Irene, I will answer your question, after." He then looked at his daughter. "Lalatina, can you please look after our guest?"

She nodded.

"Thank you." Shifting his attention back to me, Lord Ignis bowed. "I'll return shortly, Lady Irene. Please, make yourself at home."

The remainder of the meal I found myself thinking about Lilliane. Although I settled on a rational explanation, I still felt worry. I was at another lord's house, surrounded by people I didn't know...but...Father had great expectations of me; I couldn't let him down.

When I finally recovered from the gnawing thoughts floating in my mind, I noticed Lord Ignis' daughter standing next to me. She took my hand and dropped a tiny wrapped piece of candy in it.

"You look pretty sad," she said. "Whenever I'm sad, I eat one of these; it makes me feel better."

"T-, Thank you." I removed the wrapper and ate it. "...Lalatina is your name, right? How cute. How old are you, Lalatina?"

"Eight. I'm… I'm eight years old."

"Eight, hm? You're almost a grown-up, like me."

Eight was around the time I was being taught etiquette. My sisters and brothers of more noble heritage were taught even earlier. Eight was also the age I was legitimized; before then, I plied my living doing menial tasks around the estate: cleaning and helping the servants with whatever other chores that needed to be done. Lilliane was the one who taught me most of those things.

My mother, I was told, was one of the many maids, not that I knew her. I have very faint memories of a woman who looked like me, a haggard expression on her face. But in all my living at Rosenthall household I never met her. When I asked, many of the servants would give me shocked expressions and say nothing at all or they would simply tell me she was freed. Lilliane was the closest thing I had to a mother and when I was legitimized, she wept. I couldn't understand why, so I asked her. Her reply? "You have a chance now."

But this little girl before me, she was nothing like me; she didn't have to go through the trails that I had to go through. The evidence was as clear as day—or more precisely, as salient as threads of gold; her hair was all the evidence she needed to assume her noble status. I had no such luck.

Without a word, she took my hand and led me out into the back of the house. There was a garden with a belvedere overlooking a small pond. Here we sat, resting in the fine weather.

"Um… Are...are you staying, Miss Irene?" she asked.

"No. Well...only for a few more days."

"Oh...I see. Are you going back home, then?"

"Yes, of course."

"Oh...ok." She looked down for a moment and then glanced at me. "Are you still sad?"

"No. But I'd like to ask your father about a servant of mine."

"That lady who came with you?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm. I saw her."

"What?"

"I saw her. I saw her and Papa talking before she left."

I hurriedly sat up. "When? When did you see her? What did she say?!"

Lalatina looked up in recollection. "I wasn't close enough to hear everything, but all I heard was her say goodbye to Papa and then leave."

I relaxed upon hearing this. "So my theory must be true; Lilliane will return for me after I've finished my task. Thank you, Lalatina; you've put my mind at ease." She smiled. "I suppose in return I could do something for you."

"You will?!"

"Yes, it's only appropriate; what can I do for the young lady, Lalatina?"

"Will you come with me to the Eris Church?"

"Eris Church?"

"Umu. Papa usually comes with me, but he gets busy with work, so sometimes I have to sneak out and go by myself—oh, but don't tell him!"

I chuckled. "Of course not; I'll keep it a secret."

"So, will you come?"

"Sure. Please lead the way; I'm new to this town, so I don't know where the church would be."

After notifying one of the maids of our intention, Lalatina and I headed out. Along the way, she showed me many of the landmarks, stores, and some of the more "secret" areas she knew. Eventually, we arrived at the Eris Church.

"Erina!" She yelled happily as we walked into the church's courtyard.

The nun present, looked up and smiled. "Lady Dustiness—Oh, and who might this be?"

"Rosenthall Viira Irene," I replied. "I'm a guest at the Dustiness household."

"Oh, I see. Welcome to Axel. Are you new here? I presume that Lady Dustiness is doing her best to show you around."

"I am, and she is."

The nun smiled once more, looking at Lalatina soon after. "Lady Dustiness, are you here for the usual?"

She nodded.

The nun handed her two flowers from the multitude she was tending to.

"Chrises?" I thought.

"Remember, one for the Goddess and one for your mother."

"Umu." Lalatina rushed inside.

As I was about to follow, the nun spoke. "Please accompany the ojou-sama for today; she gets quite lonely, so having someone to play with would make her happy."

It was the same thing Lord Ignis said. I had nothing else to do, so I felt no issue with indulging her. "Don't worry," I replied, "I'll look after her."

The nun, Erina, nodded. "Thank you. Should you need use of any of the church's service, please let me or any of the other clerics know."

"I will, thank you."

I headed inside and saw the young Lalatina kneeling in front of the Eris statue, praying. I remained silent, watching her from a distance. After some time, she finished, placing one of the flowers at the foot of the statue. Turning around, she saw me.

"Miss Irene, you've been here the whole time?"

"Somewhat," I replied. "How often do you do this?" I then asked.

"Everyday. Everyday I come to ask the Goddess for a certain thing. Maybe she's finally heard me," she said with a smile. "Do you believe in the Goddess as well, Miss Irene?"

"Me?"

I haven't really thought about it, but perhaps my life had some measure of luck; afterall, I was able to climb out of the misfortune of being a mere servant all my life.

"It's alright," Lalatina said, interrupting my thoughts. "The Goddess helps everyone even if they believe in another god. Just make sure you don't do anything bad; if you do, she'll punish you with misfortune."

"Sure."

"Now come on, I have one more place to leave flowers at."

We left the interior of the church and went into a mausoleum of sorts; it was beautiful, cast in marble, but beyond that had no other notable or distinguishing features. Lalatina placed the chris upon the slab—alongside the assortment of many others.

"Mama," she said, gently kneeling. She stared at the plaque upon the marble, her lips quivering, and touched it. "...Mama," she said again, this time tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Lalatina," I thought as I gazed upon her crying facade, "at least you got to know your mother."

For a few minutes, she continued to silently weep, until eventually, she wiped off her face and stood up.

"Sorry," she said, sniffling.

"No, it's fine. You loved her, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Although I can't remember too much." She turned to me, tears starting to slowly trickle once more. "I'm afraid someday I'll completely forget about her."

"You won't," I said resolutely.

"You sure?"

"Umu," I said with a nod. "At the very least, you'll remember her for a few more years. I spent even less time with my own mother and yet I can still somehow remember her...I think."

"Is your mother also…?"

"I don't know."

Lalatina stared at me and then wiped off the recently-formed tears. "It'll be alright," she said with a reassuring nod.

Was this girl who was younger than me, and cried no less, trying to comfort me? How silly. I smiled.

"It doesn't matter," I replied with a grin.

"Of course it matters. It probably hurts not knowing, but I'm sure Miss Irene found someone to help her through it, didn't you?"

"Eh? W-What are you talking about? The only person who matters is Father. He's the only one who cares about me. I'm special to him; it's why he chose me to come here and not my brothers or sisters."

"You have brothers and sisters?"

"I do."

"Ohhh, how nice. I wish I had some," Lalatina said with a forlorn expression.

"Consider yourself lucky. Me and my siblings don't really get along; I'm sure it'd probably be the same if you had any."

"Really? I never thought about it that way."

What a saccharinely sweet girl; did she really see everything in the best light?

"If you're done here, let us return," I said.

"Ok," she replied.

We returned to the manor, where Lord Ignis met us.

"Papa!" Lalatina said, running over to him.

"Lalatina." He hugged her and then looked at me. "I hope she hasn't been imposing on you, Lady Irene."

"No, she's been fine," I remarked.

"Papa, Miss Irene took me to the church!" she announced excitedly.

"Did she now?"

"Mhm."

"Did you thank her?"

"Mhm."

"Good. Now will you do Papa a favor and head inside? Ask Rina to fetch you a bath."

"Ok."

Doing as she was told, Lalatina ran inside.

Lord Ignis turned his attention to me. "Lady Irene, I recall you had a question for me."

"Yes. It was about Lilliane, my servant."

"What do you wish to know?"

"Where… No...why did she leave?"

A simple question and yet Lord Ignis looked down, his face fielding the same pitiful expression the servants gave me when I asked about my mother those years ago. "Your servant...Miss Lilianne...she left for your...for Lord Edward's estate."

"I asked why, my lord."

"...Because, her task is complete; she did what was needed of her. ...This is what she told me when she left."

"Will she…?" The words were lodged in my throat. I was scared. I was scared to ask. I was scared of the answer. I bit my lip.

"Please enjoy your stay," Lord Ignis said. He retreated into the manor.

The following day came.

Though I wanted Lilliane to come, Father asked me to stay a few days; she wouldn't be coming for a couple days at least.

To pass the time, I accompanied the young Lalatina to the Eris Church. Afterwards, I spent some time looking around the town. Eventually however, I got bored and returned to the Dustiness estate. I ate dinner with them, took a bath, and slept.

Then the next day came.

More of the same. Church, sightseeing, eat, bathe, sleep.

The fourth day. Lilliane must've been on her way by now. Perhaps in a few hours I'll see her. The thought of this filled my heavy heart with some warmth. Although my time with the Dustiness family was by no means bad, I wanted to go home to familiar faces—even if many of them weren't as welcoming.

And yet, the fourth day passed with no sign of Lilliane.

The fifth came and went, the sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth, thirtieth, then months; she wasn't coming. No one was. After realizing this, I fell into a deep depression. Lalatina did her best to try and cheer me up, leaving pieces of candy outside my bedroom everyday, but this was beyond what any eight year old could do, beyond the help of even the kindness of a foreign lord or the multitude of servants and happy faces.

I was abandoned. Why?

A couple of years passed. Lalatina was now ten, I was sixteen. I received word that my house, House Rosenthall, fell. Unable to cope with the years of financial and administrative mismanagement, the house disintegrated. For some odd reason though, I didn't feel any worse finding this out; my only worry, the only thing that occupied my mind was her, Lilliane, where did she go? Was she fine?

A few months later, I would finally get my answer in the form of a letter.

Dear Ojou-sama,

Forgive me. It is I, your humble servant, Lilliane. Should this letter reach your hands, please know that I am alive. Though you may have come to resent me for what was done, know that I did it with a heavy heart and full of regret. I wish for you to know the truth of it all and so I penned this letter. The truth of the matter is, your father, the late Lord Edward cared not for you. It was his intention to make you a bargaining piece from the start—though regretfully, I would not know this until much later. He tasked me with delivering you to Lord Dustiness under the guise of mere social exchange, however, the reality is and was, you were the point of sale. Though I've never come to know the full details of the exchange, it is my belief that your father intended to sell you to Lord Dustiness in exchange for his influence. I had planned to steal you away that night, but I was weak and afraid. I was afraid of the consequences, of having to subject you to a future of welfare, of having pulled you into the life which I thought you fortunate to have run away from. I ask for your forgiveness, and even if you will not, I understand. I merely ask that you are safe. In my own selfish opinion, I believe that your life would be better under the roof of Lord Dustiness. I wish for you all the greatest blessings, Ojou-sama.

Your humble servant,

Lilliane

I stared at the letter in my hands; seconds later, tears streamed out of my eyes and onto its surface. All these years I cried silently, holding back, but seeing this, I wept like I never did in my entire life.

"Lillianne!" I cried. "Lillianne…you're alive..."

I smiled, though tears streamed forth unceasingly. I cared not for what happened, only that she was alive. I looked at the letter again and pressed it to my chest. I kept crying until my head hurt, until my eyes were puffy, my sight blurry, until I fell asleep.

When I finally woke, it was to the sound of knocking on my door.

"Miss Irene, would you like to eat?" It was one of the maids.

"No," I said, my voice coming out hoarse.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I said, clearing my throat.

"Very well."

I laid on my back, looking once more to the letter.

Although most of the mystery had been solved, there still remained some missing points. Personally, I didn't care for the answers, I had all I needed; however, something was pushing me to find out. The only person who could, was the person who bought me, Lord Ignis.

And so, I confronted him. With letter in hand, I asked him for the details, all of them.

But he showed me the same pitiful face he did years earlier, the same face he showed me these many months, and said, "Now's not the time."

I wanted to press him for more information, but for some reason, I didn't. I dropped it, and eventually, I almost forgot.

Two years later, on my eighteenth birthday, he told me.

From what I gathered, my father was scum—though by now, I knew this to be true. His intent was to sell me to the highest bidder. According to Lord Ignis, he was offered my hand in marriage. Originally, Lord Ignis declined, but pressed by my father's following comments, he reconsidered.

You see, had Lord Ignis fully declined, my father would've simply chosen another lord to sell me to, particularly ones with tastes for young brides. Perhaps having a young daughter himself, Lord Ignis accepted the deal. My father wasn't only after influence however, he wanted money.

Part of the deal was a sort of dowry that Lord Ignis had to pay. I now understand why he gave me such an angry look all those years ago; Lord Edward made a mockery of him, taking for granted Lord Ignis' good nature, with the small purse of coins I offered being salt on the wound.

Upon hearing all this, my resentment, which had been absent this whole time, took fruit; I hated my father. I hated the nobles. To them, commoners were mere toys to be used and tossed away at will. Lord Ignis, though I had some reservations, was largely removed from this hate. Although he could've taken me to be his bride, he never did; he treated me merely as his esteemed guest all this time.

Following the revelation, I cast aside my pride as a noble; it was a mockery, the final ploy of Edward Rosenthall, and I could not allow him such sweet success. I would dance to his tune no longer. Instead, I went back to my roots, I became a servant under the House Dustiness.

I learned quickly, having had experience, but my training was overlooked by the head maid, Rina. She was strict, in stark contrast to the woman who essentially raised me. But because she was a maid, I endured it—in respect to Lilliane.

Day in and day out, I tended to the needs of Lord Ignis and Lalatina.

Though Lalatina sought me out regularly, I made an effort to distance myself from her. I was a servant, not her equal, not a friend; she would have to find those qualities in another.

Eventually, it would seem my prayers were answered, and Laltina did indeed find herself a friend. I was genuinely happy for her. We spent less time together as a result, growing ever distant, but as time went on, I noticed I yearned for her.

It wasn't some odd feeling or out of envy, rather, I felt admiration. Lalatina was a true noble; she had no problems with legitimacy and could've led a prosperous and easy life, but in the few times she confided in me, I came to learn that she wanted none of the luxuries; she wanted the simple life of a commoner, to see everyone as her friends, to sacrifice herself for her countrymen.

Of course, being born the sole heir of the Dustiness name meant these things were by in large, impossible. It didn't stop her from trying, however.

I think, because of this, I admired her greatly. I admired this girl who was younger than me, stronger, and more willful. Lord Ignis spoiled her, both in her youth and even when she became a lady. It occurred to me, after all those years of serving them, I wanted what they had. I saw in them, in the Dustiness family, what I and my own family lacked, and I couldn't help but follow them.

Lilliane, if you're still alive and out there somewhere, I hope this reaches you. I am fine. I am living with a new master, but still serving Lord Ignis' daughter. One day, I hope we can see each other again, to tell you the words I never told you before. Until then, sincerely, your…

I stopped, placing the quiver down.

"Sincerely, your…"

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Irene, we're heading out to eat, do you want to come?"

"Lalatina-sama?"

"Oi, Darkness, tell her if she doesn't hurry, we'll leave without her."

I got up from my desk and opened the door. "If it's alright with you all," I replied.

"Of course," Lalatina answered.

"Very well. One second." I closed the door and looked at the letter I penned.

For a few moments I stared, and then looked at the time-worn letter beside it. I grabbed both of them and placed them into the desk drawer.

"We're leaving!" I heard Lord Satou say.

I gave a final glance at the drawer and smiled. "Coming!" I said, and exited the room.