The Comte and the Peasant: Chapter Ten
Hi everyone! As always, a big THANKS to all those who emailed and reviewed about the last chapter! I'm so sorry it takes me so long to get a new chapter out, but as I'm sure you all know, school sucks. Anyways, I made some changes in the original prologue since I no longer intend to follow the original storyline of the anime. I would still appreciate feedback from people about which couple they think would be best for this story. Anyways, enough of my babbling. Now, on with the story!
HYD does not belong to me. HYD does not belong to me. HYD does not belong to me.
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Thadea stood with her eyes downcast, clutching the rail of the banister tightly with both hands. She waited for Serafina to speak, unsure of what to expect. Certainly, she could not think of what the lady would want to talk with her about. "Could it possibly have anything to do with Ruiz?" she wondered briefly. When Serafina still remained silent, Thadea fidgeted nervously and raised her eyes.
Serafina stood there staring at her with a strange, far away look on her face. Her beautiful gold eyes glimmered eerily in the dimly lit hall, but as soon as Thadea met her gaze, the look disappeared. Her eyes became guarded and unreadable, and it reminded Thadea so much of the indifferent mask that Ruiz wore all the time.
"If my lady has no need of me, I must return to the kitchen," Thadea said quietly. She knew it was not proper for her to address Serafina in such a way, but she couldn't bear to stand in the stairwell any longer. Whatever Serafina had to say to her could wait, and at this point, Thadea was too weary to really care what it could be.
"What is your relationship with Ruiz?" Serafina asked abruptly, causing Thadea to freeze in her footsteps. She was now standing at the bottom of the staircase and her dark eyes immediately came up to meet Serafina's own golden gaze. The question surprised her with its bluntness. She had not expected the Lady Serafina, with all her eloquence and breeding, to be so crude in her speech; yet, she had to admit she was impressed by the directness of the approach.
"Lord Hainault is the young master of the house and I am his servant," Thadea replied simply. She did not feel the need to explain to Serafina the unusual circumstances of their relationship, that is, if there even was any relationship to speak of.
"That is not what I meant," Serafina replied, her voice soft and her gaze steady. "I witnessed the exchange between Tiernan and Ruiz, just as I am sure you have. I do not know how long you have known Lord Hainault, but he is a very reserved and private person. I do not believe that I have ever seen him lose his temper in front of anyone until today." She paused and there was a flicker of pain that passed across her face, "Is there…is there…"
Serafina was never one to jump to conclusions, especially not to such preposterous ideas as the ones that were flashing through her mind at the moment; yet, there was something in Ruiz's tone that had unsettled her and made her question the relationship between him and this young servant girl. Certainly she knew Ruiz well enough to know that he was not the type to engage in such scandalous behavior…but still, he had never defended her quite as passionately as he had done for this young woman. A mixture of jealousy and confusion twisted her heart and left her panicked for answers. She felt her cheeks burn as she tried to find the right words to ask the question that consumed her mind and heart.
"If my lady is wondering whether there is anything…indecent going on between Lord Hainault and I, let me assure you right now that your suspicions have been misplaced. There is absolutely nothing between R…Lord Hainault and me, besides that of a master and servant."
After watching Serafina struggle, Thadea felt some of the hostility seep out of her system. It was obvious to her that Serafina cared very much for Ruiz, despite her decision to marry another man, and there was no reason to embarrass her by forcing her to ask a question that she could not bring herself to ask.
The memory of her conversation with Ruiz from the night before flashed briefly through Thadea's mind. She remembered the pained look on Ruiz's face, and the hot tears he had cried on her shoulder. She had felt an indescribable amount of anger towards Serafina then, and some of that resentment returned as she relived that night in her mind.
"I am happy to hear that there is nothing between you and Ruiz. I knew that Ruiz would be too sensible to engage in such behavior."
Upon her words, Thadea could not help but notice the obvious note of relief in Serafina's voice. She looked up again to see Serafina smiling kindly at her with a look of satisfaction in her eyes. At that moment, Thadea lost her temper, and without stopping to think, remarked bitterly, "Yes, I'm sure he would be. It is interesting to me, though, that someone who is so much without sense should recognize it in other people."
Serafina's smile dropped immediately upon hearing Thadea's words. Her alabaster cheeks flushed crimson and the corners of her mouth tightened. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.
"I'm sorry if I have offended you," Thadea continued, not giving Serafina a chance to respond, "I know it's none of my business, but it's hard for me to be kind to you when I know that you have broken Lord Hainault's heart." Thadea paused then, and lowered her voice, "You must know how much he loves you. I don't understand how you could treat him like that…especially when you know how he feels about you..."
"You speak as if I have no heart, no feelings! As if I do not care about Ruiz!" Serafina cried, throwing all propriety to hell. She clenched her fists tightly and her whole body shook as she tried to regain her composure and her dignity. "Yes I know Ruiz loves me…I knew it the first moment we met. The way he looks at me…I have never had any man look at me the way that he does." Tears flowed down her pale cheeks as she continued, oblivious now to Thadea and her surroundings. "I love him…so much…so much," she whispered, "I wish to God that I didn't…I wish to God things could have been different for us. Perhaps then it would not be so hard to let go…"
Thadea stood there silently, shocked at Serafina's sudden outburst. She was at a loss as to what to do, especially upon seeing Serafina's tears. Tentatively, she reached out a hand and placed it comfortingly on the young lady's shoulder. Serafina did not look up, but instead placed a cold, unsteady hand over Thadea's.
"I hate myself for hurting him as much as I have. I will never forgive myself for driving away the only person that I ever truly loved."
Thadea felt tears stinging at the back of her eyes as she listened to Serafina's quiet confession. A tremendous surge of guilt overwhelmed her as she realized how badly she had treated Serafina; yet, despite her feelings, a part of her still burned with the desire to know why Serafina had decided to abandon Ruiz.
"If you love him as you say you do…then why are you leaving him?" Thadea asked softly.
Serafina stiffened upon hearing Thadea's words. Slowly, she straightened up to her full height and pulled Thadea's hand away from her shoulder. The cold, lacquered mask she had worn earlier returned, and Thadea felt a chill run down her spine.
"I should have expected that you wouldn't understand," Serafina said, her voice barely above a whisper, "You commoners will never understand anything. You think that everyone lives just as you do, free to do whatever they wish and free to marry whomever the desire." Turning her head away, she gave a shaky laugh. "It's ironic isn't it? That the underprivileged should be more fortunate than the privileged! There is no place in our world for love, only ambition…but of course you commoners will never know what that means." Serafina raised her head at these last words, and stared straight into Thadea's eyes. "I am sorry to have kept you away from your duties. You may return to the kitchen now."
Utterly confused and at a loss for words, Thadea obediently turned away and left Serafina standing alone at the bottom of the stairwell.
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"Here he is!" Stefan cried as he gestured to Aleron from the far-east side of the rose garden. After endless hours of searching, he had finally found his friend sitting by himself on a bench in a hidden part of the flower gardens.
"Hey man, what are you doing out here?" Stefan asked as he seated himself next to Ruiz. "We've been looking all over for you!"
"You…are…so hard to track down," Aleron remarked as he came running up out of breath from the other side of the castle grounds. "What the hell were you thinking running out on us like that?"
"I came out here to be alone," Ruiz replied flatly as he stared at the ground beneath his feet. His hands were clasped and his head was bowed and he remained in this position despite the presence of his two closest friends.
"I can see that," Stefan retorted sourly. He exchanged brief glances with Aleron who had seated himself on the other side of Ruiz.
"God, why do you always have to be so difficult?" Stefan demanded. He frowned at Ruiz, staring at the mop of shiny, light brown hair in annoyance. "You could at least look up when I'm talking…"
"Why do you always have to be so obnoxious?" Ruiz said as he finally straightened up and returned Stefan's glare. "I told you I wanted to be alone. Why can't you respect that?"
"Because we're worried about you," Aleron said. "You've been acting strange…even for you…ever since we got here."
"We only want to help," Stefan added quietly.
Ruiz sighed and paused briefly before he spoke. "Serafina is leaving tomorrow," he said quietly, faltering slightly at the last word.
"So she is. What does that have to do with anything?" Aleron said impatiently. He turned to Stefan in confusion, but found that he was equally puzzled by Ruiz's behavior.
"No, you don't understand. She's leaving…for Germany."
"Germany? Why would she go to Germany?" Stefan asked, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
"Because that's where her fiancé is."
A deadly silence followed these last words. Stefan and Aleron gaped silently in disbelief as the realization finally dawned on them. Serafina was going to get married…and not to Ruiz.
"I was afraid this might happen," Stefan whispered, burying his face in his hands. He rubbed his eyes furiously, as if trying to erase the vision of Serafina that had suddenly entered into his mind's eye.
"I can not believe she would do something like this!" Aleron cried angrily. "What the hell is she thinking?"
Ruiz shrugged slightly, signaling that he didn't know. "It doesn't matter what the reason is does it?" he asked quietly, speaking more to himself than his companions. "The fact is she's leaving…that's all I know and that's all I care to know."
"But aren't you curious as to why she's doing this?" Stefan demanded. "What if this is all just some big misunderstanding? For gods sakes Ruiz, if you love her, don't let her leave!"
Ruiz made no attempt to respond to Stefan's outburst. He continued to stare at the air in front of him, his face an unreadable mask.
"Does anyone else know that she's leaving?" Aleron asked, trying vainly to get Ruiz to tell them more about the situation.
"No one. I've told no one about this…except…" Ruiz's eyes glimmered eerily as he remembered the one other person whom he had confided in.
"Except…?" Aleron demanded impatiently.
"…except Thadea."
There was another long period of silence upon the mention of that particular name.
"Th…Thadea…Marcoux? You told the Marcoux girl about this? A servant?" Stefan cried in disbelief. This conversation with Ruiz was becoming too much for even him to handle.
Apparently, the news of Thadea Marcoux and Ruiz had shocked Aleron as well. He sat staring blankly with his mouth open and his brown eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"Ruiz, have you lost your mind? What on earth would possess you to…"
"What I do is my business!" Ruiz interrupted angrily, getting to his feet. He frowned slightly, "I don't need to explain myself to the two of you."
Stefan ignored Ruiz's rude outburst, and regarded him with a steady gaze. "Do you have feelings for the Marcoux girl?" he asked calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion that might betray his present thoughts.
Ruiz hesitated a moment, a look of uncertainty passing through his pale features. "No, of course not," he replied quickly, his eyes refusing to meet Stefan's.
This did not go unnoticed by either boy. "You know Tiernan has feelings for the Marcoux girl," Stefan said smoothly, his gaze never leaving Ruiz's face. "We both thought you knew that…but if we were mistaken…well, you know now."
"It would be wise if you discharged her from your service," Aleron added, trying to get Ruiz to see the light. "If you truly are Tiernan's friend then you would do this for him…"
"It is not my responsibility to involve myself in his love life!" Ruiz replied briskly. "I am no matchmaker and I will certainly not fire Thadea simply because Tiernan may have taken a fancy to her. That boy is spoiled beyond belief, and I will not allow him to destroy another life as he has done so many times before!"
"But she's just a servant!" Aleron insisted.
Ruiz glared at him coldly, his smooth face tight with barely concealed anger. Without another word, he turned and strode quickly back towards the house.
Stefan and Aleron sat in silence for a long time, both boys fixated on the retreating figure of the future Comte of Troyes.
"Did you believe him when he said he didn't have any feelings for the Marcoux girl?" Aleron asked.
"Not a damn word," Stefan replied, his eyes still intent on the distant figure of Ruiz, "Not a single damn word."
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That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Thadea lay awake in her small bed thinking of her conversation with Serafina. The phrase 'you'll never understand' repeated itself over and over in her mind as she struggled to make sense of what had happened that morning. Did she really not understand what was happening between Ruiz and Serafina? Were the lives of the nobility really so different from her own?
The questions plagued her, taunted her until she could stand it no longer. Throwing off her covers and scrambling out of bed, Thadea felt her way along the now familiar dark corridors until she had reached the warmth and comfort of the softly lit kitchen. Pushing open the doors that led outside, Thadea walked out into the chilly night air.
Shivering slightly, she made her way over to the old well and seated herself on the stone rim. She looked up at the starry night sky, her eyes searching intently over the black, sparkling expanse.
"Awfully late to be out isn't it?" A deep voice addressed her from the shadows. Startled, Thadea swerved her head to see a tall figure walking towards her from the direction of the flower gardens.
"Who's there?" she called, her heart beating faster with anticipation as she realized who it might be.
The figure drew closer, and Thadea could make out the finely chiseled features of the handsome young nobleman who stood before her. Unfortunately…it was not the young nobleman she had expected.
Tiernan Doumet stood only a few feet away from her, his tall figure a looming and intimidating presence. His face was partially hidden in the shadows, but Thadea could still see the intense dark eyes and arrogant smirk that characterized the future Comte of Champagne.
"Oh it's you," Thadea said, not bothering to hide the displeasure in her tone.
"Were you expecting someone else?" Tiernan asked her mockingly, giving her another one of his obnoxious arrogant smiles.
"That's none of your business."
Tiernan frowned slightly, a look of suspicion crossing his face. He tried hard to hold back his temper, and asked lightly, "You weren't expecting Ruiz were you?" He watched Thadea intently for her reaction, and felt his jaw tighten when he noticed her cheeks flush with the mention of his best friend.
"O…Of course not!" she denied quickly, in a tone that did not sound at all convincing. "What would make you think such a silly thing?"
Tiernan didn't answer, but instead seated himself on the edge of the well next to her. Thadea moved away automatically, which didn't go unnoticed by Tiernan.
"Do I really repulse you that much?" he asked quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. He was not looking at her, but she knew that he was paying close attention to her every movement. "What did I ever do to make you hate me so?"
Thadea sat silently, unsure of how to respond. She was unsettled by Tiernan's uncharacteristic demeanor and felt small pangs of guilt stabbing at her heart. She studied his profile under the soft light of the moon, and noticed for the first time just how young he really was.
From their first meeting, she had formed in her mind the image of a cold, cruel aristocrat whose face must have been as hard as his heart. But now, that image was slowly fading away, and she saw in front of her a young boy who was no older than she was herself. He looked sad, vulnerable, and alone sitting there with his hands clasped and his shoulders slumped.
Her first instinct was to reach out a hand and comfort him. To tell him that she didn't hate him, and that she was sorry for all the mean things she had said to him earlier that day. But then an image of Mirielle's crying, frightened face flashed through her mind, and immediately she turned away and fought down the tender feelings that had almost prompted her to forgive Tiernan Doumet.
"I can't let him fool me like this," she berated herself silently, "I have to look past that handsome exterior and remember him for who he really is!"
Quickly getting to her feet, Thadea walked away without a word back to the main house leaving Tiernan's hopeless questions unanswered.
Tiernan sat there unmoving, his eyes staring intently at Thadea's retreating figure until they were too bleary to see.
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End of Chapter 10
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