Hi everyone, how are you? It's time for a new chapter. I have the optimal writing conditions right now: it's the weekend, I'm starting like five days earlier from the actual posting day (jk, more like three), and "Love Story" by Taylor Swift is going on in my head. By the way, that song totally fits this story. Seriously, almost every single detail. And have you seen the music video?
Also, I fixed Chapter 5 a tiny bit so Annabeth's emotions weren't so crazy and heightened for no reason. Yeah, sorry for messing it up. If you guys are really bored, go back and reread it. But if you're new, hi hi hi, thank you so much for reading. Anyway, that's about it.
Enjoy!
"Annabeth?" Malcolm frowned in confusion once she lifted the parasol over her head. His eyes followed the lacy swirls on top of the stiff, burgundy fabric before meeting hers. "Why did you bring a parasol out here?"
Her gloved fingers tightened around the handle. She told herself to keep her voice still. "A lady always covers herself from the sun whence she goes outdoors," she informed him, her voice unintentionally darkening around the end.
Malcolm cocked his head at her. "Yeah, but it's just us out here in our own garden."
Out of all days, why did her brother have to pick this one to be so obtuse? "I must obey rules at all times for my lessons." If Madame Stevens even saw a hint of bronze in her "falling complexion", or heard a tiny bit of deepness in her voice, she would pile a dozen more books atop her head or press her spine against a ruler another hour.
"You always needed to do that, but it never stopped you before." Malcolm grinned cheekily. A memory of young Thalia, Luke, and her running through the woods in untucked and stained shirts appeared in her mind. She didn't even need to wear corsets at that age.
Annabeth could no longer answer. She shook her head and slowly hissed, "Please do not ruin this time we have together. I have a long afternoon of classes afterwards."
Understanding finally filled Malcolm's metal-colored pupils. "Oh, sorry."
She shook her head again and gestured ahead of them, into the neat garden. "Shall we walk?"
He held out his arm, and she took it. They stepped onto the sun-bleached cobblestone path, watching the rows of colorful lilies and irises sway in the breeze.
Malcolm interrupted the silence with some light conversation. They chatted on about the giant estate beside them, Atlas, and how it was highly priced but many famous characters were vying for it. Malcolm brought up the many girls he courted and his decisions for marriage. Annabeth would definitely miss him when he left, but she had plenty of opportunities to visit him. They also talked about the upcoming events they were invited to and shared stories about the hosts. Malcolm knew the older siblings of Annabeth's friends, so she learned a lot about the similarities and peculiarities of these big families.
Neither of them discussed the more serious and impending matter, like Annabeth's season or future marriage prospects. The light conversation felt like such a soothing balm to her weariness.
"I feel like courtship is such a long process." Malcolm reached out and brushed the rough trunk of an olive tree in the small grove they were passing through. "I still have yet to get close to some girls I like, and so much time has passed but marriage is still in the faraway future."
"It is a complicated system," she murmured. "It works, though."
"In which way?" Malcolm regarded her curiously. They were, once again, in an intense conversation.
"I suppose it is rather romantic. And the time set makes sure that the couple knows each other well before they got married."
"Romantic?" Malcolm smiled down at her. "I didn't know you were interested in such things."
Annabeth blushed slightly, crossing her arms. "Isn't that important for marriage, though? Isn't there a need to love your spouse?"
"Yes, but there is no objection to marrying someone for their money. That is still common."
She stared up at the pale blue sky, framed with leafy olive branches. "Yes, of course. Still, it is best to spend the rest of one's life living with someone they actually loved." An image of Luke popped into mind. She already expected him to be sharing a household with her. To have him hug her every morning, comfort her if she was sad: it was everything she wanted. She was rather lucky that he was also wealthy and born in the Olympus circle.
"I agree, dearly. I hope we will both get that. But does it need to be so complicated? What if it was a deemed betrothal, or they were already lovebirds? Do we all must wait until the Season finishes to get married?"
An answer immediately came to her. "Well, how can we even be sure that we're ready for marriage? And what if those lovebirds made a mistake and they never truly liked one another?"
They were both silent. Annabeth wagered that he was also thinking about their family. Olympus had a curse. Whenever any of their parents fell in love, they would rush to get married, give birth to a single child, and then something horrible would cause the young couple to split up. For Annabeth, Athena and Fredrick got divorced.
But for Malcolm, his father was rowing down the Thames when he disappeared, presumably drowned. For a lot of their friends they had only a single parent, too. Thalia's mother was a heavy drinker whenever Zeus was too busy for her, and once she drove a carriage by herself and was killed in a crash. It was horrible for young Thalia and Jason. Annabeth rarely dared to complain about Athena because of them.
"Athena and Sir Chase did love another," he whispered softly. "They did."
She sighed and leaned on his arm. "Thank you."
"And I don't think it's that easy to make a mistake about love, Annabeth."
The words imprinted themselves onto her heart. Arguments raged from the back of her mind, but she didn't voice any of them. Malcolm was right. Even if those lovebirds did get divorced, what propelled them to get an early marriage was certainly true.
They quietly strolled through the grove for some more time before Malcolm finally spoke up. "I've been avoiding this, but it is rather important. Your last dance was with Lord Perseus Jackson," he stately flatly.
Annabeth nodded, embarrassed. She waited to see what Malcolm would say next.
"I know you have a lot of suitors. I know some may seem charming and sweet and a perfect husband. But it never that simple."
She shifted her parasol. She didn't expect this.
"Be careful, please. Watch your suitors carefully. Learn about them fully before daring to devote your marriage vows to them. I am not just warning you against Lord Jackson here. I am referring to all the men who want your hand."
"Malcolm, I'll be fine. I know all the people who will court me, since we all grew up together."
He glanced over at her seriously. "But people change, and you don't know everyone. And you'll have a lot of suitors. That's not easy to deal with."
She uncomfortably fiddled with the lace sewn onto her ivory-colored gloves. "Yes, I know. I can take care of myself. I won't agree to everyone, of course. Only the ones that I truly know."
"I really hope so. But don't simply assume that. You need to take the time to find out about them. If someone wants you only for your money, they are not a good option."
She sighed in exasperation. "Alright, I will be very careful. Is that enough?"
Malcolm bit his lip and looked over. "Annabeth, I'm only saying this because I care. I can't always be there. And I don't want to find out you married a horrible person. And I am definitely worried about Lord Jackson."
She pursed her lips. "I know. I do not like him, Malcolm. I was forced into it." Her voice was monotone for repeating the same things over and over. "I sincerely hope he does not try and court me."
"Good," Malcolm responded. "Thank you for listening. You know I do care, right?"
"Yes, I do. I shan't trust ruffians who want my money." She said teasingly, smiling up at him. She couldn't find it in her to be annoyed when Malcolm was so kind. "Can we head back now?"
He nodded. "Of course." And they strode back down the path.
-line break-
"Mother, am I still having languages lessons this afternoon?" It was not exactly proper for a lady to ask questions, but she really did want to find out where they were going and inquiring about her classes couldn't possibly be a crime.
Athena flickered her stony gaze back onto her daughter for a second before turning around and continuing to stride down the wide marble hall. Scratch that, her mother was gliding quickly. Annabeth was really starting to wonder how all the ladies around her could do it but she remained walking. Perhaps their slippers had wings and hers contained too many smudges for that.
"No, you will not have them this afternoon. Your sewing lessons at night will be cut short in order to fit in your French classes. Do not be impatient Annabeth," the rebuke was carried out emotionlessly, as usual.
Annabeth still found this as a small victory. Her whole afternoon is empty of dull French classes with the ancient Marquis Jacques. She allowed herself a moment of joy before trying to discern what Athena could've planned. Some strange exercise? Tea with a well-behaved girl from another wealthy family? Her mother's ways remained as mysterious as the moon.
They slowly reached a small room on the first floor. A servant posted beside the floor bowed lowly before them. He didn't greet them at all; definitely low-ranking. So this was not an extremely important room.
When Athena crisply pushed the door open, Annabeth changed her mind. Tall, vibrant bouquets of beautiful flowers crowded around the room's surfaces. Since it was fall, Annabeth knew that the giant displays of multicolored flora were costly packages bought from hothouses. It seemed like Athena was trying to start her own with the amount of stacked and paper-wrapped flower pieces.
"Mother, what is this?" She questioned, forgetting to keep her voice soft.
Her mother didn't respond for a second, but stared at the roomful of flowers for a second, her eyes gleaming. Finally, she answered. "These are gifts from your suitors, Annabeth, along with invitations. They were all sent the morning after your debut ball, but I sent them back so you could focus on your lessons. Now, after plenty of rescheduling and damage control, I have gotten your suitors to resend their packages."
Annabeth gasped a little in uncontrollable delight. She even considered thanking her mother, informally, for her help. But only for a second. "Many thanks, Mother. May I read the invitations?"
Athena waved a hand at the pieces, looking impatient. She was never a huge fan of romance. In fact, she said the only reason she ever gave birth to any of her children was because there was a "connection between great minds". "Just select your favorite invitations and I will pick one for you."
Annabeth rushed into the room. This is what should've greeted her the morning after the debutante ball, if her mother hadn't summoned her. She should've been breathing in the sweet smells of the flower bouquets, giggling at the private jokes her suitors had written on the notes, and blushing when she saw a particularly large and fancy bouquet one of her favorite suitors had brought for her.
But if didn't actually happen that way. The timing was off, and there was not a hopeful and excited sense in the air. Also, the invitations were all placed in a neat stack on a side table, probably courtesy of Athena. She could only guess which bouquet came from who.
The giant centerpiece was probably from one of the Apollo boys she danced with. That house was lavish when it came to romance. She guessed that the elegant combination of camellias and white lilies was from the shy Demeter boy. She even vaguely remembered Miranda telling her that the Demeter house only used hothouses in the dead of winter since their green thumbs could coax beautiful flowers even in the chilly fall. The purple-blue lily of the valley was probably from the mortal she danced which, because they only dared to send simple gifts. The honeysuckle bunch, also very simple, was probably from Chris. The gold-dotted orchids, lilacs, and white carnations also looked like it came from the Demeter gardens. In fact, the type of flowers and the arrangement felt very familiar, like it was from a girl she knew… Annabeth's brain easily connected the dots. Travis didn't know what to send, so he asked Katie for help.
She smiled to herself at the cute pair as she headed to the back of the room. There, in a clear glass vase, was a giant bunch of pale, pink-tipped tulips. She smiled faintly in reminiscence.
"If you were a flower, you would be the most beautiful one ever. No one would dare to take you, but everyone would come and look."
Annabeth blushed and swatted his shoulder, with some difficulty. Luke was much bigger than her. "No, I would be a simple little flower. A few people would come and admire me, maybe, but no one would think I was pretty enough to take."
Luke's sky-colored eyes were serious. "Yes, you would be a simple flower, but still beautiful. And everyone would admire your purity."
"How?"
He smiled down at her. "A tulip is rather simple, just a few tall petals. But it is still pretty." He plucked a small, yellowy-orange one and handed it to her. "Just like you."
This bouquet was, no doubt, from Luke. She leaned in and sniffed them, the velvety petals brushing her nose as they shivered. They were so beautiful.
She went over to the side table to flip through the invitations. They were all neatly written on small, crisp pieces of beige paper. She eagerly scanned them, trying to find a particular one. But even when she held Luke's note in her hand, the searching ache still remained inside her gut.
Annabeth, confused, pushed the yearning away and studied the card. Luke's neat, square handwriting was a familiar voyager from her childhood. It carefully spelled out a request for a walk along the Thames. Annabeth selected a few other promising invitations and handed them to Athena. Of course, her mother bid her permission to go on that walk with Luke. She sent back a response, and, half an hour later, Luke was on their doorstep.
By the time he knocked on their door, Annabeth was dressed in a faintly gray gown with ruffled sleeves and pearls looped around her neck and wrists. She had a pair of dangling diamond earrings and one of Athena's old golden rings slipped over her patterned lace gloves. She looked like a young girl perfectly ready to be courted. Inside, she was a complete bundle of nervous.
When the butler led Luke inside, he stopped in front of her and gaped slightly. "Annabeth?" he breathed in surprise.
She blushed happily. Smoothing down her skirts, she modestly answered, "Oh, this is just something plain."
"No, not the dress," he gestured at her stiff hairdo, the elaborate hat resting upon it, and the parasol she still had in her hands. "I never expected you to be so fancy."
The layers of paint and whitening makeup on her face felt heavier than before. She had gotten the same reaction from her brother earlier. She wasn't just being the perfect lady now, she was being the over-obedient and rule-conscious lady. She tugged on the dark veil cascading down her hat over her face. "Well, I am now," she said brusquely. "And it is a rather sunny day. I don't want to ruin my skin."
Luke looked at her questioningly. She just shook her head. By now, the maids were starting to stare. "Well, good afternoon, Annabeth." He bowed and kissed her gloved hand. The touch of his lips through the lace of her gloves startled her a little.
"Good afternoon to you too, Lord Castellan." She curtsied elegantly. "It is my pleasure to see you."
"It is my pleasure, as you look so stunning. Shall we go to the Thames for a walk, milady?" He held out his arm, and her elbow fit snugly in his. They boarded a small carriage, one of Annabeth's older brothers following them silently, and started out. Inside the thin satin-covered walls, Luke took her hands. "Are you alright, Beth? Please, be honest."
She looked out the window. "Yes, I am. Don't worry." She directed those words at him meaningfully. "It is truly nothing."
"I am relieved to hear that. So how are you today?"
"Well, I just received an invitation to spend the afternoon with my close friend." She smiled up at him. "It is becoming a rather enjoyable day."
He grinned at her. "I am very happy to hear that."
Once their carriage had bumped over the rocky road and taken a turn onto the Thames' shores, they all exited, and Luke offered to be the one to help Annabeth out. His large hand around hers as she gracefully stepped out of the carriage felt warm and comforting. He held her hand for a few minutes, smiling at her, before gently releasing it and holding out his arm. "Are you ready for a walk?"
Annabeth propped her parasol, this time peach with lace draping down from the edges, onto her shoulder and shuffled her boots against the paved cement floor, trying to steady her footing. Normally she wore slippers, but the delicate silk would easily get stained by all the dirt outdoors.
"Why, of course I am." She carefully slipped her arm into his, hoping to get the positioning just right. Their interlocked arms, Luke's much larger than hers, always looked like an image of a steady family to her.
They began to stroll forward, Annabeth's older brother soundlessly following them. His name was Andrew, and he was engaged to a nice Aphrodite girl, but otherwise she didn't know him very well. Annabeth was grateful for him, though, because if Malcolm did not have a party to attend to, he would be memorizing their every move.
It was always so easy to chat with Luke. He would bring up difficult issues for adult people his age, and all Annabeth had to do was listen and collect the information inside her brain in case she ever needed it. And what made him special was how he actually understood her, and how smart she was, so he wouldn't shy away from complicated topics.
"You see, it is hard to determine what is just. Sir Leonardo's father had been missing for two decades, so the estate was put up for sale. Then Sir Walden bought it and used it for five years until Sir Leonardo came across some old papers. It is rather hard to tell who the estate should go to." Luke gestured empathically as he described the situation to her. He knew all the news because his family was a traveler type that heard all sorts of information on their journeys.
Annabeth studied the scattered blanket of dead, fallen leaves in front of her. They ranged from a deep brown to a flaming ochre and crunched softly under her boots. Meanwhile, her brain was whirring. How long ago was Sir Leonardo's father legally holding the estate? What did the sale go like? "How can the contracts Sir Leonardo found be valid if the estate already belongs to someone else?"
Luke cocked a blond eyebrow at her. "Interesting question, Annabeth. That depends on how valid Sir Walden's contracts are, since the sale was held by a nonrelative. But I didn't mean to involve you in this or anything. It is a rather bothersome manner."
Annabeth blushed at her meddling. Asking too-deep questions usually stopped the flow of their light conversation. "Well, that is difficult. I hope it is resolved soon."
With that, Luke moved onto another topic. "Do you know about Lord Barcelo? The one who married into Olympus a few years ago?"
She nodded. It was a particularly impressive feat that left everyone in shock for a week. Annabeth had no idea that was even allowed for people in her generation.
"He was caught with another mortal woman while he was supposed to be buying things for his children."
Annabeth gasped. A pale red leaf fluttered down beside her, and she let out an uncontrollable chuckle. "Wow. Lord Barcelo is going to be in big trouble."
Luke smiled. "Yes. The Barcelo name is blackened to all of us now. Young Olympus children are being told by their nannies, 'If you marry a mortal, the curse will fall on you too!'"
Annabeth laughed again. Their family could be so dramatic sometimes. "No doubt every single one of them believes that. We were taught something similar, too."
"Well, my brothers always overreacted at the sight of any mortal girl. No, that's just them being plain simpleminded."
She grinned up at Luke. She greatly enjoyed it when he was being amusing, even if it dragged a lot of unladylike laughter out of her that her silent brother would undoubtably report to Athena about. "I was just told: other people are dumb, but mortals the most."
Luke laughed, the warm sound like a familiar nursey rhyme to her. "I wouldn't expect anything else from your household."
Their conversation was much, much lighter for the rest of the afternoon. Annabeth felt a bit guilty for pulling him away from his usual topics of discussion, but there was some appreciation for talking about things they could equally join in.
-line break-
"I know you don't particularly want to hear me go on about this, but," Piper dramatically straightened up, her back curving, and held up her fan to her chin, "Jason is absolutely the dreamiest person ever."
Annabeth smiled over at her friend. She'd heard this from her quite regularly, but it was worth it to see the shine in Piper's kaleidoscope eyes.
"He always talks to me softly, and holds me so gently, and looks out for my every need. And he's so responsible. A bunch of servants and his father's workers came to him for help, and he easily directed them what to do. And he looks so good in dark overcoats." She sighed happily.
"I see," she answered, amused. She grabbed a crusty croissant from the dessert platter and broke off a piece. The Aphrodite house was always well-stocked with goods from France, the fashion hotspot of the world. In fact, the whole mansion should just be a package with the French postal stamp.
"Seriously. He's a natural-born leader. I can rely on him for anything, even if it's help with getting a stain out of muslin cloth." Piper grinned excitedly. "And he's just so nice. Whenever Leo bothers him, he never snaps at him, he just sits there and listens. And when I sprained my ankle, he offered to carry me!"
"Ah, the classic gentleman move. I am not surprised."
"No, oh, it wasn't classic at all. My dress was twice the size of him, and we were both holding armfuls of apples." Piper swirled her ceramic spoon around in her tea, staring off into space as she reminisced.
"Apples? Sounds completely untraditional to me. Do tell some more."
Piper grinned. "He didn't want to be traditional. We're-we're the predetermined couple. A powerful Zeus boy and a pretty Aphrodite girl. We would raise a perfect household. And we've known each other forever, so everyone says we look like a couple." A fierce expression surfaced. "But we're not just that, you know? Not a product made from pressure and expectations. Jason is way more sensitive than some run-of-the-mill leader. And I'm too, well, rebellious to be a plain Aphrodite girl."
"I prefer feisty." Annabeth smirked at her friend.
"Yeah, okay. And we actually care about each other, and not the fake version." Her fists clenched in passion.
Annabeth's heart squeezed at the emotion brimming in Piper's speech. She always knew that her best friend cared deeply about Jason, but this was just touching. She felt inspired tears probing at her retinas.
Piper breathed in slowly. "Okay, that was perhaps too serious for this occasion." They both let out breathy, relieved laughs.
Annabeth placed a bare hand on Piper's shoulder. Only around the people closest to her did she ever take off her gloves. "No, it was very pleasant to hear. I know how much you love Jason. I want only happiness for both of you."
"Thank you, Annie. You don't know how happy I am to hear that." Piper softly smiled up at her. Her own gloveless hands found hers and squeezed.
The moment slowly passed and they straightened up, coincidentally in tandem. Annabeth turned to the plump, shell-shaped madeleines on the ceramic dessert platter and popped one into her mouth, letting out an accidental "mmmhhhf" in delight. The fluffiness and the brilliant combination of sugar and eggs played an exquisite harmony on her tongue. The golden, ridged cakes were her absolute favorite.
"Ooh, those were freshly shipped from France. Right after they were baked, they were surrounded with coals to keep them warm and sent over."
"Oh, wow." She bit into a second madeleine with a new appreciation for it. "They taste incredible."
"No one else in this house will no touch them. They have too much sugar in them. And, well, it is the Season. All of my sisters want to look good during their time just in case someone else's suitor is particularly handsome and rich. Even the ones that are too young or old to be part of this Season."
Annabeth laughed. "I thought they wanted to look good every minute of every day."
"True, but they try to look especially good now." Piper shamelessly shoved another pale gold cake into her mouth.
"Honestly, my siblings told me to keep my suitors out because courting men are disruptive."
"Well, if someone wants to win your hand, they will certainly have to try very hard to get through your heart of stone." Piper poked her arm teasingly. "But everyone says its worth it for your beauty."
Annabeth flushed, feeling an urge to cover herself with her fan. "I highly doubt it. The people who say that need to clean their spectacles."
"I thought your family taught you to have pride. Where's your pride in your elegant beauty? I mean, you look like you should be posing for a painting named, 'The Flawless Lady'."
Annabeth tilted her face down in embarrassment, but she couldn't help laugh at her friend. "That is such an absurd title. Only some old, lonely man would buy that painting. And I was taught to be proud of my intelligence and abilities, not my looks." Otherwise I would be even more of a failure to the Athena family, she thought darkly.
"Well, you should. 'A woman's greatest asset is her face, and then the things underneath' is the changed version of what Mother says."
"Your mother would say 'A woman only needs her looks', Piper. I don't see where the 'things underneath' came from."
Piper laughed loudly. "I agree. Well, there is the heart. We need to love people, well, ideally, anyway."
The complexities of the Aphrodite house and their corrupted beliefs shouldn't have been funny, but they were. She tried to hide her laughter by eating another madeleine. She was going to bust her corset at this rate.
"Honestly, most of my siblings believe in attraction and charm, not love." Piper propped her head against the cushioned chair back, shifting her pinned-up hair. "It's horrible."
Annabeth's mind suddenly jumped to a topic she'd been avoiding for a while: Lord Perseus Jackson. She saw him smirking down at her in the twinkling ballroom of the Westfield Manor, and taking her hand with arrogant ease. Annoyance rippled across her mind, but when she imagined the rough touch of his hand, her temperature rose. The unreasonable emotions just fed fuel to her anger. He was all charm and completely incapable of love. "That sounds like Lord Jackson," she muttered. "He's just poking fun at me."
Piper studied her, a smile dancing on her full lips. "Well, I don't know, Jason told a lot about him. I think he's more than just pretentious."
She refused to budge in her opinion. "Well, then, perhaps he is nice to his best friend, but he still likes to tease an unparticular lady with little relation to him."
Her friend laughed amicably. "Pardon me for saying this, but I think you should wait before condemning him. I trust Jason's taste in friends."
Piper was right. Jason was incredibly caring and reliable. He wouldn't pick an ostentatious, overly smug person to be his closest friend without reason.
"We'll see," she stated flatly, dipping the rounded head of a madeleine into some jam. The sweet taste couldn't erase the bitter memories of Lord Jackson, but they did draw all her temporary focus onto the magical delicacies.
-line break-
Two hours later, Annabeth was pulling her fur-trimmed satin coat tighter around herself as she made her way down the windy lawn. The icy breezes were finally cut off once the butler shut the front door behind them.
"How was tea with Lady McLean?" He questioned, taking her coat and scarf.
Annabeth absorbed the warm heat from the many hearths of the Athena mansion before responding. "It was rather fine, thank you for asking."
"Would you like anything else before going preparing to sleep? A glass of milk, a warm pillow?"
"No, thank you." She smiled at him. "Just call Annica so she can help me get ready."
The maid almost immediately rushed over, beaming. "Miss! How are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. I would like to retreat to my bedchamber now."
"Yes. I will bring up the water for your bath." Regular hot baths were an additional luxury in winter, though not for most of London. Annica curtsied and hurried in the direction of the kitchens.
The butler walked her upstairs, where her personal maids stood waiting to disassemble her clothes. Finally, she was left alone. She stood by the hearth, barefoot, waiting for her bath to drawn. Her spine was relaxed a bit and she could abandon the formal, polite speech.
Someone knocked on the door. She expected it to be Annica, ready to take her to her bath, so she turned and said, "Come in."
A small, pimply-faced boy stood in the doorway, fidgeting nervously. "I'm delivering a special gift," he whispered. He handed her a flower and raced off unprofessionally.
Annabeth frowned his way before looking over the flower. It was a delicate rose, its petals manufactured into a stunning cobalt that hardly looked inartificial. It even smelled real. A small piece of paper hung from the thorn-less stem. It had elegant, looping script. I miss you. I want to see your beautiful face again, Annabeth. From, Percy.
The attraction she felt yanking at her heartstrings was too strong even to extinguish with her annoyance.
Okay I'm done yay. I planned to write a lot of stuff here but I'm seriously tired. Sorry. I'll answer to your reviews next chapter. I hope you liked this, longest chapter yet.
Au revoir!