Disclaimer: I do not, by any means, own Hakushaku to Yousei (Earl and Fairy).

-

Chapter 2: Red Carnations

-

Raven hesitated and looked away. Finally he said, "I don't know." He heaved a light sigh. "I don't think I even know what loving or even merely liking a person is or how it feels." His emerald eyes looked at Lydia with an expression that she wasn't able to comprehend. It looked somewhat like a mix of confusion and annoyance.

Lydia chuckled. She found it funny how Raven was already nineteen years old, the age when one's love interest is supposed to be most curious and at peak, yet he was still very inexperienced with it. More than inexperienced, it was more like he had no clue about love at all. "Well, haven't you ever felt an attraction to anyone of the opposite sex? So much that you feel like you want to be with her all the time and her smile alone makes you happy. Or..." she trailed off and paled at her own thought. "It could be an attraction to the same sex too..." she whispered.

Raven looked at her with an even weirder expression. "Lydia, did you just call me gay?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

Her face turned a bit red out of embarrassment. "Ah, forget it, forget it. It was a dumb idea. Sorry," she said, flustered.

Raven shook his head and laughed briefly. "Really now, I wonder what goes on in her head," he thought. "I most certainly have a strong attraction to Master Edgar," he said and stole a quick glance at Lydia. She had that half-shocked and half-nervous look on her face: shocked because she actually heard Raven laugh and nervous because the thought of Raven being gay returned to her head. He let out a chuckle, thinking that Lydia's expression was priceless. "Of course, there's also you," he turned to face the russet-haired maiden.

A blush crept onto her fair cheeks. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged. "I'm happy when you're happy and am happy to have pleased you, as I'm sure Master Edgar would have wished."

She let out a disappointed "Oh."

"How else can I know if I love someone?"

"Well, there are times when you put that person before you and are willing to make sacrifices for her," Lydia answered.

"Someone who isn't part of my family, right?" Raven stared out in space, trying to think deeply about who he would make sacrifices for and wasn't related to him. Unfortunately for him, only his master and Lydia came to mind. Again. "Just you and Master Edgar," he told her frankly. "But then I guess you could leave out Master Edgar since I consider him as family in a way. That leaves just you." He blinked. "Does that mean that I like or possible love you?" he asked bluntly and with such innocence.

Lydia sweat dropped. "Not necessarily." She was amazed at how innocent Raven's mind was and wondered how he managed to give her advice on light love matters at times. "Maybe," she thought, "Maybe he can easily notice if other people are in love but is completely dense when it's about himself..."

Raven frowned."Are there any other ways?"

The fairy doctor placed her index finger on her chin, thinking about any other ways. "Jealousy," she stated plainly. "When you see the person that you love with someone else who can possibly snatch her away, you get jealous and think 'I want her all to myself.' Then you feel kind of annoyed and feel a painful pang here," she pointed to the spot on her chest where her heart was supposed to be. "It feels like your heart is being kicked aside."

"Ah, is that so," he said monotonously. "I never felt like that," he lied. But inside he could feel his heart being squeezed and felt like the way that Lydia had just described. The image of Edgar being so close and intimate with her made his blood boil. Was he jealous? He wasn't sure. He looked at Lydia. "Does that mean that there's a possibility of me being in love with you?" he thought, surprised at his own possible feelings.

He then thought of Edgar and how he wanted Lydia as well. Even if he found out some day that he did indeed, love Lydia, he wouldn't have it in himself to tell her how he feels. Because he could never betray his master. His master who has helped him greatly and treated him as his own family. His master who controls the sprite within himself that could easily take over him and wreck havoc.

Images of his master and Lydia kept popping up in his head. He looked at Lydia and couldn't help but feel annoyed at both her and Edgar, the images of the two of them together still etched in his mind. He got up from the bench that he was sitting on. "Later," he said and disappeared.

--

Lydia entered a room filled with books and a few furniture here and there which she and Edgar like to call their "workplace." She closed the door softly.

"Ah, Lydia," Edgar said in his overjoyed voice and ran to her. "Eat with me, won't you?" The blonde earl ushered her to the balcony, not really giving her a chance to decline his offer. He pulled out a chair for her to sit on and pushed in back in for her once she was ready.

She muttered a soft "Thank you."

He sat down in the chair opposite from her. "Eat, my caramel-haired maiden," he ordered in such a smooth and suave voice that it didn't seem like he ordered at all. Of course, Lydia obeyed and popped a piece of cake into her mouth.

Edgar's mauve eyes lingered on her, dancing with such an expression that not many could understand.

"I wish he would stop looking at me like that," she thought.

He let out a chuckle.

"What?" Lydia asked and stopped eating. Her cheeks and a tint of red, embarrassed because Edgar was just watching her eat. For her, it felt just... awkward.

"You look simply adorable when you eat," the golden-haired earl said and chuckled again. He got up from his chair and walked to Lydia. "And," he said, surprising her by hugging her from behind. "You got some icing near your lips," he said and licked it off of her face, causing her to blush more. He took a few steps away from her and shook his head, his golden locks swaying with their loveliness.

He turned back around to face the girl. "Do you like the confectionery?"

She nodded and half-smiled at him, avoiding his gaze, not wanting their eyes to meet. The blush on her face grew more visible, the thought of Edgar's face being so close to hers and licking icing off of her face replaying in her mind.

He walked back to the table and took the flower from its small vase that was in the center of the table. He brought it to his face and let out a smile. "Red carnations. Do you know what they mean?" he asked, turning to the caramel-haired girl again.

Her head immediately snapped up upon hearing those words. "Flowers: red carnations... Their meaning?" She immediately faced Edgar with a soft expression. She shook her head, "No, I don't."

"A red carnation means 'my heart aches for you.' A very expressive thing for a flower to symbolize." He kissed the flower and tucked it behind Lydia's left ear. "The flower understands me, don't you think so, Lydia? It knows how I long for you."

She felt her cheeks become hotter and hotter with each passing second. "Edgar," she said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Why do you... Why do you know what those flowers symbolize?"

Edgar shrugged.

"By any chance... Are you the one who has been sending me all these flowers every week?"

He stood still, looking firmly at Lydia. "Flowers? What flowers?" This was somewhat of a shock. Someone has been sending his Lydia flowers without his knowledge? That wasn't exactly pleasing to know.

"Ah, that's right, I haven't told him about the flowers yet..." "For about two months now, I've been getting these flowers from someone every week. Before, that the person sent me a book about what flowers meant too... And I just thought that it might be you because you just told me what red carnations meant just now..."

"Hm, it seems that I have more competition," Edgar said bitterly. Of course he would be displeased. He was having a hard time enough trying to keep people like Kelpie away. How he wanted Lydia's heart to belong to him and him alone. Yet he didn't even have half of it and now he had more people to compete against? "But," said the earl in a calmer state now, "I did say that I would back down only if you chose another man."

"But since you haven't chosen anyone yet," he said in a voice that sounded so heavenly to Lydia's ears, "then I still have a chance," he whispered into her ear. She blushed, feeling his hot breath on her and feeling his lips brush lightly against her ear. He stood behind her chair and hugged her from behind again. "Isn't that right, Lydia?"

"Y-Yeah," she said unconsciously, just wanting to hear Edgar's voice.

"Then, will you be my date to Count Duval's masquerade ball tonight?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Mhmm," she murmured.

"That's great!" Edgar smiled widely and stood up straight. "You can pick your dress, shoes, and all those other things from your dressing room here. I've just gotten new stuff from France. Just ask for help from the maids if you need it. We're leaving at around seven thirty. See you then," he said already out of the room as he swiftly closed the door behind him.

The door opened again. Edgar poked his head in and said: "This time, don't let Raven or any male see you in your undergarments." He narrowed his eyes at her and disappeared once again.

Lydia sighed. "Really now, that Edgar."

--

Edgar knocked onto the door of Lydia's personal dressing room. "Lydia, are you ready?"

"D-Don't come in!" she yelled.

"Alright, alright, I won't," he replied and backed away from the door.

The door opened slowly. "Don't laugh, okay?" she asked sheepishly once she poked her head out.

"I promise."

She breathed in deeply and opened the door widely and stepped out. What was revealed was the russet haired maiden in a strapless, intricately designed white dress that reached down to the floor and small white laced gloves. Her hair was tied up into a half-ponytail with the ends of her hair curled into ringlets. "Y-You promised not to laugh," she reminded him and looked away, embarrassed of how she looked.

"And why would I laugh?" he asked, wondering why in the world anyone would laugh at such a sight. "You looked beautiful," he said and smiled warmly. He kneeled down on one knee, slipped her glove off, and kissed her hand, causing her to blush once again.

"L-Let's go, shall we?" She pulled her hand away from Edgar and began to walk away.

Edgar opened the carriage door for her and helped her in, getting in after her.

"Raven isn't coming?" she asked and tilted her head to the side.

"No. He's a teenager. I figured that he needed some free time to... You know, be a teenager. I feel like I'm making him waste his youth on just dragging him along with me."

"Oh."

"Besides, I can't rely on his strength forever."

She smiled at him. "You're right." ...And he received a quick peck on his cheek. "You're absolutely right."

--

Lydia was awed by the vastness of Count Duval's mansion. She was separated from Edgar earlier because the guys and girls had to be separated so that they wouldn't know who was who. Lydia was given a white butterfly-shaped mask that covered the area around her eyes and the bridge of her nose.

At the moment, she was leaning against the wall, holding a wine glass in between her middle finger and her ring finger. "Where is Edgar?" she thought. She tried to find him earlier based what he was wearing, but too many people were wearing similar attire as him. A look of boredom and uneasiness was spread across her face.

"Excuse me," a masculine voice came. Before her stood a man of about five foot eleven inches tall, with a fair complexion, unusual silver hair, and sapphire blue eyes. He bowed down before her and held out his right hand as an invitation. "May I have this dance?" he asked in an utmost polite and gentle way, smiling handsomely at her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm a lousy dancer," she said, feeling bad for refusing his offer.

"Is that so?" He stood up straight and gently grabbed her hand, taking the wine glass from her with his other hand and giving it to one of the servants. "It's okay. I'll guide you." He brought Lydia to the dancing area with him without receiving any protests or fits from her.

He placed one hand on her waist and took her left hand in his, her right hand already placed on his shoulder. The orchestra began to play a new composition and the silver-haired man whose name she didn't even know began to move his feet, trying to guide her.

"I told you I'm a lousy dancer."

He chuckled. "And I told you I'll guide you. Follow my steps. One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three," he counted. Lydia danced slowly and steadily. She was amazed that she was actually beginning to get the hang of dancing the waltz. Well, for now, anyway.

They danced around. He twirled her and caught her by her waist. "So, how do you think you're doing so far?"

"I'm managing somehow," she grinned at him, looking at his blue eyes. She had an urge to pull off the mask that he was wearing to see what he really looked like. She wanted to see the face of the man with the great expressive sapphire eyes with his smooth, velvety voice.

"Are you from London?" he asked.

"Yes. And you are from...?" she asked, urging him to finish her sentence.

He grinned, showing his dimples. "Let's just say that I'm from a place that is somewhat far away but can be easily reached."

"Well, that's unfair," she huffed and accidentally stepped on his foot. He let out an "Ow!" and pretended that it hurt him badly, making Lydia feel a bit guilty. But they continued to dance anyway.

"Your name?" he asked again.

"Answer my question first."

He frowned. "My foot hurts," he lied, trying to make her feel guilty.

She grimaced. "Lydia Carlton. Yours?" She winced a little, feeling pain in her feet. She was dancing in high heels and mind you, she wasn't very used to dancing at all, so of course it hurt.

"Is something wrong?"

Before she could answer, she accidentally stepped on his foot yet again. This time, she tripped and fell on top of the man she was dancing with. She closed her eyes and feel her body fall on top of his, hearing a loud 'thud' because of their bodies colliding with the floor. Her landing didn't hurt at all because his body was unusually... soft.

"Are you okay?" she heard him ask. She opened her eyes and revealed her jade green ones. After realizing the position she was in, she felt blood rush to her cheeks and immediately got up.

"I'm sorry!" she apologized. She saw people around her staring at them and she felt her cheeks become hotter. She ran away from the dance floor out of embarrassment. "Oh, God! I'm such an embarrassment!" she thought. She stopped running once she realized that she had left her dancing partner on the floor. And she was the one who made him fall down in the first place. She turned around to return to him, but he was already approaching her.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted out and bowed.

"It's alright," he smiled at her again. "I told you that I would be your guide, but I guess I failed on that since we ended up on the floor."

She stood up and looked at him with a sincere, apologetic look. "I told you I was a lousy dancer," she murmured quietly.

"Lydia!" she heard someone yell. There was no mistaking it—that oh-so familiar voice belonged to none other than Edgar. He was frantically searching for her and recognized her when she fell down on the dance floor. He was nearby but didn't seem to find the fairy doctor yet.

"Hm, I guess I'll take my leave now." The sapphire-eyed person turned around to leave. "You look amazing tonight, Miss Lydia. And my name is Keith, by the way," he said and disappeared in the crowd of people with masks on their faces, laughing merrily and going on their own way.

"Lydia, are you alright?" Edgar asked. He had a worried expression on her face.

She nodded. "Yeah. It's not anything serious, Edgar," she reassured him. "I just tripped, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "That good to know."

She stared at the crowd of people where her dance partner disappeared.

"Who was the person you were dancing with?" he asked, both curious and somewhat jealous.

"Ah, him. Someone very peculiar and interesting."

Author's Note: I finally updated! Sorry if it took a while. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chappie. :) If you have any ideas, feel free to tell me. Possible pairings: LydiaxEdgar, LydiaxRaven, LydiaxKeith, maybe LydiaxKelpie. Other pairings may be added in the future.

Review please! Flames are highly accepted.

Ja!

-Aimee