As I stepped into the mansion, I immediately saw on the balcony above a rather pale woman looking down at me, dressed admittedly stylishly but in elaborate ruffled clothes more befitting Queen Victoria's reign than today. Obviously she wasn't another maid from the way she was dressed, and I guess she did fit the description I'd been given of my mother-in-law, Agnes Wisteria. I just didn't expect her to be this... young, I now highly doubted she could be Montgomery's first wife.
"Well, our new daughter-in-law, so good to have you..." Lady Agnes, I presumed, hazily murmured out. Her trailing speech somewhat reminded me of her maid Alicia, but no, Alicia at least had some energy to her.
"Of course, the Lady Agnes! I take it you've both been introduced?" Quinton stepped in, with more brightness to this voice than I'd heard from him since, um, we'd met really.
"Er, actually no, this would *eheh* happen to be our first encounter," I told him.
"Our daughter-in-law speaks the truth..." Agnes' voice again drifted through the room.
Quinton was still for a moment, but then tugged his collar and mumbled "Huh, odd indeed. Still, you've now been formally introduced, I'm sure you'll get along per-perfectly fine. Lady Blossom, Lord Montgomery should be waiting for you in his study". Agnes simply nodded in response.
With Trevor and Alicia having returned to their regular positions, the butler then led me up flights of stairs and down a winding corridor. Walking along it I noticed all the suits, cloaks and gowns displayed in glass cases, likely the prototypes of the Wisterias' most prized creations. They almost made the manor feel like one big wardrobe.
With this corridor's many tall windows to the right, I couldn't help but stop to take in the view, as the whole town of Winterwood could be seen from here. My awe was spoiled when I heard Quinton aheming, which made me blink and then promptly run over to the oaken door he was standing in front of.
"Enter," spoke a deep yet mellow voice from within. As Quentin bowed and gestured to the doorknob, I strode in trying to look in control of myself.
I found myself in quite a dark room, with no windows and only a flickering fire giving any light, making me wonder how much reinforcement Montgomery had to put on his eyesight. One thing I could make out, partly thanks to my Imaginary Numbers, was that all around the study were not mere padlocks but runic seals blocking off many drawers.
In front of a highly stacked desk, a giant curved chair slowly swung around, and a raven-haired man, dressed in a ruffled Victorian coat and with only the odd wrinkle showing his age, now faced me.
At first this man, none other than my father-in-law, Montgomery Wisteria, didn't even say anything, simply eyeing me up and down. "The Hillcrest scion, you were indeed a tempting choice for our heir's bride, and would've been useful as a reserve mage, what with him... occupied.
Unfortunately, fate had to complicate matters," he then stood up and pulled of my glove, revealing the three red, spiraling wings imprinted on the back of my hand. "Oh yes, I know there is a Heroic Spirit around, even the most meager of mages can pick up their scent. Obviously not Assassin, at least any one worthy of the Class," he had to go on.
Damn, was I already discovered? Guess Avenger really was that unlucky...
"M-my Lord, there must be some mistake. The delivery you ordered was delayed," Quinton tried to step in, but my father-in-law couldn't help but chuckle at him.
"Butler, haven't you learned about me from your years of service?" he flashed a grin, "Do you honestly think that's all it takes to fool me? But no need to fret, simply tell me what
really happened, and I might be persuaded to reconsider".
"The... Grail must've chosen me, I couldn't help it," I blurted out in a hurry, yet to my (present) relief Montgomery only nodded in reply.
"Yet I was told it was certain I would be chosen," he muttered that along with some words I couldn't make out, but then shook his head and then asked, "Tell me, which Class did you summon?"
"She calls herself Avenger," I answered simply.
"I see..." Montgomery gritted his teeth, "I was about to ask you to surrender your Command Seals to me, but if that's the case, perhaps it would be wiser to leave the control of, ahem, such a class to you. Dinner for you should be on the table by now, after that Quinton will show you to your room, where I trust you to occupy yourself while we have guests in attendance".
"And may I ask what sort of guests?" I raised my voice, looking behind me to see Quinton flinch.
Montgomery however didn't seem bothered. "A noted Rune Mage and Necromancer, they'd prefer to speak of their work with some privacy. That is all".
I nodded, hesitantly bowed and left the room with Quentin. I, um, took it Jarvis' apple fell far from the tree.
It was awkward sitting alone at such a long table, in that lavishly curtained dining room. I hadn't gone out to see Avenger yet, I was still racking my brain over what I was going to tell her.
I didn't even notice that a brunette chef, who was twitching and shivering all the while despite it being warm enough in here, had walked up to me and given me dinner on a silver plate. "Er, h-h-h-hello there, *gulp* Lady Blossom, Jarvis' bride. I-I'm Imelda, since my teacher retired I-I've been the head chef. Um, is my food any good? Oh please forgive me, I must've not been careful with...!" she sputtered out.
"What? No no, this's fine," I said in between mouthfuls "Seriously, don't worry".
"Huh? O-oh my, thank you Miss, I mean Mrs." she shivered and bowed deep, before stumbling her way out of the dining room, saying "I-I'll leave you alone now".
Sighing at that, I finished my dinner and soon after met with Quinton to be shown to my room, a room I never had choice in by the way.
But after being lead through more winding corridors there, I had to admit once I opened its door that, well, it was a more than serviceable room. It was spacious enough and circular in design, unlike the rest of this quite squarish house. Its thick pink curtains had been parted to show its ornate windows were still open, letting all the remaining sunlight in.
As I expected it lacked a radio, but it had a fairly well-stacked bookshelf, containing, my eyes widened, it was just as I had requested:
[ ] Romance novels, such as from Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters
[ ] Adventure stories, such as from Robert Louis Stevenson, Daniel Defoe, Johnathan Swift, Herman Melville...
[ ] Transcripts of ancient classics, such as Homer, Sophocles, Beowulf, the Eddas...
[ ] Collections of fairy tales and other folklore, from Perrault, the Grimms, Andersen, Afanasyen, Asbjornsen & Moe...
[ ] Philosophical works, such as by Plato, Descartes, Spinoza, Voltaire, Kierkegaard, I could even see Sartre.
[ ] Poetry, reaching from Milton to Byron to Tennyson, even more recent works like from Yeats and Eliot.
[ ] Write-in.
I did however sharply also notice that very few grimoires could be counted on the shelves, and what little there was was mostly general stuff. As if I wasn't aware already of how little my in-laws trusted me.
I did also notice a musical instrument provided:
[ ] A piano.
[ ] A cello.
[ ] A guitar.
[ ] A violin.
[ ] A flute.
[ ] A banjo.
[ ] A trumpet.
[ ] Write-in.
What really caught my eye though, was a magnificent dress right in the centre of the room. Almost losing control of myself, I ran over to grasp it:
[ ] A diamond dress embedded with countless jewels, a perfect match for my Mystic Code.
[ ] An elegant midnight black dress decorated with raven feathers.
[ ] An almost knight-like dress, fitted with a breastplate and greaves.
[ ] A glittering pink and white dress, frilly and with a jewel in its centre.
[ ] A flower-studded kimono with one sleeve slightly loose, I guessed in tribute to my line's original homeland.
[ ] A labcoat-like design with obscure algebraic symbols on it, I guessed in reference to my Imaginary Numbers trait.
[ ] A rich red design, fitted with black roses and even dancing shoes.
[ ] Write-in.
My heart fluttered when I saw a tag crediting it to Jarvis. He, he really made this for me?!
"Lady Blossom," Quinton had to snap me out of my reverie. "I trust you're well-settled now, and I have duties elsewhere, so should I leave you for the time being?"
Oh no, I had questions for this butler. Hmm, but how to get the information out of him?
[ ] I'd simply ask him, he is (partially) my butler after all.
[ ] I try to look as nervous and worried as possible, which part of me really was, to wring any sympathy out of him.
[ ] I'd get angry and demand he tell me everything!
[ ] If forced, I would even threaten him, to ensure his lips wouldn't stay sealed.
[ ] I'd bring up and exploit any possible discomfort he may have about Montgomery and Agnes to get him on my side.
[ ] I'd work my charms on him. What Jarvis doesn't know won't him, and I've been, hmhm, so lonely lately...
[ ] Write-in.
