The life of the simple peasant girl that had shared a bed with her siblings and spent her days tending to the animals and toiling away in the fields seemed but a distant dream to Emilia where she lounged, contently stretched out on a plush, red chaise in the middle of her softly lit reading room. She was the very image of tranquility, her hair falling in loose curls around her shoulders as delicate fingers lazily leafed through the pages of the large, leatherbound book laid out before her. Her cheeks, normally as pale as bone, bore just the faintest hint of a rosy hue — an indication, perhaps, that she had fed quite recently. And indeed, judging by the countless bite marks on the neck of the young man seated below her on the carpeted floor, head lolling almost lifelessly against the upholstery, that seemed to have very much been the case. Though, if death had claimed him, it must have been amidst a state of blissful unawareness, for his features were devoid of struggle or anguish.
The peaceful silence was only occasionally disrupted by a crackle of the fire in the stove, or the turning of a page. A faint smile tugged at the corners of Emilia's lips as she reached down to gently trace her fingers through the young man's auburn locks, though her crimson eyes never left the neatly penned pages of the book. That was, until the door to the parlor creaked open, and she found herself glancing up at the familiar face of her loyal servant, Alaric. Amongst all of the people that currently served at her estate, he was by far the oldest, and the only member on her husband's former staff that had chosen to accompany her to the Border City. Yet despite his age, he held himself with the grace and poise of a man who felt comfortable in his role, and when he spoke, though the words were formal, there was a certain note of warmth to his voice.
"Madame," he said, leaning forward in a respectful bow, "It appears Thorne has returned with the item you requested."
Emilia shot up, her entire face brightening with a joy that seemed so very unlike her usually composed self that it would have caught most people off guard. It was almost as if, for just the briefest of moments, one could catch a glimpse of the girl she had once been. Then Alaric cleared his throat, and Emilia quickly gathered herself. She had a reputation to uphold, after all.
"Please, show him in." She instructed calmly, before leaning down to softly murmur something into the young man's ear. The youth stirred and blinked, as if trying to shake himself from a trance. Then he slowly rose to his feet. His movements were slow and sluggish, undoubtedly affected by the recent loss of blood, and he fumbled rather clumsily with the buttons of his open shirt. Once he had finally managed to dress himself, he started making his way towards the door, only to be stopped in his tracks by Emilia's voice as it rang out across the parlor, soft and clear.
"Tonino… aren't you forgetting something?" She gestured towards an elegant side table, upon which a small bag of coins had been placed.
His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"O-of course, my lady." He flustered, hastily collecting the money before scurrying past the visitor that had just entered, and out the door.
Emilia smiled as she shifted her attention to Kanaan.
"That was quick." She mused, rising from the chaise. Normally she would have taken the time to put up her hair and perhaps change into something a little more formal than the simple black day dress she liked to wear during her leisure time, but the thought of having to wait any longer to get her hands on that manuscript… it felt almost unbearable. "It has what, barely been a couple of days and you are here already? I figured it would take you at least a week to find the man, and who knows how much longer it might have taken to convince him to sell it... Your efficacy seems to know no bounds, Heartpiercer."
She nodded towards the large, wooden table near one of the bookshelves, crimson eyes glittering with anticipation.
"Well then, show me what you've got."
@Taka
