NIRELLE - Chapter 47: Chapter 47

I want to act as if everything is fine, but there has never been anything fine with me. I sigh as I stare at myself in the mirror. I had gotten Lucien and Theo in this mess; I must do what I have to do to get them out of it, even though it means that I have to meet up with Cassian again.
I did not know if it was because I had a crush on him that blinded me to see everything sketchy about him, but now that I look at it with a new light, I can't help but see everything that I had missed. Clarendon had been frequent at our house while I was growing up, but I was sure that it was because he worked with Enoch.
He had the same lingering gaze that Enoch always had with me but never tried anything inappropriate with me, so I would never have suspected him. His wife was never on good terms with my mom, which was extremely weird as well. I sigh and feel the light weight of the brush against my skin gently. I close my eyes and take another deep breath to steady myself.
"Mrs. Vexley?" One of the staff called from the door, and I stood up to get it immediately.
"What is your name?" I asked immediately. It seemed like she was the one assigned to me, and it would aid our communication if I could at least be on the same level with her. She looks as if she is about to commit a grave sin by telling me what her name is.
"Mara," she responded after a while. "I am Mara, ma."
"I will call you Mara, then," I say, and with a low nod, she agrees. "Here to get me for breakfast?" I asked, and her face was quite enough response for me. "Do you know how to do makeup?" I ask, and she tilts her head almost informally, but before the reaction can linger, she clears her throat and pulls down her shirt.
"I can, ma'am. Do you want me to help you out?"
"Yes, please, I am going out, and I need to cover all of these scars," I say, and she steps into the room. She does not say anything, but I can tell what she was thinking right in that moment. How could I be thinking of going out when I had caused so much trouble for Lucien with just one day outside?
She seemed to have a lot to say, but no words flowed. She works seamlessly with the brush, and I am almost convinced that you need to be skilled with unconventional skills to work here.
"Did you ever work as a makeup artist?" I am forced to ask when she takes a step back, and I stare at myself in the mirror. Her work is so flawless that my face shines as if I had it exchanged for glass.
"No, ma'am."
"Where did you learn to do it so well?" I ask as I walk into the closet, her following behind me. "Are you assigned to me? You've been the one coming in here a lot."
"Yes, ma'am, I am assigned to you, so if you need anything, you can ask me." She does not answer my first question, but a look from me and she understands almost immediately what I mean. "Mr. Vexley had me learn how to do makeup a few months back."
I had been sure that my coming had been an impromptu decision between him and my father; had he planned that I was going to come here beforehand? If not, why would he ask the staff that was supposed to serve me to learn make-up? Does that make any sense? Or maybe I was just a replacement and he already had someone else in mind. The thought of it struck a weird feeling in me, the kind I don't like, but I chose to ignore.
"Did he ask you to learn hair and styling as well?" I ask in a teasing tone, but her expression tells me that he did. "Oh," I almost exclaim as my finger runs through the clothes on the rack.
"Since you are so good at styling, what should I wear?"
She looks like someone who is torn between obeying two masters and trying to know which to pick. She presses her lips together and steps forward. "Can I ask what the event is?"
"I'm going sightseeing," I lie again. Not because I wanted to piss Lucien off this time, but because I knew that if he knew where I was headed, he would stop me, and I wanted to do something, anything I could, and not just feel useless sitting on my hands.
"Oh, where?" she asked, and I could not tell if she needed the information so she could help me or if this was her way of getting information for her boss.
"I am not sure yet, to be honest; I am just going to see places I haven't seen before." I know that I won't have much time with Cassian, but at least I might be able to deliver the message to him. I had sent a message asking to meet him so we could finish our lunch from yesterday.
I don't know if he is full of himself or maybe not as smart as people give him credit for, but he sounded eager to meet me. Did he think I would not have figured it out? That's the video he's doing.
"Here," Mara said, handing me a black satin dress and a fitted red jacket. She helps me slip into it, and I am an entirely different person already. She makes me slip into two-inch buckle pointed heels and accessories with a thin chain necklace and some hoops to go with it.
"You really have a good flair for this," I murmur, staring at myself in the mirror. If I had ever lived a normal life as the Thamore's daughter, then I am sure that I would have been dressed like this almost all the time. I push the thoughts away. Today isn't about Enoch and his ways of getting to me, even though he wasn't here. Today is about making sure Cassian knows not to mess with me.
"We have to get going now." Mara's response is an evasion of the compliment I had given her. I press my lips together and peel my eyes off the mirror before following her out to the table.
I slid into the seat opposite Theo and beside Lucien, with both men staring at me as if they had seen a ghost.
"," Theo starts, but his tone is soft. "Are you heading somewhere?"
"I started sightseeing yesterday, and I realise that there are a lot of places I haven't been before, so I am going to take this as an opportunity to visit them all," I reply, not looking up from the stack of pancakes set in front of me. I wanted to sound casual and arouse no suspicions from them. They would get to know, but I was going to hide it for as long as I could.
"Do you want me to come along?"
"Don't you have work?" I respond this time, raising my eyes to Theo, who could not take his eyes off me. "Do you not trust me?"
"I trust it..." He stops himself and takes a deep breath before continuing. "It's just that I want to make sure you are safe after yesterday. Everyone fears Lucien, but they don't like him, and I am afraid they might want to hurt you after the news."
"I can take care of myself," I murmur, knowing it's probably the right time to apologise to them both. "I am sorry." Not just for the video. For making them the villains in my mind when they were the only ones protecting me.