That Smiling Jerk

"Hannah Murray greets Marquis Shuzar," Hannah bowed near the door and looked up ahead at the man sitting there.

The moment she saw the man's face, her eyes remained glued to it.

'Damn it! Violet eyes!' She could hear her heart shouting inside her.

A witch's magic doesn't work on people who have the same eye color as her own.

'Weren't violet eyes quite rare in the north? 'she pondered as she forced out a smile.

The Marquis smiled back and said," I didn't know you had violet eyes too, Miss Murray. Aren't they quite rare? What a nice coincidence we have here."

The look on his face and the way he smiled was like declaring- Don't you try to be smart with me; I can look right through you.

"I think so too, my lord."

Hannah managed to utter a viable response.

'I already feel like dying, why do I have to deal with this person?' Hannah sighed as she looked down.

"Please have a seat, Miss Murray."

The Marquis said, openly ignoring her sigh.

Hannah walked to the wooden carved chair near the table and sat on it.

"Now, shall we start talking, Miss Murray, let's first negotiate the subjects you'll be teaching Julia?"

The Marquis looked at Hannah for an answer.

"I can teach her everything I've learned myself. For languages they are; Magia, Behmian, Alzarian, and for subjects they are; Embroidery, Etiquette, Politics, Geography, History, Basic Mathematics...…"

"Witchcraft?"

Hannah glared at the Marquis the moment she heard those words.

'Witchcraft? Why would he say that?' Hannah looked for an answer on his face.

"You are from the southern principality, aren't you? You must know something about witches. How to identify them or things like that. I want Julia to learn these things so that she doesn't get in some uncanny situation."

That almost gave her a heart attack. She felt relieved and replied.

"I understand, my lord."

She looked at the marquis, he had a smug on his face with a satisfied expression; as if he had enjoyed himself with her reaction.

Hannah controlled her facial expressions as much as she could. She couldn't look too startled at the mention of witches.

But that smile of the Marquis was somehow pissing her off.

"Now that I look at it, you came from a convent school in Singrad. Can you tell me something about the white witch?"

Hannah suddenly felt like grabbing grab that flower vase on the table and smashing it on his head as she saw that bitch smile widen on the marquis' face.

'He's enjoying it, isn't he?'

Then reason struck her mind and she dropped the flower vase scenario.

'Calm down, calm down, he isn't trying to piss you off, he is just another certain someone who is curious about the white witch.'

She looked at him again, again that bitch smile, even wider now; like he was saying 'I can look right through you'.

'No! He is definitely trying to piss me off! What's with that 'I know everything, don't try to be smart with me' smile!!! If you know something just spit it out!!'

Hannah kept her internal thought inside her heart and smiled back.

"What do wish to know, my lord?"

"Anything you can tell me."

"Well, as much you seem interested in this, you might have heard all the rumors about her. Let me tell you something which nobody knows."

'You want to play Marquis, I'm not at all afraid.' Hannah's eyes filled with a mysterious gleam and she said," I personally know the white witch of Singrad."

Raymond entered the kitchen and looked around.

"Chef Higgins, tea ready?" he asked as he came near Frank and the tall thin chef.

"Almost, Mr. Raymond," Higgins said as he was plating the food and the tea in order.

He found a cake extra as it would not go on any of the plates.

"Frank, want to have one?' Higgins said handing him over the cake on a little plate.

Frank held the plate and smiled and happily said," Thank you, Mr. Higgins."

The chef smiled and said," What a cute little child. I wish I could have you work with me in the kitchen. You could just taste everything I make."

"Higgins, he is MY brother now, don't you dare think about taking him away," Raymond cut in between the chef and the child, smiling his devil smile which all the employees feared.

"Yeah, yeah, I know how much you cherish him and being a butler's ward is better for him than a cook. But still, you can at least let me feed him cakes and cookies."

"Why?"

Higgins pointed towards Frank who was gobbling up the cake and said," He looks like a kitten while eating them."

Raymond looked at Frank and laughed. Soon the chef also joined him.

Frank tried to ask what they were laughing about with a large bite of cake still in his mouth.

"Whak att you lapping abouk?"

They started laughing even louder.

Frank blushed and was about to say something when suddenly something got stuck in his throat.

He started coughing, but it didn't help.

Suddenly he felt unable to breathe.

Raymond and Higgins quickly noticed Frank's situation and ran into action.

Raymond tucked on his stomach some three or four times, and a piece of bread fell out of Frank's mouth.

"You brat, that's why you shouldn't talk while eating! What if it would have gotten deeper!?", Raymond shouted when Frank was finally able to breathe.

"Higgins, give him a glass of water."

The chef went away to fetch water but Frank broke into cold sweat.

Water. His powers were that of fire, so whenever he came in contact with water, it caused burns on his skin. Naturally, he never felt thirsty so he simply avoided water. But how could he do that now in front of Raymond? If he drank it, the burns on his skin would reveal what he was, if he didn't, Raymond would get suspicious.

"Here, Mr. Raymond," Higgins said as he handed Raymond the glass filled with water.

Raymond was drawing the glass near Frank's when suddenly the glass slipped from his hand and fell on the floor. The steel glass clinked and rolled away.

But Frank was drenched with water near the hands and feet. Slowly burns began to show on his skin.

"What is this...?" Raymond said looking at Frank's burns.

Ha. It happened again. Frank's heart grew heavy as he thought about it. Maybe I'm meant to be alone.

"You have an allergy to water! Why didn't you tell me, dummy? What would have happened if you'd drunk that!" Raymond said as he hurriedly applied a clean cloth to the burns.

"Yeah, my nephew's friend also had something like this. It's very dangerous if you get exposed to the allergy stimulant," Higgins said as he brought a balm from the shelves.

"Maybe he didn't just know."

They both looked at Frank and tears started flowing out of his jewel-like blue eyes. They didn't think of him as a monster or a devil. They even asked why he didn't tell them beforehand.

"Hey, hey, does it hurt that bad? I'm sorry if I'd known, I wouldn't have..."

Before Raymond could complete his words Frank took him in an embrace and cried. He wailed and cried and shouted.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. But... hic... but before it hurt a lot, brother! Waa... hic."

Raymond hugged him tightly and said," Don't worry, it will never hurt again."

Frank sobbed himself to sleep.