Boy and girl in the painting

Kat spent her time with Vivian as usual, taking a tour of the castle and engaging in occasional conversations. As they walked, Kat answered Vivian's questions vivan asked about her world.

"The people of your world must really be good people," Vivian commented. "I wish I could go there someday," to which Kat chuckled. "There are bad people everywhere, don't be so naïve," Kat remarked. "They are even worse people here," Vivian muttered.

"What was that?" Kat asked, not quite catching what Vivian said. She noticed Vivian's gaze drifting away, lost in thought.

Vivian's mind drifted to how Kat was oblivious to the people and things around her. Earlier, Vivian wasn't scared of leaving Kat with the nobleman because of who he was, but rather because of what he was. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

"What is it?" Kat asked, noticing Vivian's hesitation.

"Oh, it's nothing," Vivian dismissed. "I just wanted to ask if you would like to head back to your room now, as we have been out for a few hours, so I thought you might be tired." Kat's eyes narrowed slightly, knowing that wasn't what she really wanted to say.

"I'm not tired, sorry Viv. I should have been more considerate, as you must be tired. Let's head back," Kat said.

Vivian shook her head. "No, I'm not tired. Let's continue your tour," Kat squinted her eyes a little before smiling. "Well, you are right, we have been out for a long while. The castle happens to be more vast than I thought it to be. We will continue tomorrow or later. Let's head back," Kat said, tugging Vivian's arm. "Plus, I have a book to get back to."

On their way to the stairs, a maid called out "my lady," her footsteps hasty as she made her way towards them, bowing deeply. She greeted, "Good afternoon, my lady." 'Afternoon, has it really been that long?' Kat thought to herself. "My lady, there is an emergency and Vivian is needed urgently," the maid said to Kat.

"Oh, of course. I will head to my room," Vivian nodded. "Do you remember your way back?" she asked, to which Kat nodded.

Kat made her way to her room, passing by large doors and coming across a few servants on her way. The way to Kat's room was straight ahead, but she took a turn, her footsteps making soft sounds against the floor. She turned left again, not knowing specifically where she was going. After taking a few more turns, she walked past a few larger doors. She tried opening one door, and to her surprise, it was open, but it was just an empty hall. She walked past another room but came back to check, it was also open. When she peeked inside, she found instruments. Kat entered, closing the door behind her.

She walked over to a violin, letting her finger graze the strings. A large white piano caught her attention, and she ascended the few steps leading to it. Her chestnut brown eyes glimmered with interest as she took note of its structure. She reached the piano, her hand gracing the smooth surfaces before taking a seat on the plush white stool.

She moved her fingers over the keys before pressing a high note, the sound echoing throughout the hall. Kat sat up straight, cracking her knuckles. She began to play the piano, the slow and peaceful melody filling the silent room.

Meanwhile, in the courtroom, a meeting was taking place. Lucian sat on his throne, his legs crossed, while his dark gray eyes gazed down on the men below him from the height he sat. Rudolph came forward, going on one knee, one hand coming in front of his chest as he bowed. "Your Highness, we await your command," he said, showing his respect. "Have a letter issued to the magistrates of the villages using that road, stating that they would be under construction and a new path would be used until further notice," Lucian ordered. "Yes, my lord," Rudolph said before getting up.

Just then, a faint sound of the piano drifted into the courtroom, captivating everyone's attention. Lucian's expression darkened, his eyes narrowed.

Everyone held their breath at the look on the king's face, each of them silently praying not to incur the king's wrath thanks to whoever was playing the piano. Most of them couldn't deny that the person was truly skilled, it was a shame that their skill would be wasted when beheaded by his majesty. Rudolph also thought the same, letting out a "tsk."

"Fetch me whoever is playing that instrument," the king commanded. "I will take care of it, my lord," Sebastian walked out of the courtroom, two guards following behind him.

Everyone awaited Sebastian and the person anticipatively, except the king, whose poker face expression never changed. The fact that Sebastian had left for more than the time needed. Lucian already knew who it was, his eyebrows drew together, wondering how long he could hold back from snapping the girl's neck.

Sebastian followed the source of the music, leading him to the instruments hall. He opened the door without Kat being aware of his presence, stepping in, he raised his hands for the guards not to follow.

Kat was engulfed in the melody, her hands playing the keys like they were made for it. "Splendid, Miss Kat," Sebastian complimented.

Sebastian's sudden arrival startled Kat, causing her to jolt. Her hands paused, turning to meet Sebastian's gaze. "Sebastian, you scared me," she breathed out. "My apologies, Miss Kat," he apologized, smiling politely. "It's fine," she said, returning his smile. "You play beautifully," he complimented making Kat smiled from ear to ear. "Thank you, it's been a while since I played, but I guess I still got it."

"Um, why are you here though?" she asked. Vivian had mentioned that Sebastian was the king's right hand man and was always with him, except when he was taking care of the castle affairs. So, as Kat knew the king was in a meeting, she wasn't sure why he was here. "The king's meeting was disrupted by the music, and I was sent to fetch you," Sebastian said blandly. "But for one, I find it quite delightful," he commented. "Oh, I wasn't aware. With the distance from here to the courtroom, I thought no one would even hear a sound."

"The king happens to have really good hearing," Kat had no choice but to follow, walking back to the courtroom with the two guards trailing behind them. "Tsk. Is he always such a grump?" Kat asked Sebastian, who only responded with a smile.

Arriving at the courtroom, the doors were pushed open, and Sebastian stepped in first. Everyone was confused, as they had expected the person to have been dragged in here by the guards, curious to know who dares upset the king. Kat stood behind Sebastian. Kat was tall, but compared to Sebastian, her height defied.

Sebastian stepped aside, putting Kat in view. Everyone"...." They all stared in awe, first in astonishment for the girls beauty. Before murmurs started flying around the men. "A woman," someone exclaimed in a hushed tone. Rudolph was even more surprised to see Kat. Kat wasn't bothered by the stares she got from the court men and walked straight to the king. When she got closer, she had to crane her neck to look at him, his eyes locking with hers.

Kat didn't like the feeling of being looked down by Lucian's deadly gaze, and continued walking, assessing the stares. The murmurs increased, some thinking how foolish the girl was to show such boldness in front of the king and that she showed no courtesy whatsoever, while others pitied her, and some suspected that this beauty would be wasted.

Now standing in front of the king. "You asked for me?" Kat asked, breaking the silence.

"Is there a reason you decided to disrupt the court, Katherine?" The king asked. His cold voice raising goosebumps over her skin. "Disrupt? If you are referring to me playing the piano, then I honestly didn't think it would have disturbed anyone. or that it could have disrupted anything,"she said calmly The tension in the room thickened as they spoke. Lucian's steely gaze bore into Kat.

"Playing the piano in my castle without permission is a disruption, Katherine," Lucian stated, his voice calm yet cold as ice. "And don't forget you are in my castle, not your world; guests shouldn't wander about so freely."

Despite the intimidating atmosphere, Kat remained calm, her eyes narrowed as she spoke. "I think you forget, I didn't ask to be here, and since when does a person need permission to play an instrument?" Kat retorted.

"Seems they don't teach much of manners in your world," Lucian taunted, to which some of the court men laughed, some even going as far as to call Kat names, and he said nothing to shut them up. "Could say the same about yours, I am surprised you are even aware the word manners exists," Kat retorted, sending a sharp glare. She didn't know why, but from the first time she had met this man, she never liked him, and her dislike grew at every meeting, feeling like he just made her blood boil, and now he was insulting her for no reason.

Lucian chuckled, finding the girl's attitude childish and stupid. A little bird with already broken wings boasting of flying, he would rip them off completely and make her aware she never could. There's no use in a wingless bird wanting to fly. A wicked smile coming up on his lips. That confused Kat.

"What a sharp tongue you have there. Perhaps it's time I consider hiring a governess to refine your tongue and manners. After all, it's best you learn how things work around here."

Kat bit her cheek, her hands clenched into fists beside her as she struggled to rein in her temper. She had no desire to provoke Lucian further, not when her priority was to lie low and avoid trouble until she could find a way back home. "I apologize if I caused any disruption," she said, though she was apologizing she couldn't stop herself from glaring at him. Her voice even but with a hint of defiance lurking beneath the surface. "I was simply exploring the castle and stumbled upon the instruments hall. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Of course, she apologizes, women should know their place," one man spoke, and another chimed in, "She needs to be taught respect," another man said and scoffed.

"If you don't mind, I would like to return to my room now," Kat said, ready to leave. "Since the meeting is almost over, you should wait a while. I will walk you back to your room," Lucian offered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, though his offer sounded less of a offer and more of a command.

Though annoyed, Kat agreed, but to annoy her even further, she was made to stand next to him throughout the rest of the meeting.

"The meeting is adjourned," Lucian said, getting off his throne and descending the stairs. He didn't even look back at Kat as if he hadn't been the one to ask her to wait a while ago. Kat didn't mind as she didn't want to walk beside the man anyway, like always, she walked alongside Sebastian.

As they walked, the king strode forward with each step exuding authority, as if he had just noticed the people behind him. He slowed his pace, in less than a few seconds Sebastian walked beside him while Kat dragged her feet, still not wanting to walk beside Lucian, his mare sight irritated her to the bone.

Kat could barely see what was ahead as the two tall figures in front of her blocked her view. Her thoughts returned to what happened in the courtroom, and her veins boiled at the thought, wanting to punch Lucian in the face.

A maid was cleaning the paintings, and she immediately bowed when she spotted them. Lucian stopped abruptly in front of the maid, Sebastian also halting his track, his head turning to look at the painting. The maid broke into a cold sweat, not expecting the king to stop in front of her. She kept her head bowed, not daring to raise it, her gaze fixed on his shoes.

Kat, still fuming and not paying attention, winced when she bumped into something hard. She subconsciously placed her hand on it to reduce the impact, feeling its strength and muscularity. The charming smell of rosewood wafted into her nostrils, momentarily making her forget the pain she had felt a moment ago. It wasn't until Kat looked up that she realized she had bumped into Lucian. "Sorry!" she said quickly, taking her hands off his back.

Lucian glanced at her, then back to the painting. Kat followed his line of sight, spotting a painting of two children. A boy not older than twelve and a little girl around four or so. The boy had pitch-black hair and gray eyes, an empty look in his eyes with a dark and indifferent aura surrounding him. The little girl had blonde hair and sparkling forest green eyes, wearing a cute pink dress, a huge smile on her face as she clung to the boy's arm, seemingly undisturbed by the darkness he emitted. Kat squinted her eyes, looking back at the boy's face, then at Lucian. 'It's him!' she thought to herself. 'But who is the girl? I have never seen her.'

Lucian's finger traced the frame of the painting, picking up a speck of dust. "What's the use of being here if you can't even do your job right?" he said coldly. Kat noticed the maid with her head bowed in front of him, shivering slightly. 'Oh, not this again,' she thought to herself, feeling sorry for the maid. "I'm sorry, my lord! Please forgive me. I will do my job better!" the maid apologized, not wanting to lose her job. Lucian didn't respond and continued walking, the maid let out a sigh of relief and started to dusting the painting all over again.