Seraphina (POV)
My Wife is an amazing cook. She spends all day cooking for me cause she loves me so why am I not going to eat that thing she cooked with her love." He said in a steel tone. When he said 'thing' it sounded like he was in pain, like he knew the out come of the journey and saw death at the end but still is walking towards it, like a moth to a flame. I smiled.
"Ok then, let's get you back home quickly so you won't miss anything." I said as I passed by wiping away the Basilisk goo from my arm.
Sol ran up next to me and leaned over to whisper into my ear. "He does know that her cooking will end his life one day. right?" He chuckled, I slapped him on the chest with the cloth that was now covered with thick mucus like slim of the dead Basilisk. His face cringe in disgust knowing that now his whole outfit is ruin.
"Your Grace!" He cried out as I walked away from him smiling.
* * *
After the mission we got back to the carriage then rode back to RavenCrest Castle. As we arrived back in the large manor where we were shown the crisp green manicured grass in which was stretched throughout the manor which were also decorate with flowers bushes and large trees all over the ground giving the manor a palace like feel. As we rode up to through the manor passing the majestic grounds of RavenCrest there lay the imposing black gothic castle that looks like the home of the of a evil villain that brings its prey after capturing them from an small idiot village at the bottom of the mountain that you hear about in stories . The true reason why RavenCrest manor was built this way was cause a lot of people knew that RavenCrest was run by a women and also knew that the Duchess house hold was wealthy, so much so that the wealthy was in the same standing as the Capital and since it's run by women they thought they could come over to our territory and steal it away from us like it was nothing but you see the first Duchess that ran this territory during the time of the Great War where monsters had more power than humans and they bloodlines.
She already knew that if she was going to rule this lands people who want to strengthen they position will come over and destroy RavenCrest territory. That's when she come up with the idea and build a castle like a gothic death cemetery and also spread rumours about herself been a crazy women with one eye
(in which she did have one eye. The cause of that one eye was from a cat that she picked up on the street then scratched her eye lid making her bleed. Later they found out the cat was bitten by poisonous snake in the forest and managed to survive but it's blood was infected. Thats how she got the one eye also she was given a new nickname that people know her today as Duchess eye, the one eye Duchess or the evil eye Duchess.)
One other rumour that made her infamous was that she captured intruders that try to rob her home and hangs them in her dungeon then later after staving them she skins them alive and frames the skin and mounts them on her walls in her house for all to see and also serves as a warning to others that they must stay away from her home and territory or suffer the consequences.
Many and I mean many heard about the first Duchess Ai special collections of framed skins and other wild stories that spread wide and far and that are also known today. You know what's the worse thing is that her idea worked, no man came into our territory without thinking twice know the consequences of crossing Duchess Ai.
I did ask aunt why she never changed the house design to look more like the houses in the capital since the territory was safe from the monsters and outsiders and she told me that the first Duchess in forced one rule in the house of RavenCrest that ever new Duchess must follow and 'that is to never change the style of the house for this is the true heart and pride of RavenCrest and whom ever changes it will be cursed and never rule RavenCrest as the true Duchess.' Thats right im stuck with a death cemetery house. Sigh.
Sol parked the carriage at the back entrance of the house by the kitchen we got out of the carriage and walked into the kitchen hall way planning on getting some food for ourselves since we technically missed lunch with my aunt and uncles. Sol and Sir Brandon were going to eat in the staff dining room as I was going grab my lunch and take it to my room and eat there but before I ate I was going to as Lizzy to run me a bath cause there is still some goo on my body in unmentioned places and that needs to be removed immediately. As we walked through the hall way that leaded to the large open kitchen with black marble counter with black walls and cupboards and the floor tiled with a black and white checkered style. We stopped at the end of the hall way and the first thing all three of us saw in the kitchen was the excitement in the atmosphere . The staff was going up and down gathering clothes, dishes, silverware while the stove was burning up with high angry red and orange flames as the chef was flombaying the food that in the pan and at the same time shouting at the other cooks to speed things along with they dish's and also shouting at other to keep everything clean and orderly as it goes out. For a moment I was confused, not knowing what was happening then it clicked.
I have lived in RavenCrest for years and saw how the staff perpared food for us and it's never like this unless there is a guest. I turn to Sol and Sir Brandon who were also sporting the same confused look as I was and also wondering who had come over. I tipped my head to the side to tell them to follow me then as I continue through the kitchen with Sir Brandon and Sol next to me. Some of the staff stopped what they were doing and bowed they head in respect to me as the Duchess of RavenCrest and went back doing they work.
"What is happening are we supposed to be holding a ball or something?" Sol ask. I was also confused on the situation that was happening in front of us right now. No one told me that we were having guest today. As the Duchess and the head of this family that information should pass through me first before anyone unless it's an uninvited guest.
"Where is Mrs Kit?" Sir Brandon said as he stopped one of the maids in the short hallway. She pointed to her office door then I and Sol followed behind as Sir Brandon knocks and open to enter her office. We follow next and see the plum older women with brown short curls and bright red cheeks as if she had been running all over the place.
"There you are your Grace!" She exclaimed with a deep sigh "we have been looking for you."
"Wait …what….Looking for me? Mrs Kit you know today I was with Sol and Sir Brandon looking for the Basilisk. Didn't Lizzy tell you?" I said
"She did, she did but we expected you, Sol and Sir Brandon return hours ago. We even sent two of the soldiers to go look for your carriage but that is fine now." She said as she pulled out the silver wear and fancy glasses that are only use by high esteem guest.
"Mrs Kit, who is here?"
She froze and look up at me then Sol and the Sir Brandon. We all looked at her the each other in more confusion not knowing what set her off to react like that. Then the door open and my aunt walks in. Long black hair that ran across her back, pale diamond skin with high cheek bones that made her look younger than her years with deep forest green eyes just like my mothers and red painted lips. We all bow to her including me. Even though she is not the Duchess of RavenCrest anymore she is still my aunt. She has taking care of this place and kept it alive even after getting threats of invasions, monster attacks and even assassination attempts from other foreign territories and to me that deserves respect.
"Dowager Duchess."
"Little Duchess, Sol, Sir Brandon good you are all back. You need to go up stairs and change for dinner. Lizzy is waiting for you." She said. Usually aunt holds herself with a smooth grace and powerful gentleness (that's how they explain it to me. Whatever that means) to me my aunt was a legend an alpha amongst wolfs. She knew how to fight her way through a battle when she was at the edge of a cliff. She knew how to embody the true form of madness,the power of intelligent and the wisdom from above but right now she was off. It's unlike her to look like this and that means who ever is here is the one that made her feel this way.
"Aunt who is here?" I said carefully as I narrowed my eye to her.
"Ajax."