"This was most impolite of us."
The butler turned toward the girl as if to hide Jihl from view and motioned for her to go away.
The girl jumped, grabbed her younger brother in her arms and cried out, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
She apologized in a tearful voice and ran down the hallway with her brother.
The sound of the child crying faded into the distance,and soon after, there was the bang of a door shutting and all became quiet.
"I sincerely apologize for upsetting you."
The butler bowed his head.
Jihl gave a bitter smile and waved his hand as if to say, "Don't worry about it." To him, this was a very normal reaction.
According to Gerald, the stress and tension from his harsh, chaotic days had made Jihl's already scary face even more intimidating.
And Gerald, who was both his childhood friend and chamberlain, never held back with his rude comments.
"This way, please."
