After Lady Evelyn's whisper, Silvie's eyes darted about the premises. Beyond the passing pedestrians and devout, she perceived no sign of the robed figures that had been shadowing them.
"They haven't done anything? That's odd. Well, we are in a decently crowded area; perhaps that's shielding us..." the servant mused.
The mistress released her servant's hand and leaned back. "There is one particular place that serves the finest dessert in the district," she remarked.
Silvie was taken aback. After speaking of matters that seemed so urgent, her mistress had so suddenly turned the conversation toward confections. Yet she could not bring herself to object.
The servant discerned the change in Lady Evelyn's tone and received it as a signal to leave the former subject behind, adjusting her demeanor in accordance.
"Do you remember the name, My Lady?" Silvie asked, accepting the distraction as her emotions began to calm. Still, the languid sensation she had felt while gazing at the sky would, sooner or later, return.
Lady Evelyn's countenance switched into a playful alternative. "Hmm... the name, you ask?"
"Let's not spoil the surprise, you'll see it for yourself," she mused.
As they began to walk and leave the imposing cathedral behind, Silvie softly tapped her chin, as if solving a grand mystery. Her expectations soared, hoping the name of the pastry shop would be grandiose.
Something along the lines of: Good Bakery, CrissCrossy Croissants, Baked Baker Bakery, Breado Expresso Bakery.
Yet, it was daunting that they were still being followed somewhere in the shadows.
Despite that, Lady Evelyn continued to move with effortless elegance. Her unusually unbothered persona in the face of potential danger baffled the servant, and it was evident in the sharp clicking of her heels, which Silvie found strangely distracting.
But one thing was certain: the farther Silvie was from the Velvet Pavilion, the more at ease she felt.
She would not wish to return to such a gut-wrenching place, though she still wondered about the fates of the other slaves. Without realizing it, her hands had nearly come together in a clenched gesture of prayer.
"Who are you praying for?" her mistress asked as they continued through the streets. Silvie froze at her lady's words, as if only then realizing what she was doing.
"Silvie, it is concerning that you drift off so often. It makes you seem like an airhead, though I know you are not..." Lady Evelyn remarked. Silvie pondered her words; the only explanation she could offer was that she had been drugged, yet she felt that was not the sole cause of this strange cognitive haze.
Silvie prepared to answer, though she was not entirely certain. Walking beside her mistress, she replied, "My lady, I did so for the good fortune of the other slaves in the pavilion."
Lady Evelyn listened intently and found the answer rather endearing. "So it was done out of the goodwill of your heart? How very admirable..."
Through the way Lady Evelyn spoke to her, the servant was slowly growing comfortable in the presence of her mistress. Yet a nagging urge pressed at her, a single question she longed to ask, though she knew it might be overstepping her boundaries.
With each click of their heels against the stone, her lips tightened, struggling to hold back the words that begged to be spoken.
She could not contain it. The question might bring about its consequences, but she needed to know her mistress's view on the matter.
"My lady, do you... agree with the practices of the Velvet Pavilion?" she asked, choosing her words with care as she braced herself inwardly for her mistress's response.
For a moment, Lady Evelyn remained silent. Silvie waited patiently for her views, and if her mistress chose not to answer, she was prepared to respect that silence.
"...I do not," Lady Evelyn finally said.
Silvie's eyes brimmed with interest, her ears keen to catch every word. Yet she felt compelled to ask again, yearning to know whether her mistress harbored any plans, or if anyone would ever dare to bring down the Velvet Pavilion.
"Silvie, I do not agree with the practices of the Velvet Pavilion. But I am in no position to bring an end to it."
"I have my own plans, and I have no intention of delaying them."
Lady Evelyn's voice was measured, each word articulated with utmost care, as though ensuring Silvie would fully comprehend her words.
The servant nodded in response. "I understand, my lady. Thank you for entertaining my words. And if I may be so bold, may I know the reason why you brought me?" Silvie's voice carried a rare seriousness, for she could not help but wonder if Lady Evelyn owned other slaves.
Though her mistress had shown her kindness thus far, the uncertainty of the future remained a palpable concern.
"Silvie, I am not one to spoil purposes. Whatever the reason I brought you, you will learn of it in time. This might sound ludicrous, but I find a certain enjoyment in witnessing people's reactions as they uncover fragments of the truth..."
"But rest assured, whatever it may be, it is for the better." Lady Evelyn's words were cryptic, and Silvie could not decipher them. It irritated her inwardly that her mistress chose to keep such matters to herself, yet the servant dared not press further. She could only accept that, in time, all would be revealed.
"As you wish, my lady."
Then, for a brief moment, Lady Evelyn turned to her with a knowing look. "Do not worry, you are my first and only servant. I have no desire to own another, if that puts you at ease."
Silvie lowered her gaze, a faint warmth rising in her chest. "That... does ease my heart, my lady. I am grateful for your kindness, though I still feel unworthy of it."
"Do not think too much about it, and you are welcome," Lady Evelyn replied softly.
With that, Silvie followed closely at her mistress's side, unwilling to risk creating any distance between them. Her eyes kept witnessing Filth and Garbage-filled alleyways.
"This place doesn't have any sanitation laws? What is the empress doing? This is unacceptable..." She covered her nose, but to her relief, the smell of old and pollution was slowly being overshadowed by something comforting, similar to a positive childhood memory.
"We're close to my favorite place," Lady Evelyn said with hints of enthusiasm as they left the stench-ridden Grey Street behind and stepped into a far more pleasant avenue, Lantern Street.
"Do you smell that, Silvie?" Lady Evelyn asked, a faint smile curling on her soft pink lips. Their noses caught it, and Silvie nodded eagerly; her stomach was clearly excited.
The scent was hard to mistake, it was vanilla and toasted sugar with the hint of caffeine, it weaved through the gloom of Gravenhurst District.
Chapter End...