The baron didn't show his surprise and instead tried to touch the tips of her fingers with his lips, but Lilian wasted no time in turning her hand in such a way as to present the count's emerald to his nose, reminding him of her stature.
It didn't stop Anthony.
"Lilian!" You're more than the queen! You're a miracle woven from the rays of the sun! You..."
Lily enjoyed listening to the compliment. She was curious. It was just like in a drama show! But what would come next?
Next came even more compliments and the culmination. Thankfully, they were well-isolated in the alcove the baron had managed to push the lady into without an ounce of resistance. (Why would she kick up a fuss? It was the last thing she needed! She'd rather rip off his limbs quietly and backstage).
"I'm crazy over you! Crazy in love..."
Her thin hand slipped out of his fingers.
Anthony prepared himself to throw his arms around her and cover her with kisses or shield himself from a slap. What he didn't expect was a round of lazy ovation. He froze like a statue.
“Umm...”
It looked stupid, but how was he to react?
Lily snorted.
"Baron, how about you get to the point?"
“Umm...”
That looked even sillier. But what point was she talking about?
"I don't believe in your feelings. The delivery agreement is signed. What else do you want from me?"
Anthony pulled himself together.
"You, Lilian, and nothing else. You awaken the strongest feelings in my heart..."
"Tachycardia?"
"Forgive me?"
"Aldonai forgives," Lilian said, snorting, and promptly moved to the door. "Baron, don't waste time—mine or yours. I didn't believe a single word, although I have to admit that your performance was rather entertaining. My daughter would have bought it, absolutely. As for me—come when you're ready to be sincere. And no need to give me flowers or compliments, either. It won't work, anyway."
"Lilian, you misunderstood—"
"Misunderstood you? Oh no, Baron, I understood everything. But you, for some reason, don't want to level with me. Is it the king's will?"
The baron's green eyes seemed to flash with worry.
Or was it the wind blowing at the candles, making their fire reflect in his pupils?
Damned if Lily knew!
"Lilian, why don't you believe me?"
"Because you're lying?" Lily suggested, smiling with the corners of her lips. "Ask for His Majesty Entor's permission and speak frankly. Then we might come to an agreement. Avester is a good market."
The baron could only open his mouth.
He knew that Lilian Earton was an extraordinary woman, but just like that?
"Lilian...wait!"
"Yes?"
"You might disbelieve me—"
The curtain that covered the door shifted, hiding a woman's silhouette. The baron chased after her, but the door was already locked from the outside.
Lily walked away at a leisurely pace. In a few minutes, she would send a servant to release the baron. She didn't want anyone to chase her around the palace or continue the scene. What a bother.
Lily didn't think of herself as an expert on human souls, but it was clear that the baron was lying. She could see right through him.
But why was he lying, and why to her? She would have to ask Hans to investigate everything.
Where did all of that lead to?
They would have to wait and see.
Finally, the servant—Lily produced a gold coin from her wrist purse.
"My friend, could you do me a small favor?"
The coin disappeared without a trace, and the servant went to the alcove. The baron would be freed in around ten minutes, just enough time for Lily to return to the ballroom. She really should have bricked him up in there. What a lady-killer! Pfft.
Why did men think that women loved with their ears?
They only used them to listen, and sometimes, they even believed what they heard. But sooner or later, the information reached their brains to be thoroughly analyzed.
With Lilian, this process was a little faster, thanks to having grown up in the Twenty-first Century, where one was used to living faster, thinking quicker...and not trusting just anyone.
***
Anthony didn't have to sit behind a locked door for too long. In less than half an hour, he heard steps along the corridor, and the lock clicked. That wasn't Lilian; in those shoes of hers, she moved in a completely different manner.
Oh, how beautiful were her feet!
She was gorgeous, really.
Tony was in no hurry to leave the alcove. He waited for his savior to retreat and only then came out. As he looked himself over, he smirked.
So you wish to play, Your Grace? Make a fool out of me? Refuse me?
Why are you so stubborn, lady? I don't want that, but I will have to play it...rough.
Chapter 5
It was time for the trip to the countryside.
Lily loved picnics—nature, forests, rivers, peace and quiet. The birds would sing, the wind would whistle, the water in the river would shine with silvery light, reflecting the sun, and the pines would send forth their fragrance. Heaven!
Just stretch on the blanket, watch that beautiful sight, and be at peace, relaxing not just with your body but your whole essence, the primeval part of your soul.
Or you could lie back, your arms spread out, and look at the sky. After a while, you'd start feeling as if the trees, the sky, the clouds, and yourself all moved in the same rhyme, and you were one with the earth, the world, the wind... You were a part of it, and slowly, the world would slip inside of you and remain there, so cozy and serene, and when you’d go home, you would leave with a tiny fragment of that woodland inside your heart. You’d become stronger, wiser, better, and purer. You’d become someone else.
And with you, the whole world would change.
Alex had understood that. Together, they went camping, sitting by the fire and watching the sunset, waking up to meet the dawn.
Jess? Jerisson was trying to understand, too. For him, going to the country wasn't the same as rest; it was often connected to something else, such as hunting. Lilian had taught him fishing, and it caught on. But simply sitting and listening to the silence, absorbing the peace and quiet with each fiber of your being? The count was yet to learn that.
The Ativernan style of going to the country, however, was nothing like camping. Those were serious public events, complicated and very formal.
At first, the entire court was gathered in one spot. Then the cavalcade crossed the city to the previously set destination—a forest or a clearing. A royal picnic deserved no less. There, half of the courtiers went hunting the poor animals, while the rest hunted each other, making alliances, probing each other for options...
Rest? Admiring nature? As if! They had to scheme while they had the chance, or someone else would beat them to the punch, outstrip them, unseat them...
All of that didn't exactly thrill Lily, not to mention the poet who accompanied the party. Of course, he was famous, acclaimed, highborn, and overall the belle of the ball. Borran of Eleval (Lily suspected that this name was the poet's own invention), a charming golden-haired man in his twenties, was a hit with the ladies. If you asked Lilian, he was too metrosexual and fragile-looking, and his curls didn't do him any favors, but that was just her opinion. The other ladies swooned, all of them. Later that evening, he was to entertain the courtiers, and then, the royal family.
Lily sighed and climbed on Lidarh's back. She had to demonstrate her new riding habit, even if she felt no desire to go anywhere.
Jess, knowing his wife's mood, kissed her hand.
"Cheer up, sunshine."
"Don't call a woman sunshine if you don't want a kick up where the sun doesn't shine," Lily grumbled, but what could she do? She had to go whether she liked it or not.
She touched the reins, and the cl
ever horse obediently followed Jerisson. Truly, Avarians were something else. He wasn't just a horse, but a piece of the sun, a speck of light, a shard of pure rapture that somehow took the shape of an equine. He was Aldonai's miracle personified.
That's what Lilian once again told Lidarh, treating him to a bread heel with salt.
The animal gobbled up the goodie and snorted. Yes, he loved his mistress, too, and he also liked being admired.
Love him! Scratch him, feed him, and praised him—that would only be right. He was perfection!
***
Riding with the procession to the destination was impossibly dull. Miranda hadn't come at all—it happened to women sometimes. They just didn't want or, really, couldn't go anywhere, in a state like that, with their aching paws and hurting tails...
Lily stoically suffered, smiling, gossiping, and never letting on how bored she was. When in Rome, do as Romans do. She had no choice. She would have to discuss the poems, the children, the foreigners... Oh, Sir Lofrayne is so handsome and gallant! And Lady Seinel, the one who also came with the ambassador...she's so...shhh! It might be improper to discuss that, but she seems to be looking for a husband or adventures...she doesn't behave how a real lady should.
Yes, the Avesterians were there as well. Where could they go, really?
Lily bit her lip and decided to improvise. Still, the baron would have to answer for the flowers that kept coming, day after day.
Finally, the clearing.
It was a wonderful place, by the way: a pine forest, its floor laden with needles and overgrown with moss, and almost no undergrowth. Nobody could get lost there; you could see each other from a mile around.
A forest like that was perfect for taking a walk, doing a BBQ, or simply relaxing...but only in a small company, not with several hundred people wandering in the pines.
A crowd like that left nothing of nature's natural charm.
Lily dismounted and started unsaddling her horse, not trusting it to the servants.
"Darling, shall I go hunting?"
Jess kissed her cheek and disappeared. Lily didn't mind. If he wanted to chase foxes, he should. Let him do it.
Both His and Her Majesties were big fans of hunting, but Lily always felt bad for the animals.
Of course, if faced with a life-or-death, kill-or-be-killed situation, Lily would have chosen herself without any hesitation. Killing an animal for food or skin was quite acceptable, and so was fur, as long as it was the only way to get warm. But simply for appearance?
It made sense to eat meat if you already wore leather boots and washed your hands with soap. No part of a cow was to go to waste. But to kill animals just for sport without even eating them? Ew! wEspecially when it came to drive hunting, with dogs, beaters, and weapons going against animals armed with only their fangs and claws.
That was wrong, bad and wrong. Thankfully, they at least observed the hunting season in Ativerna, and hunters who killed in the off-season, especially if they preyed on a mother and cubs, could be hanged, even if they were noblemen.
That was a good thing, at least.
Still, the only right way for Lily to hunt would be one on one. If you wanted an animal so much, track it yourself, run it down, and kill it, fair and square.
"Allow me to assist you, Your Grace."
The baron appeared right by her side, out of thin air.
"Thank you, Milord Lofrayne, but I prefer to take care of my horse myself," Lily said in a sing-songy voice.
Nobody thought that surprising, by the way. Yes, she did.
But that was an Avarian!
That was only natural. Now, if Lily were to abandon him to his fate, nobody would have understood her. Taking care of a trusted friend was par for the course. And so, Lily unbuckled the final clasp...
"Still, I insist."
What a naive fool.
After that, everything came spontaneously.
Tony pulled at the saddle. Lily decided against fighting him and let it go. Lidarh shifted on his feet, and the girth slid off his smooth skin.
Nanook saw that. Who said dogs didn't have a sense of humor? That son of a bitch accomplished a classic tackle maneuver worthy of being included in instruction manuals, walking up to the baron from behind and headbutting him.
Once was enough. Tony collapsed into the grass, the saddle on top of him.
"Oh...forgive me, Milord!"
"Arf!" Nanook said as if apologizing.
Unfortunately, he had done so right next to the baron's ear and at top volume. Tony jumped up in the other direction and froze, realizing the obvious.
You can be anything: evil, cruel, apathetic, exotic, arrogant, prideful...but you cannot be a laughingstock. How can you hope to seduce a lady if she's laughing at you?
Lilian Earton, at least, wouldn't be seduced—only amused—as she stood before him, smiling, her eyes sparkling with laughter...and not just hers. The servants seemed to be of the same mind.
Some of the servants had seen that, too—and those lips wouldn't be sealed with tips.
Tony almost groaned, but he had no choice—he had to stay and continue making advances. The opportunity was too perfect: nature, a hunting party, and an chance to go somewhere private...
As for the mutt, if worse comes to worst, Lofrayne would take care of him, even if he was a Virman hound. Just wait, Your Grace. We will talk later; I am patient, and I can wait.
***
By the evening, Lily had invented a string of the most elaborate curses for the entire day.
She had no complaints about the scenery—the location was great, with a forest on one side and a river on another. The mosquitoes were nasty, though, but Lilian had brought clove oil imported from the Khanganat to deal with it.
She had rubbed it on herself and on certain other people, too.
Full skirts had an advantage, too—no mosquito could bite through those layers.
Lily considered starting a trend for mosquito head nets for camping trips, the ones with wide rims and muslin or lace; she had one at home on Earth. Of course, back there, it was made from cheap gauze. So what?
She would make a luxurious version, exclusive to Mariella. Nobles only.
Lily made a mental note to talk to her laceworkers.
She had no beef with the servants, either. The roasted meat was exceptional, as was the service and the drinks, which were cooled just right—enough to refresh but not enough for anyone to get a cold. They even had ice kept in thermoses.
Lily smiled, pleased. It was her invention, after all...well, her recollection.
The rest, however, wasn't anywhere as nice.
The weather was far from the best—heat and no wind. On a day like that, she would rather stay submerged in a river, not even leaving to get dinner. Alas, she couldn't even go for a swim.
That just wasn't proper.
Lily dreamed of escaping the whole caboodle and getting into the water anyway somewhere in a secluded spot. Saddling Lidarh wouldn't take long, and neither would taking a dip.
But Baron Lofrayne hung onto her worse than...a certain thing that always stuck onto the sole of the boot.
It was clear that if Lily tried to leave, he would follow the lady.
Maybe a helpful crocodile could help her get rid of him?
The baron was her second grievance over the day.
He entrenched himself right next to her and kept droning on.
Of course, he was sure that all he was doing was making compliments and entertaining the lady, but that only succeeded in making the lady dream of drowning him in a lake, or better yet, a swamp so that he wouldn't swim out.
The other ladies saw everything, too, causing a lot of jokes at Lilian's expense. That could be expected. Usually, Countess Earton didn't give an excuse to mock her. That wasn't the case with a lovelorn Avesterian at her side.
How could one miss that show? That was impossible.
And that poet! Lilian wished for him to get covered with acne.
&
nbsp; Listening to ballads and poems wasn't her favorite pastime even on better days, but she had to suffer through it with no way to escape—and then listen to everyone's praise.
So smart. So delicate. So elegant.
What the hell?
Finally getting enough of that, Lily stood up and went looking for the magical bushes where she planned on staying for at least half an hour. Maybe that would allow her to relax.
The court ladies noticed Baron Lofrayne disappearing somewhere soon after Countess Earton's exit, but they never expected what would happen later.
***
Lily found a spot away from people.
Hiding behind a bush, she did what had to be done and, afterward, decided to take a walk along the river, breathing the fresh air and maybe even harvesting some reed. Fine, there was no reed, just cattail: thick growth with large brown ears on top.
Little Aliya had loved them.
She would gather a pile, take it home, and put it into a vase. After a while, she'd fray the edges, and her mom would use the plants to stuff pillows. Sleeping on them was amazing!
Lily pondered it and finally decided to step into the reeds to pick a few. Thankfully, she had her dagger with her, so she wouldn't have to pull, although the latter didn't seem that bad, for old times' sake...
Cattail, incidentally, was a pretty tasty treat. Aliya had munched on it in her childhood. Not the stem, of course—just the leaves next to its base, as long as the seed ball was still intact.
It tasted almost like new cucumbers.
Old cattails had edible roots.
They could be peeled and baked on an open fire, just like potatoes.
They could also be dried and ground into flour or roasted and brewed into a coffee-like drink that was so much healthier than actual coffee.
Really, it's amazing what one can learn if they were hungry with no money for food!
* The author personally baked, ground, and roasted cattail, curious about the results, which were quite delicious...or, at the very least, unique.
And that was in the Twenty-first Century when not all rivers still had fish. In Ativerna, with its pollution-free grass (except for stray bird droppings), one could experiment to her heart's content. And so, Lily lost herself in harvesting reed.
A New World Page 12
