1. Chapter 1 (1/2)
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dedicated to kauia
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the ticking of the nearby grandfather clock fills the large room with the consisting clicking of the moving second hand. the faint noise of birds chirping outside the large li
ary window situated behind my desk reaches my ears as i stare out at the large expanse of the front lawn. from the perfectly trimmed grass to the delicately sculpted bushes and trees meticulousness placed all around the road leading up to the front doors of my home.
around me, the smell of aged paper and ink as well as lingering dust surrounds my senses. it's a comforting smell. one that has followed me in all the years i've spent locked up in this room doing nothing but work day and night. the very room i used to shelter myself away from her…
after story 1
the secrets of jude heartfilia
pov: jude
disclaimer: i do not own fairy tail
the sound of shifting clothing reminds me that i am not alone in the large room as my guest clears their throat to catch my attention.
"you wanted to see me," the voice behind me asks, sounding strained from the apparent uneasiness of having been summoned out of the blue. i ignore the voice for a moment as i continue to gaze outside the window to admire the vast land that my family has owned for countless generations.
"how is she doing?" i finally ask without tearing my gaze from the
ight scenery before me, "is she eating?"
my guest sits up, apparent from the rushed rustle of clothing and the creak of a moving chair and is about to answer when he is cut off from his visiting companion.
"the princess is doing well this morning. she has eaten a third of her porridge and a few bites of
ead, which is a few mouthfuls more than the past few days," another voice, an inexpressive female one, answers without pause, "she has also begun to make light conversation with most of the staff."
"that's good," i murmur more to myself than to the woman who had spoken, "continue to keep an eye on her and report to me if anything changes," i order as i turn to look into the blank icy blue eyes of lucy's personal housemaid.
virgo respectfully bows before turning to leave the room while my actual guest remains seated in the chair before my desk, looking more nervous as i watch him intently. i wait for the rose-haired maid to leave the room before finally acknowledging the orange-haired male sitting before me who looks as tired and edgy as i feel.
i take a moment to regard his appearance of wild orange hair that never stops annoying me in the many years i've known him with how messy it is, or the tinted blue spectacles he never seems to take off. the young male is wearing an ensemble of black coat and matching trousers that make him look like the refined gentleman he has grown up to be. his visage is the epitome of what the youngest son of a wealthy and distinguished company owner should look like.
loke celeste exudes refinement and is nothing more than a gentleman he was raised to be. he is also smart, dedicated, professional, and loyal. he is every bit the man his parents raised to be and more, and it makes me feel proud and honored to have been able to watch him grow up alongside my daughter all these years.
"you used to be such a
at," i blurt out without meaning to, thinking back to when the man used to be a young and troublesome boy.
he never
oke anything or made much of a scene, but he did have a mouth on him. one that was never shy in expressing his thoughts freely.
"s-sir?" the male questions, looking alarmed at what i've stated.
shaking my head, i can't help but let out a humored chuckle that makes him blink awkwardly at me.
how could i take him seriously when his face looked as if he were standing at the end of my sword when in fact he was only a few feet across from me with a desk in between us. his expression makes me reminisce about the scowling face he used to give me when he was younger. he would always pout angrily at me and his parents whenever we would get after him, and always looked as if he were bored out of his mind. i don't think i've ever gotten a true smile from the male in all the years i've known him.
those gestures were left for my daughter when he thought i wasn't looking.
thinking back on the ferociousness the male once used to possess, i have to wonder when it was that he started fearing me. started to jump when i would enter a room or wince when i looked his way. reactions he had never possessed when he was a child and when i was at my most vicious.
perhaps it all started when i met him…
"you don't have to be so nervous loke. i'm not going to yell at you," i assure the male whose stiff shoulders only relax for a second before tensing up again, looking unsure of himself. he still feels guilty for not being able to protect lucy while she was under his watch, "loke," i sigh when i notice the male's eyes darken with self-hate. a very emotion i was familiar with, "it wasn't…"
"please sir… don't," the male cuts me off before i can tell him what he has undoubtedly been hearing a thousand times since lucy's recuperation, "please… just don't say it."
loke leans forward so that his forearms are resting against his knees. his hands grip each other tightly as his whole body shakes with anger and his teeth clench to keep him from crying out. he is the visual representation of how i have felt the past couple of weeks.
i empathize with the
oken male, but that did not mean that i would grant him his wishes.
"it wasn't your fault," i state in the very voice that has caused thousands to shake in fear. the very commanding voice that had scared off my staff and pushed away my daughter. the very voice that had no acceptance for weakness, "accept the truth celeste. accept the fact that it was not your fault that my daughter was taken, but mine."