Volume 1 Chapter 15

Green Tea? Bitch

Flynn and Carey dressed me in nobleman’s garment. Unitard inner, laced shirt, gold-threaded outfit, and funny toreador…
Flynn looked unconcerned. She casually straightened my black hair and adjusted it over a mess of curls. Then she rechecked and said over my shoulders, “You’re all set.”
Looked into the mirror, I appeared a bit absurd. It seemed to be my first time dressing like this, though I’ve watched father and my brothers wearing them for tons of time. I still felt weird.
“Puff… show off!” Seeing me mirroring myself, Carey‘s sounded upset with her stiff voice.
“What’s wrong? Did I do something that pissed you off?”
“How exciting to meet your fiancee!”
“Nope!” Having been teased for so long I was pretty much immune to such conversation.
“Lying! You’re all blushed!”
“No, I’m not!” My heartbeat speeded up a little.
“Drop it.” Flynn said, “Cohen, you are done here, on your way.”
“Hey, where are you going today?” I asked, “Hanging out somewhere?”
“Yes, we are hanging out!” Carey sniffed, “Without you! Go see your fiancee!”
I dashed out of the room unaware of what happened to these girls.
Sat next to father, I felt carriage flicking.
“Cohen.” Father said mildly, “I know you are not ready for this, but it’s His Majesty Climos’ order. There’s nothing we can change.”
“It’s OK, dad.” I whispered, “I understand.”
“I’m not a big fan of the Prime Minister, as always. Because we have disagreements on so many subjects.” Father continued, “For this, we are never really connected. Perhaps His Majesty wanted me to go easy on him, hence the engagement.”
“OK,” I said, and I’ve decided to try to make friend with her, my unmet fiancee, and maybe wife in the future.
“Duke Visual Kheda!” A chubby man stepped out, shook father’s hands firmly, “Our best viceroy, my friend! Welcome!”
“The pleasure’s all mine!” Father said with a smile, “How are you, Minister?”
“Call me Loman, and allow me, Visual. We are about to become one family!” Minister asked, “Is this your son, Cohen Kheda?”
“He is, this is Cohen, and he’s new to the city.”
I stepped forward and addressed myself to Mr. Loman.
“Bless you, son.” Loman attached his hand on my forehead, and told the maid, “Go fetch my daughter.”
“Yes, your Highness.”
“Have a sit.” Loman looked very approachable, “Acadian wine, give it a try.”
“Pleasure.” Father nodded, and showed me down, “Nice wine.”
I cupped my glass of wine with a thumb scratching around and gazed at the door through the red liquid. After a while, I picked up a sound of comfortable footsteps getting close. I knew my fiancee is approaching the dining room. I grew much anxiety and my heart was beating like bouncing deer. Such tension was indescribable.
“Father,” What a soft voice, “Am I being summoned?”
I would hide under the table if I could.
“Yes, good girl. Meet Duke Visual Kheda.”
“Glad to meet you. Mr. Kheda. My name is Lisa.”
“Bless you, child.” It’s father’s voice, “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kheda.”
“My daughter, this is Cohen Kheda. He is your fiance, and he’s attending the Royal Academy like you.”
“Cohen,” Father whispered, “say hello to Miss Lisa.”
I used up all my courage and raised my head. From the tip of a pair of silver sabaton, then silver knight’s suit, and there was a dark blue belt around her waist. A turtleneck decorated by blue patterns set a slender neck off the beauty. Her white cheeks touched with red, and she’s staring at me curiously…
“Miss… Lisa, how do you do, I am Cohen Kheda!” Before I could finish, I got all blushed and stared deep down once more.
“HAHAHA…” Mr. Loman and father all laughed, which made my situation even worse, “Lisa, Cohen is new to the Saint City, why don’t you show him around. I’ll have a nice talk with Duke Kheda.”
“As you wish, father.” Gentle footsteps knocked the floor again and stopped in the hallway. Why did it stop?
While I was wondering… father spanked me and urged, “Stop stopping! She’s waiting!”
Laughter and laughter… I cleared up and followed… knocked over a wine glass on the way and stumbled by the door frame.
Lisa paced slowly in front of me and I went after silently with several servants behind. This situation continued itself until a crossroad… Lisa stopped, turned and hinted me.
I approached closely while made an effort to look cool, “Where are we going, Lady Lisa?”
Lisa said with the hint of a smile, “Let’s go to the altar. It is huge and views better, and I don’t like us being followed. That place is only for nobilities.”
“Sure.” I committed to it. Perhaps she was my fiancee, or she used the word us, or because of her fair face and flashy eyes and tender manner… my voice was harsh.
“How is it? Isn’t the view great?” Servants gone, Lisa seemed to be extra delightful.
“Exceptional, what is this place for? It is huge, and it has three layers.”
“It is a place for His Majesty when he prays for the Divines, that’s why it’s huge.” Lisa moved to the sideway stairs and rested, “Have a sit you.”
My heart tossed me one more time. I slowly wandered and rested beside her. I tilted my head and gazed at her solely. And thought I discovered her beauty. Every word she said and every smile she made was addictively unique.
“Cohen?” She asked.
“Ah, what?” Could she don’t like me watching her?
“Tell me about you, I don’t know what kind of a person you are.”
“Yes, Lady Lisa. What do you want to know about me?”
“Everything, you can start from the beginning.”
“As you wish.” I began recalling, “I have black hair, black eyes since I was a boy…”
“Then?”
“Then I found out I can’t use magic…”
“I heard that you hate weapons?”
“You know that?”
“En, they talked about this in the academy.”
“They are right about me. Do you care?”
“Not really, anything else?”
“Sure, I have many friends! And I am their boss…”
“Sounds exciting.” She smiled like blooming roses.
“Really? They are here in the city! I could have you meet them!”
“I’d say no, your commoner friends.” A male voice came behind me, “How could they meet the graceful and elegant Lady Lisa.”
“Who is it?” I turned and found three teenagers were silently standing behind me and Lisa, our conversation was interrupted “That's rude, you!”
“Hahaha!” The shorter boy on the left burst into laughter, and he looked ugly, “You have manner? Are you joking, black loser?”
“Please leave!” I had the principal's words in mind, “I’m not a loser!”
“Look at that, he knows the magic word.” The boy on the right was taller, “Black-haired, black-eyed loser!”
“I repeat!” I decided to not step back, “I am not a LOSER!”
“Aren't you serious about that?” The boy in the middle said, and he gazed at me like I was a monster, “Are you even a nobleman? Am I right, my darling cousin?”
“Cousin?” Surprised to hear that, I turned and stared at Lisa.
“You are late.” Lisa smiled at that boy like she smiled to me earlier, “Don’t call Lisa that way in front of a stranger. Lisa doesn't like it.”
Seeing this and Lisa’s look, my blood was frozen like being thrown into a river. I was freezing.