Chapter 56. Mud under my feet.
At the Vane Estate, Silas appeared on the front lawn, with Nina next to him. On the autumn grass, the wind blew their hair as he started to walk to the main doors of the mansion.
His home.
Nina was staring at the massive house with wide eyes. It was one thing to see mansion on in the internet and another to see one in real life. Her steps slowly sank into the grass as she followed Silas.
He opened the doors and gestured for her to enter.
She was silent as she passed the threshold. In the middle of the entrance hall, she just stood there and looked around.
Her mouth was open.
“I’ll give you a quick tour. Take off your shoes,” he said, removing his own leather shoes and putting them on the shoe rack.
Nina hurried to take hers off.
He started the tour in the living room. The smell of apple candles filled the space and the velvet couches looked so inviting. A nap in the living room would be very nice right now.
His daughters were out shopping so the mansion was quiet and Elizabeth was with Evelyn, celebrating her sentence. He wondered what the two of them were doing.
Then of course he knew—space magic. Drinks and a spa somewhere.
Shaking the thoughts away, he continued to guide Nina around, showing her the kitchen and all the appliances, the dining room and the small bathroom on the first floor. With each room, her feigned indifference got easier to see. She was in disbelief and the only thing she asked about was the Wi-Fi password.
Silas gave it to her and she put the password in her old cracked phone. Then he walked upstairs to show her her new room. One of the six guest rooms. It was a decently sized room with a window facing the front lawn of the house, a soft bed, a closet and a desk. Her eyes were on the closet.
“You can decorate it as you like and put whatever you want in it.” He leaned on the doorway as she touched the blankets.
The words soft escaped her lips a few times.
Nina turned to look at him and gently bit her lip, holding her breath.
“I don’t know what to say...Are you sure about this?”
A nod.
With a smile on his lips, Silas watched as she sat on the bed and felt it with her hands. What was it like back in her world? Her people had blue skin, four heart, four arms yet he knew nothing about their civilization, culture and the history.
“I am glad you like it. How is it compared to your old world?”
He asked while starting to teleport a few of her things here from the apartment.
Nina sighed, her glasses slipping a little down her nose. She pushed them back up.
“I’ve already said everything to Henry.”
Letting herself fall on the bed, she stared up at the ceiling. Her eyes were far away as if she wasn’t really here.
“Cavemen. We lived like primitive tribes. I remember the feeling of mud under my feet better than the cold floors of the huts.” A quiet whisper. She turned to her side. “The monsters weren’t contained in dungeons like here. They ran around free. Killing us and hunting us.”
Her hands started playing with her ponytail, the wind blowing her scent towards him. It smelled like the greasy fastfood joint she worked at.
“But I don’t know what I don’t know. There was no phone, no TV. We just...lived and died in our small villages, in fear and pain, surviving only by praying to the Monster Queen for mercy.”
The Monster Queen. Nurena.
Silas sighed. That name bothered him more than he wanted to admit even though Nina’s information was vague.
A frown appeared on his lips as he stared out of the window.
Nina noticed and sat up again.
“Sorry I didn’t mean to dampen the mood. But this world is so much better than mine. I am thankful for it even with all the pain some of your kind caused me.”
On her face was a soft smile that he mirrored. She seemed relieved from getting those words off her chest.
His phone beeped and the message on the screen made his mood even better. His girls were coming home. Victoria had bought some clothes and stuff from the high-class district.
With a chuckle, he started to head towards the stairs. The sound of Nina’s bare feet followed him. A strange sound in his home yet a nice change of rhythm.
“So your duties as a maid will mostly include cleaning and organizing my office and sometimes keeping an eye on my daughters when they study here or bring their friends over,” he said.
“Keep an eye on your daughters...?” her voice trailed off. “I’d rather not be on the receiving end of space magic if that’s okay.”
He chuckled and shook his head. This girl was actually funny and smart.
They were downstairs now, in the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he took out some ingredients for dinner as Nina watched, a curious expression on her face.
“You keep an eye on boys. On the near zero chance that they bring a boy here, I expect you to report and handle them before I get home.” Silas took out a few pans and set them on the counter. His hands were already cutting vegetables as he thought about dinner.
The girl tilted her head and leaned on the island, her arms crossed as she stared at him.
“Kill? Scare? Hurt?” She listed, her eyes on the knife in his hand that cut the meat in perfect slices.
He smiled.
“Your choice. As long as they never come back again. But honestly if they managed to hide from me then you probably wouldn’t be able to do much,” he admitted and continued with his cooking.
The smell of sizzling meat filled the kitchen as he cooked the steak. Nina stayed in her spot watching him. Then she got a bit closer, the curiosity on her face obvious.
“Aren’t maids supposed to cook?” She asked with a raised brow.
Pouring the red wine reduction on the steak, he gave her a smile.
“There is no better feeling than cooking for my family, Nina. Maybe one day you’ll experience it.”
Nina opened her mouth to say something when the front door opened. The girls were home. Shoes were taken off, bags thrown around and two black-haired girls came to the kitchen, the scent of meat and wine strong.
Both of them froze as they noticed the stranger in their home.
Vic’s violet eyes were stuck, not blinking, not moving, just staring at her with an empty expression. Her lips were in a straight line as she was processing.
On the other hand, Kathy put her hands on her hips and stared down at Nina.
The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
“Dad why is there a stranger in our house?And why is she a teenager like us?!” Kathy exclaimed.
Turning to her sister, Kathy saw her state.
“You broke Vic dad. Her last functioning brain cell finally died and you did it,” Kathy sighed.