The group made their way through the familiar halls of Winterborne manor in silence. Like always, the place was immaculate. Various personal portraits and expensive paintings were hung on the walls—thankfully none contained any will like back in the academy.
Michael was flanked by Melody and Rudy, each wearing different expressions. The former seemed anxious, her eyes lowered, while Rudy was his usual carefree self—evaluating the place with wonder.
They soon arrived in the gardens of the estate, getting some of the servants attention. Michael saw a few familiar faces who sent him an inconspicuous smile or wave of greeting, not wanting to bother the lord.
He smiled back, feeling genuinely happy in that moment.
"Man, you’re so popular." Rudy whispered, nudging him.
Michael let out a small chuckle, "I was also part of the servants remember?"
However, the two didn’t have time to finish their conversation as they arrived at a quaint gazebo in the middle of the gardens. This was the place where the lord liked to have his morning tea breaks.
This was also the place where he and Melody had entered a contract upon becoming her butler.
Vaughn stood at the side of the gazebo and gestured towards the seats, "Please, take a seat. Tea and snacks will be served shortly." He said, bowing slightly.
"Thank you Vaughn." The lord stated with a smile, taking his seat. The others followed, filing into the comfortable chairs around the circular table.
"So, how was your first semester at the academy?" Brian asked, his eyes solely on his daughter. The question seemed innocent enough, but despite the tranquil surroundings, there was a heaviness in the atmosphere.
Melody still seemed rather anxious, but it appeared that the man was not yet willing to speak about the situation with the Bishop family.
"Father, please cut to the chase. I can’t wait any longer..." Melody pleaded, her hands shaking as she grabbed the hem of her skirt tightly.
Brian’s expression faltered for a moment before his eyebrow raised. His gaze imperceptibly moved to Rudy on the opposite end of the table.
"It’s fine, Rudy knows the situation—as does Michael." She added, her sapphire eyes locked onto him.
At this, Brian seemed rather unimpressed, his lips forming into a thin line. "It’s rather odd of you to divulge family matters to outsiders Melody."
"He is my friend and a talented mage, father. Though he can be a bit of a dung-head sometimes, the guy is loyal and hardworking—he even has the potential to become a violet mage in the future..." she replied, her words containing a praise that surprised everyone present.
Rudy stared at the girl as if she had three heads, clearly not expecting to receive such an evaluation from her.
Seeing the scene, Michael swallowed his amusement. Now was not the time to poke fun at her, especially in front of her father.
However, upon seeing the evaluating gaze the man now looked at Rudy with—his amusement quickly dried up. Michael could almost see the cogs turning over in the man’s head, as if he was weighing up the benefits a potential violet mage could bring him.
Perhaps if he didn’t know the lord he might be oblivious to the man’s intentions, but unfortunately he had already been a pawn in the man’s schemes.
"Very well, I respect your wishes." He said, nodding. Newest update provided by novèlfire.net
Without any fanfare he continued, placing his elbows on the table and cupping his fist beneath his chin. "As I told you, the Bishop family have launched an appeal with the royal family over your engagement—invoking the old laws."
"Since we did not go through the official channels and submit the engagement to the royal family patriarch—or in this case, the king... It is thus considered invalid."
As he explained this, Michael resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Was it ever considered valid in the first place? After all, you only told me to act as Melody’s fiancé on the day we left for Arcadia... My lord."
His tone came out sharper than he intended, but thankfully he remembered to call the man by his title at the end, making it seem a little less disrespectful.
He saw the suave Brian frown slightly before letting out a sigh. "You’re right Michael my boy," he admitted, wearing a pained smile. "I’m sure you’re aware by now of what I did back then—in fact, I heard you’ve already paid quite a price for this farce."
Surprisingly, the guy sounded genuine, shocking Michael slightly.
Before he could reply, Brian stood up.
"Vaughn, come here a moment."
What is he doing? Michael thought, raising an eyebrow.
"Annul the contract like we discussed. I think young Michael here has suffered enough under my lousy decisions." He announced, only to receive a nod of acknowledgment from the butler.
His gaze snapped between Brian and Vaughn, not expecting such a development. But instead of reassuring him, the older butler produced a scroll from his coat pocket and unfurled it in his hands.
In the next moment he muttered a few words of incantation under his breath before the scroll suddenly caught alight. The flames produced sparks of mana that sputtered into the surroundings, painting a mystical sight.
At the same time, he felt a small sting on the back of his hand where the mark of the contract had been. Michael raised his hand, watching as the mark slowly began to fizzle out of existence—leaving pristine skin where it had been earlier.
Michael stood in stunned silence as he watched the scene, unable to formulate any words. He had been so sure the man would try and leverage his position under contract, yet his expectations had been subverted as soon as they’d arrived at the manor.
His gaze moved to Melody who also seemed shocked, yet there was a tinge of something else behind her eyes. Was it sadness? He couldn’t tell.
"You are now free of your obligation towards Melody, young Michael." Brian announced, his tone soft.