Chapter 7 - History Is The Past, Not Fiction

Upon seeing Lilith fall Raymond wondered if she finally grasped the gravity of the situation she was in. There was no one outside but the two of them since he was not big on having many people wander around his house, even if they were there to protect him. That meant that he was only one who witnessed her embarrsing fall.

Ashamed at her sudden action, Lilith sprung from the gravel, dusting off her dress. It was something she had bought when she got the job at the library, with the intent to look somewhat presentable. It was brown but had green pockets and white lace lining them. The dress had some stretch to it and so it cinched around her waist gently. It was incredibly comfortable. She also had some simple brown flats and her hair was back in two braids. Although she was in such an unwilling situation, she still needed to look some what presentable and have some sort of class. So, she cleaned herself off quickly.

Chucking a little to ease the awkwardness in the air, she gave Raymond a sheepish gaze, her cheeks burning feverishly hot. But Raymond just looked at her, his expression remained mostly indifferent but Lilith could see hints of disgust.

Moving on from that, Raymond took her into his house. Vast was not even the word she would use to describe it. It was massive. Of course, she had seen what it looked like from the outside and guessed that it would be big, but most of the rooms she passed through were not only wide but tall. The ceilings stretched up impossibly high. A lot of the spaces were made of white marble and that gave the entire house a clean vibe. But in all of the rooms, there was a pop of color, either from a tapestry, painting, or even bouquets of full, lush flowers.

"There are not many people here," Lilith spoke her thoughts, noting how their footsteps echoed in all the room.

"I do not have much staff. I am not a fan of noise." he looked back at her as if was warning her with that last sentence.

Lilith nodded. She was not a loud person by nature but could get so when she was pretty excited, so she made a mental note to keep her noise down if anything excited her. But what could excite her when she was being held prisoner?

All he showed her was the inside of the property, with all the times they had passed windows that gave a very good view of the landscaping behind the manor, he had never said anything about it. Lilith really wanted to at least take a small wife of what the outside smelled like. There was a field that led into a forest and there was even a lake that cut across the width of it all. Crystal clear and flowing gently.

Their tour ended in Raymond's office. He had already decided what he was going to have Lilith do so that he could have her on a tight leash. He would watch to see if he was right about here. But there was no other way she would have been able to get that dress unless she stole it from somewhere. And he wanted to know where she got it from and why she wore it to a party she was not invited to. He also wanted to know why she was not registered in any of the citizen files of Paria-Drae.

There were so many unanswered questions and he would get to the bottom of it. It was best for him to do it alone, rather than getting involved with the police and royals, they were useful, but they talked too much.

"You will be responsible for my meals, bringing them to and from me, you will also be responsible for cleaning, making sure that my office is spotless as all the halls on the third floor," Raymond said as he sat behind his desk.

Lilith was thunderstruck. "What the hell?"

Raymond blinked. "Excuse me."

"What the hell," she repeated slowly. "I am not your servant. Your maid. Who cares if you are a high person in society, I'm not doing anything for you. After you take me from my job because of some weak accusations which you have not proofed of, by the way."

"The proof I have is that you are not registered anywhere. No birth certificate, no passport, not even bills for taxes." he leaned forward. "It's like you appeared out of nowhere and when you did, you carried something that even the royal family has trouble getting their hands on."

"I did not get it from anywhere in Creona. And I did not steal the dress, there is no record of that dress anywhere in this country so why not think that I got it somewhere else, and if I did then it's not your business."

"Then where did the dress come from?"

"Somewhere."

Raymond twisted his jaw and got up from the seat, his steps were powerful. He stood in front of Lilith looking down on her. It was not very hard for him to tell when people were lying and time he could not tell if she was or was not.

"Then," he gripped her chin, pulling her face closer to his, "You will stay here until you tell me the truth."

One of the servants of the house was called and instructed to show Lilith around the places where she would be working the most and where she would be sleeping. And that left Raymond alone with his thoughts.

Lilith Victoria. She was from Creona since she could pass through Eridian, and she seemed to have gotten into the country illegally since there is no record of her arrival. So maybe she had gotten the dress from somewhere else. It was possible that she did steal the dress and ran away to Creona, knowing that she could be followed. But then, why show up at that ball? And what was with the questions about the date?

It was all too much to think about and so Raymond stopped for the moment. Putting Lilith in the back of his mind and getting back the papers that were neatly stacked on his desk.

After Raymond had sent Lilith away, she was shown to where she was staying by another servant there. She was an older woman and had a very sweet and chubby smile. She reminded Lilith of the typical cheerful woman you would see running a bakery.

"Are you the cook?" Lilith asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, I make the meals of all the people here," she said in a sing-song tone.

"Are there really not many servants here?"

"Mr. Cavill does not like interacting with people much and so he only had a handful of us. So we usually keep busy, especially the ones who have to clean. Keeping such a large house spotless with a small number of people is a difficult task, which is why I am happy that you are here."

Lilith hummed in response, dread beginning to settle in her stomach as the reality of her situation sank in. He was basically going to torture her until she told him what he wanted.

"Did he tell you what you would be doing around here?" the woman asked.

"I have to bring him his meals, clean his office, and dust the halls of the third floor."

The cook paused and looked back at her. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, shaking her head. "That man, always too cruel in the ways of people. You just took jobs that were assigned to three different people."

He was an ass indeed.

"If I may, would you tell me your name?" the cook asked.

"Oh, I'm Lilith Victoria."

"Lilith," she gave her a warm smile. "You can call me Mrs. Potts."

Lilith covered her mouth with her hand. A small smile creeping behind it. "Do you happen to have a son?"

Mrs. Potts paused, showing a perplexed expression. "A son?"

She chuckled lightly. "Nothing, never mind."