"Will Miss be needing help moving in, or will you all be coming inside? If so, please, do not wake Miss Alessa."
Staring silently as their bodyguards one by one slowly started entering the manor with the rest of her things upon Axel's nod, she studied the boy in front of them. Of all the people who would open the door this morning, why did it have to be a boy? She wryly thought, feeling a mix of amusement and hesitation with the particular scene.
She knew how protective her brothers get and because of this she hoped that they would not read the situation differently. As far as she knew she had thoroughly explained her would-be situation inside the manor. It wasn't like her to sugarcoat things and fully aware of how defensive Axel gets whenever she's within five feet radius of another boy - a stranger to be exact, she had told them about things as honestly as she could. (This meant everything actually)
She told them that though Blanchett Manor is owned by a young woman, it was also opened for people of the opposite gender. She didn't have the exact numbers of the other occupants, but she had heard that there was a considerable number of male and female staying at the place. She explained all of this from the very start in order to avoid the intermittent investigation that her brothers would surely do once they had heard her utter the words: "temporarily leaving home to have a change of pace". She knew that it wasn't unusual for Argylle to hire a private investigator and all that CIA stuff. Her brothers greatly prided on having a lot more connection than a high-ranking government official have. They usually do things in an impeccable and meticulous manner. They sometimes (OK, that was too much downplaying) â they more often than not, get ridiculous with the way they handle a situation, especially when it comes to her.
A perfect example of this was the incident on her last school. She had been intentionally badly hurt and shouted at by one of the instructors teaching math. She wasn't able to answer the question, and in her fury, the said teacher threw the eraser on her. Even though she tried hard not to tell this to them, not wanting things to get bigger than it was supposed to be, this information had unfortunately reached her brothersâ ears. Their retaliation had been abrupt and straightforward. Axel and Argylle immediately placed the teacher on probation (and eventual permanent ban) right after garnering enough evidence to rebuke the said personâs license. Due to the never-ending connections associated with their family name, Axel had successfully âfiredâ the teacher along with the other three more recently discovered corrupted and terror-like instructors of the Academy. After that they did a thorough background check of every nook and cranny of the school personnel, from the top-level management up to the janitorial staff. Such action scared both the students and the school administrative and ever since then, nobody dared to cross paths with Aina. It was also because of that, why the naturally blue-haired girl had a hard time to find friends both at school and at home.
Ever since that particular incident their protectiveness level increased two-folds, up to the point that it had been undeniably suffocating.
It was only when her father stepped in and took control of things that she got some freedom of sorts. He was the only reason that Argy and Axy stopped with their pushiness. He urged them to let her learn about both the pleasing and bitter things there are, instead of encasing her in a glass walled life. He told them that the best educator would be both practice and experience, and Ai would definitely never grow up if they continue their over protectiveness. She was thankful that after that they had learned to loosen their hold on her and made her experience different aspects of life âboth good and bad.
Now faced with this scenario, she wondered. She didnât know if there were already other female tenants, aside from the landlady and her niece living in this place. Surely Axel, the more protective one would take note of this small detail with careful deliberation. And it would be, even for an optimist like her, be a disastrous scenario if her father would join in her brothersâ âProtect Aina to the very core propagandaâ. She had enough of those to last several lifetimes and she really rather felt as if there is something she needed to do at this place. However, she wonât be able to do that if her they wouldnât let her go.
Sighing yet truly warmed with the idea of having such loving family, she boldly met the boyâs red eyes and smiled.
He was taller, taller than her brothers if sheâs not mistaken, she noted curiously staring at him. He was also handsome. With his long white-hair freely let out, adding to that cold and mysterious allure he had in his aura, he looked striking.
âAre you related to Ms. Alessa Beaulieu?â Her fatherâs authoritative voice suddenly spoke causing Aina to turn to him abruptly. Hearing the bland tone in his inquiry, she readied herself to whatever reaction he will have. She noticed Axel and Argylle, while looking shocked themselves, standing straight at the corner just waiting patiently. She knew that only one word from her dad and they would drag her out of Blanchett Manor without further ado, no matter how much she argued with them.
Deafening silence followed that simple statement and Aina can clearly feel the tension in the air.
Panicking at levels she didnât know was possible enough for her, she did the only thing she can do. She started walking towards the white-haired boy and she reached a hand out. She stopped in front of him and raised herself in tip toes, unintentionally blurting out something so random compared to their current situation as she seemingly reached out for his hair. âI like the color of your hair⊠itâs so unique.â She beamed at him almost touching his hair, when she retracted her hand âtil the last minutes, changing her mind.
Awkward silence followed and even the bodyguards felt the uncomfortable atmosphere between them.
Argylle, as if sensing some impending danger or something near, immediately went towards her and lightly carried her by the waist some distance away from the boy. It was not a moment later when the ground seemed to forcibly shake, surprising each one of them. Fear and confusion evident in their faces, they craned their heads to look for the direction of the disturbance,. Their eyes meeting each other several times, they once again got bewildered, when a weird giggling sound was heard from the direction of their father.
Slowly tilting her head in confusion, Aina found him, covering his mouth with his hand. His face slightly hidden and his head slightly bowed; the black-haired girl couldnât be mistaken with the sounds coming out of his mouth. Understanding what had made her father entertained, she too laughed lightly along with him.
âI-Iâm so sorry!â Alastair started saying, still trying to compose himself. He wiped his face and eyed the white-haired boy in front.
âAi, I hope that you will have fun here, my little butterfly,â he walked towards her, arms spread out as he waited for his daughterâs embrace. She then stepped away from her brotherâs grasp and hugged the older man. âJust contact us for any problem you may have, mâkay?â Alastair asked lovingly, tightening the hug.
âAxel and Argylle, Iâm going to allow Aina to temporarily stay here so I hope you do the same for her.â He said smilingly as he turned at the two, an edge of warning evident in his voice. He then set his green eyes to the seemingly detached boy who had opened the door for them, âI wonât be forcing my way in just to talk to Ms. Alessa today but I do hope that youâd let my little butterfly get settled in just fine,â he surreptitiously raised an eyebrow in inquiry with a hint of challenge in his stance. âI am Alastair Ederra. These are my children, Axel â the one on the right, Argylle, and Aina. She will be living here at Blanchett Manor. We will be taking our leave now.â