Clara didn't want to have much to do with Zach either after finding out about his true identity but she was reluctant to reveal such information to anyone else.
She wasn't willing to mock Zach like Grace and her servants but she couldn't treat him so perfunctorily either.
Just as Grace was about to laugh in jubilation, a burst of thunder spread across the sky like a web of interconnected blood vessels and shut up everyone else in the surroundings. His earlier words became the rope that would probably hang him. He had been so happy when he found out how Zach was a braggart and a bumpkin who didn't know when to shut up.
Alas! His superiority complex and his condescending attitude became the things that embarrassed him in front of the people and in front of Clara whom he was sucking up to.
The thundering noise from the sky was a testament to Zach's words. His prediction turned out to be true as dark clouds began to gather from all directions towards the center of Byzantium city and the clear and hazy sky suddenly became overcast with a large amount of thundery build-ups which was a sure tell sign of rainstorm.
A minute hadn't passes since Grace started to badmouth Zach. In just that little amount of time he was slapped right in his face. While Zach's prediction proved to be the truth, Grace began to look for some place to hide his face. He regretted mentioning this to Clara because the only one he had embarrassed this time was himself. Zach probably didn't even know what he had done. Grace knew that with his temperament, Zach probably wouldn't have cared even if he knew about the things Grace was pouring into Clara's ears about Zach.
Clara just gave Grace a stern look but didn't say anything other than that. She believed that Grace had enough shame and was responsible enough to reflect on his mistakes in order to seek rectification on his own.
Just when she was about to head out, Violet ran into the room with her hands covering the top of her head like a makeshift umbrella in order to keep her hair from falling prey to the briskly descending raindrops.
Even though she had run throughout her way to the estate, Violet still ended up getting drenched from head to toe. There was no part of her body that was still dry. Her clothes were clinging to her shapely body as if they had shrunk to a several sizes smaller version and were making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"What the hell is this? The weather came out of nowhere. Had I known, I would have brought a carriage with me. Look at this mess. My dress is completely ruined now." Violet could not stop complaining because her favorite silk dress had been ruined in the rain. She knew that the rain was extremely likely to leave water stains on her dress now that it had been exposed to such a powerful rain shower.
Clara could deduce from Violet's words that she hadn't been very close by when the shower hit. She must have run all the way home in order to prevent her dress from being ruined. Therefore, she didn't say a word lest she earn the ire of her sister.
Violet looked around the room and Clara met her gaze. The only person other than the two in the room was Grace.
Violet ignored Clara and indicated for Grace to come closer by crooking her finger towards herself.
"Hurry out and help everyone bring everything inside. I want everything to be taken indoors whether it is furniture or clothes. Nothing should be left at the mercy of the rain. Who can tell how long it is going to last for considering the unpredictability of the weather this time?"
Grace nodded his head feverishly in understanding and ran out at a brisk pace in order to help convey her orders to all the servants. Only then did he come to admire Zach a little even if it was dumb luck or pure intuition that allowed him to see the change in weather coming an hour earlier. Still, he wouldn't admit it to his face because that would be too embarrassing after he had badmouthed him in front of Clara earlier.
Violet held up a towel and began to wipe herself dry. Clara watched her actions with serenity but on the inside she was hesitating whether to tell her about Zach's prediction or not. She didn't want to sell out Zach or cause any trouble for him despite the fact that he was a dark mage on the account that Zach had saved her life.
But on second thought she felt that Zach would never have revealed his predictive ability to the servants if he had intended on keeping his ability secret. Therefore, she let go of that last bit of hesitation as well and decided to tell Violet all about it.
"You know what; Grace was in fact here to report something absurd to me just now. Even I felt it was a bit impossible but time proved it to be otherwise."
Violet's interest was piqued as she listened to Clara. She couldn't understand what was in that report that made Clara feel so intensely about it.
"What did he tell you? Or did you not have the chance to hear it? I am sorry. It's my fault. I should have asked you before sending away your guard to run an errand for me." Violet looked apologetic. Due to Clara's cold demeanor, Violet thought that Clara was chiding her for not letting her hear the report before sending Grace away.
Of course it was just a misunderstanding but Violet apologized to her before Clara could say anything.
"No, no, no; it's not that. Grace reported to me already." Clara finally clarified the situation to Violet who stopped looking apologetic once again.
"What did he say to you then?" Violet asked curiously with a hint of coldness in her eyes.
"He told me that Zach had already ordered his people to bring in their things to their rooms a full hour before the rainstorm first hit. He even told me that Zach had already predicted that it was going to rain in an hour at that time. Of course not a single person believed him at the time except his own people. Even I was skeptical since the sky was completely clear of clouds and sun was shining brightly. Therefore, when Grace mocked Zach, I couldn't bring myself to stop him. Surprisingly all of us were proven wrong in a matter of moments. Thunder and rain followed right after Grace reported Zach's words to me."
Violet didn't respond to her after listening to her report. Even her expressions didn't betray her true thoughts but there was the slightest glimmer in her eyes that Clara couldn't even spot let alone fathom.
…
It had been a few days since the sudden rainstorm and Zach's reputation had seen a massive increase among the Windsor family these days. The servants talked about his seer like abilities and called him a prophet among themselves. It seemed as if the cult of the Luther family had spread its roots into the Windsor family as well albeit not too deeply.
The head of the family was aware of the rumors spreading among his people as well but he was in no position to condemn or support such behavior as he was currently lying on his bed staring at the ceiling of his room like a lifeless corpse.
Marico's illness had been gaining ground in the later years of his life. If not for the fact that he was too worried to leave the family behind in the hands of his daughters, he would have long since passed on to the next world.
Another reason for his continuous escape from death was the presence of his close friend Drew who was a capable healer. Although Drew was also an SS ranked mage, he specialized in healing magic and was therefore not as adept at fighting. This meant that despite being an SS ranked mage, Drew was like a common civilian on any battlefield.
Of course that didn't diminish his importance at all. At one signal from him, countless mages would be willing to fight to the death because a favor from Drew was essentially another lifeline for any of them. Drew was able to extend the life of any injured or sick person as long as that person still had a living breath in him.
With Drew's help, Marico was able to linger on in the world of the living but he knew that his time was quite close at hand. His illness had flared up once again following the rainstorm. Therefore, his daughters had called upon Drew as immediately as possible so that he could take a look at their father.
Marico grumbled slightly in his mouth but didn't dare to say anything loud in front of Drew after all the latter was only doing him a favor. It wasn't that Marico was dissatisfied with Drew or his treatment. It was just that Marico was extremely averse to medical check-ups.
Marico tried his best to avoid them if possible but when his condition demanded it, Drew usually made an appearance in order to keep his condition from deteriorating any further.
"Just relax. It won't be any different from the previous times. You won't even feel it." Drew told Marico in order to calm him down as he tried to assess the old man's current condition.
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