Inside a study- where lay olden bookshelves with worn-out books- a man sat at the lavish desk. His fairly loose white shirt could not hide his burly body and slightly bulging stomach. Strands of grey were mixed with with his receding black hair. His brown eyes were fixed on mysterious patterns scribbled on an yellow book page.
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," the man ordered without bothering to move his eyes from the book.
The door opened. An old, but tall and lean man wearing a butler uniform walked through the marbled white floor to the desk.
"A man called Xavier Godwin, along with a foreigner lady, is here to meet you. He came from Aramon," the butler reported.
"Occupation? Affiliation?" the man asked- his gaze still fixed on the circles and triangles on the page.
"Unstated," replied the butler.
The man finally turned to the butler and scowled. "Derbury might be a small town but I am still its Electal Lord. You should know better than to report the arrival of any random strangers and waste my time."
The butler looked around, even though they were the only ones in the room. Nevertheless, he circled around the desk to the Electal Lord and whispered something into his ears.
The man gradually lost his frown. But it did not stop there, as by the time his butler finished whispering, the man had his eyes like saucers.
"Where is it now?" the man asked- his voice low, afraid someone might hear.
"I have already entrusted it to madam. Should I bring it to you?"
The man shook his head. "You did well. She knows the pass to the safe. What about the esteemed guests? I am afraid I made them wait for too long."
"Rest assured, sir." The butler bowed. "I have welcomed them already. They are in the waiting room. And knowing madam, she should already be entertaining them right now."
The man sighed in relief. "Good. Fetch me my attire."
******
Xavier and Eulene sat opposite a beautiful middle aged lady. Eulene and the lady were laughing. On the other hand, Xavier observed the surroundings- while snacking on the sugary cookies of course.
After all, there was a saying in Avarynth- You can judge a person by his drawing room.
Just like the exterior of building, the room was mostly white. The majority of the floor was carpeted green and the rest was white marble. Aristocratic patterns existed on the white walls.
A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling above. But it was unlit since the sunlight coming through the prismatic windows was more than enough to brighten up the entire room.
But what caught his attention the most- other than the plethora of sweets and cookies arranged on the wooden table- was the extravagant showcase that almost covered an entire wall of the large room. Inside, there were hundreds of showpieces and artefacts- many that depicted sparrows, albatrosses, butterflies, dragonflies, scarabs and other insects. Many looked ancient, clearly- remainings of ancient civilisations. And some were new, crafted by the best of artists.
But nothing impressed Xavier more than Eulene- at how much of a social butterfly she was. She was talking to a lady she just met as if she reunited with an old friend. Or was it the case just because they were women?
"I still can't believe you are not wearing a corset underneath," the lady gazed at Eulene's slim waist, "I really envy your body."
"Well, I wanted to try it once." Eulene laughed. "But aunt did not have one my size."
"I really hope corsets get out of fashion soon," the woman said, "just how crinolines became a part of history. Imagine wearing a cage underneath your skirt. Thankfully, I am hearing that the fashion industry is booming in Aramon, with more ladies saying their goodbyes to those damned corsets every year."
"Really?" Eulene widened her eyes. "I really need to visit Aramon then."
The door suddenly opened. A man with greying hair and a bulging stomach entered the room. He was wearing a black suit over the white shite. And his hair was combed obliquely in such a way that it hid his scalps.
"Good afternoon, mister Godwin." The man walked to Xavier and brought forth his hand. "I am Eustace Silverman, the Electal Lord representing Derbury."
Xavier stood up and accepted the handshake. After all, until proven guilty, one was innocent.
"Pardon my sudden intrusion." Xavier took back his hand. "After discovering that we share rare but similar interests, I could not hold myself back from initiating a visit."
Lord Silverman gestured Xavier to sit back while he sat beside his wife. His eyes widened for a bit when he finally gave Eulene a glance.
He had never seen such a beauty in his life. A sense of envy and admiration grew in him for Xavier.
"Milady, may I ask where are you from?" He asked Eulene.
Eulene opened his mouth, but before she could answer Xavier answered, "She is an islander. Apparently, it is still undiscovered."
"An islander?" The man frowned.
Islanders were the most primitive of civilisations where science and technology were still in their infancy. They were synonymous with terms like 'savages' and 'barbarians'. If not for the Human Rights Act, they would all have been slaves by now like once they used to be.
"I know what you are thinking," Xavier said, "but rest assured. She is an expert in 'the field'."
"Oh." The frown disappeared from the man's face. The esteemed gifter's assurance along with her own unparalleled beauty curbed the racism in him.
"I'll take my leave then." The woman stood up. "I am afraid I would just be a bother if I stay between you scholars." She bowed and left the room.
"How did you know of my interests?" the Electal Lord asked. "After all, the information is not public."
"Your manor."
"My manor?" Lord Silverman raised a brow.
"White- the colour of purity; hydrangeas, peonies, orchids, marigolds- flowers believed to bring luck; oak trees and acorns- associated with luck, and you have a whole forest of them."
The politician laughed. "Looks like you really are a fellow delver of mysticism."
"And this mansion," Xavier continued as he took another cookie from the platter, "45 pillars should have been more than enough to support the building. But you decided to add four more to make it the square of lucky seven."
The man widened his eyes in surprise. "You were able to tell this much from a glance? Are you an architect?"
"Was." Xavier finished the cookie and picked another of a different variety from the table. He looked right into the politician's eyes.
"I am really curious of how far you are willing to go to bring in some extra luck?"