His Little Maid

Chapter 11

The clouds had started to accumulate and casted a dark gloom to the villa. A droplet hit one of the window panes, followed by another until a slight drizzle started to create a melancholic sound. Licht looked out the window, transfixed at the rhythmic pounding of the rain outside.

The air started to get chilly; she heard shuffling at her side to see Clara stand beside her. She had been busy arranging the living room and was so lost in her own thoughts to not sense the timid maid. "Do you think everything's alright?" She heard Clara ask, taking hold of the broom and starting to sweep the imaginary dust.

Licht observed her friend, despite her shy countenance, she knew Clara worried for John, just like how she worries for Lark. She had no idea why they feel such things about their employer and his friend but they just do. There was a moment of silence before she sighed and gave a shrug.

"I honestly don't know. I wanted to know what their job is but then again, it's not our place to meddle." She answered, an unknown ache spreading on her chest. She wanted to help him, she has no idea why but she just wanted to wipe that grim look he always have and see him smile.

She had been wondering why she's so concerned and worried about him. She's only like that with her family. Besides, being near him evoke feelings that confused her and made her mind and heart wager against each other.

She heard Clara's defeated sigh and she turned to see the other girl's face fell.

"I know. It's just, I want to help him but I don't know how. I don't even have any idea why I'm feeling like this, and towards someone very different than me to boot." Clara said as she plopped herself on the soft couch. Licht took the seat next to her. Sharing her sentiments.

"Do you like John?" She queried curiously, the other girl quickly blushed beet red up to the roots of her hair. Clara hid her face on her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment. Licht chuckled slightly, "I'll take that you do." Clara glared at her, but her eyes turned sad again.

"He's just so... sweet and kind to me. I couldn't help it. It's like there's something pushing me to him. I can't resist it. I don't know how to resist it!" She said hysterically, she turned to her friend. "Why do I feel this way Licht? I've never felt this way before. Why him? He's too perfect for me." Clara sobbed, her lips trembled and tears started filling her eyes.

Licht eyes hardened while she rubbed Clara's shaking shoulder. "What do you mean? I think you're perfect for him too. Don't be too hard on yourself Clara. You're a beautiful girl. Stop belittling yourself." She replied with conviction taking her friend in surprise.

The blush that started to fade was brought back in a force. Clara sputtered in embarrassment, Licht laughed at her reaction to her compliment. The brunette turned to pout at her. "Are you teasing me?" she asked and Licht shook her head no, still laughing.

She smiled at her timid friend. "Look, you should have more confidence in yourself. I won't tell you to go and confess to him but who knows, maybe he likes you too. But don't think that you're not good for him." She encouraged and despite the doubts still in her heart, Clara gave her a small smile and nodded her head.

"Thank you, Licht." She said quietly, just enough for her sharp ears to hear. She smiled despite herself, but it faltered a little as she thought about her own feelings.

If she was being honest, she knew what she felt earlier. She was jealous of that girl Andrea. She has never felt those things before and it was always hard for her to be honest with herself. But what she felt was so strong that it took her aback. Unknowingly, Lark has crawled inside her most guarded place.

Her heart.

And she doesn't know if she liked the feeling and the constant war raging within her.

Clara noticed her sudden change of mood and nudged her side, taking her attention.

"How about you, what do you think of Lark?" It was her turn to blush and avert her eyes, her lips thinning into a straight line. She heard Clara's giggle beside her, and she threw her a glare before giving out a loud sigh.

She propped her head on her hands, her eyes trained outside. "I actually don't know yet. I..." She hesitated, her arms folding at her lap. "I also feel connected to him but there are too many things I don't know about him to fully trust him and my feelings." She answered honestly, baring herself to the other girl.

Clara nodded at her side. "But what does your heart tell you?" she questioned genuinely.

"That I might like him?" she answered unsure, she didn't want to solidify her feelings until she knew what she's getting into.

"Might?" Clara asked unimpressed, and she let out an irritated groan. "Like I said, I've never felt like this. I don't understand those kinds of things." she answered honestly.

Clara smiled, and then took her hands on her smaller ones. "You don't have to understand, you just have to feel. I'm not sure why we feel the way we feel but let's just believed in them."

Clara beamed a smile of encouragement at her and she let out a laugh taking the other girl in surprise. "Thank you Clara, I can't believe we're out here giving encouragement about our crushes to each other." She laughed again and this time Clara gave out a chuckle as well.

"You're right, this is very BFF like. It's the first time I did this." She confessed, a mischievous grin plastered in her face.

Licht nodded, she never had a close friend after the incident with her father. She was always busy holding up her mother and sister that she grew up too quickly. She never had time to have crushes or first loves or even the time to pour out her heart to another person like this.

She was very happy to have come here. Alot of her first had been in this house.

Their moment was ruined when the clock chimed signaling that they should be preparing dinner. And like clockwork, they saw Maris enter the living room. The older woman shot them a motherly smile and a raised eyebrow when she saw their clasped hands.

"Did I miss anything?" She teased the younger girls. The two looked at each other before nodding their head no, their lips pressed together to stop themselves from bursting into a giggle. Maris just looked at them suspiciously before clapping her hand and telling them to start preparing for dinner.

The two quickly stood up and followed the older woman into the kitchen.

--

They were in the middle of placing the dishes when the four decided to come down. Licht observed them quietly, her eyes following the newcomers.

She still can't see any resemblance they have with Lark but she just shrugged it off. They didn't appear to be too serious; Andrea looked too bubbly in her opinion while the guy, Jake seemed to be there to calm her down.

Seeing them together made the feeling of jealousy sprout back but she shoved it down. She never wanted to realise her feelings, despite what she said to Clara, she sympathized with her thoughts. He just seemed so perfect compared to a poor, fatherless girl like her. Her eyes reflected her sad thoughts but she shook her head out of it.

She found them staring at them and she ducked her head in embarrassment. A few seconds and she felt before she saw her presence. Licht looked up to see Andrea in front of her, again with that smile so blinding. Her bright brown eyes shining with something she can't describe.

"Licht right?" And she nodded her head, her stance guarded. What does she want with me? Does she want to stake her claim? She thoughtin her head, paranoid, her uneasiness following.

"You have very beautiful purple eyes, such a rare color." She faintly heard her say and she blushed, not used to compliments.

"Thank you. I got my father's eyes." She answered unconciously. She had taken after her father more than her mother. She heard Jake whistle lowly, she did not felt him approach her.

"That's so cool." She heard him say and she just smiled. Maybe her wariness was unfounded, she thought, seeing nothing wrong with the two. A low growling sound reached her ears that startled the three of them. Licht looked around to see Lark glaring at the two, a frown set on his mouth and his dark eyes turning darker.

A shiver ran up her spine as she continued to stare at his onyx eyes. "Jake, Andrea, stop bothering Licht." His voice low as he commanded the two, and they immediately obeyed. They took their seat and apologized to their Alpha through mind link.

"Now, now Lark, don't be too possessive yet." Maris told him through her mind, she chastised her Alpha and gave him a disapproving glare. Lark dismissed her lecture still getting irritated. Sure, he knows that they were only happy to chat with their future Luna but he hates any male trying to get near her.

Besides, compliments count as flirting. And as much as he loves her unsual eyes. He did not like other guys staring and marveling them.

Licth was miffed at his sudden order, observing his mood more. The frown was still etched in his lips and her own matching it.

What was his problem? She asked in her head. When he looked her way again, she could feel his eyes beckoning her and she felt her feet move on their own. Before she could stop herself, she was already in front of him.

Her eyes held questions and curiosity but he just pulled a chair next to him. "Eat with us. Seat down as well, Maris and Clara." He said to them though his eyes never left her. She remained quiet as well, not questioning his command.

The room was tense and all of them can feel it. Clara shifted on her seat, which was beside John, on her left was Andrea and Jake. Lark and Licht sat across them with Maris taking the seat beside the girl.

Clara suddenly felt a hand grabbing her own and giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked up to see John looking at her worriedly and she saw him adjust his seat much closer to her. As if shielding her from the dark atmosphere Lark exuded.

"Let us eat." Maris tried to diffuse the tension in the room. Lark breathed in a bit to try and calm himself. Licht picked at her food, her stomach felt heavy. She had no idea what set him off but it probably had something to do with her.

Her heart thudded painfully against her chest and she worried what she had done wrong. Now she was nervous about speaking to him after dinner. "Is something wrong, Sir?" she tried asking him in a whisper. His mood only darkened at the use of honorific.

"Don't call me that. And no nothing's wrong." He answered just as quiet as hers. Licht nodded her head and internally berated herself for her stupidity.

She didn't want the mood to remain that way so with a bit of courage; she tried to touch his arm that was under the table. She visibly saw him relax and felt the corded muscles under her fingertips loosening up. He turned to see her worried gaze upon him and slowly she saw his eyes turn down a shade from the bottomless dark it was before. She offered him a smile, not daring to question him of his strange behavior.

The atmosphere eased up and all of them gave out a sigh of relief.

--

When dinner ended, Licht nervousness grew twofold and she fidgeted constantly as he waited for Lark outside his bedroom since he need to talk with John shortly. It gave her a few minutes to compose herself and think of what to say.

"Maybe I don't need to tell him?" She mumbled to herself, worried that he might get angry at her for disobeying his rules. A shiver of fear run down her spine as she remembered the earlier scene at the dining room. Who knows how he would react.

Before she can talk herself out of it, Lark suddenly appeared before her, shocking her out of her wits. She almost jumped out of her skin when he put his hands on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" He asked, seeing her reaction.

Licht nodded her head, one hand on top of her racing heart. "You just startled me." She answered. Lark nodded his head, before opening his bedroom door. He was worried about what she wanted to talk about and the fact that she looked so deep in thought before he came was making him uneasy.

Lark motioned for her to take a seat on one of his recliner in front of the hearth and she did so, her hands folded on her lap. He made the fire first before taking the seat next to her. He turned to the jittery maid and asked her, "So what did you want to talk about?" His face was serious as he watched her.

Licht kept her eyes on her fingers as they fiddled with each other. She counted to five on her head, and then took a large breath before starting with her statement. "I went inside the forest a few days ago." She confessed, the words flowing fast from her mouth. Her eyes tightly shut.

A few seconds of silence came by and she was forced to take a peek at her employer's face. What she saw both scared and worried her, his face was blank but hidden behind his eyes are blazing anger or other, she did not know.

She gulped once, looking down again, scared that she made him angry. She knows she can't take another of that heavy atmosphere like earlier.

"I'm sorry, I know you said we shouldn't but I just felt like something was off. I didn't mean to disobey you." She quickly said as if to pacify his anger, instead she appeared to fuel it more.

She had her head down so she can't see his face but the heaviness in the air increased to the point that it was becoming physically hard to breathe. The fear escalated and tears started gathering at the brim of her eyes. Whatever was happening was not something a human could do. The words of the strange man flitted back to the forefront of her mind.

I wonder if you know what your employer is?

Somehow those words carry a different meaning than what she previously thought.

"Tell me Licht, did something happen when you entered the forest?" He asked, snapping her back to reality. His voice was lower and more powerful again she noted and there was authority behind it. She wanted to lie but thought better of it. She felt that he would know either way. "Y-Yes." She answered, a bit of tremble in her voice.

"What is it?" She heard him ask, but it was as if he was having difficulty saying it. Her hands clenched tightly, bunching the fabric of her clothes as if to draw courage from them.

"I met a strange man in there; he kept on addressing me as a human. He seems to also know you. He asked who I am and told me that I don't know what you really are." She answered honestly, relieved that her voice didn't sound weak.

The atmosphere turned heavier and she gasped at its intensity. She felt like a ton was pressing down at her. A snap sounded from in front of her and she was supposed to lift her head to look at him but he commanded her to stay as she was.

"Don't lift your head, and close your eyes Licht." He said, his voice becoming more and more deep and grumbled. All her hair was standing up and the room became strangely cold despite the fire that was next to her. But still she obeyed and closed her eyes.

Another snap resounded, much louder this time, she flinched at the sound. It sounded so painful. Licht didn't notice that she was trembling and her teeth were chattering until he asked her to describe the man. She was really having a hard time speaking then.

"He appeared to be in his late thirties. Shoulder length brown hair, same brown eyes and he have a scar running down his lips." She finished describing him, tears already gathering in her eyes.

"Thank you Licht, you may go now." She heard him say and she was about to open her eyes and protest when suddenly she felt a hand on her eyes and she was being dragged out.

She was baffled when she was finally let go to see that it was Maris who took her away from Lark's room. She led them towards the hallway near their quarters.

"What was that?" Maris asked her in apprehension. The older woman was clearly distressed.

"I-" Licht started unsure of what happened as well. "I don't know."

Maris paced aggressively, "I thought you said nothing happened at the forest? Something dangerous could have happened to you!" Maris scolded her, the worry in her voice apparent. Licht hung her head in shame; she was embarrassed that she heard everything.

"Who knows what could happen if I didn't get you out of there!" She heard her say lowly. Licht became curious and really she has all the right to know what the hell just happened in there. Lark was obviously angry but that atmosphere he created was inhumane, and those snapping sounds, what were they?

The strangers words flitted at her head again. As well as the things she heard them say. There is something wrong in this picture.

"Maris, what aren't you telling us?" she said, her eyes hard, looking at the older woman in distress. Maris sighed and stopped pacing, tiredness can be seen from her eyes. She held both her shoulders and looked her in the eye.

"Lark is just really angry. He is quick to lose his temper. Please forgive him. Everything is too chaotic right now but I promise you. He will tell you when it's time. Okay?" And then just like that, the old woman left her there to ponder her words. Confusing her more.

She could only blink her eyes and stare at the lonely hallway, with a furious howl of a wolf echoing in the distance.