Jack stayed silent a moment longer, weighing his words before finally answering. "Nothing," he said evenly. "I just… happened to end up in here. But if I may ask — what brings you back?"
Melissa stared at him as if he'd just said something absurd. Then she shrugged lightly with disbelief plain on her face.
"You can't be serious. You were locked in, weren't you?" She gestured toward the door. "Which means I came back to get you out."
Get me out? ...She can't be serious, didn't she take a glance at me hiding atop the bookshelf earlier, or maybe it could have been that I just imagined her looking at me? ...But then again, if she's here, that must mean that she did notice me?
Either way, why didn't she point me out when those people were in here?
Jack let out a soft, awkward chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "Oh, really? But why?" He asked lightly. "Aren't I intruding?" He asked.
Melissa raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" She said flatly, "If you mean tucking yourself into a corner like some rat, then yes, you're intruding... But I couldn't care less bout that."
"You promised me we'd meet after the banquet going on downstairs is over. And I don't have much to do at the moment."
"Oh?" Jack let out a soft breath of surprise.
Melissa's eyes narrowed, looking at Jack with a confused expression on her face."
"..."
Jack stood and brushed some dust from his clothes, giving his sleeves and shoulders a few firm pats before stepping toward Melissa. Melissa, however, didn't move and didn't even blink; her gaze was fixed on him with a growing intensity that made Jack's skin prickle.
Why's she staring like that? Jack wondered. Anyway, I should get out of here and see what those guys were up to.
"...Is your face melting?" Melissa suddenly asked flatly. Her green eyes were narrowing even further.
Jack paused mid-step. "What?"
A second later, he raised a hand and pressed it to his face. After another moment, he pulled it away and checked his fingers, making sure his makeup hadn't started to smudge or fall apart.
Looking at his fingers, Jack froze.
Oh no, this, this is bad. How, and when did this happen? He wondered, his blue eyes focused on the smears left behind on his fingers.
Then he remembered what could have done this to him, and that thing being the wine the nobleman had splashed across his face. That had to be the cause.
But then again, it could have been any number of things— like when he wiped the wine from his face, or even earlier, when he'd entered the room.
Melissa shrugged.
"Do you happen to know what was in those boxes? I'm curious."
Jack shifted his attention from his own problem to her. "I'm not sure. They were about to be opened, but then you interrupted… so I honestly don't know."
"And if I said I wasn't curious myself, then that would be a lie." He added.
"Really?" Melissa said, a trace of disappointment in her voice.
Silence hung between them for a moment. Melissa parted her lips slightly, as if to add something to the uneasy quiet — but no words came.
"I might have an idea?" Jack muttered as Melissa pondered.
She flicked her eyes to him. "Hmm?"
"Since our interests are aligned for now, I was hoping you could do me a favor." He said, covering his mouth and nose.
"And that is?" Melissa inquired.
"You could go check what's in the boxes." Jack paused as Melissa's green eyes filled with confusion. "Technically, since you work here, it wouldn't be suspicious. If I did it, they'd probably think I'm trying to steal something." He continued.
"That makes sense, but even if you worked here, no one would allow you to walk around in the halls looking like that." Clarified Melissa.
Jack glanced at himself, suddenly noticing how disheveled he had become. His clothes were streaked with dirt, probably from squeezing through the room's entrance or from hiding atop the shelf. The bookshelf hadn't been cleaned in ages, leaving dust to settle thick over its surface.
He let out a deep sigh, and Melissa followed suit.
"Come with me," she said, pivoting toward the exit.
"Come with you... Where?" Jack queried.
Melissa didn't answer immediately. She stepped forward and opened the door. Finally speaking, "To the laundry room, obviously."
"Oh... That makes sense."
***
Later, Melissa found herself in Sil Bernard's office, but she wasn't alone. Sil Bernard sat behind his desk, while the detectives and their companions stood before him, wearing polite, measured smiles. Two of the boxes rested on the desk, neatly stacked, while the remaining five were arranged on the floor nearby.
Everyone turned to look at Melissa with surprise written in their smiles, wondering what she might be doing there. As for Melissa herself, she looked oddly serious than before she was conversing with Jack.
"Miss, Melissa? What are you doing here?" Sil Bernard inquired, curiosity lacing his words.
"I thought you might be needing me. So I came back." Melissa replied, her voice flat but polite.
"Oh, but I've already asked for Vanessa to come and handle anything that would need handling." Before Bernard could add more, Melissa interjected.
"Well, I don't care?"
Though Melissa was a maid working for Sil Bernard, she was treated almost like nobility in his presence — and even Bernard himself fell into that habit. For him, this kind of behavior from her was somewhat normal. That was part of the reason he preferred Vanessa over Melissa: Vanessa's personality was easier to manage. At the moment, everyone else couldn't help but wonder if such behavior was really necessary. Truthfully, Melissa didn't care.
Currently, Melissa's eyes flickered between the boxes and the people peeking at her. Though she had acquiesced to Jack's plan, she had doubts.
***
Meanwhile, Jack had finished changing his dirtied clothes and was now on his way to try to find his sister Nyx, hoping to borrow some makeup to mask his real face.
His hair carried itself through his every motion, and his bright blue eyes sparkled upon catching the light being emitted from chandeliers and lamps.
His skin was pale.
He wore a black suit that looked like it belonged to a poet, the suit that Melissa borrowed for him to replace the mess he was dressed in earlier. He moved with slow, measured steps, approaching a door at the far end of the corridor.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
At the very far edge of the corridor, along a path that intersected with the one Jack was walking on. The Vikii lady in her forties approached while complaining about something that didn't go quite as she planned.
"Why stop me for a pointless interaction when it was very clear that I was rushing somewhere?" she grumbled.
"Now I'm sitting at a dead end without any clear answer as to where that young man is now, and that's all thanks to the useless nobles who just want the Vikii fortune, nothing more.
She scoffed, shaking her head. "It wouldn't even surprise me if they had the nerve to approach me, asking if they could have their sons' hand in marriage to my sweet St. Selena."
Her lips curled in disgust. "It makes my skin crawl even just imagining it."
Then she went silent for a brief moment, settling herself with soft breaths.
***
"I wonder where Jack is now? I imagined I would run into him after getting to the kitchen, but I guess I'm outta luck... It might be that he chickened out, or he couldn't stand these annoying delegates of nobles." She said calmly to herself.
A few measured steps later, she collided with a man standing at the corner where the two paths met, forcing her to stumble backward a few unsteady steps before regaining her balance.
"…Son of a bitch! Watch where you're going!" She yelled.
"Wait... Liora?" Jack exclaimed, surprised to see that the person he had collided with was none other than his boss. Only, in an elegant outfit, and carrying herself like a high-ranking noble.
Her eyes narrowed as they met the man's face, her brow furrowing. "Who're ya?"