I stood before the large oak door, it was master's study. I held my breath, taking one look at the ticket in my hands.
I knocked on the door and waited.
"Come In."
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The study was orderly in a way that suggested discipline without effort, and a faint smell of sandalwood danced in the air. Sunlight slipped through the blinds in quiet line,s settling over shelves and polished wood.
He sat behind the desk, eyes lowered to a document in his hands, his posture composed and movements precise.
"Good afternoon master," I greeted. "I wanted to thank you... for letting me see Mr. Beaumont."
His attention shifted towards me and I stiffened. I fiddled with my fist, my gaze lowered.
"I didn't want to intrude but I felt it was important to come in person."
The air went heavy with silence.
"You're welcome." He answered.
That should have been enough.
I turned to leave.
Then courage — sudden and unwelcome — took hold.
"Mr. Beaumont gave me a ticket," I said turning back. My voice was steady despite the tension in my chest. "He invited me to the Grand Scent Exhibition."
I held out the ticket to him. He took it and studied it.
"He said he liked my perfumes" I added quickly. "and would be willing to let me display them."
The room felt hot.
"What is your plan?" he asked.
"Perfumers would showcase their works and people would buy them." I answered. "I would use it to earn some money for my family."
Silence again.
"Do you have the tools and materials for these?" He asked.
"I have some of them." I answered. "I can make do without the others."
He studied the ticket for a while.
"Elara..." He said my name.
My name sounded strange on his tongue. Nobody here except Grace had called me my name.
"I will get back to you on my answer." He continued. "You may leave"
He put the ticket on his desk and I saw my name written in gold ink.
"Thank you," I said.
I stepped outside, my body heavy with the weight of the exchange. The warmth of being recognized by name lingered.
Madam Louise stood nearby. Here eyes were stern and they gave an unspoken warning. I offered a shallow curtsy and walked past, feeling her gaze linger till I turned the corner.
***
"Good day Young Master." Louise stepped in.
"Good day," he replied.
She studied him.
"I want to talk to you about an issue I sensed."
"What issue?" his voice was calm.
"The Lady in White." Louise said carefully but firmly. "Your interactions with her, are not like they should."
His gaze met hers steady and unreadable.
"And what are you implying?" He asked.
"You broke protocols" her voice unshaken. "You let her into the main garden days ago and now you allowed her to meet an outsider."
The Lady in white was never meant to interact with outsiders. She should be isolated from the world beyond the gate and from the people within. She should not own an identity and should be like a dust in the wind, vanishing without a trace.
The silence settled as though the walls themselves listened.
He leaned back folding his arms on the desk. "I do not believe my actions were out of line" He said. "Even if they were, I should be able to make my decisions without judgment."
"I am not undermining your judgement master," she replied. "I only wish to prevent history from repeating itself."
The room went tense. Five years ago, a breach like this had ended in chaos. Louise's gaze lingered on him silently, and as silently as she had come, she left. The weight of her words still lingering.
***
I returned that evening with a pouch of thyme and cinnamon Grace had smuggled out of the kitchen. I just had to get the right stone to grind them. If only I had my mortar and pestle...
I spotted a little mortar and pestle on the beside, I blinked twice, maybe I had begun to hallucinate. It was still there with little pouches in it.
I rushed over to it, opening the pouches one after the other, very rare ingredients; musk, cedarwood, Bergamot, sea salt, myrrh, vanillin... My eyes glittered. He did this, I know he did.
I rushed out the room, down the stairs, out through the main door, through the yard, my hair whipping my face as bare feet skipped the grass. I stopped, panting. I looked over and I saw him walking towards the rose garden, a place he went every evening.
I held onto my dress sprinting towards him, my heart filled with unexplainable joy. I stopped before him. Panting heavily as my heart beat hard in my chest.
"T—Thank you." I struggled to catch my breath. "Thank you so so much"
I wanted to wrap my arms around him but I restrained the urge. He looked at me, surprised.
I couldn't bite down my excitement and I hopped like a child my eyes were glitter. My trembling hands covered my face; it felt hot to the touch
"I saw the mortar and the pestle," my words ran. "and the other ingredients, I saw them all and I am really grateful."
Just for a slight second, his eyes softened and it was back to cold hard stone.
"You can use them to prepare your perfumes for the exhibition." He added. "I would be attending and you can accompany me..."
I wrapped my arms around him. The scent of leather and warm skin filled my nose. My heart ached with joy.
"Thank you," I whispered.
Realization hit like a stone, what had I done? I forgot I was no longer in Soudan, where strangers hugged each other. He was stiff, I had upset him.
I pulled away.
"I am sorry," I apologized bowing. "I forgot my boundaries."
Silence...
"It is alright." He brushed his shirt, distancing himself from me.
The breeze carried awkwardness as I watched him walk through the gates of the red rose garden. The deep scent of the rose spread around me.
"Master," I called.
He turned to me.
"Please let me make you a perfume," I said. "You can use it to grade my skills before the exhibition."
He thought for a moment.
"Okay."
He walked away into the garden and disappeared into the bushes. The scent of roses lingered.
***
Louis watched from the window. A Lady in White should never have spoken to, let alone touched, the master. This girl could bring doom upon everyone. She would watch closely—and if things went wrong, she would take action... even if it meant removing her.