A MAZE OF GREED

"You are a trouble, do you know that?"

Ruth stilled with wide eyes hearing that familiar voice.

"I... I... am... I..." She struggled as the words came jumbled from her mouth.

She was supposed to apologise, but she did not know what she had done for that.

"Would you mind if I demand some of your time. Miss Ruth?" Lester asked.

"Sure Lord Wright. You do not need a permission." She said.

Lester walked towards her and sat beside her on the white stone bench near the pond. The duck had disappeared somewhere to save itself from the sorcery of this hazel-eyed woman.

Ruth felt very uncomfortable- the feeling she had never experienced before with this green-eyed man. He was always observing and estimating things but had a warm and welcoming aura, that always put her heart at ease.

But today, she did not feel it. Maybe it was because she knew that he was there to scold her or insult her like Fannie.

Ruth sighed. At least he was sensible enough to find her in the garden where she did not need to get embarrassed in front of others.

Minutes passed in silence as none of them initiated a conversation. Ruth's cheek hurt after her incessant biting it all this time.

Before she tore the flesh and, draw blood from it, she decided to break the silence.

"I apologise, My Lord. I... I did not mean any of that to happen. I am ready for any punishment you deem fit for me." Ruth said while looking down in her lap.

"I can not punish you." He said after a pause.

"Why?"

"Because I am not the one with that authority. Someone else is."

Ruth looked at him questioningly.

"Edwin. He is the one with authority to punish you and take responsibility of your every mistake. Did not he tell you that when he signed the paper that Elsie sent for him with you?"

Ruth recalled what Edwin told her.

-"These papers mentions that, responsibility of the servants should be taken by one of the family members who recommend them. So when a servant fails to discharge their duty efficiently the person who recommended them has a right to dismiss them from the service or punish them for their mistakes."-

Ruth gulped nervously in realisation. That blue-eyed monster would chop her hands for all the destruction she had caused.

"You are scared of him."

It was not a question but a statement.

"What? No! I mean why would I?" Ruth turned her head away to hide her face from Lester. Little did she know that it was not her face but her raced heartbeats that gave her secret away.

"Well... everyone fears him. I thought you are no exception." Lester said.

"But you do not. You are a exception." Ruth pointed out.

Lester coked his one brow at her in amusement. "You think so? And why is that?"

"Because... because he is your best friend and friends do not scare each other. I have seen you joking around him and even chiding him when he does not go by the rules. Does that count as fear?"

A tinkling laugh left his mouth. It was genuine and heartfelt. Ruth was confused but also glad that she made him laugh. The tension between them felt subsided since then.

Shaking his head, Lester looked ahead of him. "No that does not. But it does not mean I do not get scared of him. Even though I am his best friend I have my limits regarding him. Not only me but even his family can not cross the line."

Ruth was curious now. "Is he... is he that powerful?"

Lester met her eyes. "More than you can ever imagine."

That sent a cold chill down her spine. Now she was sure that the blue-eyed monster would not be satisfied by only cutting her hands. He might throw her in the dark dungeons of 'the great manor' that Ida had told about.

Then what would happen with Mrs Payne? Would he punish her too?

"Admit that you are also scared of him!" It was not a challenge.

"H-how do you know?" Ruth stuttered.

Lester smiled again meaningfully. "I can hear your heart beats thumping hard against your chest."

Ruth's face flushed hearing that. Was she that obvious?

Ruth cleared her throat. "But Lady Elsie, she seems very close to him. She even teases him and I even saw him smiling ear to ear three times around her." Ruth said the last part as if it was something confidential.

"Miss Ruth, you seriously are something else." Lester laughed again.

"Having power does not mean he is unapproachable. Edwin is also a normal person from inside. Like you and me."

"Pardon, Lord Wright. But I hardly believe that anyone considers you as normal. You are a Lord afterall."

"Remove that tag from my name and tell me. Does that change anything, Miss Ruth?"

Ruth did not answer.

"Power does not always come from the name. It helps, I agree. But power is something that you should have inside you. You have to sweat, bleed, rise and excel in it.

Power without control is dangerous than any other disaster."

Lester's word tripped slowly in her brain.

"What is use of physical strength of the warrior, who do not know how to use it according to the situation? What use is of his strong arms if he does not know how to use a sword? Would you still consider him powerful?" He asked.

Ruth shook her head slowly. "No."

"In the same way as a warrior learns about his power, works on it, polishes it and decides his goal of where and how he wants to use it, makes him the undefeated on the battlefield. Poeple get scared by only his name if he masters his power."

Ruth nodded in understanding. Lester was not only a well-trained warrior but was also a clever diplomat. And Ruth's respect for him rose because of that.

Feeling more comfortable around, she asked, "And what if there is something that you do not understand? Like you know that something is wrong, but you do not know if it was a power or a curse?"

Lester did not say anything for some time. He only kept staring ahead as if something was going in his mind.

"Power is a curse, disguised as a blessing!"

Ruth repeated those words in her head. And with every repetition, she understood the meaning of that.

"It is so deep! Where have you learned it?"

"I heard. But Edwin... he lived by that." Lester smiled sadly.

"His power is his curse?" Ruth asked incredulously.

Lester nodded his head in affirmation.

"Well.. then there should be some cure for it."

"Does not every problem have a solution?" She believed that.

Lester held her gaze for a moment before saying, "Maybe he has found it. But..."

"But?"

"The time will tell if the cure is effective enough to cure his curse or will it worsen it."

"Ruth! My Lord!" Ida came looking for her and was surprised to see Lester with her.

"Ida?"

"Ruth, Lady Theodora is asking for you."

The worry laced voice of Ida made Ruth's heart skip a beat. Instinctively, she turned towards Lester to see his face void of any emotions.

"I told you. Only Edwin has the authority of punishing you or dismissing from the job." He shrugged his shoulders, then standing up, he walked away.

Ruth clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath.

Her stars must be very upset with her lately.

*

*

*

Heels of expensive shoes clicked against the marble floor as Theodora strode towards the physician's chamber. When she first heard about Fannie, she was curious, but when someone told her that Ruth had a fight with her just before Fannie lost her consciousness, she was intrigued.

In the small section of one of the buildings of the 'great manor', situated a chamber where the family's physician had stocked various medicines with many beds. The physician and his team did not only took care of the family members but also of their servants and soldiers.

The physician was a werewolf and had some humans in his team. Fannie lost her consciousness in a way when Ida was taking her to the physician.

Every person on Theodora's way was surprised to see her in that section of 'the great manor'. They bowed in respect, but she ignored all of them.

A guard opened the door of the chamber, and Theodora stepped inside it. Her hazel eyes scanned the empty beds till they settled on the one on which Fannie lay unconscious.

Ida hurriedly stood up and bowed as she saw Theodora approaching them.

Theodora did not say a word, only looked at Fannie's now pale face. The physician informed her about the treatment and what had caused Fannie's that state.

Ida fidgeted nervously, she could hear Theodora's heart beating loudly in anger. To her dismay, Theodora's eyes found hers, commanding her to tell the truth.

Nervously, Ida told what she saw, trying to be subtle about Ruth's involvement. She herself was not sure if Ruth did that with Fannie, and if she did, then how?

"I want Ruth in front of me in the next ten minutes!" Theodora's voice thundered, and Ida prayed for the safety of her future Luna.