Mimi's Demons

Chapter 32: A Secret for Papa

Serena, by being one of the house staff of the main house even while on Nanny duty, meant the walls were her ears.

And also Omen was secretly low-key afraid of her so she got a lot out of him.

"How'd she know?"

"I don't know."

"How'd she know?"

"Asking multiple times won't change the answer.

"God damn it, Omen!"

"Best be careful where you curse."

The chit was her charge. Serena's life depended on taking care of her, and how could she take care of her if she didn't know how the girl learned about a murder? Trauma aside, everyone knew the life of squealers was never long, cute blue eyes and somber Barbie storytelling aside.

But Mimi wouldn't tell her. In fact, even asking upset the girl. She even drew away from their Barbie sessions, quietly hiding in her wardrobe until Serena eventually left.

It was stress she didn't want to deal with.

So when the boss called her in, she saw her opportunity to present her case.

"If I'm to keep her safe, I need to know," she had said the moment he had allowed her to speak.

Instantly, she knew she'd made a mistake.

Duke folded his fingers across his middle and ducked his chin, which darkened his eyes and highlighted the sharp edge of his frown.

"It's not your job to keep her safe," he said. "It's mine. I tell you what to do. You don't tell me. And if you harass her about it, you will have no place with me."

And with all that Serena knew, she wouldn't be allowed to live outside the main house.

Basically, she'd die.

Pretty heavy-handed threat, she thought in an attempt to lighten some of the pressure he emitted. It made it hard to breathe.

Afterwards, during her much-needed break, since Duke was having lunch with the kit, she allowed herself the luxury of reading a novel she'd had on the back burner for a while. It helped relieve some of the stress, but not all.

Maybe she was just getting too old for this. She had lived through more than most ever would, even for someone of the Seven Rings.

For not the first time, she felt exhausted by the weight of it all.

So when she stepped into the dining room to accompany Mimi to her afternoon lessons, she was only partially aware of the girl staring at her shoulder.

"You ready for art, chit?"

Instead of answering, Mimi had leaned over the arm of her chair to whisper something to Duke. Whatever he heard made one dark eyebrow pop.

"Huh..." he looked Serena over, making the hairs on her arms prickle.

She held her jaw shut. In this world, being still and silent was the best way to escape the predator's attention.

"Do you have a lover?" he asked.

Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn't this.

"No?"

"Even in the loosest sense of the word?"

She just stopped herself from snorting. "I wish."

The prickling on her arms spread to her shoulders and legs as he continued to search her. Then, a slow smile crept onto his face.

"Trashy novels?"

Serena did not react. She was very good at staying still. There was nothing wrong with reading...passionate novels, at least there shouldn't in his eyes. What God may think, well, He'd never come out directly about it. And it wasn't like there wasn't a good plot to back it up, right?

But she was in no way going to make this admission in front of a little girl.

Whatever he saw, though, made his smile widen.

"Go on, sweet," he said to Mimi, who was still watching the air above Serena's left shoulder. "Art class. I'll give you something nice if you make a picture for me."

The girl looked cross between saying something snarky and looking curious. She hopped off her chair and went out, her curled pigtails bouncing with her steps.

"Do I want to know what that was all about?" she asked Mimi once they were out of earshot.

Mimi just shrugged, which Serena had always thought was curious. It wasn't like she lacked words. If she wanted to be a smart ass the girl most definitely could, and she'd seen the girl run her mouth at the worst of times with their boss. It was only when cornered with questions about—

...Ah.

"So I don't want to know. Got it."

Mimi gave her a little, relieved smile over her shoulder. It was the most she'd shown Serena since the 'incident,' and it gave Serena hope.