Perspectives

Chapter 16

Walking through the hallways of the vast estate, Kalen would have no idea his father was currently in the building had he not seen him retreat into his office just earlier. There was no indication of the man's presence, even were Kalen to press his ear against the office door, he would be unable to listen in on the the business call his father was doubtlessly making. His mother and father's offices had been heavily soundproofed, Kalen doubted even an explosion outside the door would be able to be heard from within the room.

Kalen descended the grand marble staircase that would bring him to the main level of the Stenton Estate. As he stepped down into the entryway, he took notice of the maid, busy at work mopping the polished stone flooring. The willowy young woman looked briefly up from her work to give Kalen a respectful nod before continuing on with her mopping.

Careful to avoid stepping on the recently cleaned section of the floor, Kalen edged his way out of the entryway and towards the kitchen. As he entered the expansive kitchen, he found the chef not to be present, likely off taking his break. Grateful to avoid raising anymore suspicion among the staff than he already had, Kalen quickly gathered a small plateful of assorted cheeses and fruits. He smirked at the thought that Piper would be unlikely to manage even a bite-sized piece of cheese or a single grape.

Kalen made his way out of the kitchen and back into the entryway, plate in hand. As he slipped past the maid and began to climb the large staircase, he was stopped by a soft and unsure voice. "Sir?" Kalen halted his ascent and turned to glance over his shoulder.

The young maid looked up at him from the bottom of the stairs, the mop in her hand looking like some kind of staff, held at her side as it was. Her other hand had gathered up a fistful of the white apron she wore, gripping the fabric nervously.

"What is it?" Kalen asked gently, taking note of the uncertain expression gracing the woman's youthful features. 

"My apologies sir," the woman dipped her head, "You've had your bedroom locked these past few days. I only wondered if you wished to have it cleaned." She explained.

Kalen recalled that this was the woman's first week working as the estate's maid. The previous maid that Kalen had known his entire life, had retired just recently. However, before dear Mrs. Esten had left, she had arranged for her granddaughter to take her place. Kalen suspected this was the woman's first job, or perhaps she was just intimidated by the idea of working for the Baron and Baroness. Regardless of the reason, the poor woman seemed to be very afraid of pissing off two of the most powerful people in Amasis.  

"Oh, don't worry yourself with it, I'll let you know when I'd like it cleaned." Kalen assured the woman politely.

The maid nodded her head in understanding. "Yes, of course, I'm sorry for interrupting, sir." She apologized , bowing her head respectfully.

"Nothing to apologize for." Kalen told her firmly before turning back to the stairs and continuing on his way up. "Keep up the good work!" He waved down to her. Even from the top of the stairs, Kalen could see the woman's flustered reaction. Kalen chuckled to himself as he made his way down the hall, still grinning when he reentered his bedroom. 

~

While Piper was not generally one to be deterred by vague threats, she had decided to remain atop the table rather than climbing down and traversing the room on her own again. She vehemently assured herself that her reasoning for this decision was based purely on the fact that she didn't feel like making the climb down again, and not as a result of Kalen's threat. However, were she entirely honest with herself, there was a considerable amount of anxiety present in the prospect of being on the floor and completely vulnerable to the unaware footfalls of a giant. Being crushed beneath an enormous shoe was very high on her list of things she wanted to avoid.