I Wish To Die Peacefully

Chapter 17: The Playdate

SOPHIA

My brothers had been busy today with the preparations for the Albrecht children's arrival tomorrow. I was glad that they let me help because for the first time in a long time, I was able to spend the day with all three of my beloved brothers. We shared a nice afternoon tea afterwards and I watched them talk enthusiastically during dinner as they report the preparations for the playdate to our parents.

"Let me brush your hair Milady," my maid Millie said, making me snap out of my thoughts.

I sat on the chair in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection as she combed through my hair.

"Are you excited for the playdate tomorrow Milady?" she asked, smiling at me through the mirror.

"I am. But I get the feeling that my brothers are much more excited about it..." I told her, smiling back. "You know, I've never seen them work so meticulously to prepare for a simple teatime. They usually don't care about such things..." I commented.

At that moment, I saw Millie purse her lips to hide a grin. "Who knew that the first and second young masters can be so supportive towards their younger sibling's infatuation..." she murmured.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, blinking in curiosity.

I recognize Millie's change in facial expression as the brush stopped midway through my hair. It's the kind of expression she has when she's dying to share some gossip. I encouraged her to continue with a nod.

"You're aware, aren't you Milady, that the first and second young masters regularly visit the third young master's quarters everytime they come home from the Academy nowadays?" she told me with eyes shining.

"Yes... I was wondering about what they were talking about. Brother Landon said they were just catching up and spending quality time with each other... 'Boy talk', he said, so they can't include me," I answered.

"Actually, we've been suspecting something about it because of what little Timmy told us..." Millie said. By 'us', I know she's talking about her and the other maids and Timmy is the name of the servant boy assisting the coachman. "Little Timmy was there when the third young master ran into the Albrecht duchy's children some months ago..."

"What did he say?" I asked, intrigued.

Millie kept her eye contact with me through the mirror and continued brushing my hair as she talked. "He described to us their meeting in detail according to what he saw. That day, it was Young Master Greyson who approached the Albrechts first. The lady's hat was blown away to the busy service street and the young master even ran to the road to retrieve it for her; it scared Coachman Samson to death, he thought the young master would get run over by a carriage. Timmy said that after that Lady Ava seemed to have lost her footing and Young Master Greyson went to her rescue... she narrated.

Even though months had passed, I remembered that day since it's my first day out with Mother after the long sessions of therapy to regain my memories. "Brother approached the Albrechts first and even offered help without being asked?" I remarked, quite surprised.

Millie nodded. "To add up to that, Michael, who's serving Young Master Greyson, told us that whenever they go out and pass by the store where he met the Albrecht young lady, he would always stare out the window as if entranced. Young Master Greyson's personality had begun changing since then and he became quite quiet. He started studying more and playing less. And oftentimes, Michael said, Young Master Greyson spend hours just sitting by his window and looking out with a faraway look in his eyes, very uncharacteristic for a boy his age. I myself have caught him in a daze some days before. If we think about it, the first and second young masters started to frequent Young Master Greyson's room around the time he met the Albrechts in the Plaza. The three of them also started to be interested in the Albrecht duchy right after. And so, we started to talk among ourselves and came up with a guess as to what's sparking their interest," she said. She was about to open her mouth again when I stopped her.