“Cedric? What are you doing here?” she asks. Without Lillian to feed her a script, she was nervous about slipping up and revealing the truth. She crosses her arms, prepared to face another unpleasant interrogation.

The young Lord stands outside of her room in a nightshirt and a nightcap with his overcoat draped over his shoulders. She suppresses a giggle at his appearance.

“That’s the first time you called me by my name without me needing to remind you,” he said, pleasantly surprised. A kind smile graces his lips. An echo of the boy she met on that foggy morning appears before her.

Nicole was taken aback by his change in demeanor. Stunned by the Lord’s informal dress, she had actually forgotten to address him by his proper title. However, she wasn’t foolish enough to let the Lord know her thoughts. If it pleased him, she had no reason to ruin his good mood.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” she said, blocking his entrance into her room. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to personally apologize to you for the way I treated you,” he said, “from a gentleman to a lady. I shouldn’t have kept you down there for so long.” She blinks. Is this arrogant man saying that he’s sorry? She stares at him, half-expecting Cedric to burst out laughing and reveal it all to be a trick. But the Lord held his sincerity, keeping his head bowed.

“You wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t a lady,” she scoffs, keeping her arms crossed over her chest.

“Well you’re not a lady yet,” he said. “You still have yet to complete your education and debut at a ball. Not to mention that you’re still wearing the maid uniform Martha gave you.”

She looks down at her dress and finds that he was right. She still wore the maid uniform, apron and all. Her face turns red. “I haven’t had the time to change,” she said, scrambling for an excuse to make herself look less ridiculous. I’ve also been locked in a basement for a few days so cut me some slack. Her eyes narrow. “Shouldn’t you be asleep? I thought you were a busy Lord.”

“You got me,” he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I have something to confess. I didn’t just come here to apologize.” Well, that got her attention. She faces the Lord again.

“Then what else did you come here for?” she asks, perplexed. Mentally, she raises her guard again. The Lord was a sharp man who could easily see through her ploys.

“I also had trouble sleeping,” he admits. She blinks, disarmed by his vulnerability. She notices the dark bags under his eyes and surmises that he hadn’t had a goodnight’s sleep in a while, a feeling she was familiar with. “Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“Men always want me dead,” he said. “I can’t let my guard down, especially at night. But enough about me. I must be ruining your rest.”

She had a feeling there was more to the Lord’s sleeplessness than he was letting on. Nicole couldn’t help but pity him.

“I can’t sleep either,” she lied. She hoped that by pretending to have the same problem as him, he would open up to her. Why she would ever want to know more about him escaped her. In that moment, she couldn’t help but feel he was just like her.

“That won’t do,” Cedric said. “You need to wake up bright and early tomorrow.” He thinks for a moment. “Say, why don’t you join me for a walk in the gardens? It always helped me fall asleep.”

She ponders his offer. It feels strange to her, him being so nice. Was this a trap he was setting for her to get her to reveal her true intentions? She searches his face for some sign of his nefarious plans, but he genuinely looks concerned for her.

“I’ll even get Martha to make us both some warm milk,” he said, sensing her hesitation. Still, she doesn’t respond, looking down at her feet. After a moment, she makes up her mind.

“Fine. I’ll walk with you,” she said, stepping out of her room. “Lead the way.”

He takes her hand, a gesture that surprises her. She’s tempted to pull away from him, but his touch is light and surprisingly comforting. She allows him to walk her down the winding steps and she notes that he was strolling slower than usual to accommodate her shorter legs. The pair moved past the dining room and through another room full of paintings until they were finally out of the manor.

She had caught glimpses of the garden from her time in the secret room, but that didn't prepare her for the beauty of it at night. Lights lined the dirt path, casting an amber light on the white roses. An assortment of flowers was planted below the roses, ranging from bright yellow chrysanthemums to pink pansies. Since it was night time, the colors of the flowers were faded, making them lovely in a ghostly way. She notices that the rose bushes formed a labyrinth, a maze that Cedric happily pulled her into.

"I don't know my way through there," she said, refusing to step into his rose garden.

"But I do. I've walked around here so many times that I've lost count. You'll be safe. Trust me," he said.

Trust him? She couldn't get the image of the key vibrating in her hand, especially with the dagger buzzing in the folds of her skirt now. Lillian had reassured her that Aaron was the only demon that needed to be killed, but it didn’t make her any less nervous to be out at night with the Lord. He may have apologized for locking her up in the interrogation room, but she had the feeling he was capable of greater cruelty.

She follows him into the rose labyrinth, keeping a hand over the dagger. If anything went wrong, she would be prepared to defend herself.

They walk through the garden, serenaded by the chirping crickets in the grass. Her hand was still in his, becoming sweatier by the minute. She was lucky that he wore gloves. A cold breeze blows by. Instinctively, she huddles closer to the Lord. He pays no mind to the movement, admiring the roses.

“Where’s Aaron?” She figured that the butler would make a better walking companion, especially during the nighttime. And as far as she was concerned, he was also more intimate with the Lord so he would know how to soothe Cedric’s troubled mind.

“He’s taking care of some business in the manor.” She rolls her eyes. Could he be any vaguer?

“What kind of business?” She stops in her tracks, pulling him back.

He lets out a sigh. “For a lady, you’re quite stubborn.” She glares at him. He sighs again. “I’m not telling you. You don’t have to look at me like that.”

“Why won’t you tell me? I’m a grown woman. Whatever it is, I can handle it,” she pressed.

“It’s dangerous business,” he said. “The kind that requires us to be out here lest we lose our lives.” He continues looking at the roses, his expression unchanged.

Her mind immediately went to Ruth, the child maid. “Your staff -”

“They’re safe,” he reassured her. “Martha knows a few tricks up her sleeves. The maids and servants will be fine. It happens almost every night.”

“What happens?” Now it was his turn to glare at her. “Worry about yourself. I have everything handled,” he said. “So what’s keeping you awake?” His tone shifts as he tries to make small talk.

“I don’t know. My body is tired, but my mind won’t let me rest,” she said. Maybe it had to do with the fact that you locked me in a room and I fell into a coma for a few days. Ever think that would ruin someone’s sleep schedule? And now there’s some mysterious danger in the manor that you refuse to tell me about.

“What are you thinking about?” the Lord asks, slowing his gait to make conversation with her.

Oh just how I have to kill your butler who happens to be a demon so I can finally go back home and stop pretending that I belong in this world. Of course, that’s not the thought she shared with the Lord, not unless she wanted to be locked in that room again.

“I’m thinking about being a lady,” she said, opting to tell half the truth. “I’m not sure if I’m ready for another grueling Latin lesson.”

Cedric laughs. “I understand your worries, Miss Walker. I’ve always dreaded my Latin lessons, too. But Aaron is a fine teacher. He’ll be patient and kind to you. I guarantee it.”

“I don’t think he likes me,” she said. The butler’s cold stares came to mind. If looks could kill, she’d already be dead.

“Give him some time. He’s like that with everyone at first. Let him warm up to you,” the Lord advised.

“Was he like that with you?” she asked. The Lord and the butler were thick as thieves so she doubts Aaron gave him the cold shoulder.

Cedric paused. He sniffs a nearby rose, taking his time to enjoy its fragrance and ponder her question. “You could say that’s how he used to be with me. But we met under very special circumstances.”

She waits for him to elaborate and say more about how he met his butler, but the Lord stays silent, continuing his walk through the garden. She doesn’t press him for more information. It didn’t matter how the demon arrived at the manor. All she had to do was kill him.

An owl hoots in the distance, haunting the night with its call. She looks at the trees, searching for the bird. Back home, she didn’t hear those sorts of birds. The only thing the city had in her dimension were pigeons.

The Lord freezes in his tracks, his eye darting to the bushes. He yanks her body towards him, covering her with his arm.

“What’s going on?” she asked, fear creeping into her voice.

Cedric bends his head toward her ear. “Someone is watching us.” He pulls her closer, surveying the garden.

Meanwhile, she felt torn by her proximity to the Lord. On the one hand, she liked Lillian. ‘Like’ was a complete understatement for what she felt for the fallen goddess, but she wasn’t sure how to describe what it was like being near her. On the other hand, there were these confusing feelings Cedric stirred up inside her by acting protective of her.

Remember who you’re loyal to, she thought. The Lord doesn’t care about you the same way Lillian does.

She pulls away from him. “If someone is watching us, they’re more likely to be enemies of yours than mine. No one knows that I’m here, remember?”

“On the contrary, they’re equally as likely to be enemies of both of us. That bad man you said was killing women in the area? He’s still on the loose,” Cedric said, pulling out a revolver from his coat.

She hears rustling in the bushes to her right. Before either of them could react, a figure jumps out of the leaves, firing a bullet in their direction. The bullet narrowly misses Cedric, leaving a cut on his cheek. The Lord clutches his face, stung by the bullet.

Without thinking, Nicole takes out her dagger and transforms it into a sword, charging at the intruder. It should have occurred to her that people didn’t normally bring swords to gunfights, as it would tilt the odds in the favor of the person wielding a gun. But she wasn’t in control of her body as she deflects the bullets with her glowing blade, attacking the intruder with such ferocity that she brings the person to their knees. Where did this power come from?

“Stop,” Cedric said, grabbing her shoulder. “I think the man has had enough.” He moves forward, pulling off the intruder’s mask.

The Lord had been wrong about two things. One, the intruder wasn’t a man, but a red-eyed girl that was now glaring at them, no doubt mad that she had been caught. Two, the intruder’s target was the Lord. The girl wasn’t even looking at Nicole, her eyes fixated on Cedric.

Upon seeing the girl’s face, he immediately recoils. The girl hisses at him, rising to her feet.

“Why are you here?” he asks.