9 Mother (2/2)

Honestly, the news also dampened his mood significantly as well but, hey! No one can get everything they wished for.

”She apologized but, it seems like she has something important to do so she'll be extending her stay in Paris for two months more.” Mr. Proulx continued in an apologetic tone.

More important than her son's birthday, it seems.

”Oh... I understand. Thank you for informing me, father.” Casimir said with a smile, as if the news didn't bother him. ”Please tell mother that I would like a musical instrument for my birthday.”

Sitting around without any form of entertainment gets boring after a while.

”I see... I'll make sure to pass the message to her.” Mr. Proulx smiled, watching the back of his son as he walked away.

From under the table, Mr. Proulx had a letter gripped tightly in his hand and, in the letter, there was no such apology. It had no explanation, no asking for present, it didn't even have a return address. All there was, was a single sentence.

'Won't come back this year.'

...Just when will you come back, Anaise? It's been nine months...

...

Leaves were slowly falling from the trees, drifting with the wind for a while, fluttering gently before landing on the ground silently.

The trees were slowly turning various shades of orange and reds but, since it was still in the early stages of autumn, most trees weren't going bald yet.

For those sightseeing, it was truly a wonder to see but, for the gardeners, it was a horror.

Take for example, this certain gardener in the Proulx manor who was currently scratching the back of his head in frustration, stomping his foot on the grass and staring the scattered leaves on the lawn.

”I just cleaned this place a while ago! Argh!”

For the other people in the manor, aside from the gardener, today was a joyous occasion. Numerous servants were rushing about; be it the chefs in the kitchen, the maids and butlers, even the owls were more active than usual!

Maids were hastily cleaning the house, making the floors as shiny as possible and the windows so clear, you wouldn't even realize that there was glass separating the inside from the outside!

Of course, the butlers were just as busy, taking notes of who knows what, inspecting the conditions of various items, recording the names of the guests who will arrive, and such.

Inside the kitchen was much more hectic; the chefs were rushing about here and there, cooking various types of dishes, creating a sumptuous feast that could feed around a hundred people in the least amount of time as possible. From time to time, you would also hear the voice of the head chef as he scolded the chefs for a small mistake they made.

One might ask, why is it so busy today?

Well, it was September 13!

The young master's birthday!

Perhaps the only place which wasn't affected by the joyous atmosphere was the stable. And that's exactly where the star of the day was in; reading a book while leaning on Noir, making a pillow out of the beast's belly.