The Baroness Misbehaves
Chapter 97: A Look At His Scar (2)

Chapter 97: A Look At His Scar (2)

"I’m sorry to say this but can that brain of yours think of anything else besides me trying to give you a stripping-session?" Madeline took the words out of her mouth, knowing he wouldn’t stop if she didn’t say something to make him behave, but he suddenly turned around to look at the woman who bristled back at his quick movement.

"I’m standing in front of you, half-naked." He spelled it out for her. "What else should I possibly think about? Because you haven’t asked me to take this off..." he placed his hand on the belt of his trouser with a taunting smile. ".... doesn’t mean I shouldn’t speak when my innocence is about to be devoured by your merciless gaze."

He was referring to the glares she sent his way, but practically changing the meaning of her glares as a way of her lusting over him. Madeline kept her gaze fixed on him as she had no idea how she was going to defend herself from his silly accusations even if they were wrong, and she let out a breath to drive away her slight frustration.

"Fine," she spoke softly, "my intentions are merely.....based on my little observation, I think there’s a deeper meaning to your scar, and I wanted to see it completely." As she spoke, the young lad had already taken his shirt off and was facing the mirror once again.

’If he was going to take it off in the first place, why did he complain?’ Grumbled Madeline in her mind until her eyes met his nicely structured back.

"What type of meaning?" Cassian’s voice snapped Madeline from her daze after having to stare at his exposed back, and she didn’t dare to look in the mirror this time.

Blinking away the blurriness from her eyes, she inched closer to touch his skin, her fingers tracing the neat lines of that tattooed scar. Just as she had guessed, the carvings were expertly done, all coming together to form a very strange symbol in his back that she couldn’t comprehend the meaning to.

"Have you ever taken the time to see what was carved into you?" She asked and heard him scoff in return. "I always pictured it to be something horrible, so I never bothered."

"I won’t say I like what he did to you, but it’s not as bad as you think, it looks like an... actual tattoo of some symbolic pattern." She described it to the young lad while taking her hands away.

"Symbol?" Cassian’s brow arched in an inquiring manner, and she nodded. "I think so, I might be wrong as well."

"Uncle William took interest in learning these weird symbols in a brown book he keeps beside him, I don’t think it’s in the box." Asserted Cassian as the look in his eyes turned cryptic. "Father never burned it cause I don’t remember it being on the list.. maybe..."

"We are not going back up there." Madeline interrupted him, already aware of where he planned on going, and Cassian shook his head.

"No, not there."

"Then where?"

"The graveyard." When Madeline was done, he picked up his shirt and wore it once more. "The worst place for people like us to venture Into."

"Why the graveyard?" Madeline was instantly lost in the discussion, and he turned to look at the puzzled woman. "You have no idea how crazy uncle William can be, I have my suspicions, but I’m not sure I can go through with it."

"Why not?"

"The graveyard is filled with all kinds of corpses, there’ll be ghosts there, many of them. The hardest part is ignoring them, if they get the slightest hint that you can see them, just like Lily they’ll be sticking around like unwanted flies...." He paused as though thinking of his phrase. "... except for Lily, she’s different, and I like her silent company."

Before Madeline could respond, a knock on the door made her halt in her words. Cassian moved away from the mirror and went to hide the box behind the curtains, and then he returned to his seat.

"If it’s not Oliver, then leave." Came his orders. The door quietly creaked open, revealing the blonde-haired boy with crystal-blue eyes, wearing gold-rimmed round costume glasses.

He stepped in with two books in hand and quietly closed the door behind him. His blue eyes shifted to Madeline who looked surprised to see him here, and when he retracted his gaze back to Cassian who was quietly sipping his tea, his eyes shimmered with a friendly warmth as he headed for the table, placing his book on the desk with a light thud.

"You promised." He shifted the book closer to Cassian. "The exams are around the corner and I need to understand every page in this book." His expression dulled a bit. "My brother’s never have the time to teach me, and I doze off when Lady Isabella tutors me, you’re my only hope."

"Did your brothers see you come in here?"

"No." He clipped. "I double-checked, and made sure no one saw me entering."

"I’m guessing I’ll give you two some privacy." Madeline uttered, and their gazes shifted to her.

"Lady Madeline." Oliver uttered her name, and she looked at him, feeling surprised he talked to her. "Using a curtain rod hurts more but doesn’t cause severe injuries, I felt like giving you the hint." And he looked away, taking his seat on the vacant chair.

"Huh?" Madeline blinked in bafflement, but he said nothing more.

"Save your weirdness for someone who understands it." Cassian said to the young boy who smiled in return.

"I’ll take my leave now."

"Are you sure?" Asked Cassian as he didn’t want her to leave just yet, but to his dismay, she nodded her head and said nothing before taking her leave.

After exiting the room, Madeline decided to take a little walk since she had nothing else to do.

She suddenly felt the need to walk barefoot as she slipped her shoes off. The floor was cold when her bare feet touched the ground, and Madeline liked the feeling as it sent tiny ripples through her system.

Walking around the house barefooted, Madeline returned to the garden and sat on the swing. She stared at the clear blue sky while relaxing against the swing as it swayed lightly with the cool breeze, and then what she experienced at William’s study invaded her mind.

For some reason, she couldn’t help but think back to Lily’s reaction. It was the first time she saw the little girl look scared about something. Was it the creature? Or was there something else??

Madeline knew the girl was close to Cassian, which made it easier for him to summon her without much stress.

"Lily." However, she decided to try either way by calling the little girl’s name.

There was no sight of her after she called her name, and when Madeline already planned on giving up, she looked to her left and found the little girl sitting beside her on the swing, and the unforeseen presence nearly made Madeline jump out of her skin as she shifted to the far end of the swing.

"I will never get used to that." Uttered Madeline, but the little girl just sat there, as though waiting to know what Madeline wanted from her.

Calming her heart that was at the point of escaping for the umpteenth time today, Madeline got down from the swing and stood in front of the little girl. Madeline already knew she wouldn’t respond if she asked her a question, so she thought of another idea.

Ghost or not, Lily was still a child, barely older than five or six. Madeline remembered watching kids of those ages draw shapes on the earth, and she always watched how much fun they had while doing it.

Going on her knees, Madeline decided to use the same method as she picked up a stick and began to draw all sorts of shapes on the ground. She looked at Lily who watched her draw, and a slow smile spread on Madeline’s lips to see she had gotten her attention.

"Children love to play with sand, don’t they? Did you also make shapes and learn how to draw using the earth?" She asked, but Lily said nothing.

"Come." She beckoned the little girl to join her. After staring at Madeline for a couple more minutes, Lily slowly got down from the swing and knelt to the ground.

Picking up her own stick, she began to draw her own sketches on the earthly ground along with Madeline.

From the corner of her eyes, Madeline watched as the little girl’s lips slowly curved, forming a smile that was barely noticeable, and that was the progress Madeline was so anxious to find.

"Do you like it?"

She didn’t respond and continued to draw shapes on the ground. When Madeline stole a glimpse of what the little girl was drawing, it turns out she wasn’t drawing anything but rather writing some words on the ground.

"They....are.... coming?" Madeline read it out, looking stunned she could write. She looked at the little girl who dropped the stick she was using to draw, and that’s when Madeline heard a voice behind her.

"How child-like of you to draw on dirt."