'What sort of name is Alba?' she mused as she quietly walked down the stairs behind Ezekiel, who kept talking and talking, mentioning "Alba this" and "Alba that." Meredith could barely keep up with him, and for a second, she wondered if his mouth hurt at all. She knew nothing about lords, and she had never had the opportunity to meet one until Ezekiel, but she never thought them to be talkative. Or was this trait peculiar only to Ezekiel?
They soon got to the dining area, where the table was already set. Foods of all kinds, most of which she had never had the privilege to see or taste, were invitingly arranged, and they called to Meredith. Her mouth watered. She couldn't remember the last time she ate a proper meal, and she was starving.
Unbeknownst to her, Ezekiel was watching her with interest. He had asked the butler to bring her food when she awoke because he was heading out, but seeing her face, he did not regret the time he was wasting here when he had urgent matters to attend to.
"You look like you could eat the whole table if I let you," he chuckled and pulled out a chair to take his seat. He had eaten earlier; now he was going to feed his slave. "Take a seat," he gestured to the chair next to him, relishing the wariness in her blue eyes.
Yes, she should be wary. It was him, after all.
Meredith blushed and hesitantly pulled out the chair and sat next to him. From the corner of her eyes, she could see him watching her, and at some point, she almost yelled, "Stop staring!" because of how unsettling it was.
"So, what would you like to have first?" asked Ezekiel as he began to move the dishes closer to her. "There is a lot, and you look hungry, so pick anyone. I assure you, they taste divine."
Meredith blushed again. "This one," she finally picked, and Ezekiel, like the generous master he was, brought it and placed it before her. What Meredith did not expect was him picking up the spoon and trying to feed her.
"I can eat myself," she said immediately, and made a failed attempt to take the spoon from him.
"Now now, Alba, you have two options: let me feed you, or you can go hungry till dinner time." He had a tight smile on his face, giving him a serious look, but his eyes made it evident that he was thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.
Meredith was going to refuse. She would rather die with an empty belly than let the Lord feed her. She did not want to see the look of triumph on his face.
"And why would the Lord feed his slave?" came a voice, and it startled Meredith so much that goosebumps rose on her skin, and Ezekiel had to rub her arms to calm her. She didn't seem to notice, and she appreciated it. She was in a strange house, and even though Ezekiel was a strange man, he was the only familiar person here.
"You scared my slave, Catherine," said Ezekiel, his eyes still on Meredith and not even bothering to look at the owner of the voice. But Meredith was curious, so she turned her head, and there, at the foot of the stairs, a lady stood.
She had to be the prettiest lady Meredith had laid eyes on. With wavy gold hair, grey eyes, simple yet elegant jewels adorning her ears and neck, and a purple dress on her body, she looked nothing short of royalty. Maybe she was a princess? Or maybe she belonged to the Lord's house?
"Who is she?" Ezekiel was all but surprised when the girl, who wouldn't allow him to feed her, suddenly leaned toward him with her eyes still fixed on the intruder, and her ears perked, waiting to hear the answer to her question.
He chuckled. She was getting comfortable. Too comfortable.
Meredith, who was still entranced by the intruder, did not realize what she was doing and kept asking, "Is she a princess? Your wife, perhaps?"
With his index finger, Ezekiel pushed her leaning head and had her sit straight in her seat, and that was when she realized what she had done. She flushed with embarrassment.
"She is no wife of mine. That is Catherine, my sister," he said with little interest, and scooped a bit of her food and held it to her lips. "Pay her no mind and eat."
But that was the one thing Meredith couldn't do right now. She couldn't ignore the lady, especially after learning that she was the Lord's sister. They had no resemblance, and Meredith would not have guessed it in a million years.
"You won't even look at me?" Catherine threw the question at her brother as she sat at the table and began to eat.
"I'm busy," was Ezekiel's short reply, and he was telling the truth. He was too busy trying to get his slave to eat, but she wasn't at all focusing on the food. It was as though she was possessed by Catherine.
Catherine, sitting across from them, smiled at Meredith and said, "You look much better now compared to when my brother brought you in. You feel better, yes?"
Meredith blushed and nodded. Catherine was as kind as she was beautiful, unlike her insufferable brother.
"Meredith, is it? How old are you?" asked Catherine.
Meredith was prepared to answer, but the second she opened her mouth, a spoonful of salad found its way into it, and she glared at Ezekiel.
"Her name is Alba, and her age is none of your concern," Ezekiel answered, finally satisfied that he had gotten the first bite in.
"Alba…" Catherine called slowly, as though she were tasting the name on her tongue. Then she gave her brother a knowing look, which was effectively ignored. "A fine name, and it suits you," she smiled at Meredith and went back to her food.
"It's a good thing you brought her home," Catherine continued, "at least I will have company and won't be so bored at home all day."
For the first time that morning, Ezekiel looked at his sister, his face unreadable. "She is not yours to play with, Cat. Unless I allow it, do not go near her."
"Boring," Catherine murmured with a downcast expression and began picking at her food. Meredith, on the other hand, felt insulted as she was being talked about like she was no more than a toy, possessed by one and controlled by another.
"I've lost my appetite. I'll leave you two to breakfast," Catherine dropped her fork and left, and once again, it was just the two of them.
Meredith glared at the spoon hovering near her lips and knew that Ezekiel wasn't going to give up trying to feed her. She opened her mouth, letting him feed her until he was satisfied that she was satisfied. Only then did he drop the spoon.
"You are all skin and bones. You need to eat a lot," was his response each time she wanted to stop eating, but he wanted to continue feeding her.
With a full belly, Meredith watched the maids come and go as they cleared the table, and she couldn't help but ask, "Will I work with them too? Like them?" She was a slave, after all, so being a maid seemed likely.
"Why would you do that? You're not a maid," said Ezekiel. "You are a slave, and you are much lesser than a maid. You have no place with them."
Meredith reasoned for a while and realized he was not wrong. She was a slave, and the only thing she was higher than was a domestic rat. "Then, what will I do? As your slave?"
A smile etched itself on Ezekiel's lips. He raised his hand and rubbed her hair. "You are a smart slave, Alba, aren't you?" he praised. "As my slave, you do whatever I tell you to, and until I tell you to do something, you can't do anything."