PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

459 Chapter 459 A Garden Full Of Hidden Treasures

“It seems I’ve been careless.”

Among all the possible answers that Sara expected, the one Desmond gave was not one of those. The young girl had gone to great lengths to create the plans in those documents, and her intention was, of course, to support her Master, but she still wanted even a little bit of appreciation and acknowledgment.

Unlike Natalie, that little manipulator, Sara was an open book, so how could Desmond not notice what was going through the little beauty’s mind.

“Don’t look so disappointed. It’s not that I have a problem with the plans you have here; if I had a complaint, it would be to myself for not realizing how talented you are sooner.”

Given her high spirits, Desmond’s tone was incredibly kind and warm, enough to snap Sara out of her despondency. Of course, Sara still didn’t believe that Desmond was to blame for anything; he was her Master, and the whole world could be wrong, but he never would be, at least not for her.

“As I said, this was my carelessness. I am not a god; after all, I am not perfect.”

Sara couldn’t help but blush a little as she realized that Desmond was reading her as if she were an open book. Although a small part of Sara was glad that Desmond paid so much attention to her.

“It will take me a while to read all of these documents, so I might as well take the opportunity to see your progress so far. Girls, don’t let me down.”

Anticipation, excitement, and a competitive spirit immediately filled the room. This was the first time in a long time that the Garden girls had been able to hog their Master’s time, and they couldn’t wait to please him.

.....

For the girls in Garden, Desmond was more than just his employer. For these girls who went through hell in this world, they only had each other; Desmond was the only exception. For them, Desmond was the closest thing to a god in this world. They worshiped and served him. The structure of their master-servant relationship was crystal clear, yet all of them couldn’t help but want a little more of their savior’s attention.

Now that Desmond said he wanted to check on their progress, the Garden girls burst into metaphorical flames as excitement coursed through their veins. Since it would still take a few moments for Tania to join in the fun, Desmond had the girls gather all their training gear while they waited for her.

Surprisingly, after a minute or two of waiting, the one who came down the stairs to the basement floor was not Tania but another guest who lately frequented wherever Desmond appeared; Cecilia.

That long golden hair still swung behind her ample hips, showing off a radiant sheen. Cecilia’s soft, gentle smile was, as always, decorated with a deep red lipstick, a little too sultry to add to Cecilia’s already seductive appearance.

Others might have something to say about it, but Desmond knew very well why Cecilia insisted on wearing that particular color, so he never commented on it. Eventually, she would stop mourning and let some things remain in the past, as Desmond had learned to do over time.

The girls in Garden were very well trained. As soon as Cecilia stepped into the room, they all raised their guard. Recognizing the intruder as Cecilia, another one of their Master’s women, all the girls in Garden went back to their work, gathering everything in the training area.

“I see you are busy, surrounded by women as always.” Cecilia commented as she took a seat next to Desmond.

“I see you have free time to annoy a poor unfortunate man like me.” Desmond replied with a smile.

Cecilia laughed lightly. For some reason, these little discussions with Desmond always seemed funny to her, although a hint of sadness crossed her eyes; Nana used to be present at these little fights.

The massive stack of documents on the table was not lost on the former priestess, so Cecilia couldn’t help but ask to clarify her doubts, “Its work?”

Desmond shrugged, grabbed a couple of files, handed them to Cecilia, and answered. “Would it make a difference to you?”

Opening the folder, Cecilia exclaimed back. “Nope.”

Desmond just sighed. “I thought so. Since we returned, you have followed me whenever you feel like it. I still remember my headache when you were following me to the barracks.”

“I want to understand who you are, what you do, and why you do it. That is all.”

Cecilia replied.

Desmond stopped worrying about the matter and continued reading the files. Cecilia’s answer was one that he had heard before; Desmond more or less understood what Cecilia thought, so he decided it was better to let her do what she wanted.

This was one of those times when having a self-proclaimed secretary and personal servant came in handy. Revna saw the awkwardness between the parts and decided to step out of her shadow.

“Miss Cecilia, it is a pleasure to see you again. I see that you are eager to broaden your horizons, as always. Do you want some tea?”

It should be noted that social skills were not Revna’s forte; she was too quiet and passive-aggressive for such niceties, but she did go the extra mile to get along with Claire, Sasha, and Cecilia.

Who was Cecilia? The only sin Cecilia ever committed in her life was being too nice. One can imagine that she couldn’t resist when Revna treated her that way.

“Thank you so much, Revna. It’s good to see you; I wish you’d come out of his shadow more. It’s a waste of you hiding all your beauty most of the time.”

“Miss Cecilia is too kind. Did you like the books and painting materials I got for you?”

“I am still reading those books, but they have been a delight. As for painting materials, I have been teaching Claire in my spare time; she seems talented and quite enjoys it. What about the clothes Claire ordered for you? I remember there were some gorgeous dresses. Why are you wearing those sports clothes again?”

“I only like to wear beautiful things when I know I will be alone with Master and have all of Master’s attention. Using them for other things would be a waste.”

“I really don’t understand what you see in this man with an inconstant heart. God knows how many women he has broken their hearts.”

Desmond initially enjoyed seeing the girls get along, but things began to take a strange turn due to Revna’s comment, and soon Cecilia was hurling insults left and right.

“Saved by the Bell.” Desmond exclaimed when he saw Tania coming down the stairs with a cart full of food trays.

Unlike the rest of the Garden girls who wore sports or training clothes, Tania was still wearing her cook’s uniform, with a strangely immaculate apron in front of her.

Grabbing both sides of her attire, Tania bowed politely towards Desmond, something to which Desmond only smiled bitterly. Revna had taken it upon herself to put all sorts of weird ideas and formalities into the minds of the Garden girls, and Desmond was too busy and tired to fix it at this point.

“Lunch is ready, Master. Would you like me to serve it now, or would you like to wait until the training is over?”

If someone else asked, the answer would be: after training, since eating before exercising was not a good idea. Still, the one who asked was Tania, and the food she brought with her was not normal.

Since Tania had prepared a sumptuous banquet that would hopefully be more than special, Desmond felt it was a shame to procrastinate. Also, since Garden was no longer a secret at the Astryd residence, Desmond thought it was an excellent time to make introductions. “Forget it, Revna, go get Sasha and Claire. We’ll all eat together today.”

Revna, Desmond’s faithful shadow, loved the girls in Garden very much, but she also understood her place well. Now that an opportunity had arisen for the girls in Garden to spend time with the Master’s women, Revna couldn’t be happier; this showed more closeness and trust towards Desmond. “Yes, Master.”

As if her body was submerged in a pool of black ink, Revna’s body disappeared into the shadows; with her speed, it would take just a couple of minutes to find Claire and Sasha.

“Tania, I’ll have to bother you to set up a table for everyone. Is there enough food?”

Reading the same nuances between the lines as Revna, Tania gave her Master a sincere smile and replied. “Don’t worry, Master, it is always a pleasure to serve the ladies. On the food side, you shouldn’t worry, the bear was huge, and I prepared enough food to feed everyone with no problem.”

Since there wasn’t much to do but wait, Cecilia continued reading until she got to one of the unpleasant parts in the documents and decided to drop the subject for now, to ask later.

“I’ll go wait for the girls upstairs.” Cecilia said before leaving the place, clearly, she was uncomfortable with what she had read.

Tania began arranging things without wasting a second, placing the enormous quantity and variety of dishes on the table. The scent alone made someone as gluttonous as Desmond’s mouth water. Seeing Tania’s refined manners and attention to detail, Desmond almost had the feeling of seeing a real Victorian-era maid, a rather strange feeling.

“It does not bother you?” Desmond couldn’t help but ask.

“What thing?” Tania answered, confused.

Desmond sighed before explaining as he pointed out Tania’s table settings and the uniform. “All this. Strictly speaking, you don’t have to do any of this. The deal between us only requires your loyalty to accomplish tasks of importance like those Sara has been planning. The manners, the formalities, the dress, and everything else, none of that is necessary. It was Revna’s idea, wasn’t it?”

Oddly enough, the expression on Tania’s face only grew warmer and more reverent as she was questioned by Desmond.