A Measly Thief

Chapter 1

“Get back here!”

Lydia whispered as she ran through the hall, her hair swinging back and forth as she raced towards the direction she had last spotted the cat. She had to get back before her parents noticed that she was gone.

The house was big, beautifully magnificent, even more so than her father’s mansion. Nay, this was a mansion and she feared she might get lost in the endless maze of the long halls. Again, she spotted the cat running towards a corner, but when she reached it, her disappointment was beyond words when she found that the color led out into another hall.

"I should never have brought you here after all!" Lydia muttered under her breath, “Father will be mad at me if he finds out I left the spot he asked me to wait for him!”

Now she was really lost, she thought as she looked around the hall frantically. Unlike the previous halls she previously ran through, this one had several doors, too many doors. She tried to open the first door she found by the right, but that one led into a neatly arranged room, with the white sheets perfectly folded.

With the way everything looked tidy there, it had probably not been used in a while, Lydia thought as she shut the door carefully and stepped out of the room. But when she turned to leave, she bumped straight into a brick wall.

But the sweet scent that filled her nostrils and the black shirt she saw when she looked up told her it was not a wall, rather it was a man. Slowly and fearfully, her eyes traveled up his tall frame and rested on his face.

He was handsome, she had to give it to him, his beautiful long hair cascading down each side of his face and his perfectly pointy nose, though twisted to match the frown that creased his thick brows, was perfectly sitting on his face.

His aura spelt authority, and she guessed correctly that he might be the heir of the Lincoln estates who her father had spoken proudly of several times. She was going to apologize to him for bumping into him like that, or for trespassing, but when his stormy eyes settled on hers, she swallowed hard.

“We are not running any charity at the moment.” He said with disgust.

Lydia batted her eyelids, “I’m not here for charity.”

He took a moment to look her up from head to toe, but his nose wrinkled even more in utter disgust, “Then you are here to steal?”

“No!”

“Who the hell allowed a measly peasant thief like you into this estate?”

"I am not a thief!"

He scoffed, “I saw you coming out of that room, you were trying to run. Too bad you’ll have to learn the hard way today.”

Lydia stared at him, her mouth hanging open. Never in her life had she ever been regarded with such disgust and indifference. He stepped back from her and tucked his hands into his pocket, his feet tapping the tiled floor impatiently.

"I accompanied my parents here. At the moment, I think they are discussing a business deal…"

"Discussing?” He cut in sharply, “What business would my parents be discussing with peasants like you?” His hand went to his hair in exaggerated surprise. "Let me guess, you stole something and now they are trying to apologize on your behalf?"

"Why won't you let me talk?” Lydia snapped angrily, “I’m trying to explain myself but you won’t even listen. My cat ran off and I was trying to find it! Why are you accusing me…?”

"What? A cat?"

Lydia suddenly lost her cool and looked Derek in the eye menacingly, “Yes, a cat!”

“You mean your say opened that door and went in and you were trying to go after it?” He asked with an accusing frown.

She shook her head and hissed, “You are just insufferable. Too full of yourself and quick to judge, but I’ll let this slide because it’s your house.

She made to walk past him but he dragged her back with a force that made her stagger, “Apologize.”

Her eyes widened, "Apologize? For being called a thief?”

“Do you know what you just did? You just made me miss an important meeting, and you just insulted me after being caught snooping around my room looking for what to steal. Let me see, I have a right to have you whipped right now and no one will question me for it."

"What?!" Lydia gasped.

“Apologize.” He said again.

She thought about giving him a punch to tame his tongue but she decided against it. The last thing she wanted was for her parents to come out here and end up having to apologize to him on her behalf. So with an effort, she resolved to just walk away and ignore his insults.

“Are you walking out on me, slave?” He called with a smirk.

"Watch your tongue, you mannerless idiot!" Lydia fired heatedly, she was trembling with rage.

"She curses too,” he said thoughtfully, “Your punishments are really piling up.”

She couldn't believe just how arrogant and proud one person could be, her eyes ran over him with a tight frown creasing her brows. If she had even imagined for one second that this man was handsome, then it was a mistake. She had never seen or met anyone with a more disgusting attitude than him.

"I don't have time to engage you in any meaningless conversations, now if you'll excuse me."

"Don't even dare!"

His voice halted her, "Excuse you?"

He did not answer her, instead he turned around and yelled with a loud voice, "Guards!"

Three men ran towards him as soon as he said the word, all three stopped beside him and waited for him to speak. He watched her with a smirk and even dared to wink. Then he walked towards her and started walking around her in circles. Without a word, it looked like he was weighing her appearance, trying to check if she was worth the punishment he was about to met on her.

She didn't know what to say, the men he had called looked like they would snap her neck if he gave them a nod to do it. And she knew better than to say anything then, because she realized in that moment that her fate was in his hands. His house, his guards and she at her mercy.

When he stopped in front of her, the smirk was still there on his face, but it was laced with disgust.

"You stand accused of theft and trespassing, and your words to me have been demeaning and very insulting. Not ideal for a lady, but then again, I know you are a measly peasant." He sighed before continuing, "But regardless, you must be punished accordingly, and I'll decide how later."

Her chest heaved as her body trembled in utter dismay, "You are sick!"

He turned to his guards, "See?"

The three men charged towards her at once, but she took a step back in fear. She would stand no chance against any of these men and she knew it.

"Don't touch me! I'm not a thief!"

"Take her away!" Derek said coldly.