The Deal's Reform

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  Apparently, the house staff hadn't heard her come into the house; otherwise they probably would've ended their conversation. Still, she was surprised to find out the content of their discussion. Edgar was skipping his meals and had refused to leave his workshop. He had even declined to them bringing a tray to his door, so that he could eat when he was ready.

Adding to this newfound information, she heard repeated knocking coming from where Edgar's workshop was. Since she decided to ease her curiosity, she walked over towards his workshop and saw someone quite unexpected at the workshop's door. The man, who always appeared on television and pretended to be the owner of The Tinkerer's Treasure, was there. She was actually seeing Edgar's brother for the first time.


Granted, she still admired Edgar more, since he did work with some of the toys, but it was still shocking to see this man. After all Edgar told her specifically not to go into the upper east wing, since his brother liked his peace and quiet. That explanation never made much sense to her, since she wouldn't be making that much noise by just walking down the hallway, but she didn't press Edgar for another answer on the issue.


Regardless, she took another step forward. Light blonde strands of hair hung messily around his head, but they didn't go past his chin. Usually, she would see him with his hair combed back. Well, at least that was when she saw him on television. This hair color, though, complimented his light brown eyes, which currently held irritation and concern. His left hand rested in one of the front pockets of a pair of black pants, which covered his legs. A grey button-up went over his torso, while black slippers protected his feet. Even with his slightly slouched over posture, he stood tall. If he were to stand to his full height, he would be around six feet and three inches tall.


He hadn't noticed her yet, as he continued to knock on Edgar's door. "Edgar, stop being such an idiot. I can't run this company on my own if you die from this idiotic new ritual of yours. How do you expect to make those toys of yours perfect if you don't resupply your stomach?" No answer came, so he continued pounding on the wooden object with his right hand. "D*mn it, answer me! I had to stop what I was doing because the house staff is worried about you. So, what do they do? They come bother me for assistance because you're acting like a little kid. Now, open the d*mn door!"


To say that she didn't expect one of the company heads to be so loud would be an understatement. She had grown accustomed to Edgar's behavior, but she had only seen his brother's personality on television. In front of an audience, he acted refined and calm-minded. Obviously, he was a completely different person when out of the spotlight. Still, he was angry at the moment, so that was probably accounting for most of his behavior.


Her attention broke from her thoughts, however, as she heard the workshop door open. She moved over to the nearby wall, which was under the left staircase, and hid. Personally, she didn't fully understand her action, but Edgar never did mention what would happen if he saw during the two weeks. Likewise, she didn't want Edgar to notice her because then his brother would see her. Frankly, such a situation might only cause more tension. Sure, the house staff probably saw her standing in the hallway, but she didn't care about them right now. Thus, she proceeded to listen to whatever exchange occurred between the two brothers.


"Just leave me alone, Frederic. This isn't your concern."


"Well, it is now, since I came down here to tend to it," Edgar's brother, Frederic, replied. There was a pause after his response, though. A minute seemed to pass before the blonde-haired brother added, "You look awful, little brother. I know it's good to wear relaxing clothes sometimes, but this is taking that a little far. Look at you, there's coffee stains all over your shirt and pants. There's crumbs stuck to the stains as well.


"I know that I said that you weren't fit to appear on television for the company, but now you're really proving that statement right. That's a first, isn't it? Honestly, if you continue to let yourself go like this, I'll just have to have a peek at that personal assistant of yours. I hear that she's very efficient at getting the tasks assigned to her done. It would be nice to have my own personal assistant," he finished, his voice taking on a playful yet serious tone.


"Just leave," Edgar replied, as the sound of a door closing followed.


A loud and annoyed sigh occurred before she heard footsteps. From her spot under the stairs, she saw Frederic walk by, as she pressed herself up against the wall. Thankfully, he didn't notice her, but he instead headed straight for the stairs. His ascent into the upper east wing could be heard a few moments later.


Once she was sure that he was on the upper level, she stepped out from her hiding spot and looked over towards the kitchen. She met the gazes of some of the house staff, and they stared back for just a second before returning back to their tasks. As they focused their attention elsewhere, she did so as well and headed towards Edgar's workshop.


Concerning Edgar, he was now sitting in his desk chair. He would've slammed his brother against one of the walls if he hadn't seen that flash of movement as he opened his workshop door. Just barely had he noticed the strands of (h/c) hair fly by and disappear behind the wall. His lovely muse was probably eavesdropping on the conversation, so he had to control himself. In reality, though, he desired to send various threats towards his brother. How dare Frederic mention the idea of taking (f/n) for himself.


Still, he was also angered by the fact that his muse had seen Frederic. What did she think of him? Did she find him more appealing? Would she leave him for his brother? Had Frederic seen her on his way back to his room? That was even more concerning. He hadn't heard any conversation spring up outside in the hall, however. Thus, it was unlikely that his brother saw her.


Hearing his door open, though, he immediately glanced in the direction of it. When it was opened all the way, he saw his beloved standing there. It was like a wave of light and motivation swept throughout the room. He almost jumped out of his chair and ran to her, but he remembered what he had said to her three days back. She had disobeyed him. "I thought that I told you that you weren't allowed in here for two weeks. It hasn't even been a week. So, go away; I don't want to see you," he stated, turning his attention back onto the unfinished stuffed animal bat. Surprised, he didn't hear a response from her. Instead, he just heard footsteps coming towards him. Just what was she up to? After he turned his head, he felt something impact his left cheek hard. A burning sensation followed, as he glanced up to see a furious (f/n).


"You idiot, I came in here to check on you. I probably wasn't supposed to overhear that conversation, but it worried me. Your brother wasn't kidding when he said you looked bad. You're a mess, so this needs to stop."


"I didn't ask for you to critique my current state. Now, you should leave."


"No," she spoke defiantly. "You may have banned me from this room for two weeks, but I'm not going to leave knowing that you're in this condition. This isn't you, Edgar. Your whole demeanor is off. You're depressed, yet you're in your workshop. This is what you enjoy, yet right now you're a shell of what you were three days back.


"You know, I thought that I could go two weeks without being in here, but it was so boring having only one task a day to do. Furthermore, I couldn't see what enchanting creations you were making. I couldn't admire your work. I was cut off from the reason why I took this job." She proceeded to get onto her knees and rest her head on his lap. "I didn't mean for you to go into this state when I remained silent. I just wanted to do something without you knowing because I thought that you wouldn't let me do it otherwise.


"I wanted to get away from this house for a bit. I wanted to go into town and have some time just to myself. So, yes, a part of that entailed me wanting to be away from you but not for forever. You're so intolerable at times, and you always like to tease me, so I desired a short break. Every time I wanted to go into town, though, you would want to come with me. That would defeat the purpose of me going, so I decided to sneak around. Now, I see that I caused more trouble than anything.


"Even though I do wish for a break away from this house and from you, I still care about you, Edgar. Do you think that I would put up with all of your a**hole bullsh*t if I didn't? So, you're going to return to your old self and stop moping around. You're going to get cleaned up, and you're going to do your job with your usual energy. Lastly, I'm going to return to helping you in here," she stated, looking up at him with a small smile.


Not knowing how to respond, Edgar just stared back at her. He would consider her wish to go into town alone later. Right now, he couldn't turn his muse away. There was no way to deny that he really did need her back. She had won this time, and he could truthfully say that he was glad that she did. Without any further hesitation, he didn't hold himself back. With no warning, he tackled her to the ground and wrapped his arms around her. He heard a gasp of surprise exit her lips, but he didn't care; he had her back. She came to him of her own volition. After he rolled onto his back, he pressed her to his chest. His right hand was wrapped around her waist, and his left hand rested on the back of her head. "You have no idea how much I cherish you, (f/n)."  

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