Seeing Étienne stand in her doorway was the last thing Aurélie expected in the early evening. She had just gotten out of bed and finished dressing herself, when a loud knock startled her. Amelie had cheerfully walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Étienne standing there, looking less displeased than he usually was. Amelie had held up her slate to him and he had nodded, before bowing his head to the maid as she left the room. Aurélie looked puzzled between the two, as she pinned her Dubois brooch into place. 

“Is everything alright?” she asked, walking over to Étienne who had invited himself into her room. He spent a couple of seconds looking around, before turning his attention to the companion. 

“It is a full moon tonight and the gardens should be fully visible. Care to take a stroll?” 

Aurélie stared at Étienne, her eyes wide open in disbelieve. Did the Duke give him another earful about his neglect towards her? Or did he finally come to his senses that she was merely here to help him and provide companionship? Either way, Aurélie cleared her throat and stood up straight, her hands folded in front of her. If it meant she was about to find herself unravelling underneath him once more for his entertainment, at least he had sought her out instead. 

“I would be delighted to,” she said, her heart beating heavily in her chest.  

Étienne held out his arm and she took it, letting herself be guided out of her room. Several staff members looked at them in surprise as they walked through the chateau. Even to them it was a surprise to see the two of them walking around so casually. Usually the pair would bicker if they were together or Étienne would be silent, his face twisted into a scowl. Tonight, however, his face was blank. Aurélie continued to wonder what had come over him. She did not know whether to be more concerned or to just accept the lack of mockery and resentment towards her. As they walked out of the chateau and to the front gardens, she decided to embrace the silence. 

True to his word, the full moon hung high in the sky, casting a bright light onto the gardens of the chateau. Aurélie had been here a few times with Amelie, admiring the different types of flowers and tress that were in the Saint-Clair collection. She had wondered numerous times who was taking such immaculate care of the gardens, as she had never seen anyone tend to it during her stay. Rows of roses growing in pots lined the gravel path. Flowerbeds were neatly arranged into symmetrical shapes, thin pathways leading between then. Several benches were placed along the gravel path, a different flower bed displayed in front of them. There were two large identical fountains, each enclosed by hedges that were trimmed just above Aurelie’s knee. Étienne guided them past all the beautiful flower beds and fountains, leading Aurélie to a tall hedge wall. She recognised it to be the maze, something that Amelie had avoided guiding her through, as she did not quite know the layout of it. 

Effortless Étienne began walking through, expertly weaving between the hedges. He took sharp turns every now and then, and Aurélie had already long forgotten the way out. She let herself be pulled along for a while, before arriving at the centre of the maze. A modest-sized statue rested on a marble pedestal, tiny lanterns scattered around the base. Aurélie looked up towards the face of the statue, tilting her head slightly in recognition. It was the same woman depicted in the painting of Duke Saint-Clair’s office. As Étienne began leading her towards one of the small benches surrounding the statue, Aurélie admired the craftsmanship. From the fine lines on her face to the ruffles of her skirts, the statue was carved with extreme precision and detail. It was as if the woman had turned to stone while still alive. 

Étienne sat down on the bench, beckoning for Aurélie to do the same. From their position the woman was looking right at them, a faint smile carved on her face as she held out a rose in her marble hand. 

“She is beautiful,” Aurélie whispered, not wanting to interrupt the silence that was present in the maze. 

Étienne looked up at the statue, nodding. He shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. They were pressed together quite tightly, the bench offering little room for two people. While never having been this close to him before (other than the time he lingered around her neck, a thought Aurélie would rather forget), she was quite thankful for it, as the night was rather cold. She continued to admire the statue in front of her, glancing sideways at Étienne every now and then to assess his current mood. His face was still blank, yet Aurélie swore that she saw a hint of sadness wash over him briefly as he looked into the eyes of the statue. They sat in silence for several minutes.

After a while Étienne cleared his throat, almost startling the companion. “This is my mother, as you might have guessed. Her painting is in my father’s office.”

Aurélie nodded, turning to him. “She is beautiful. The craftsmanship is stunning. I feel like she is actually here watching over us.”

“I like to imagine that she is. I like to come here often. It is the only place where I feel like she is still present,” Étienne revealed, looking back up into the eyes of the marble woman. “This was her favourite place to rest and escape the chateau.” 

“And yours too?”

“Admittedly so.”

Aurélie smiled. Finally she learned something about him. She was still curious, however, as to why he had suddenly decided to open up to her and take her to his sanctuary. Pushing her luck, she spoke up.

“You are willing to share this place with me?” 

Étienne looked down at her, shrugging. “Might as well. I have no doubt that my father will send you to find me if I am not performing my duties right. At least now you know where I could be if I cannot be found by the staff.” 

“Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me?” Étienne asked with a puzzled expression. 

Aurélie shrugged lightly, tucking several pale strands that had come loose from the breeze behind her ear. “I feel like I have learnt something about you that not many of the others know.”

“And what may that be?”

“That sometimes you just want to get away from everything and spend time with the person you love the most.” 

Étienne stared at her for a moment, before turning to look back up at the statue of his mother. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stretched out his long legs, ignoring Aurelie’s piercing gaze. The young companion continued to look at him, trying to find a hint of affirmation of her statement on his face. His face remained blank, to her dismay. 

Thinking back to the previous night and her original agenda before she found herself distracted by Oliver’s company in the library, she cleared her throat. He was not getting away from her speaking her mind, even if he took her to his favourite place on the chateau grounds. The worst he could do to her was leave her to find her own way out of the maze. 

“I must be honest with you, Étienne,” Aurélie began. She watched as the young master looked down at her, moonlight reflecting off his pale face. Swallowing and trying to ignore the way his dark blue eyes were starting to bore into her, she continued. 

“I have been here for weeks now and I have only seen you a handful of times. Majority of those times you have been nothing but rude or harsh with me, giving me ridiculous tasks. When you are not doing that, you are ignoring me. And do not get me started on that little display in your room. Do you really not care about me at all?”

Étienne tried to ignore the pain in her voice and how guilty it made him feel. 

“I noticed how tense you were as soon as Duke Delacroix started insulting me and how concerned you were. Surely that meant something, right?”

Silence weaved between the pair. Aurelie’s heart was racing her chest as she nervously waited for him to respond. When he did not, she continued. 

“You cannot ignore me forever, Étienne. I will perform my duties one way or another, whether they are to provide you with comfort or pleasure,” Aurélie stated, shifting in her seat. “I am not here to babysit you or tell you what you can and cannot do. I am simply here to guide you and help you.”

“And what if I do not need any help?” Étienne asked, finally speaking up and turning to her. 

“Then you can at least try to see me as a friend. Someone who will listen. It does not look like you have a lot of friends in the chateau,” she pointed out as matter of fact. 

Étienne snorted and shook his head. “When you are stuck indoors all the time it is difficult to make friends. It is not like there are a whole lot of vampires my age that live nearby.”

Aurélie thought for a while. She was never told how old exactly Étienne was. She asked him, hoping that he did not mind sharing his age. Most of the older vampires were known to find such questions extremely rude. In contrast, a small minority of vampires were proud to flaunt their longevity.  

“Twenty-six. I fully turned eight years ago,” Étienne answered, thinking back. “It happened a few days after my birthday. Symptoms were there long before that.”

Aurélie nodded. Eleanor had taught her that when a child born between vampires was turning and changing, they would often feel the beginning of the change several days, if not weeks, before. It gave them enough time to prepare for the painful transformation ahead of them. 

“Was it difficult?” Aurélie asked, her voice quiet, unsure if what she was asking was too personal. 

“Quite unpleasant, if anything. I started getting headaches first, followed by toothaches and terrible light sensitivity,” Étienne revealed, leaning back against the bench as he frowned, trying to recall what had happened during his change. “The night of the change was the worst part. I have never felt such hunger in my life. It felt like my stomach was trying to tear its way out.”

“That must have been awful,” Aurélie whispered, shaking her head at the thought. 

Étienne shrugged nonchalantly. “It was a long time ago. Be glad that you will not ever have to go through the same thing.”

Aurélie sighed. “From what I have heard I must agree with you on that. I may not live as long but I certainly will not have to live through that kind of pain and change.”

Glancing at her, Étienne shifted in his seat so that he was sitting sideways, one leg up on the bench. Aurélie felt herself be pushed towards the armrest of the bench, no space remaining. “Does it never bother you?”

Aurélie looked up at him with a puzzled expression. “Bother me?”

“That you do not have the same amount of time we have. Are there not things you wish to see in the world? Why become a companion and live out your short life in service of someone else, barely leaving the place you are assigned to?”

Étienne’s questions startled Aurélie. While she never did question the role and setbacks of working as a companion, she did wonder how much she would get to see if she was to spend her time working for a family. The other girls she had trained with were at an advantage. Just like Eleanor had, they would be able to tend to various families during their lifetime and see a whole variety of different things. 

“I suppose I have accepted the fact that I must be grateful for the things I do get to see. While my life is short, yes, I tend to appreciate things a lot more,” Aurélie answered after a while, smiling at Étienne. “Good or bad, everything is an experience that has made me who I am.”

She did not notice the way Étienne looked at her, as she was too busy nervously brushing invisible dirt off her lap. He watched her for a while, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face as he studied her. Before this conversation he never truly looked at her, only through her. She was immaculately dressed, not a single wrinkle present on her uniform. A few strands of her hair had become loose with the passing breeze, which she occasionally took the time to lightly tuck behind her ear. Soft blue eyes always seemed to be in thought or darting around, as if she was looking for something. He noticed that her cheeks had become slightly flushed by the cold night air. Étienne thought about what she had told him and as he thought of her answer, sadness washed over him as he began to understand the impact that such a short life could have. The things she would never see or get to experience. If he was lucky she would be his companion until she grew old, another twenty to thirty years perhaps. He shook his head quickly. That was if she did not grow to hate him by then. If things were not too late perhaps it was better for him to accept her as his companion. 

“I suppose we make the most of it then,” Étienne said after a while, as he noticed her staring up at the statue of his mother once more. She turned to him, surprised. 

“What do you mean?”

“It means that you may do your work without having to fear that I will neglect you. Although I cannot make any promises that my mood and mannerism will improve immediately. I despise my father for going behind my back and hiring you without me having a say in the matter,” Étienne said, running his hand through his dark hair. He brushed out a leaf that had gotten stuck. “I was doing fine just before you came along. But as you said, I certainly do not have many friends here at the chateau and perhaps having someone that occasionally stands up for me might make life feel a little less suffocating.”

Aurélie smiled. “That is what I am here for.”

Étienne nodded and stood up, holding out his hand. “I suppose we should head back. It is a lot warmer inside.”

Aurélie gently took his hand and let herself be guided through the maze once more, her heart beating fast with joy.