Chapter 9: BP001-P06 – Cherry Wine 5 – Meiandra Arvis

'... I want to meet you. From 24.07 to 26.07 we are holding a summer party at my estate near Wiestahl. I would like to invite you to this. For the time of your presence you will of course have a privat area in the main house of the estate. It is not very far, but I still would like to take care of your journey as well. Please return the enclosed invitation to me, stating your desired departure time. Finally, I must ask you to come alone. The summer party is only a small event and, according to tradition, exclusively for our family, their relatives and closest friends. The fact that I can invite you is an exception. The guests would otherwise resent me inviting more people who are unknown to them and I would not want your father to feel unwelcome because the resentment that should be for me would spill over onto him'.

The worry was unfounded. As could be seen just now, her father lived in his own world. Even though he had read the letter, he was still happy. Yet he had no reason to be. The fact that they, as local administrators, were not invited to such a festivity for the sake of decency alone said a lot. That Mr Monet even actively uninvited him spoke volumes. Unconcerned by this fact, her father raved about a future in which the Arvis would once again be at the head of the nobility, about a future in which he would finally be rid of them.

At the bottom of the letter it said: 'Captured by her gaze - Jean Monet, 1st Nobility, 2nd Son of the Monet Clan, Administrator of Jena Northeast, Governor of Blenas, Keeper of the North Cape'. It was an imposing string of titles. Meia could not come up with such a bulging array. Her answer would only say: 'Meiandra Arvis'. If her father were to write the answer, it would say: 'Magus Arvis, Local Administrator of Wiestahl'. Unfortunately, that would be all that would make sense to list in either case. If Meia really wanted to, she could write: 'Meiandra Arvis, 7th noble, 1st Daughter of the Arvis, Daughter of the Daylon clan', but all of that would be more embarrassing than impressive. It would pretty much not knock anyone's socks off to learn that she would eventually take on a minimal inheritance and had nothing to say overall.

Suddenly there was a rumbling throughout the house. The remains of Meia's breakfast wobbled across the table. The expensive porcelain dishes clanked in the cupboards.

Meia was about to get up to run outside, but it stopped before that.

A splashing sound that grew louder followed the rumbling. It came from the upper floor.

Forced to do so, her father had interrupted his joyful march to lean on a cupboard. Now he went to the doorway and at that moment the housemaid came running down the stairs. Water followed her down the steps. It was almost a real river. Like little waterfalls, the water flowed through the rungs of the banisters into the hallway.

"Mr Arvis! The tank!" the housekeeper shouted in panic as she hurried further downstairs.

She still had a spanner in her hand. She was completely soaked. Her dress stuck to her body and even her hair was dripping.

"What have you done! Are you out of your mind!" her father immediately scolded her. The height was over. His mood went straight back to the basement.

"I'm so sorry! I just turned up the pressure like you said, but suddenly water came shooting out of the wall. I couldn't do anything."

The housemaid briefly explained to her father what had happened while more and more water sloshed down the stairs. It was amazing how much could fit into the tank. Unfortunately, it didn't run to the front door, but right into the dining room via the passageway. So it ran into a dead end. The floor in the house was probably too crooked to be able to channel it outside? Reproachfully, her father snatched the spanner from the housekeeper's hand and thereupon he ran up the stairs against the current. The housemaid immediately followed him upstairs.

Meia remained alone in the dining room. Still, it was not quiet, because the flood was coming. Meia pulled up her legs and thus saved her slippers from a watery grave. The flood itself was not that bad and it was not all bad either. The egg washed up again. It drifted against the chair leg. With a spirited grab, Meia was able to bring it back into her possession. Next she leaned over to the other end of the table and grabbed the envelope. On the stamp was a silent volcano. Above the clasp was a broken seal of dark blue wax. In the wax lay a cross that was entwined with thorn vines. From the envelope Meia pulled out a stamped return envelope and an invitation card with relief printing. 'Personal invitation - Meiandra Arvis', was the golden text on the card. Even the seal was so complicated. The letter must have been genuine.

While Meia watched the residual water splash down the stairs, she spooned her egg and thought about the invitation. She did not know what to make of it. It probably did not matter what she thought anyway. In any case, she would have to fulfil her father's expectations. She did not really have a choice in that regard. But would he even get any benfit from this? Sure, Mr Monet was very powerful and owned an estate nearby. However, it was certainly only one of dozens in the country. The seat of the Monet clan was near the North Cape in Blenas. As the crow flies, there were easily 2000 kilometres between Wiestahl and Blenas, if not more. From here it was the furthest town in the country. How much influence Mr Monet had here in the south, Meia did not know, but certainly still more than they had.

In her field of vision, Meia spotted one of her half-boots leisurely floating past the doorway. She nodded several times, as if she had understood something at that moment, and she had. "The front door is closed." she declared quietly into the room. It was only a subconscious realization that had moved her to make that statement. In reality, she was lost in thought about her own future. She did not care about the progressive downfall* of the Arvis family. There was nothing of importance in this house. So why worry about anything being lost? By now the egg was empty too. With the last bite in her mouth, Meia put the card back in the envelope. She folded up the letter again. She also folded up the newspaper again. Leaning over the table from her chair, she packed everything back to her father's place. Now, finally, with nothing left to distract her, she realised she was caught in the flood.

(*TL-Note: Untergang = Sinking/Downfall/Demise/Decline)

.../ End Part

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