The first to detect any changes in a mansion’s master are the servants who assist in their every move. This was also true for the Allen mansion. The Johnson couple, who keenly noticed the subtle changes in the master and his wife’s dynamics, were on high alert lately.

From a certain day, when the madam showed little interest in the master’s comings and goings, they thought, ‘Ah, our poor, naive madam has finally toughened up.’ But then, surprisingly, the master himself started to change.

Their relationship, once thought to be on parallel paths that would never intersect, began to evolve. Even the master’s seemingly unbreakable stubbornness was softening.

Of course, this change, whether good or bad, wasn’t entirely comfortable for the servants. New duties arose unexpectedly, and they had to be more observant of subtleties.

But still, the Johnsons found this quite enjoyable. They were curious to see what beautiful picture this young couple would paint together.

So, Agatha Johnson was actually pleased with the sudden picnic plans.

“Oh my! You two have a weekend outing planned. Where are you going? The weather is nice today; a walk in Lawrence Park might be lovely.”

But the answer she received was far from her expectations.

“To the lab.”

“Pardon?”

Mrs. Johnson, taken aback, asked again. Edward, without looking at her, rattled off his instructions.

“We’re heading to the lab, so no need for fancy attire. Just the usual outing clothes will do. Just pack a picnic basket and a mat.”

Mrs. Johnson hesitated in response.

A weekend outing, just the two of them, and they’re going to the lab? It seemed no different than just accompanying him to work.

Mrs. Johnson, unsure what to do, looked to Louisa for cues. Louisa, smiling brightly, said,

“I’m excited; I haven’t been there yet. We plan to leave around 11. There might be some staff working, so packing some simple snacks would be nice. Nothing too elaborate, just some sandwiches to avoid being a nuisance.”

“Understood, madam.”

When 11 o’clock came, the couple indeed came downstairs dressed as they would for any regular outing.

Mrs. Johnson, holding the picnic basket, asked,

“Should I send Rachel to help with the luggage?”

“No need. More people would just complicate things. Give me the basket.”

“You carrying it? Let me.”

Edward reached out first, snatching the basket from Mrs. Johnson’s hand.

“From now on, prepare our outfits for the opera house tomorrow. Especially something splendid for Louisa.”

The sudden order drew both women’s attention to him. Mrs. Johnson, with her experience and professionalism, was the first to respond.

“Yes, of course.”

“Opera? What are you talking about, Ed?”

“Let’s go.”

He turned, taking his wife’s hand holding the parasol, and walked briskly out the door. Louisa, having no choice but to follow, asked,

“Opera house? This is new to me.”
“Today we’re going to the lab, as you wished. So in exchange, come with me to the opera house tomorrow.”

“I can go, but it’s so sudden.”

“I’m accommodating one of your requests. You should at least do the same for me.”

Edward insisted and then opened the passenger door for her.

Seeing this, Louisa sighed, prompting Edward to quickly add,

“If you don’t like the opera, we can consider merging our rooms. If you’re going to stay up so late, there’s no point in having separate bedrooms.”

Louisa looked at him in surprise, sighed deeply, and said,

“Your words these days are hard to follow. They’re like bouncing rubber balls, always catching me off guard.”

“That bad? Why?”

Edward furrowed his brow and retorted. But instead of answering his question, Louisa set a date.

“Let’s go to the opera,” she said as she climbed into the passenger seat.

“Alright. It’s a plan for tomorrow then.”

Edward quickly agreed, opened the back door to put in the picnic basket, and then walked past her to the driver’s seat with long strides.

Thud. The car shook slightly as the large man got in. He glanced at his wife beside him and pressed the accelerator.

At the lab’s main entrance.

Though a damaged car could be replaced, the lab’s main gate wasn’t something that could be easily changed. Hence, it still bore the scars of damage from the day of the king’s birthday celebration.

Seeing the bent central part of the gate with a separate barrier set up, Louisa commented,

“My goodness. It looks like there was a major accident.”

“Well… yeah.”

“Is it going to stay like this? There must be many visitors.”

“It’s fine. We’ve claimed damages and placed an order.”

He lied casually, assuming Gilford must have handled it.

“And besides, we don’t usually have visitors here.”

The first part was false, but this was true.

The recent visit of Ernst and his daughter had been an exception. Most cases were handled by Gilford at his own discretion.

But his words unsettled Louisa.

She had heard the company was unstable and needed to please investors, but she didn’t expect it to be to the extent of having no visitors.

“Theodore must be very concerned then…”

“Huh? Oh, well, yes.”

He almost inadvertently added more lies to his previous ones.

Edward parked the car haphazardly in the empty lot next to the lab and hurriedly got out to open Louisa’s door, offering his hand.

She accepted his escort and stepped out of the car, smoothing her skirt before asking,

“Are Theodore and Curtis here today?”

“Jeffrey might be. Not sure about Gilford. I don’t often go to his office.”

“Aren’t you working together at this lab?”

She asked again in surprise.

“He wanted a separate office downtown, so I arranged one for him in Central.”

“I see.”

She nodded quietly in understanding.
Upon arriving, Louisa was bombarded with facts she hadn’t known before. She genuinely felt it was good to have insisted on coming.

As they entered the lab, a man emerged.

“Ah, Mrs. Allen?”

“Can’t speak ill of you anywhere, can I?” Edward quipped upon seeing the familiar face.

Jeffrey, attacked out of the blue, scowled and replied, “Seems like I was the topic of your conversation. It’s fine. I talk about you a lot too.”

“I’m not interested.”

Jeffrey scoffed and approached Louisa, “What brings you here, Mrs. Allen? If there’s anything you need, just say the word. I’m ready to help.”

Edward glared at him, “Stop blabbering and get back to work if you’re here.”

“My, Edward!”

Louisa was shocked at his blunt words. Edward casually explained, “I’m just encouraging him to work hard. Right?”

“Of course, Mrs. Allen. I’m nothing but a hard-working horse for the boss… Oh, Mr. Allen!”

Jeffrey hastily corrected himself, raising his hands high, “I’ll go back then. Just call if you need anything!”

“Hold on a moment,” Louisa stopped the fleeing Jeffrey. He hesitated, glancing at Edward, and she took a picnic basket from the car’s back seat, “I brought some lunch. If you’re hungry, have some of these.”

She handed neatly packed snacks from the basket to Jeffrey.

“Thank you, Mrs. Allen. I’ll enjoy them. Now, I should really go…”

He kept glancing at Edward until he quickly disappeared, arms full of snacks.

As the door slammed shut, Louisa chided Edward, “Why are you so hard on him?”

Edward looked at his wife, whose eyebrows were raised.

Obviously, because I knew exactly what kind of nonsense he’d start spouting.

He could already imagine Jeffrey pouring out his troubles and Louisa, ever the listener, offering to help.

“There’s no issue. Weren’t you here to see the lab? Let’s go in.”

Edward pointed towards the lab’s entrance without further comment.

Louisa, deciding not to nag, glanced at him and moved forward.

They entered the lab.

“So, this is the lab…”

Louisa looked around in awe. Inside was an even more vast, almost boundless facility than it appeared from outside.

She stored the scents in her memory: the pungent metallic odor, the mustiness of an old space, the smell of oil on machinery.

This was her husband’s world in Lindbroom.