Chapter 26

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕱𝖔𝖔𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖍 𝕺𝖓𝖊 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

"One, two, three... one, two, three... then forward with your right, slide to your left, and close with your right. Continue..." Viscountess Eldein instructed. I could hear her voice well, as it redounded to the vast hall we were practicing.

However, she would always speak with emphasis in her words while she would slap her hand with a fan whenever we encountered some mistake. Although she would silently smile and accommodate Caliere's performance, I know that her glances in my direction weren't nice.

"Now, now, that is a great performance, Your Highness," the Viscountess said with a smile as she bowed. But that was all she said before looking me up in my head to my toe. I saw her shaking her head while she clipped her fan to her other hand.

Then she brought her free hand to her forehead and sighed.

"Though Your Highness is great at the dance performance, I would like to say what I notice with Lady Monsiore," she said and now, her eyes gazed towards me.

I knew that stare very well and I shiver after remembering who would always give me those chills.

"If you would Viscountess, I would like to know what went wrong with my partner's moves," this sweet and kind tone of voice echoed within the place and I could see how the Viscountess blinked her narrowed eyes.

She looked at Caliere with this shivering smile. Then she landed her fan on the table beside her and brought her handkerchief to her face. Her eyes shook for a moment while she tried to look away from Caliere but every time she did, she would bite her lower lips.

"Oh, it seemed that I asked too much of your time Viscountess. I see that you're also not feeling well, care to have this day a break?" Caliere's words were brave. When I looked at the Viscountess, she immediately bowed with respect and gained her approval for dismissal.

"Yes, Your Highness, I would like to rest for a bit this day and I will come back tomorrow with full energy," Viscountess said as she bowed once more. Before she left, she put her gaze in my direction with narrowed eyes and left the corners of her lips lifted.

Just as when she was about to walk out of the door, she halted and bowed when she turned to look in Caliere's direction.

"By the way, Your Highness, I think it would be great if the Lady is keen on dancing since it will be a big event for the empire. Lady Monsiore, I hope you do well," then she left without waiting for Caliere's reaction.

When I turned to look at Caliere, I could see his gaze fixed on the door, and it never left there even though Viscountess already left half an hour ago.

His eyes seemed to narrow blinked and only a reverberating sigh echoed within the hall. When I looked around, I couldn't help but envision how warm it was since it would bring back memories from the past.

But then, that warmth wasn't directed to me at all.

I remember it all too well, that Liana was supposed to be the one he would be willing to give everything, and not someone like me, who he only considers as a thorn from his side.

The sun's rays covered everything in the wall, and the whiteness of the surroundings shone even brighter. The golden wreaths above emphasized how grand the celebration would be and just like how the Viscountess had said, I need to do well.

But every time that I look at how extravagant the nobles are, how expensive their clothes, their households, and their lifestyle, I can't help but imagine the children from the orphanage that Sister Cristine is caring for.

While the nobles had everything in the palms of their hands, the riches, the social power, and the authority, some people who weren't born as prestigious as they were suffered.

If I hadn't known of the existence of the Austuria place, my eyes wouldn't have also been opened to the people that needed refugees.

For the years that went by, I also established a secret foundation that involved Sister Cristine as well as the people within the empire.

Only a few knew about this but those few people were the ones that I knew would be best suited for being trustworthy.

"You look like you're ill. Have you been eating and sleeping well?" A caring voice that wasn't supposed to be heard, went to caress my ears as if they were true, enough to make me jump from my current position.

"I am well, Your Highness," I said while bowing but when I looked at him, his eyes which were stuck on the door, went to gaze on my being.

I could see how penetrating his eyes were but at the same time, I could see the same gazes that he would always make in the past.

Instead of feeling the sun's warmth, I felt the coldness of the sudden breeze going our way.

When I looked at it, one huge window was opened, allowing the breezes to sway our hair. But my eyes widened, when his hand touched the edges of my ears, trying to position the lost strands of my hair to its previous position.

"Can you call me like what I ordered you, Vestia?" His words felt soft but there's a warning in them.

I froze but I bowed with an apologetic word.

"I apologize, Your Highness, but calling your name would only mean that we are close, but I know that someone you love will only have to call you by that..."

"That's an order, Vestia, do you plan to disobey my order?"

I couldn't speak but I heard him sigh again.

"Since you are my fiancé, it's alright to wait for the time you would call me by my name, but remember Vestia, I am not a patient person. Once our engagement commenced, I would hear my name from your mouth when I asked you about the silver full moon earlier..." I nodded slowly but I could feel how his gaze turned softer.

Silence overwhelmed us again until he spoke once more

"If you look fine, would you rather want to practice again?" There's a hint in his voice, a curiosity mixed with an unknown emotion that I haven't felt before.

As much as I wanted to make some excuses, his dull eyes turned to shine and I could finally see my reflection from them, but I knew that look well, and that wasn't my place to be.

I should never feel like this would be special, our moment together, where we would become officially engaged for the next few days. I should never have felt how precious this moment was. But why did my chest feel heavy?

Shaking my head, I smiled at him.

"Yes, Your Highness, if that is what you wanted," I waited for his response but he only opened his mouth while his eyes went wide.

For a second, I thought he had seen a ghost with how he reacted only to wash everything away with a simple blink.

"I see," were the words he had as he held my hands. However, before starting to come to the center of the hall, he looked at my hands and his thumb continued to caress the back of my hand.

"Will you reconsider what I said before?" His voice became softer. But his gazes remained the same.

I look at him and at our hands. He was still caressing mine while never letting go.

"About what, Your Highness?" I asked since I must have forgotten what he said. It must have been the time when he had invited me before in this imperial household.

Silence became a deafening response to my question. I didn't want to wait but Caliere wouldn't start our practice. His gaze was stuck in our hand until he looked at me.

Our eyes should never be direct with each other, but when I tried to move away, warmth cascaded on both of my cheeks and before I knew it, I was already looking at that golden warmth.

A golden soul that had never been broken before, as if my reflection in his mirror made me shine the most around everything that he should have reflected.

"Why did you suddenly talk about that?"

"About what, Your Highness? If you keep asking me about what you said then I'm afraid that I wasn't able to remember and I would like to apologize for it..." As I said those words, I felt his grip on my hand tightened for a second before letting it go.

"I guess you just don't remember at all, but I could make you too," the hand that let go of mine suddenly grabbed it again to pull me closer to his side. I didn't expect this kind of move, not when he enveloped me with his intoxicating scent and a warmth that I had desperately wanted but that was all in the past.

"About this hand that was once soft but now they were full of blisters and callouses. Do you think that as your fiancé, I wanted you to do any more than learn swordsmanship?" I couldn't speak.

His voice turned to be factual. When I tried to reason with him, my voice lost its power and only silence swayed by the rustling leaves invading the place.

As if I had lost what I was thinking and before I knew everything, his lips already touched the strands of my hair.

"But no matter what I do, I know you wouldn't still listen to me, right?" This was the first time heard as if his voice shattered. The nostalgia of something breaking brought back these simple scars.

And yet, I thought they were already healed.

"I---I---"

"I'm not asking you to stop what you are doing, but I want you to reconsider it," his eyes which were previously at my hands, looked again at my soul.

Then my chest felt heavier than before.

"Why? Why are you doing this, Your Highness? Why do you keep showing me this side of yours?" When you never even intended to show me something like this in the past.

I wanted to add those last few words, but my mouth shut before I could speak.

"Why you ask?" I couldn't help but widen my eyes when he started kneeling in front of me

"Isn't it obvious?" He then kissed my hand like there weren't callouses. If I were still in my old self, I would already jump into his arms, but right now, everything has changed.

He's not the only one to whom I allocate my vision. Not anymore...

***

"Who are you?" Before I could leave the imperial palace, I wandered around only to meet him, in the very first place, we had met in the past.

"Why are you here in this place, young noble lady?"