Chapter 7

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕿𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝕸𝖊 𝖂𝖍𝖞 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

A soft, kind breeze blew over my hair, but the person in front of me snuffed out the warmth of the sun with a cold gaze.

Similar to how I had been, the wind continued to stroke his hair as the sun's rays reflected off of that crimsonness, turning it into a powerful flame that was always a sight to see and would make my eyes sparkle.

"I repeat, what are you doing in here?" Normally, his rich, husky voice would make this drum roll and thump, but at this moment, it made me nervous. I tried to speak, but nothing came out of my mouth. My hold on my rabbit slipped, causing it to fall to the ground.

The scene slowly turned, and I caught my breath just as the leaves began to move. I felt the chill creep through my body, and then I faltered and fell on the ground, my eyes darting away from his.

I turned to face my rabbit and attempted to grab it, but his shadow overpowered me, so I halted and gave myself a knee hug. I tried not to look at him, so I turned the grass into a rocking chair.

I saw his hand in front of me, and I wrinkled my eyebrows at the sound of his sigh.

I heard him say, "A young lady shouldn't be in here," for the first time in a demeaning manner. Something I would always see in him when he spoke to everyone else but me.

My eyes went from his hand to his face, and then the glare went away, and I was left with only his furrowing brows, just like mine.

Even though it took me a while, I had no intention of taking his hand while I was still in this state of mind. Subsequently, recognizable footsteps receded until we were greatly separated. His shadow vanished from my path, leaving only the tree's silhouette.

The final words he uttered were, "Either way, you should leave," and he turned his back on me, leaving without raising his head.

He caught my attention, and I still can't help but admire what he did. It dawned on me then that Caliere is not the kind of person to hate someone without cause, and I had previously given him one.

"Father, why do people change?" So I did.

Father picked me up earlier when he noticed me sitting in the garden when we were riding in the carriage home. I could see he was surprised when I looked at him, but he smiled to hide it.

"Did the emperor talk to you about that earlier?" I dismissed his beautiful voice with a shake of my head.

"I read it from a book"

He patted my head and said, "My daughter seemed intelligent at such a young age." He never took his lips off the smile.

I would take a chance now, but I could give him the truth about what would actually happen in the future. I laughed and put on my biggest smile.

Without hesitation, I answer, "Since I am my father and mother's daughter," to which my father merely chuckles.

He sighed and withdrew his fingers, saying, "At first, I thought Feldin taught you that word; it seemed that I just couldn't read my daughter's mind after all." With a brilliant smile, he peered out the window and said something that made my eyes flutter before turning to gaze at where he was looking.

"The world is changing, and people change with it. In the years to come, what you currently know may not be accurate. Everything changes with time, including a person's emotions. But Vestia, there is one thing I can say: "For a little while, Father's gentle words soothed my aching heart.

He stopped speaking and gave me a sorrowful grin before patting my head once more. However, this time, he couldn't help but give me a troubled look.

"No matter what happens, I hope that your smile will never change." The carriage suddenly came to a stop, and Father took me up once more.

In addition, I never let go of the rabbit that had escaped my grasp after that. A few seconds later, Mother arrived to greet us, but I never imagined that a well-known young boy would follow her.

"My precious baby! I did miss you." I started laughing uncontrollably as she stated that she was kissing me all over. Not until I met his radiant, star-studded eyes.

It's possible that my mother felt what I was doing and stopped. Father's eyebrows furrowed as well until Mother told him what had transpired.

Father nodded. "So that's why Duchess Rosand lent her child to us," and I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

"Well, that was inevitable, so please accept our invitation to stay on our estate for a week, Henry. Do not hesitate to contact us if you need the Duchess or me; Vestia will also be able to assist, isn't that correct, our dear?" I was silent for a moment as my eyes locked with Henry's.

"Then silence means yes, right, Vestia?" Mother stated that she was already in charge of making plans for the next week.

However, at this precise time, I felt as though I was holding onto my bunny even more tightly. For as long as I wanted to, I couldn't stop gazing into those blue eyes because it felt as though I was under the influence of some ethereal force.

"Well, that clarifies that. I would love to talk to my darling wife; therefore, it would be best if we entered now. Vestia, could you just say a few words to Henry for the time being?" Father placed me down, then knelt and caressed my head one more time before turning to face Henry.

His customary grin never wavered, and even though my mother appeared to be whispering something to him, all I could do was sigh.

I answered, half-smiling, "It would be my pleasure, father and mother." When the two left us in the hallways, I turned to face Henry. When I noticed Henry doing the same, I couldn't help but narrow my eyes, but before I could question him, he grabbed my other hand and removed the rabbit from me.

"Henry?"

He appeared silent and didn't say anything, but his expression was serious. He stopped, and I stopped with him, only to see him sigh.

"Vestia, do you even know why I'm here?" He asked, sounding breathless. When he asked me about that, I couldn't help but wince. Isn't what Mother stated earlier obvious?

"It's because your mother, Duchess Rosand, wants you to spend the week over like a vacation for you in our household," I said.

"And?"

"And what?" Did he believe there was more involved? He caresses his forehead and shakes his head, letting out a sigh afterward.

He muttered, "What could I expect for a six-year-old young lady?" But when I heard that, I stepped forward and gave him a quick smack on the head.

I narrowed my eyes and replied, "I know what I'm doing, Henry, even though I may seem like a young lady to you." I didn't even think he would laugh.

"What?" I inquired.

"Nothing; you're just too gullible, I thought."

"Again?"

He paused before handing me the rabbit, then turned to look somewhere else. "Okay, fine..." Once more, the customary actions he would perform after uttering some somber remarks Every time, his hand would rest on the nape of his neck, and he would turn away from me.

"My mother wanted me to spend some more time with you." As he reached his final remarks, I heard his voice get softer, almost like a bee. His words seemed to be whispers at that point.

It reminded me of that sound, which made me laugh. Maybe at that point, I had caught his attention because I could see his eyes getting bigger.

"Don't worry, I love honest people," I said, and I saw his ears and face start to flush.

"Are you feeling okay?" I inquired as I got closer to him, but all he did was cover his face with his bangs.

"I'm fine, Vestia, so stay a meter away from me," he murmured, halting me with his hands. I could only look at him for a few moments before giving up and letting out a sigh.

"All right, but let me know if you're feeling under the weather or if you're not feeling well. Well, whatever, let's go inside now. "Before he realized it, I was the one holding his hand.

I ignored his persistent gaze, even though I could feel it. I figured, why not take advantage of the fact that he's here and I have a friend to stay with me?

As night fell, Henry and I had dinner with my people. He would always hide behind his fringe as we taunted him. That night, we were so delighted that I even forced Henry to sleep in my room.

I couldn't sleep without embracing or touching anything, like my bunny; therefore, we've entwined our hands.

I had the impression that night that I was on a meadow and could see Henry's happy smile. For a long time, we had been pursuing one another, and Caliere was not even a part of the narrow world I had imagined.

It has been a long, quiet dream of mine.

****

"Vestia, why don't you visit the market right now? I've heard that this week is going to be a festival."

***

Author-nim note: edited ^-^ Please forgive my grammar, as English is not my first language.