Ahh, my beloved canopy bed. Your soft and warm embrace was my true savior.
As Mother promised, I was given a week-long break from my schedule. I debated on what I should do during this time. I could read all the books in the family library, but I felt like I already read everything it had to offer… Way too many adventure novels. Googlᴇ search 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝙣𝙚𝙩
I wanted another chance to tour the capital, especially with Carine’s eyes, but I doubt Mother would let me even step foot outside of the gate. That meant no visits to Ranette and the grander library in the main estate.
“Hmm, this is a predicament.”
I had a feeling that I might just spend my break every day in bed. Brushing my hand against the soft mattress… I began to think that might not be a bad idea after all.
Well, I could think of things to do later. The Saint’s healing wasn’t perfect and I definitely needed to rest my weary bones.
I let my bed envelop me and enjoyed the warm sun rays beaming through the balcony windows. I exhaled, as if letting out all the stress pent up from yesterday’s drama.
I closed my eyes and wondered how I even got out of that mess.
After returning back to the mansion gates as Feyt, the knight who escorted me excused himself to rejoin Father’s group. I was left standing there in the front mansion, the earlier gathering of the servants gone.
I stood alone before the tall metal gates and wondered how I should get in. I didn’t see or hear any servants in the garden, nor could I find any doorbells I could ring, like they even existed here.
Did that knight really just leave me here without announcing my arrival?
I felt my eye twitch. What was I supposed to do now? Wait?
Then, to the far distance on my left, I heard the familiar thumps of horse hooves and carriage wheel clatters. I looked outside my carriage as Carine and noticed we were closing in on home.
I was relieved that I wouldn’t stand around waiting for long after all.
The carriage stopped. The coachmen opened the door, allowing everyone inside to descend with the small steps. One of the maids exited first and assisted Mother. When she reached the ground, I was looking at her from both the front as Feyt and her back as Carine.
She seemed surprised to find me standing there alone. I only just now realized how dirty my clothes looked, probably from that explosion back at the hideout.
Mother visibly squinted her eyes as she asked, “Why are you here?” She looked me up and down and squinted her eyes even further. “And what happened to your clothes?”
As I was trying to find a proper response, the maid extended her hand to help me down the carriage.
Should I tell her everything? With how quickly things were resolved with the culprit, she mustn’t have known about it yet. Realizing that explaining it all in front of the gate wouldn’t be ideal, I decided to respond with, “It’s a long story, Madam Instructor.”
“Hmm? And what story is that?”
The last two of the carriage’s passengers descended, that being the maid Ellie and the sleeping Leila on her back.
Mother glanced at them before glancing back at Feyt, letting out a sigh. “We’ll talk more inside, follow me.”
“You… what?” Mother said, visibly confused.
We were in one of the many rooms of the mansion. Sitting in one of the open rooms meant for tea parties, I chatted with Mother with several servants encircling us as observants.
Mother held her temple, closing her eyes. “F-Forgive me, can you repeat that?”
“Yes, I managed to find the hideout. Lord Sareid then took several knights and took me along as a guide.”
“I see…” Mother had her eyes narrowed as she glared at me. “The culprit… he’s been apprehended, then?” Her cold straight-forward words probably sounded intimidating to others. But to me, they were glazed with blood lust.
“N-No,” I said, reluctantly shaking my head. “He… detonated himself with a spell before we could bring him to the surface.”
“That’s… unfortunate…” Mother said, the blood lust diminishing ever so slightly.
Although losing him meant fewer people to question, I had a feeling she wasn’t disappointed by that. It was the fact she couldn’t punish him herself. It was only a speculation of mine, sure. But I had great faith that was what was in her mind… because I felt the same way.
The room was eerily silent. Mother was pondering things on her own, and I wasn’t sure if I should continue explaining what I had seen or not.
“Y-Yes?” Mother’s voice brought me to full focus.
“You look tired yourself, so go to your room and rest.” Mother stood up and motioned for one of the servants to come clean up the table. “I’ll ask the Duke for further details. You mentioned he went off to question the surviving culprit, isn’t that right?”
“Good,” she turned to another servant. “Prepare a carriage for the Royal Prison. I want to have a word with that man.”
“Yes, Your Grace!” the butler bowed before sprinting off the room.
Mother was prepared to leave the room, but then she turned to face me again. “What are you still doing here? Go rest.”
I stood up and left the room, trying my best to not tremble on the way out. I didn’t know why, but her words sounded a little more gentle compared to before. Was it because she was relieved that her daughter is safe? Maybe she was just tired?
Either way, my rest would have to come first.
Reyna boarded the carriage along with a butler. The butler sat across from her and carried with him a leather bag.
As soon as the coachmen closed the door from the outside, he jumped to the coach box and the carriage rattled to life.
Reyna sat silently, but for some reason, her eyes couldn’t stop wandering. Keeping her mind clear of thoughts during carriage rides was a common thing for her, it was almost like breathing. Yet, thoughts after thoughts swirled in her mind.
Carine, her one and only daughter, nearly lost her life. It was normal for her to be restless after such a thing. But there was something more. Something, that she couldn’t help but realize.
Twice. It had been twice since her daughter had been involved in an attack. Both of which happened, after she herself sent Carine there. From picking the village where she would visit, to encouraging her to attend a party.
The smoke in the castle’s skies was thinning out, but her eyes could still see it clearly. She felt a cold sharp pain in her heart and wondered… What if things went differently? What if Carine was… unlucky?
Her nails dug into the wooden frame of her cushioned seat, the polished wood chipped under her fingernails. She questioned why she even imagined such a thing.
That would never happen. It wouldn’t.
The butler leaned forward, pulling out a handkerchief from the bag. But Reyna raised her hand, stopping him. He reluctantly leaned back into his seat and shut the leather bag.
Reyna took a deep breath. She eased the tension in her body, exhaling it quietly. This ominous feeling… this sense of dread… It should all soon go away when she dealt with the other culprit herself.
Things would be in her control again.