Reyna sat silently in front of an empty canvas. Soft light filtered through the thin curtains of the balcony windows; it gave her the calming atmosphere she always painted in. And yet, her hands refused to follow her thoughts.
She pressed a brush harder than she intended. An off-putting deep red streak stretched across the canvas, leaking down the canvas like an open wound.
“Tch…” she clicked her tongue, glaring blades at the ruined canvas.
Carefully, she lifted it and set it aside, replacing it with a new blank one. Reyna let out a frustrated sigh. This was the fifth time she did this today.
Staring at the blank canvas, Reyna wondered… Why was this happening? Her eyes slowly drifted to the piles of ruined canvas to the side of her chair. Several of them were barely painted on, while some were halfway done.
She’d had her fair share of bad works, unfinished pieces, and scrapped ideas. But never had she ruined this many canvases in a single sitting. Even in her earliest days of painting, three was the most she had ever wasted.
“Perhaps he was right…” Reyna let out a heavy sigh. “I do need some rest,” she said, rubbing her forehead with the brush still in between her fingers.
The red paint from the brush dripped down onto her dark blue dress, staining it. Her hands twitched as she glared at the deep red stain it left.
“Tch…” she clicked her tongue again.
Reyna was frustrated, to no one but herself. It wasn’t like her to be this uncoordinated.
She put the brush down gently on the easel. Closing her eyes, she let out a heavy breath to regain some composure. She leaned back slightly, not enough to fully break her posture, but enough to rest.
Is this because of how I acted in front of Carine?
She had been pondering this question for a while, ever since she lashed out at Carine. Ever since that night, she hadn’t slept well. Although Kyrat would always try to comfort and reason with her, she couldn’t find the words to convince him of her thoughts.
She tried not to talk to Carine these past few days, in hopes she wouldn’t make it worse than it already was. But in truth, she just wanted to go back to teaching. Back to training Carine and the others the way of the Sareid sword. But even she knew she was not in a condition to do so.
Her body had felt uncharacteristically lethargic. She had found it hard to even do her morning routine these past few days. And now, that lethargy has seeped even into her mind. Never once had she been this unmotivated to paint.
She wondered if she should just apologize. To return to things before this whole thing happened.
Yet… Reyna struggled to find a reason why Kyrat was against her actions.
Why Carine would go outside at night without any guards, Reyna didn’t know. All she knew was that Carine should be old enough to realize that it wasn’t the time for a leisurely walk at night.
Carine had always been inside the manor. The few times she was outside were visits to Arlen or other events in the capital where the family was invited. This was the first time she ever stepped out of the manor of her own accord.
What caused this change in Carine? No, since when did Carine change?
Since the attack on the castle? Or was it since the kidnapping attempts by the bandits?
Or… could it be from when she met that boy…
If that boy, Feyt, was the cause of all of this… No matter what Kyrat and the others thought, she would personally banish him from this house.
Then there was the issue with Leila… ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚫𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵
She had always been by Carine’s side. In moments she was not; Reyna would always worry. But after these last few months, she wondered if Leila was to be trusted. Twice. Twice, she had failed in protecting Carine.
Although Leila was skilled, she had failed to show her why she was chosen to be Carine’s personal maid. Reyna had thought of preparing some resignation letters for her, but a part of her was reluctant.
Leila had always been more than a servant to her. Never once had she thought of her as nothing more than that.
Something, no, everything about all of this felt… wrong.
Reyna thought to herself.
What if she was overthinking things? Perhaps she was just overcome with unreasonable paranoia? That man’s warning would never come true. As long as they kept an eye out for suspicious individuals, Carine would be safe… Right?
Perhaps, just perhaps, a moment of rest and calm would truly clear her mind, like Kyrat said.
Just as she was about to rise from her seat to head back to her room, the doors burst open, the loud slam reverberated across the room.
Reyna blinked before exhaling. “What is it now?” she mumbled to herself. She lifted her head, her fingers brushing the back of her chair as she rose. She glared at the knight standing in the doorway.
“What is it?” she asked.
The urgent look on the knight’s face didn’t escape her notice. He didn’t sweat, but he might as well be with how he was panting. It was obvious he had rushed here with some news. Reyna felt a sense of unease as she began to realize there was a sound of commotion echoing down the hall.
“Y-Your Grace…” the knight said before taking a gulp. “L-Lady Carine, she was attacked with a knife!”
“What?!” Reyna’s eyes shot open wide. She walked past the easel, knocking it over with a brush of her arms. “I-is she alright?!” she asked as she approached the knight.
"Y-Yes! The knife didn't hurt her, but the Duke is taking her to the clinic as we speak!" The knight paused, then contiued. "W-We also caught the culprit!"
Reyna's fists tightened as she asked, "...who did it?"
“A-A student by the name of Raymond Aldreid, Your Grace!”
Reyna stopped in her tracks, coldness began to fill her chest as her worst fears were realized.
That man… he was right all along?