There was a bit of time left before breakfast.
She wished to be alone and had Lilac leave the room. Then she opened the door to her terrace and the warmth of the sun greeted her. Eventide raised her head to see remnants of gold streaking the sky.
Below her, was the vast expanse of her family's glory. On the left was a labyrinth made of bushes. She recalled fondly that on celebratory days, guests who had drunk too much would find themselves lost and confused, not knowing how to get out. The Nobilis family had to send guards to search for them and take them out. It happened so often that the guards had practically memorized the labyrinth's pathways. The day after the party, those unlucky guests became the laughingstock in the circle.
As Eventide leaned onto the terrace rails, she could see from above the rose garden in the heart of the labyrinth and the fountain of a weeping woman made of pure white marble. She was quite fond of this fountain and would find herself staring at the woman of marble every time she was there.
She turned her head to the right, a man-made lake next to the labyrinth made its way to her view. In the midst of it was a pavilion that she held dear to her heart. It was a place she had spent much time in and in the past, one of the places she had longed for the most.
Eventide could hear the light laughter and the chattery voices of her friends as they walk through the stone bridge. When they reached the pavilion, snacks, punch, and teas would already be prepared. On sunny afternoons, their sweet laughter filled the lake.
When she was lying on her bed made of straws, she often thought back of those days and how much she yearned for it. And now, like a dream, she was back to those days, at the terrace of her room, overlooking things she had once taken for granted and lost.
Everyone was already there by the time she arrived in the dining room; her parents and three older brothers and her sister-in-law. She raised a hand, stopping the butler from announcing her presence and she stood quietly and taking in the scene before her.
Five days, five days had passed and she was sure that this wasn't a dream. Was her heart filled with joy? Of course. However, every time she saw her loved ones at the dining table, her heart felt like it was being squeezed ever so painfully.
"My precious, you're here!"
Her mother, Lady Altamira the Duchess of Lorcada, stopped chatting with her daughter-in-law when she caught sight of her daughter.
"Excuse my tardiness." Eventide made a curtsey.
"Not tardy at all! You're just in time, my dear!" The Duchess broke out in a smile.
She gingerly sat next to her mother and the Duchess dotingly pat her hand. Her father, Lord Cain the Duke of Lorcada cleared his throat and gave the signal for everyone to start eating. He was a stern man of few words and although he doted on her, he didn't express it so openly like his wife.
"How is your health, sister?" Her brother, Byron, asked.
"Much better, thank you," she replied keeping her head down.
"You look so pale." Lady Adalina held Eventide's face. "You should take a walk in the gardens. I heard morning sun is good for health." Her brows furrowed with worry.
"I will do so then. Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law."
After breakfast, her brothers headed out to oversee the family businesses and her father headed to the fiefdom. Her mother had invited her to join her in a tea party of one of the members of her social circle, but Eventide declined under the excuse of buying some embroidery materials in town. After agreeing to bring guards with her, the Duchess let her go. A noble lady must never leave the residence without the protection of the guards. Although the kingdom was prosperous, danger lurked in every corner.
The distance between the Nobilis property and the central town of the capital of the Western Kingdom wasn't short. Due to the vast expanse of their property, getting out of the main gate through a 4-horse carriage would take almost half an hour. The road to the town would take an hour.
The road was smooth and in the carriage, she was relaxed. It was fully-furnished and adorned, designed for the comfort of the wealthy. Eventide sat quietly, her hands rested on her lap while she looked out the glass window; her mind somewhere else. Lilac was sitting next to her informing her of the latest gossips in the social circle. Eventide didn't hear anything for she was lost in thoughts and as for what she was thinking of, her face revealed no clue.
Ahead, there was a group of children dressed in commoner's garbs. They were singing merrily a tune she knew so well and yet, something she had long forgotten. She slid the window open and was greeted by the wind and song as if it was leading her back to a distant time.
To the woods, he went.
Yonder she waited.
On his knees, he bent;
Took her hands and said
To be his wife!
With tears, she nodded -
The joy of his life.
The rare amarantine
On her hair, he graced.
Oh, lord of mine!
Which flower will you pick?
Give me a clue
And to the circle, we will meet.
Among the crowd, I shall find you.
I found you.
The last stanza echoed through her mind. A piercing pain slowly creeping through, threatening to crush her heart. She found herself clutching her chest as tears threatened to fall.
Festival of Flowers. That song was the song she sang that day... That day she first met him. Her lover, her friend, her husband and her downfall - Henri Von Iadovec.
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