Vasillis arrived at the manor of the Midford family in Capella, where he has not been in quite some time. The last time he stepped foot in the Midfords was when he discovered what happened to his dear friend Alexandria. After that, he left with a determined declaration that he will bring Alexandria back.
Yes, that was the goal. "Finding her, bringing her back." he muttered.
His eyes tried to find the lady he saw earlier but it seems she had already gone to the garden. He stepped out of the carriage and as he walked towards the household, a voice suddenly whispered in his ears. It was the beast that greeted him every day with words that wanted to corrupt his mind, wanting to make him stray from his goal.
'What if she is really gone?'
'What if you really will not be able to bring her back?'
'What if she is dead?'
'What if you cannot find her body?'
Vasillis held his head as he was plagued with a headache. No matter how much he tried, he could not shake the beast that howled in the back of his mind. Perhaps it would only leave him in peace once he found the truth and got to the bottom of the chaos that surrounded Alexandria's disappearance.
He walked past the fountains where he and Alexandria used to sit and chat, his heart aching at the thought that they may never be able to do that again unless he succeeded in his goal. He did not want to go to the front of the manor to see Anthony Midford or even his friend Alexander Midford. Instead, he made his way to the back of the house, to the garden that Alexander took care of, where he hoped to talk to the woman he had come to see.
He approached the woman who was bending over to the flowers of innocence.
"It has been a while, Mrs. Midford."
Before the chaos, 1888, Antares.
Alexandria's hands made their way to her chest when she felt a strange sensation in it and immediately turned to look for Cross. Her heart was beating faster than usual, and she did not understand why. Was she sick? Perhaps palpitations?
Her feet moved on their own, and before she knew it, she was approaching the woman in the field of flowers. She was no longer near the tree, yet her body felt even lighter than before. She had never felt so light, especially around another person.
Alexandria stood there, looking at the lady dressed in simple clothes. She didn't seem to belong to any household, yet her looks and the aura she emitted told a different story. Perhaps she was indeed a noble who felt comfortable wearing such clothes, she thought.
She looked like a noble, perhaps on the same level as the princess of their kingdom. Princess Carmilla Howard was known as the Sun of the Royal Family, but the sun that Alexandria saw was not the princess, but the lady in front of her.
Alexandria took another step then lowered her gaze to the ground and saw the lady's hat that the wind blew away. She approached the lady who was looking for her hat, "My Lady? I believe this hat is yours."
'My Lady?' the lady thought and turned around, seeing a woman dressed in a casual dress yet still looked fancy. 'A noblewoman for sure.'
Alexandria's hand moved to her chest again, feeling her heart beat even faster. She could have sworn that she hadn't even had a sip of coffee.
A smile formed on the lady's face as she saw the hat that was blown away by the wind. She bowed as she tried to express her gratitude. "Yes, this is mine. Thank you."
The lady chuckled, "You are so formal, how could a woman call me My Lady." she said.
Alexandria stared at her, "I apologize. I do not know what to call you, Miss..." she responded, pausing a bit, waiting for the other lady to continue but did not answer it.
"What about you, Miss? What is your name?" The lady asked in curiosity, still keeping a smile on her face.
Alexandria fell silent, hesitating. She disliked giving her name to strangers and people she does not trust. But somehow, she did not dislike the feeling of telling her name to the lady she just met.
"Alexandria..." she muttered.
The lady stepped closer toward the lady of Midford, "Pardon? I could not hear you well, why are you whispering?" the lady said.
"Alexandria. Alexandria is my name." she repeated, making it louder the second time.
The lady smiled after hearing her name, now she does not have to call her a noblewoman anymore, somehow she felt like this will not be the last time she gets to hear or call her name. "How about your last name? I wonder what your family name is?" The lady asked, she knew for sure that she was a noble. If she could get the name of her house, perhaps there would be more chances for them to meet again.
"Telling my full name is not my sort of game." Alexandria responded with a straight face.
The lady was taken aback for a bit, but chuckled at her straight answer, "Clever, do not tell your name if you do not have to. I would also not tell mine." she said.
Alexandria flinched when she heard the lady say that she would not introduce herself as well. Did she make the wrong decision? 'Should I tell her my name?' she thought, but then slowly shook her head. Why do I even want to know her so much?
The lady bowed and was about to leave, but there was something inside Alexandria that did not want her to leave immediately.
"How about yours, My lady? I gave you my first name." Alexandria said, "It is only fair that I get yours as well."
The lady paused, taking notice of a daisy in the field. She plucked it and turned back to the lady of Midford with a smile. "Clauzia," she answered.
"A beautiful name, I thought for sure I would be right that your name was Daisy." Alexandria said.
There was a short silence but Clauzia could not hold back her laugh. "That was either a joke or a cheesy pull," she said, "Either way sounds amusing seeing how your expression looked entirely the same."
"I hope you would be able to remember my name, Alex." she said, making a nickname for the Lady of the Midford House. "Farewell."
She turned her back and slowly walked away, leaving Alexandria in the middle of the field of flowers. Watching Clauzia depart, Alexandria felt a sense of longing. Alexandria, who was overshadowed by her brother's accomplishments, felt like a mere blade of grass compared to the lady she had just met, who was a flower who stood out on the field or perhaps the sun that went down by itself to give light to the flowers. Maybe even to Alexandria who was covered in darkness.
"Clauzia..." Alexandria whispered to herself, feeling the name linger in the air.
It was the first time she felt that way, but she does not understand what kind of feeling it was.
She returned to the tree where she was sitting earlier and touched the trunk. The tree that was special to her and Alexander felt so useless compared to the presence of the lady she met.
All of the sudden, Bastien Cross was already standing by her side. "I think I ordered you to stay there while I am here at the tree," she said.
Bastien Cross bowed apologetically, "Forgive me, My Lady. We need to hurry back to the manor." he said.
The travel to the place between Arcturus and Capella took too much of their time. Marquess Anthony must be expecting the meeting to have ended by now, so they ought to return back to the household before the master becomes suspicious.
Alexandria let out a scoff, "Why are you afraid that he would be suspicious? Even if he did not know that we left, he would know it directly from Alistair Lockhart." she said.
"Even so. The coachman that we promised would be involved." Cross reminded.
Alexandria remembered their promise and had no choice but to comply. "All right."
The carriage has arrived and Alexandria's butler opened the door for her. Even though the expression on the lady's face never changed, Bastien Cross could tell that something great happened to her.
Bastien Cross sat down and close the door of the carriage with a smile on his face, "I saw that you have made a friend." he said.
"A friend..." Alexandria muttered, "A friend, you say." she repeated, the word unfamiliar on her lips. She did not dislike the sound of having a friend. After many years, this was the first time she made another friend besides Lance and her twin.
"Clauzia, that lady...she bid farewell." Alexandria stated.
"And?"
"But I did not." Alexandria said and her body felt light, signaling that she was pleased.
Bastien Cross looked at the lady, "Why would you not bid farewell to your friend?" he asked.
Alexandria stared at him for a while before turning to the window to look outside to watch the scenery as the carriage moved.
"Because I am certain that we will meet again."
