"𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘺𝘦"

        Luciana Von Auberil, the fluttering bird of the Auberil family. She was a being with more grace than the average noble, a smile more beautiful than that of the imperial princesses of past- she was, in simple terms, the human embodiment of elegance.

        Her long raven black hair nearly swept the grass as she twirled around, happily dancing amongst the flowers. Her eyes, a bright and warm pink- reminiscent of the camellia's she loved so dearly. Her lips were always upturned, in a permanent smile, unbothered by the realities of the cruel world. She was like a goddess reborn, to bless those lucky enough to be graced with her presence. 

        She always talked about the world like she was an observer- not someone truly existing within it. Her life was merely a storybook, and she was the narrator. The maids paid no mind to her when she'd say poetic, nonsensical things a child her age should be saying- instead they admired her maturity.

        Then she vanished, in the middle of Winter she had snuck out without anyone knowing, and caused an uproar in the duchy.

        For days, she was lost, and said to be dead- a notion that her parents couldn't dare accept. She was their darling star, their whole world- she had to be out there somewhere. Her father sent numerous guards and even contacted the royal family for assistance. Her father, with his history of working for the royal family, had his request sought out immediately.

        For days her mother paced back in forth, praying quietly for her daughter to return unharmed. Her father continued searching endlessly, not sparing even a second of rest to find his daughter.

        And just like that, 2 weeks passed. She had returned on her own.

        She didn't look a bit out of place, though her smile was brighter. From her neck, dangled a tiny thin thread with a red button. She appeared in the middle of the garden, peacefully humming while looking into the sky, without a care in the world. The maids stared at the sight for more than a few minutes- as though she'd disappear if they called out to her.

        Finally, the little girl turned and smiled at the maids innocently, holding out a flower crown she had just put together. "Would you guys like one as well?"

        They didn't give her a moment to reach for more flowers, as the maids nearly tackled her in an embrace.

        "My lady! Are you unharmed!? We had spent days looking for you!" The maids cried, clinging onto the little miss as if she'd vanish again. "Where did you go off to?"

        "It's a secret," she giggled, holding out her pinky finger. She wasn't looking for them to reciprocate it, no, she was simply showing that it was a promise she had made to keep it hidden. "We promised." She smiled.

        Little did she know, it was going to be the last time she'd smile so brightly.

        It was her miscalculated judgment that ended up keeping her locked inside the duchy. Her parents couldn't handle losing her the first time, and so they were adamant on never letting her escape. More guards were stationed outside the perimeters, the maids guarded her 24/7, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time.

        She was like a bird in a cage, unable to fly away. Though her parents were at ease knowing she'd be safe, her heart felt like she was in constant pain. She felt so alone, being separated from the outside. But she had accepted her mistake, and she refused to beg for forgiveness. This was her punishment, and she'd take it as she deserved.

        Years went on and her smiled faded from her eyes, though her lips continued to be curved upwards. Her behavior did not change either, she was as kind as ever to the staff and continued to be the loving daughter she always had been, the fluttering bird of the Auberil Duchy.

        Then, she died.

        In the middle of spring, at the ripe age of 12, Luciana Von Auberil took her last breath, surrounded by a bed of flowers.

        To say that the duchy was a mess would be an under statement, the grand duchess nearly had a stroke upon the news.

        There was no explanation for her early death, except for the fact that she passed in her sleep. When the maid found her, she said she had a haunting smile on her face, as though she knew what was coming and she had prepared for it.

        Her own mother refused to go to the memorial service, for burring her own baby girl was too much for her to bear. Her father attended the funeral alone, not once letting go of his daughters hands until everyone in the room returned to their homes.

        Even after the memorial, for weeks the duchess stayed in her room. The sound of soft weeps and wails for her daughter to return to her, cursing at the goddess for abandoning them and begging for time to rewind could be hear by those passing by, not that many did besides the head maid and butler.

        However, one day the duchess regained a semblance of her composure, willing herself to go to her daughters room for any piece of her daughter she could hold. Her fingers brushed over the satin bed covers, trailing up to the cold silk covers of her pillows neatly made up. She imagined her daughter smiling as she slept, warm and comfortable.

        The thought of her body rotting in the cold dirt made her snap.

        She began to frantically scream, shoving the pillows off of the bed, ripping the sheets out from under the mattress- anything to show signs of someone's existence in the isolated room. But alas, no matter how she tried to ruin how perfect everything seemed, the absence of her daughter no longer being there was evident.

        In that moment, from in her pillow case, a necklace fell out onto the floor. Her mother placed herself onto the ground next to it cautiously, picking it up as though it were a more expensive piece of jewelry. A hastily tied red button dangling from a piece of black thread.

        She suddenly began to remember the day Luciana returned.

        She remembered her daughter talking about meeting another girl her age, claiming that they must've been twins because of their similarities. Of course, because of how worried they were, the duke and duchess hardly listened to a word she said. Instead they focused on holding onto their daughter like she was a ghost and she'd disappear if they weren't careful.

        The girl.

        That day, the duchess ran out of her daughters room in a hurry to find her husband. He sat in his office, gloomily looking over paperwork, his eyes occasionally looking out the window that had a view of the gazebo his daughter would have afternoon tea at somedays. His grip on the paperwork tightened.

        "Dear-!" The duchess barged in, breathing heavily. "Dear I've found it- I found it!"

        Her husband, seeing his wife show any emotion other than grief for the first time in months, stood up abruptly to make his way to her. His eyes searched for something- anything wrong, worried that she too would drop dead from hyperventilating.

        "What on earth-"

        "I found it Percy, I found the last bit of our daughter!" She held out the necklace, eyes gleaming with hope. "I found her... Oh my darling girl..."

        He froze, his concern now for a different reason. His wife was clearly unwell, but to claim that a necklace was their daughter made him consider moving their estate to a more isolated and freeing place outside of the capital.

        "My love..."

        "No please, please dear, you have to understand!" His wife clinged to him, her body sinking towards the ground. Her eyes filled with tears- desperation written all over her face. "The girl- The girl our daughter was with... We have to find her. She was the one who our daughter loved. She loved her enough to become bedridden with grief when we took her away from her-"

        As his wife mumbled to herself, he held her in a tight embrace, eyes staring at the photograph hanging from the wall. The image of their happy family altogether made his heart ache, and now that his wife was all he had left, what else was he to do but go along with her rambling? He'd do whatever it took to keep his family happy this time, and if that meant finding a way to help her- help them overcome grief, that he'd do anything.

        No matter the cost.