To Torment You, Oh Dear Sister

CHAPTER 3

"Vivian, snacks are here!"

A call came from within the cottage as a plate filled with freshly baked cookies was placed on the hardwood kitchen table. Evelyn sang a cheerful melody as she neatly unfastened the tie of her apron and began cleaning the place after baking.

It was one late morning, a gentle breeze was passing by, creating an appealing sound of the rustling of leaves. Some birds were chirping above the trees, and the weather was perfect on this very bright day.

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice could be heard from the distance as a young girl could be seen from the window, running enthusiastically back to the cabin. Evelyn could hear the front door opening and closing, suggesting that she was already inside the house. And with fast footsteps stamping on the wooden flooring, Vivian appeared with an excited grin on her face.

"Miss Lyn, look what I brought you!" she said as she took a couple steps closer to her with both hands behind her back, as if she was hiding something.

The woman had just washed the dishes and was wiping the remaining water beside the kitchen sink, when she shifted her whole body to the side to look at the child, "Yes, sweetie, what is it?"

Vivian then confidently extended her arm forward and showed a closed hand. At first, Evelyn thought she was trying to present something that was on her arm, which left her a little bewildered, since she couldn’t observe anything new or different that she was trying to show. However, slowly, the child’s hand opened and there she finally saw that there was a small shell in the center.

"Isn't it lovely? This reminded me of you because of your eyes!"

Evelyn slightly blinked at seeing the object at hand while trying to understand the words that she had just said, and she couldn’t help but put on a bittersweet smile.

It was a Coquina shell, and the color of it was purple.

It didn't take her long to figure out what it meant, and she thought it was a sweet gift for her to accept, especially with its hidden meaning. And, while it may not appear to be much for other people in comparison to their presents of expensive things and luxury, the girl undoubtedly had her own means of expressing her appreciation and love for others.

“Thank you, dear. I will cherish it deeply,” the woman then crouched to her height and hugged the child before kissing the side of her cheek.

Vivian giggled at feeling the tingling sensation of Evelyn’s lips on her before finally handing her shell to her bigger hands. She then proceeded to sit on the dining table as she began eating her favorite cookies that her guardian had just made for her.

As Evelyn rose from the ground and walked to a cabinet to gently place the child's gift inside, she took notice of the clock that was hung near the cupboard on the wall. The clock made a ticking sound while she continued to watch its hands march ahead at every second, and her heart began to race as she imagined uneasy thoughts within her head.

The woman then turned around to gaze at Vivian, who was still munching on her food at her seat. She noticed how she was eating cheerfully, with her short legs swaying back and forth beneath the chair.

She looked so happy.

Her first reaction was that she didn't want to do anything at all to change her current delightful mood. Over the days that they had spent together, Evelyn felt she would have a difficult time opening up, since she didn't realize Vivian had been through a lot more than she expected.

The very first morning after she was delivered to her room that night, she was horrified to discover her skin coated with bruises and injuries when she slipped her clothes halfway to prepare her for a bath. She assumed it was because it was dark that particular evening that she failed to notice her state sooner. But she still blames herself for not sufficiently examining her. If she had, she would have received immediate treatment already and would have recovered more quickly.

At that moment, it made more sense why the girl at first was aggressively defensive of taking her clothing off: it was because she didn't want other people to know about her physical condition.

Nonetheless, Evelyn acted hurriedly, fetching her first-aid kit from her drawer and treated her wounds. Due to her health deficiency as well, Vivian went through an awful fever which lasted for three days during the first week. Her body appeared to have given up because of the repeated blows she suffered from what she experienced, but Evelyn continued to care for her until she got better. She also made sure she ate a lot of nutritious meals and took her medication on time.

And today, observing the child's present situation, it was as if she were entirely new, a completely different person than she had been before.

The woman was overjoyed, not because of her efforts to save her, but because Vivian remained strong throughout the painful situation. Of course, she still kept distant during the first several days after her sickness had subsided, most likely because the girl wasn’t sure whether she could trust her caretaker yet.

Nevertheless, her emotional barriers eventually broke down to Evelyn’s kind and caring attitude towards her, and it wasn’t long until she saw her smile for the first time.

Ever since then, Vivian has always been as happy as she could be and she acted as the sunshine over the rain of her everyday life.

“Miss Lyn, are you okay?”

Evelyn snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the child call for her. Vivian’s expression seemed as if she was worried, and she didn’t know why until she glanced down and realized that her right hand was unconsciously caressing her left wrist repeatedly. The pressure of her palm became a little harsher, and she was unaware that the friction had already caused her skin to turn red.

"Is your arm very itchy?" Vivian questioned, watching her from her seat as her chewing slowed down due to the demeanor becoming quieter.

The woman stared at her with slightly widened eyes and she cracked a nervous smile in attempt to enlighten the atmosphere, “I’m sorry about that. But don’t worry, I’m doing just fine.”

However, even as she said that, her orbs landed briefly once again on the clock and then looked back at the girl. She pursed her lips together for a moment, contemplating whether she would continue or not, before finally approaching her at the table and taking a seat next to her.

“Listen Vivian… later this afternoon, we will be going to the palace and meet with the Empress.”

Almost instantly after hearing that, the child’s head jerked to look at her, her eyes broadening at her words. Her eyebrows became noticeably wrinkled, which displayed both her disbelief and astonishment, “We will visit the Empress? But why?”

At first, Vivian felt a rush of excitement because she could see the Empress—someone most people couldn't see unless they were prominent individuals or of great status. But she guessed there was another reason that they'd be summoned to meet with Her Majesty, and very unexpectedly at that. Her emotions became muddled with nervousness as she allowed her thoughts to take over her, but she didn't let them dominate her yet because she still didn't know what the meeting was for.

Evelyn grabbed the girl’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze as she looked at her, “I’m sorry dear, I don’t think I can answer that. But you’ll get to find out when we get there, okay?”

She smiled to give her reassurance, and Vivian glanced at the remaining cookies that were left uneaten on her plate. For some reason, the cookies became somewhat unappetizing due to the stress that she is under now, and that prevented her from eating normally. But the young one nodded her head as her face was eventually filled with determination.

“Then, I will practice the etiquette that you taught me, Miss Lyn. That way I will not dishonor the Empress.”

Evelyn was taken aback at first when she heard her intentions. Despite the fact that she was still young and had no prior experience at the palace or any other fancy setting, she believed that the girl knew instinctively how important it was to show dignity in front of someone such as the Empress herself.

"I will support you then," she added. Noticing the leftover snacks on the table, she pushed the plate closer to Vivian and pretended to be a strict parent to divert the subject for a moment, “Come now, do you want the Empress to see you all skinny? Finish these cookies and we’ll prepare for later.”

The child laughed at her joke and shook her head as a reaction to her question. She then took a bite of the cookie in her grasp and proceeded devouring them till she had eaten them all.

***

“Wow…”

Vivian exclaimed in amazement, her neck practically throbbing from the strain of staring up at the visual architecture that they were passing by for quite some time. She inspected all of them, and she appreciated as much as she could see that each one had their own design of construction.

"We're nearly there, are you ready?" Evelyn questioned and Vivian's throat moved up and down in a big gulp.

“I think I am…” the child stated with uncertainty, attempting to bolster her trust in herself by thinking that she could be confident. She clutched her dress—her ever-so-gorgeous blue dress that Miss Lyn had given her earlier. She didn't know what the gift was about at first, but the idea came to her when she realized that she needed to look presentable when meeting with the Empress.

She also wore a hood over her head in the meantime, which protected her from the sun as they walked. And even though she was half-hidden by the clothing, her first beautiful dress that she was wearing made her feel as if she was one with the nobility underneath.

Along the way, they came across a few maids who were on duty at the palace, cleaning and organizing. But what confused Vivian was that once the maids happened to see the both of them passing by, they would stop what they were doing and would deliberately come to greet them.

They would acknowledge the Madam first and, whilst they were having a little conversation, she observed how the maids spoke to her in a very courteous tone, as if she were someone superior to them. Though when the maids glanced down and took notice of her, her caretaker would only pull the hood over her head further, as if trying to cover her even more from any exposition.

Vivian had no idea why, however, she just trusted Miss Lyn to handle the talking because she was unfamiliar with the palace's protocol. And when they had finally finished chatting, the maids bowed and went back to carrying out their responsibilities while the both of them resumed on their journey to the palace.

***

“Your Majesty, Madam Evelyn is now here with the child.”

One of the knights who was guarding the door notified about their presence. They were currently in front of the Empress’ guest area and Vivian could feel her palms grow sweaty under the pressure she was feeling. When Evelyn noticed the child beside her was becoming apprehensive, she held her hand and massaged it to help her calm down.

“It’s going to be alright, dear. I’ll be here for you.”

Suddenly, an authoritative voice from within the room ordered for them to enter and the two guards moved simultaneously to open the doors of the entryway.

There, Vivian saw a wide table in the center with pastries and refreshments prepared, as well as none other than Her Majesty herself seated on a settee on the right side.

The child met with the Empress’ eyes and she could see that the corner of her lips was raised in a malevolent smile.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Come in.”