Chapter 1: His Story
The rusty sound of the ceiling fan from the abandoned portion of the room's mansion was the only noise that can be heard aside from the intense exhales Lola made. She has nothing else to do but hide from all the maids and butlers that pisses her off.
As her back, completely lying on the maple floor and feet rested on the wall, Lola sighed and slightly stretched her arms as they started to feel stiff. For almost an hour of hiding, doing nothing, feeling stiff at some parts of her body was a given outcome.
She found herself staring at the ceiling, immersing herself in a wooden ceiling fan, Lola noticed a small, letter-sized envelope, stuck in between plywood gaps. She remembered placing the enveloped letter but failed to remember the reason why she hid it.
As her curiosity arose, Lola rubbed her eyes and stood up to find something to use as a ladder to reach the thing she saw. She found an old wooden chair in the corner of the room and dragged it to set up and execute her plan.
Reaching the envelope, a piece of paper fell on the floor. A small square picture of a boy which she remembered as her first crush. Her brows arched in disbelief. "Wow, so I overdid crushing over a boy?", she asked herself. She hopped off of the wooden chair to pick up the picture. She smiled as she recalled his name. "Sebastian", she whispered.
Lola was about to open the envelope when someone knocked on the door. "Milady? Are you in there?". She quickly hovered over the nearest furniture to hide. Recognizing the voice as one of their maids, Mari, Lola kept quiet and tried not to make the smallest noise possible just to keep herself from being exposed.
The door creaked as Mari entered. "Milady, I'm all by myself. No one is with me", the maid whispered. Lola peeked. When she affirmed that the maid was truthful to her words, she stood up and showed herself to her. "I'm here Mari", Lola whispered, signaling the maid to come closer.
Mari is one of Lola's friends at the mansion. Being the only heiress to the family, she failed to have great childhood memories with people her age. Luckily, Mari is their maid's daughter who is also a maid herself as soon Lola's parents agreed to let her work just like her mother who is a trusted maid at the mansion.
Mari walked closer. "Milady, why are you hiding here again? Everyone is looking for you to prepare for the ball tonight". Lola exhaled and sat on the nearest chair she saw insight. "I'm tired, Mari. I might disappoint everyone again like I always do. Can I at least be myself and be accepted without any judgment getting from the people? Tell me, Mari. Is it impossible? " Lola sadly asked.
Lola knew Mari always try to understand what she feels even when the two has opposite lifestyles. But even when Mari couldn't empathize with what Lola has been feeling, she always made sure to make her feel that she's not alone. Mari reached Lola for a hug. Which she did not bother declining. "I am so tired of this, Mari.", she said. "I am here, Milady".
A couple of seconds passed but the two kept hugging each other. Mari knew her lady needs her at times like that for she struggles secretly away from her parents. The pressure she feels could not be shared as she wants to look confident in front of her parents. Being the only heiress sure does pressure a lot. Luckily, Mari is always there to lend Lola her ears and shoulder.
Mari noticed her lady holding a piece of an envelope, so she asked her about it. "What are you holding, Milady? If you don't mind I ask". Lola broke the hug and showed her the envelope she found earlier. "Ah!", a moment of silence before she continued. "I don't know. I could not fathom the reason why I placed it somewhere here, Mari. But I found Sebastian's picture," Lola said and showed the picture to the maid. "Could that be the letter the young master gave you?" Mari asked.
Lola tried to recall what happened and the reason why she got the envelope. She quickly opened the envelope. Indeed it was a letter from him. She opened it and read it, it is enough for Mari to take a peek and read it as well. "As one of my friends in this Rural town, I'm sad to inform you we won't longer see each other. I apologize I can not properly exchange my goodbyes with you as I have my reasons too. Through this, allow me to say goodbye, Lola... Seb", Mari whispered as she read the letter.
The two looked at each other. "What happened to Sebastian? Where did he go?" Lola asked completely confused.