Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Four Year Difference
1963 Words
“My lord, the young lady received her parcel from the messenger.”
The Marquis Alpensa stilled in his movements at the front door's entrance.
His coat was barely off his back, yet he could feel yesterday’s migraine return.
In less than four days, under house arrest, Arusei still managed to make waves…to find new ways to rile him.
“Did you ask her to hand it over to you, under my command?”
“Yes.”
“To which she replied?”
“That my asking her under your name was akin to stating that you were rebelling against the Emperor.”
“Oh for go-,”
He exhaled slowly through his nose.
The day had been good.
The dinner party held in honour of the fourth prince had gone splendidly; it was almost as though the Queen had forgotten his tiny hiccup.
Of course, she hadn't, but if he aided the campaign, kept Arusei away from the Empress’s sons, then eventually she would see his efforts.
“Anything else?”
“His highness, the fourth prince dropped by unannounced.”
“What?”
“In the afternoon.”
“What did he…. Why was he here?”
“He visited with the first lady, then the second.”
Regina?
He met with Regina before her debut into society?
Suddenly, his hopefulness at collaborating with the Queen felt hopeless.
Strung out fears manifested themselves in his mind in the form of questions he either did not wish to answer or simply could not.
What if the fourth prince fell mad for his daughter? Could he, in earnest, give her away to that world? A world where women poisoned in the name of jealousy and men slaughtered in the name of love.
No…she was far more precious than social support or power.
He could not give her to him so clumsily.
More than ever because the sharpest of his daughters avoided him like the plague.
“Oh, that reminds me. How was the meeting with the viscount?”
“The Viscount arrived several minutes late, but their session lasted an hour. After which he left irritated and in haste.”
“What?”
The Marquis picked the cane offered by the butler then climbed the steps leading to Arusei’s room without missing a beat.
Was the punishment not enough for her to realize his sincerity in the matter?
Should he remove her feed? Send her away to his brother Samuel for a week? Lock her in the cellar?
What should he do?
If she had a favourite maid or animal, he could have used it against her, but she does not cooperate with anyone, even in school.
Still, first thing first.
He needed to know the land she was given to add it to the dowry; perhaps that would be enough to entice more married men with families looking for concubines.
Arusei was already beautiful, but the head on her shoulders put her at her disadvantage market-wise.
“Wake up!”
He near cursed at the guard asleep at Arusei’s door.
“O-oh! My- my lord!”
“Open the door.”
The timid knight swallowed perhaps too loudly then turned the knob on the door.
Locked.
“OH…right!”
The knight took out the spare keys in his pocket then fumbled awkwardly with the lock.
Finally, the lock was unlatched, but rather than witness more of the knight's antics; he pushed him aside then opened the door.
Empty.
The room’s lights were off.
There was no other sign of life in the room beside the open windows with pale yellow curtains flailing frantically with the cold fall wind.
“Arusei!”
The Marquis called as he stormed the room whose told joke missed its audience.
Yet, no matter how much he cursed or called, none answered.
“Search the bed!”
He ordered as though it had some hidden compartment only he knew off.
He entered the wet, recently used bathroom smelling only of cherries, but that too was empty, the water splashed and unwiped on her tiled floor cold from time’s harshness.
He returned to the main room then turned his gaze to the window.
It was time to face the reality he ignored oh so boldly.
Arusei was gone…
She escaped…him.
“My lord!” the knight called, then handed him a piece of parchment.
“I found this by the bed.”
Dear Father,
I have gone fishing!
[]~(￣▽￣)~*
-Arusei
“What…what the hell is this?”
“A note left by the lady by the foot of her bed.”
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***Four Years Later.***
Imperial Palace.
Regina Lione Alpensa.
“My lady, the pink southern carnations you selected were delayed at the border. I fear they might not get here in time for your big day.”
“Oh my!”
Regina turned to the only other person in the room, a maid currently engaged in styling her long hair.
“What is the alternative?”
“We could order lilacs or sweet peas from the lord’s estate.”
“Hah! Do you wish to see father storm the palace to halt the engagement ceremony?” she questioned, “Plus, most of the plants there were gardened by Arusei. For once, I wish only for a day surrounded by what is mine.”
“My lady, the flowers I mentioned were shipped in from the north to cater for the expanded wing. All the flowers the first-, I mean Arusei gardened were destroyed. You may have missed that in boarding school.”
“Oh?”
Regina relaxed in her seat.
“Is there…is there a reference photo for sweet peas?”
“Yes, on the magazine before you.”
“Oh...”
A month had passed since her graduation, but only a week since she ran from home like her sister Arusei.
However, with the much too recent denouncement, Regina needed to get used to calling her by her name now that she was no longer a noble.
“There! all done!”
Bernadette, the only maid friend she could take with her, said.
“His highness should be in his study; I heard from the knights that he finished his practice early.”
Regina smiled, then stood.
Her white gown quite resembled a wedding dress, yet it held such simplicity that she was permitted to wear it as an ‘everyday’ yet special outfit.
She grabbed her skirts then walked hastily out of the room, up the steps and across the halls to his highness’s study.
Her hand itched to grab the knob, but some unknown anxiety caused her to brush imaginary dust off her dress.
Finally, she reached for the handle, but the door flew open almost simultaneously.
Her gaze met silver-white hair and beautiful pale blue eyes that sparkled with the paleness of his skin.
He was tall, at least a head and a half taller than she, such that she had to crane her neck at their nearness.
“Regina?”
“Oh, honey!”
She brightened her smile.
“Well…don’t you seem rushed?”
Étienne scratched the back of his head then chuckled sheepishly as though an excuse could not slip past his light pink lips.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Quite.”
A tense silence filled the space.
Was he not going to explain himself? Need she always initiate matters as though their affair was one-sided?
“Is there something you wish to say to me, perhaps sweet nothings, on how you will aid me in entertaining Prince Finor and his fiancée?”
“Oh…Okay, yes, yes. You are right. I should start from the beginning.” He replied, “I was having a conversation with mother in the study, and she mentioned something that requires my urgent attention in the main palace. Will you be fine entertaining the Northern prince?”
“Alone?”
The coldness that had been slowly seeping in her veins since Arusei’s disappearance deepened.
“It will be fine; you will do great.”
“You bailed on the boat ride too.”
Étienne let out an exaggerated sigh that made her feel as though she were genuinely burdening him.
“Look, Regina, I am sorry. Plus, it is just a minor hiccup; I should be back by the end of the month.”
“End of the month!? Our ceremony is two days into next month! Am I-?”
Was she being dramatic by raising her voice this way?
She did not mean to.
But…was this normal?
Is it normal for a person who whispers ‘I love you’ frequently to spend little to no time with the object of their affection?
‘It is just the campaign. Once it ends, he will have time.’
She often told herself, but even those comforting words grew overwhelmingly suffocating in her solace of the dark loneliness that surrounded her room every night he did not visit.
Which was too many nights.
“It’s just until the campaign ends.” He whispered, then pulled her into his warm embrace.
Were those her thoughts or his words?
These days she found herself repeating words Étienne says, whether she meant them or not.
“It is always because of ‘the campaign’. You missed the boat ride because of the campaign, the Patum trip because of the campaign, the Island vacation because of th…when is it ever going to be our turn? My turn?”
Regina tried to break out of his hold, but he wouldn’t let her.
“Is our engagement for the campaign?”
“Wha-no! no! it is not.”
Of course, it wasn’t; he was with her even before the prophecy was revealed.
There is no way he would have known the pope’s revelation beforehand.
He held her tense shoulders.
“No, my love, it is not.”
He pecked her cheek.
“Tell you what; I will be back a week before the month ends, then give you all my time from there.”
Was this as good as it was going to get?
Should she be grateful that she got him to lower the time difference or concerned that she would have found out about his departure from the servants?
It wouldn’t be the first time he left without so much as a word.
But why did she feel this time would have been worse because it neared their engagement?
Would he really have left her in anxiety over his absence for a month, or was she reacting based on her worst-case scenario?
This, whatever it was…wasn’t working.
But when he held her, the only words that flowed from her lips were not her anxieties or insecurities, but;
“Travel safe.”
“Thank you, my love. Thank you for understanding.”
Étienne gave her one last squeeze, then turned on his heel to wherever he said he was going.
“Wow, Regina, you look beautiful. Is that a new dress?”
In a voice harrowed in pain, she mimicked Étienne's tone of voice to ask herself the question.
“Do you like it! It was a gift from the princess.”
She answered the fantasy question she had hoped he would ask.
Was love supposed to be unbearable, or was she doing it wrong?
Her teary gaze dropped to the figure in the front courtyard through the window.
Prince Finor of the North had arrived.
He always liked listening to her.
She liked the way he held her hand; perhaps he would do it again today as she gave him a tour of the gardens.
Oh..he had his fiancée.
But…wouldn’t she understand, they were friends!
Yes, that’s right!
Gods, but what would one do without friends?
- Writer
