Phantasmagoric

Mysteries

"I think... something is keeping me out."

"What do you mean?!" The Duke's stood up and his frustrated voice rang inside the room. The both men looked at each other as if speaking telepathically which lasted for a few seconds.

"Alzbeta, you should return to your room." the Duke said without looking at me.

"What?!" I was astonished. They want to keep whatever's happening in this body hidden from me.

"You're still too young to understand what we're going to talk about." He explained.

"Ha?! This is my body, Adelmo!" Who should be more concerned about this other than me?! I could be already dying for all we know!

"I am not asking, Alzbeta. I am ordering you to return to your room." He looked at me with his cold eyes as if I'm a hindrance that still continues to annoy him. When I heard him said that and saw those eyes, to say I'm upset would be an understatement. I could feel the tears build up in the corner of my eyes. His eyes soften but I only looked down to my feet.

"All right, Adelmo. Magnicius, please do excuse me." I wasn't aware that Magnicius were observing the whole fiasco and already coming up with conclusions inside his head.

When Alzbeta was gone and the door clicked closed, Magnicius looked at the door and spoke.

"What was that?" as he continued to look towards the now closed door.

"What do you mean?" the Duke sat at the soft sofa now that the shock has finally left his body.

"That was like not Azbeta." The Duke furrowed his eyebrows when he heard his friends statement.

"That was not an etiquette a lady should do. And we both know that Alzbeta never shouts and never as headstrong as she just demonstrated earlier. Heck, if there was a contest for proper ladies, Alzbeta and the Queen would be on top of the list!"

"Do you not think that perhaps Alzbeta is just changing for her own good? After all, I would not be able to always protect her. And that was not why I ask you here anyway. To be exact, I am happy of the changes I see in her. It reminds me of her mother." Magnicius sighed

Cassandra was both kind and fierce. She knows how to stand on what she believes in and make space for other people's opinions. She's benevolent but unforgiving at the same time. When she was still alive, she could bring the light and elegance in a party. When she died, nobody could blame her daughter. They respect how strong Cassandra was to make her choice and how loving she was as a mother to her newborn child. Maybe that's why nobody from those crowd who got a chance to bask on Cassandra's light and walk on the path she had taken could forget her. She was just that memorable.

"All right. I will not say anything about those changes anymore. In exchange, you have to tell me what happened to Alzbeta before she became like that."

"I do not know the complete story but I think Miranda did something to her."

"She did what, exactly?"

"Alzbeta's maid said Miranda would physically a***e Alzbeta."

"What how could she?! And how come you did not do anything?!"

"I was not aware of the deed. She was so ever careful not to let anybody see it and it seems it always happen when they are both alone together."

"Alzbeta never told you?"

"No... She did not." The Duke couldn't look at his friends eyes due to shame. His daughter doesn't seem to trust him to take care of such trivial matter when he's fully capable with it.

"It greatly pains me that she couldn't seem to be honest of what was happening to her when I am not around."

"There wasn't a single sign?"

"None. They both smile and laugh at each other when the three of us are together. Sometimes they would also talk about things mother and daughter only knows...Now that I think about it, it always seems to be about trending dresses, make ups and jewelries. Maybe that was all practiced but because of those I thought nothing was a miss. After all, we are still family."

"She does not seems to call you father now..."

"No. She doesn't and I think this is the most painful of all the things that has happened." the Duke said with so much pain in his voice it almost became visible for Magnicius.

When Alzbeta returned to her room, she immediately dismissed Diane.

"I want to be alone, please."

Diane looked like she wanted to argue and stay by Alzbeta's side but she chose to obey instead. When the door close as a sign that she's now alone, Alzbeta threw herself on the bed. Even though it subsided a little after her walk on the way back, she was still upset that she felt like crying . I have the right to know too. This is my body now even if I don't want to. I just wish... I could tell them that.

Before the night could fall, Magnicius bid farewell to Adelmo.

"I will go back to the Tower to check if there was something similar that has happened in the past. If not, we will go beyond what this kingdom can offer." He said as he put up the hood of his cloak to cover his head.

"Thank you, Magni." Magnicius sighed.

"I just wish we could find the answer to what were looking for."

And I hope that answer would not cost us something precious.

When dinner was served, Alzbeta refused to come out of her room. The Duke sensed that what he did earlier might have disappointed her so he didn't say anything and just ordered the servants to give her dinner that might please her.

"You shouldn't spoil that child, my lord. She's already old and soon enough she'll leave this household to marry." The Duke glared at Miranda, who pretends to be unaware of the displeased look the Duke is giving her.

"I will do what I want when it comes to my daughter." The Duke swallowed his contempt with what he heard from Miranda and chose to answer in a neutral tone.

"You married me to be her mother, did you not, my lord?" Miranda said before cutting a piece of meat from her dinner and putting it in her mouth.

"I did marry you for her sake. So let me ask you... Have you been good to Alzbeta this days?"

"What ever do you mean? Both Alzbeta and I have always been in good terms. I am always patient with that child even when she shouts at me and talked about her mother even when I am in front of her. Disrespectful, that child." She said as she gets a napkin and elegantly wipes the corner of her mouth. The Duke's gaze never left her and he wonders how could Miranda handle to utter lies even in his presence? The Duke smiled at her with those thoughts in his mind.

"I believe you Miranda. After all, you are still living and enjoying your time in this household because my daughter have always said she likes you. I hope that her favor for you never leaves her heart."

Miranda suddenly stood up as if she could no longer handle the Duke's words. She smile at the Duke before saying,

"The dinner was tasty, my lord. But if you would excuse me, I rather do not feel very well and I wish to retire early to my bed."

"Of course. Have a good night, Miranda."

"You are still living and enjoying your time in this household because my daughter have always said she likes you." How could he?! When he was the one so adamant before to court me and asked my hand for marriage?! Yes, I admit I love him but he goes too far with his devotion to the dead!

Miranda bit back the scream that was building on her throat as she hurriedly walk towards her room. When she arrived, she threw the vase to the floor only because it was the first thing she touched. The table and chairs also received her wrath. She breathed heavily as if she was being chased by a demon. Before, the room was contains elegance that portraits the status of the lady occupying the room. But now, it looked like a hurricane arrived and trashed everything in its wake.

The maids could only think that they're thankful because the Madam never hurts them physically. Words are just words after all and could not kill someone. They're also thankful that the Duke is firm about his rule of no violence must happen inside his household.May it be visible or not. As commoners, they always hear of what had conspired to their friends and relatives after working for nobles. Most of them being beaten up, r***d or killed and a number of them sometimes even returns home with a broken finger or hand, bearing a bastard or unable to walk. These are perhaps due to their pent up emotions and unable to fully express themselves truely from the watchful eyes of their kind. Because commoners are looked upon as objects by nobles, they could not stand up for themselves so the nobles took it up to themselves to break these objects. They could only be thankful that all they have to do is clean up the mess and that they were not seen, touched and to be broken like a vase.