How to court a storm | 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘴𝘦𝘬𝘢𝘪 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭

(44)

I stand alone in the backyard of my manor. Not for lacking of trying. Six and Shade insisted they stay. And only after I ensured Dahlia and Regina that I was fine when they arrived at the estate by their own means to offer me support. Maybe they believed me or they realised I needed some time alone, before they left me and headed into the manor.

I informed them that there wouldn't be a funeral, since i had no plans to bury Imelda on Sinclair family grounds.

I stare at the solitary tombstone, its surface glistening with rainwater. It bares no name on it.

I bite my lip with frustration.

As I stand here, surrounded by the unforgiving elements of the storm, I can't help but be haunted by the question that lingers in the back of my mind-why am i feeling these array of emotions? It's a perplexing and unsettling sensation, one that I've never allowed myself to truly experience or understand.

I shouldn't care that I've taken my mother's life, and yet, as I gaze upon the nameless tombstone before me, there's a disquieting sense of unease that gnaws at my conscience. I should be indifferent to her fate, as I've always been, but instead, I find myself grappling with a strange mixture of emotions.

Imelda wasn't truly my mother. She was the mother to the old Nirvana, the person that no longer exists. So why does her passing and the absence of her name on this tombstone stir something within me?

My fingers twitch and my narrow for a moment.

Amidst the rain and wind, a presence intrudes, and I've felt this particular note of energy enough times when i least expect it to know exactly who. Without the usual detachment or indifference that would have greeted his arrival, I find myself simply glancing over my shoulder at him, my expression unreadable.

In any other circumstance, I might have walked away from him or requested to be left alone, as has been our usual interaction. But today, as I stand before the tombstone and grapple with these mysterious emotions that have stirred within me, I feel an unfamiliar fatigue settle upon my shoulders.

In this moment, I could care less about what he does or says. I am lost in the maelstrom of my own thoughts and feelings, and the presence of the prince is but a distant echo I have no reason to try hearing.

I don't know how long I stand there before the sensation of warmth envelopes my shoulders, and I realise that an umbrella has been unfurled, sheltering me from the relentless rain along with a jacket placed over me. The sound of raindrops hitting the fabric of my clothes has ceased, replaced by a comforting stillness.

With a touch of boredom, I turn my attention to the one responsible for this unexpected act of consideration-the prince. I tilt my head slightly and inquire, "What brings you here, your imperial highness?"

He stares for a few moments, and I know he's heard of what happened as well as what i'm doing out here. The topic of conversation is right there for him to grab, but he doesn't. Instead, he chooses to head down a completely different avenue. "Aston said you wanted to see me."

My brows furrow. And then I realise. "The butler." I answer my own question. "I don't remember specifying I wanted to see you. Merely asked when you would return to the Sinclair estate."

He remains silently.

I'm being difficult. I'm fully aware of my flaw. I turn around to fully face him. "I have no doubt Felix has informed you of what has happened here. I hardly think this is a time to be curious about why I was asking about you." He's giving me a means of distraction and i'm still not satisfied, instead choosing to pick a fight with him, no matter how minuscule.