Catarina and The Prince | Tales From The Court Of Ravaeryn #1

38 | edelweiss

1712, De Fontaine Manor, Lorewell

    "A bed of grass... A shower of sunlight... A blanket of daisies... Will you hold me tonight? "

    "The wind is cold... The wolves await... But as long as you're here... I know that I'm safe..."

Catarina let out a soft sob as she toyed with the opal locket around her neck, tracing her fingers over the engraved symbol of the three-pointed orchid.

    "I never should have let you leave," she murmured weakly. "How horrible it must have been, to be mauled and torn apart."

The de Fontaine Manor had always been empty to begin with, but now that Master Lombardi was gone, the bleak silence became even more unbearable.

    With no letters from Jessamine and the passing of her cousin, Catarina became even more withdrawn from society, and it has been months since she left the manor. At first, she felt grief and sorrow, but now, her heart felt empty, as if there was a cold, hard stone lodged in her chest.

There was a light knocking on the door, and Rosie's voice rang, "Miss, a letter has arrived for you. From the Andrades."

Catarina wearily stood up from her place on the floor, letting her long, scraggly dark hair tumble down her slender back. She turned the doorknob, revealing her maid on the other side of the door.

    "Look, Miss," Rosie said, trying to feign a smile. "It's a wedding invitation. Will you go?"

The envelope was glossy and shiny, with golden embossed letters. She reluctantly tugged the red ribbon that was tied around the square envelope and flipped it open, revealing a delicate and fragrant piece of paper in the shade of pink.

Dear Lady Catarina de Fontaine,

    We invite you to share in our joy and request your presence at the wedding of Master Florian Andrade and Lady Cosmina Breckenridge. The event shall take place at the Andrade Manor in Aurigny on the 15th of March.

Viscount and Viscountess of Aurigny

    "Will you go, Miss?" Rosie's voice rang. "You should go there, Miss. Go and be happy. You have been crying long enough."

Catarina's lips curled into a smile, the first in many many months. "Well then, I shall like to wear dress number 21 to the wedding."

Rosie beamed. "Of course, Miss!" she exclaimed as she headed into Catarina's wardrobe, smiling from ear to ear.

1712, Andrade Manor, Aurigny

    Catarina had never been to Aurigny before. The tall, slender pine needle trees that dotted the snowy white terrain seemed so foreign to her. All her life, she had only known the vivid green leaves sprouting on the oak trees at de Fontaine manor, where the air is faintly perfumed with the sweet scent of roses.