Payment

Kana

Suddenly it struck me, like a brick falling from the sky. It plummeted and whacked me senseless. Out of the eighteen years id seen Sir Dominik he had always looked the same age, the same height, the same everything. Never had he aged a single day in my entire life. It didn't seem possible. I replayed his every visit in my head, focusing hard to re envision him, to catch any discrepancies, but I couldn't. For the life of me, I swore he had always looked the same. Even now, he seemed youthful, not a day past thirty.

"Roza?" Kana looked at me questioningly, obviously noticing my sudden mind boggle.

"Huh?" I spoke slowly, knowing full well I should say something. For my sanity, as well as future wellbeing, I should have asked the questions racing through my restless mind. "I'm fine. I'm just hungry and not fully awake yet."

"Shall we go have breakfast then?" Dominik's eyes were on me. I could see that he knew something was off with my demeanor but surly he didn't know what. If he were able to read my thoughts and know the concern creeping beneath my skin, there would be even more cause for panic. But he seemed oblivious to my realization.

"That sounds lovely." With my mind stunned, I slipped out of bed and on to the cold floor, my feet screaming from the icy marble.

Dancing on my toes I walked a few steps towards the door, coincidently towards Dominik. It was only then that I noticed his gaze wasn't on my face. Rather it was on my thin white slip of a nightgown. Thigh length and practically as thin as paper, he could see right through to my chest. And his eyes, big and loudly shocked were looking just there.

I gasped, hands clasping around my breasts as I spun around to snatch the blanket from the bed and cover myself. But as I pulled it wouldn't give because Kana laid right on top of it, stumbling around as I attempted to yank it from beneath her. I pulled hard, frantic, but it wouldn't give more than a handful or two. I heaved harder until my feet slipped out from under me and I collided disgracefully with the floor. Faced down and somewhat disorientated, I felt my face burn like the holy sun.

"Um." I refused to move, to face either of them. "Why don't I meet both the of you downstairs when I've gotten dressed?"

"Are you-" I could hear him take a step towards me but I shot out my hand to stop him, the rest of my body remained perfectly still.

"I'm fine." I spoke loudly for emphasis. "I'll meet you downstairs."

I didn't move until I heard both of them shuffle through the door and close it gently behind them. Even then I was hesitant to get up. I wanted, with every fiber of my being it meld into the floor and become a part of it.

This was just too hard, too confusing and too complicated for me to deal with. I could feel the stain taking its toll on me as I nearly remained on the floor for the entire morning.

"Rozalina?" Kana's voice drifted through the room, catching me in the midst of tying my corset.

I turned to her, face as red as a plump tomato and she simply gave me a sweet apologetic smile and entered on her own accord. Without a word she crossed the room and took the laces I hadn't yet reached. Pulling them taut, I wished I'd skipped the corset all together. It only worsened the dread in the pit of my stomach. I could feel it mull over in agony, threatening to come up as vomit. But I took slow breaths and it slowly passed by the time I was fully dressed and had my hair pinned up.

I was sticking the last pin into my curls when Kana let out a long and sorrowful sigh. "You are lovely Rozalina. You should be more confident in yourself."

"What do you mean?" I turned to look at her standing behind me, her fingers fiddling with a few stray curls.

"Why did you shy away when Dominik was looking at you?" She sighed again. "Male affection isn't something a woman should dispel, especially someone as prominent as Dominik."

I watched her for a moment, my thoughts bubbling to questions. But she seemed so at peace, even in her sighing state. Being easygoing seemed to be as easy as blushing for her.  And that made me jealous in a way.

"Wouldn't that offend you?" My words injected an instant sourness to her expression. "I'm only assuming, but aren't the two of you an item, a couple?"

At this she gripped my hair and threw her head back with a gorgeous bout of  laughter. It trickled from her lips like a song, though it didn't last nearly as long as one.

"Dominik is my brother, sweetheart." She wiped a humorous tear from her eye. "Swoon and flash him away."

My face grew warm beneath her gaze but I refused to look away. It was hard juggling and identifying these diverse feelings. They were so different and so much more colorful than I was used to. And it made my whole body warm. I wasn't sure why.

I still held that warm sensation as we descended the stairs and made our way into the dining room.