Never once did she expect an arrival from her manor, to be saved by the family that abandoned her to start with.
Group of men and women stood by the cave with the relief look on their face. Knights were supposed to keep their expression composed一yet, here they were.
Some were at the verge of tears.
"My Lady, how have you been?" The knight in red clothing questioned, which she assumed to be the leader of this small 'search for the lady' team一Verdor.
"Sir... Verdor," she muttered under her breath weakly, legs slowly became noodle. Should she be relief she could go back?
But didn't it mean she had to leave her only friend and the person she fell for?
However一in front of the knights, she's a noble. And so, she kept herself composed.
'Chin up, back straight, eyes straight.'
Y/n breathed out, reminiscing what she'd learned back then. "Good evening, Sir Verdor and the rest. May you be lead by Barbatos' wind to freedom."
Start with concise greeting. "Lady Y/n, his Lordship has called for you to go back home."
Home?
Her father?
For all she knew, she was left in the woods with no supplies. Her father decided to make an accident and faked her accident一but now, he wanted her back?
Of course, it couldn't possibly mean that he actually wanted her.
"Took you all too long to find me. How about we all have a small breakfast?" she offered一no, demanded.
Razor had gone out for a hunt, while she waited in the cave for him一only to be disturbed by the arrival of her family's knights. Verdor knitted his eyebrow in confusion. "Pardon?"
"Come and stay for a while as we wait for a friend."
"I apologize for my intrudence, but who's this fr一"
Her stone cold e/c keened right to Verdor's emerald ones, silencing him at once. He gulped in fear and obeyed as told. "W-we can't accept anything from you, Lady Y/n."
"I insist, Sir Verdor. I never knew you're quite talkative."
"My apologies, Milady."
...
Minutes had passed by as she stood outside the cave. The knights sat in the cave while having a small chatter to each other.
Whispers were caught by her ears.
"It looks like Lady Y/n has forgot how to live as a lady."
"Be quiet, Warna! At least she's being kind and polite."
A small peek of a silver haired walked with two raw meat in hand just after the cloud passed by. "Cat," he called slowly.
Cherry-stewed eyes glistened in curiosity and hostile to the strangers in the cave, he walked closer to the h/c haired lady一only to be blocked by a sword.
"State your business with the lady一"
She raised her hand up, signing him to lower down the sword. "Razor, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the sudden arrival," she apologized, keeping herself composed.
Her lips was straight with her gaze that was calm and collected一unlike the days before where she could smile as wide as she wanted.
"Oh. Cat's friends?"
"Fortunately... no."
Verdor chuckled nervously as he mumbled her name under his breath一well, they're not her friends afterall.
But did she really have to be that harsh?
Maybe.
Razor hummed in understandment一though, he was still confused. "Razor found meat," he stated as he handed the meat which was taken by Verdor. "Great, I'll start the cooking. How about you stay here while I go?"
"No, Lady Y/n, it's not right for you to cook," Verdor said. She took the cold raw meat from Verdor's hand, only to be objected by the others.
"W-wait! Lady Y/n! Please let us do it."
"Yes, M'lady!"
However, she had left them.
***
"So, once I got back一I'll be send straight to the wedding?"
"Unfortunately, it seems so, Lady Y/n."
The e/c orbs wandered down to the meat in front of her, drowning herself in the abyss of her own anxiety.
What should she do?
She held in her breath, fidgeting with her fingers. She didn't want to leave the home she built inside her, nor did she want to leave the only person that had been there for her一especially during her hard times.
"I've done everything I could to convince his Lordship from taking you back. But none of them worked," Verdor spoke.
Butterflies were sent down to her stomach, making her feel ill with thoughts floating. Her fingers shivered only be warmed up by a touch of a hand.
"Mr. Razor, please take youe hand back," Verdor warned, only to be ignored by both of them.
Her gaze shifted to his comforting ruby eyes一full of compassion and patience. Her heart beat twice rapid than before. Again, she's a noble, not someone like him.
Would she be able to remember the fact that he he was the only person she could go?
"My Lady, if you'd like一we could fake your death and一"
"No, Sir Verdor. You'll be the one who gets the penalty for fooling the nobles," she announced. Her lips were pursed with words trailing in her head, how could she put this into words?
She clanched her hands as her heart beat as if she had been climbing the mountain. Once it's decided, and once it happened, no one could turn back the past.
And no one could stop what had happened.
"I'm going back as Y/n, not as Marquess Huang L/n's daughter. I'll talk this out and if needed一I'll... step back from my title as a noble."
Her statement brought the shock to the knights, their eyes widen while objecting her decision. "W-wait, Lady Y/n! Please reconsider your decision!"
"Y-yeah! Don't make such rash choice!"
Verdor stayed silent and calm. He glanced at the knights, silencing them at once, then turned back to the lady's. "I've served you for more than ten years, and I've also served the family for quite long. So I believe in your decision, Lady Y/n. Your happiness is an honor to me and my family."
The fire's crackles died down as the wind blew harsher than before, as if it's telling the knights to obey. The howling wind and bustling bushes rang to her ears. Eventually, her heartbeat calmed down.
Everyone一even Y/n was silent. Did he just... pledge his loyalty to her? Verdor served her family for thirteen years, and never once turned his back on them.
But to pledge a loyalty for her only was something she thought she couldn't have. Her eyes wandered back to Razor, locking her gaze with the glistened pride incarnadine eyes.
"Razor wait for Cat."
The broken sentence escaped from his lips, gazing at the glazed honey e/c orbs. His gaze brought the void of some... odd comfort in her chest.
She hummed in response and shifted her gaze to the crowds of knights.
That's right.
She's Y/n.
And will never back down from what was left from her steps. "Let's go back and have a small show, shall we?"
...
Y/n L/n turned her gaze to Razor one last time before departing. "Razor," she called softly, almost sounded like a whisper. The called boy turned his head to look at her exquisite e/c stone orbs.
She took a step ahead and another, taking his hands on hers as if this would be the last time.
She could be executed for fooling the La Siginia family一or if her father still didn't want to give her freedom, then she'd be sent off to Aleks.
"I'm sorry for leaving so sudden."
He shook his head. "Cat said Cat will be with me." She did say that, but what if Y/n broke it?
"...Yeah, I did."
"Lady Y/n! The horse is ready!" A call chirped from Sir Verdor followed by the neighs of a horse.
"Give me a second, please!" Sir Verdor raised his thumb up and continued on taking care of the horse.
She turned her head back to Razor and smiled as genuine as she could pull一though, the h/c haired lady wasn't sure if she could go back.
"I'll be back, and when I am back, I'll tell you something."
****
"Are you okay, Y/n? Are you hrut anywhere?" Huang, her father, questioned his daughter as he sat on the wide chair by the window.
The large library wasn't something he'd usually visit. She reluctantly walked to Huang, slowly maintaining her balance as a result from being nervous. Her e/c orbs were met with his, the demanding and solemn look.
"I'm alright. In fact, it was nice to feel the wind blowing my face, a blessing from Barbatos."
He hummed a small song as he poured the tea down to her small cup. The scent of jasmine tea flew passed her nose, acrid but soft. Huang was clearly ignoring her.
The same as ever.
"We made a small mistake while sending you to Natlan. We've prepared a small house for you to stay, however, something came up and you were somehow... lost."
Didn't he want to apologize? Especially after putting her at the brink of death? Again, she stayed quiet and sipped the tea, humming along his line. "The La Siginia family has contacted us countless times and we were forced to keep it discreet."
She hummed again.
"Since you're back, we've decided to move the wedding to next week."
Ah, this line.
The line she despised the most.
"Fu Qin¹."
"We've used your old measures, the dress will be ready in just few days."
Huang knew what Y/n would say, he was completely ignoring her calls. She was stubborn一no, independant with her own voice一and she knew well how her family disliked it.
"Fu Qin," she called again. "And the location would be in Catherdal, or maybe we can use the one in Liyu一"
"Fu Qin, I do not wish to get married with His Grace."
Huang's e/c eyes slowly went wide but soon went back to normal一still looking down to her. A small rage of fire burned in his chest一demanding him to let it all out. "You're a woman, a lady to the house. Our house."
She sat still with her fingers clenched the frills on her dress. "You'll represent this family to La Siginia. You're my daughter, you know I'm doing this for our own good, right?"
Their own good her head.
The only thing he did that she considered to be kind was leaving her in the forest, alone. If that didn't happen, then she didn't know if she'd ever meet Razor.
"No, I won't obey just because I'm a woman."
Huang crossed his arms, eyebrow raised as if she had callanged him into a duel. "You've never obeyed me from the start."
"Because what you did was all wrong. I will not stay silent."
Her e/c orbs were as keened as her father's, like father and daughter.
"A disgrace."
"The fact this family chooses power over loyalty is a disgrace," she corrected with the courage that left in her chest. Even her breath was shaky as her voice that was full of anger and rage.
"Silent! How dare you betray your family? We've always stayed by your side, and this is how you treat us?"
They've never been there for her, never once did they ever listen to her with full of compassion. She was done having to act all graceful and silent, no one could silence her any longer. That's what she had sworn.
"I'll break the contract of this marriage with His Grace. After the contract is over, you have to give back my freedom you stole."
***
"WHY RAZOR CALLS Y/N CAT?"
Hi! Here's a small dialouge to why he calls her as one.
So, Razor... why did you call Y/n 'Cat'?
R: but Yun write一
Okay, forget about it.
He calls her cat because she was quiet, elegant, and gentle.
Anyway, I'm sorry for not uploading that frequent. Here's a chapter and holy sizzle! We're close to the ending.
But I hope you have a great time and一have a nice day!