1711, Aethiel Palace, Kestramore City
"You are merry today, Mina," Catarina remarked to Cosmina.
The latter giggled as she finished braiding her long dark brown hair, and her silver-grey eyes flashed with joy as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"I received a letter from my parents," Cosmina began breathlessly. "They said that they will be coming to the capital today. My father has been summoned to look into the death of Princess Eufemia. Meanwhile, I shall get to spend time with my mother."
"That sounds very nice," Catarina replied as she brushed her long, untamed hair.
"You are welcome to join us, Catarina," Cosmina invited warmly. "I'm certain my mother wouldn't mind. Oh, and I can introduce you to Vaughn !"
Catarina let out a laugh when she was reminded of Cosmina's 'mildly attractive brother'.
"Yes, I would like that very much, Mina."
That afternoon, the Breckenridge arrived at Aethiel Palace, and Cosmina eagerly ran down to the receiving hall to greet them with Catarina in tow.
Upon meeting the aforementioned Vaughn Breckenridge, Catarina decided that he was more than just mildly attractive. Like his sister, Vaughn possessed thick, curly dark brown locks and piercing silver eyes.
Cosmina's father, the Grand Tutor, left for Lavillia Perra along with Vaughn, who happened to be close friends with Catarina's cousin, Tristan.
"Oh, I missed you, Mina," said Miriam Breckenridge, the Marchioness of Avionne. "Look at you, you've become so thin! Do they not feed you here ?"
"The food here is not even as half as good as your cooking, Mama," Cosmina whispered. "But don't tell anyone that I said that."
"With all those cooks, you'd think that they'd be able to make good food," the Marchioness sighed. Then, her eyes flickered towards Catarina, standing awkwardly in the background while watching their exchange.
"Child, come closer," she beckoned. Catarina hesitantly took a step forward, and upon seeing her face, the Marchioness's eyes lit up in recognition.
"Oh, you're Lucia's daughter! You've grown so tall, and so beautiful too," she complimented warmly.
Catarina subconsciously began to smile. She had grown up without a mother, and upon receiving even the slightest bit of motherly affection, she felt as if her thirst had been satiated.
"Don't compliment her too much, Mama," Cosmina laughed. " Lest her ego might inflate like a balloon and carry her away."
The Marchioness glared at Cosmina sharply, but her sternness dissipated as quickly as it came.
"Oh, I heard that the Little Viscount of Serafin is also here at the palace. We should go and greet him. His father is very close to your father, Mina," said the Marchioness.
"But Mama, what does that have to do with us? I doubt he even knows who we are," Cosmina rebuked.
"Mina dear, this is the first time the Little Viscount had come down to the capital. Don't you want to see his face? I've heard rumours about his deviously good looks aplenty," the Marchioness added cheekily.
Now, Cosmina was not that keen when it came to boys, but there should be no harm in meeting the Little Viscount. Besides, she would be able to tell people that she has met the mysterious Master Florian Andrade.
The three headed towards the palace gardens, though it was no longer as bright and radiant as it was when they first arrived there. Autumn was swiftly approaching, and the leaves of the trees were starting to turn red and orange.
Catarina stared wistfully at the ominous maze, recalling about that fateful rainy day. She was certain that the man in the maze must have been Julian, but after their altercation during that night at the opera, there was no way for her to approach him.
In fact, she wondered if his affection towards her had already begun to fade, which was a shame, as unbeknownst to her, her feelings for him had only started to blossom.
"Mina, look! That is the Little Viscount!" the Marchioness's voice rang, averting Catarina's attention towards them.
A few feet away from them was a remarkably tall man, dressed in opulent furs and silks, befitting of a respectable northern lord.
His skin was as white as snow, and his sleek, needle straight light brown hair was neatly combed back, revealing a pair of very peculiar eyes.
One eye was a deep, warm brown, reminiscent of honey candy, while the other eye was a sharp, piercing blue. His long pale fingers were littered with scars and burns, like the hands of a common servant, and very unlikely of a lord that spent all day cooped up in his mansion.
The more she stared, the more she realised that this Master Florian Andrade's description matched that of Cosmina's lover perfectly, and she tactfully turned around to find her friend, only to see her standing awestruck in the middle of the garden.
"Mina," she called out softly, though her voice was suddenly drowned out the voice of another.
"Giulia," the man said, his brows furrowed in both confusion and shock.
Cosmina inhaled sharply, her face as pale as a corpse, her hands shaking as if she was caught committing a great crime. It concerned Catarina, as during the entirety of their time here, she had never seen Cosmina so flustered. It was completely out of character.
The Marchioness's dark eyes flickered from towards her daughter, then towards the Little Viscount. "You've met my daughter, Master Andrade ?"
His gaze grew cold, and he turned to face the Marchioness, his countenance unchanging. "No, Lady Breckenridge. I have never met her in my life."
"Are you alright, Mina ?" Catarina asked once they returned to their chambers that evening. Once the Little Viscount had left earlier, Cosmina's behaviour gradually returned to normal, but there was a certain vigilance in her eyes that Catarina could not help but notice.
Upon hearing that question, Cosmina tiredly sat down on the bed, her eyes growing red with unshed tears.
"I feel horrible," she confessed, feebly attempting to laugh in between her sobs. "I feel like a fraud, an impostor!"
Catarina rushed towards Cosmina's side, giving her a shoulder to cry on.
"Mina..." she murmured.
"I lied to him, Catarina," Cosmina wept. "I said that I was Giulia, the daughter of a southern merchant, hence why he called me Giulia when we initially met him."
"Why did you lie about that ?" Catarina gently asked.
Cosmina wiped away her tears and said, "Vaughn and I didn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves. We travelled the entire kingdom while maintaining our little façade.
Even after he, no, Florian and I fell in love with each other, I never bothered to tell him my actual identity. He planned to ask for my hand in marriage, and I said that I would return home first and tell my family about it.
Of course, that never happened. As skilled as he was, he was only a blacksmith. My parents would've never approved of him. So after returning home, I cut all contact with him for good."
"But you also did not know who he truly was. You just found out that he is the son of a Viscount," Catarina interjected. "All this time, he was posing as a blacksmith. Wouldn't that make you both equally guilty ?"
Cosmina chuckled weakly. "No. All he did was to maintain his disguise, while I played with his heart. I gave him false hope by lying that I would write back to him as soon as I arrived home. That letter was never even written, Catarina. I was so cruel to him, and now, I shall pay the price of my own wrongdoings."
Cosmina's sobs grew into wails. Her carefully powdered face and delicate hairdo were in complete disarray, but she did not seem to care.
At that moment, Catarina began to wonder. Is love truly that painful?