Because of what she read, Clementine couldn't sleep that night. She stayed awake and spent time in the library reading books about the dagger; she was about to tell Alcina what she had learned, but the woman had to leave because she had been called by Miranda, and she hasn't returned home yet tonight. She was clutching a book about the history of knives and weapons, and the book said that the dagger was only a myth.
"The dagger can't be a myth," she mumbled as she turned the page. "No more any further details?" She groaned and returned the book to the shelves, closing it.
She rubbed her temples, feeling a surge of worry and anxiety in her mind. She doesn't understand a single thing that's going on or what Vanessa is about to do. She strolled out of the library and into the kitchen, hoping to sip some milk that might help her sleep for the night. She came to a complete halt in front of Alcina's study, looking at the door as a thought occurred to her that she needed to go inside. She pulled the key from her pocket and entered the room; as the family's personal maid, she had been granted access to several of the castle's rooms by Alcina.
She walked inside the room, softly shut the door, and opened the lampshade, casting a small amount of light around the room so no one would notice her presence. She looked down at the table, which was strewn with paperwork. She sat down in the chair and pulled out one of the drawers, revealing a black clip folder, which she opened to see what was inside.
As she reviewed the data, a smile appeared on her lips. "The hall of four?" She gave a slight nod as she continues to read.
She put the folder back in the drawer once she finished reading and turned off the lamp. She departed the room and began walking away, intending to go to the hall of four, but she came to a stop when she and Vanessa encountered each other in the corridor. When Vanessa noticed Clementine, she stiffened and hastily put what she was holding in her pocket.
"Vanessa, what are you doing here at this hour?" Clementine had inquired.
"Um..." She swallowed hard, attempting to come up with a response. "I was going to get some milk from the kitchen!"
"Really? I was also planning on getting some milk. Do you want to accompany me?" She gave a kind smile.
"Me? You want me to accompany you?" She asked, pointing to herself, surprised.
"Well, yes," she shrugged. "I hope you're not trying to avoid talking to me about what happened with Ingrid earlier."
"No, I'm not trying to avoid you. I was simply embarrassed by what had occurred earlier," she let out a sigh. "It's not that I intended to duplicate you; it's just that... I'm not sure why everyone admires you and tries to avoid me. So I assumed that imitating you would make them like me, but that was not the case."
Clementine nodded. "Vanessa, you don't have to pretend to be someone else in order for people to like you. People would like you for who you are if you just be yourself."
Vanessa responded with a nod. They went to the kitchen together, where Clementine prepared milk for the two of them while they conversed at the table.
Vanessa raised the cup of milk to her lips and remarked, "You seem kind Clementine."
"You seem pleasant as well," she added with a smile. "I'd like to get to know you a little better."
Vanessa gave a kind smile. "I'm in the same boat!"
Vanessa drew Clementine's attention with a nod. The woman rubbed her eyes as a yawn escaped her lips.
"All of a sudden, I'm feeling drowsy," Vanessa explained.
Clementine pretended to yawn and said, "Me too."
"Well, it was a pleasure to speak with you. I have to go to my room right now," due to her disorientation, Vanessa jumped up from her seat, slightly tripping.
"Are you all right?" Clementine inquired, trying to yawn once more.
Vanessa smiled and nodded. "I just feel drowsy for no apparent reason," she yawned once again.
"Would you like me to assist you in getting to your room?" She inquired.
Vanessa turned back and grinned at her, "No, I can manage."
Vanessa moved out from the kitchen with a shake of her head. Vanessa was clinging on to the walls for support owing to her disorientation, so Clementine silently followed her. Vanessa came to a halt and entered a room that Clementine believes is hers. She waited a few moments before following Vanessa inside the room, where she discovered the girl already asleep in bed.
She took a look around the room and noticed that everything was spotless, which was not what she had expected. She discovered a gleaming box under the bed and went to investigate it; however, the box was locked and she was unable to open it. Vanessa moved and twisted to the side of the bed, causing a key to slip out of her pocket as she was ready to return the box beneath the bed. Clementine grasped the key, her brows furrowed; the key was the iron emblem key she had seen earlier from Alcina. She didn't spend any more time and put the key into the box's keyhole, which opened it. When she saw the contents of the box, she gasped and turned to face Vanessa who was peacefully sleeping.
-
Alcina arrived to the castle the next morning, sleepless, because Miranda had asked her to be a babysitter for Eva for the night. As she entered the main hall, she yawned, and the servants who spotted her greeted her, but she merely responded with a nod. She came to a halt in the living room when she noticed Clementine and Vanessa, who were walking down the stairs together, arms intertwined. She gently touched her eyes to test whether she was hallucinating due to a lack of sleep, but what she was seeing appeared to be true.
"Oh! Good morning, Lady Dimitrescu," when Vanessa saw the tall woman, she instantly lowered her head.
Clementine smiled as she said, "Good morning, Alcina."
"Good morning," she said, her brows meeting as she looked at their arms. "Are you two friends now?" She inquired.
Clementine and Vanessa laughed as they stared at one other.
"My lady, I believe so. Clementine stated that she wanted to learn more about me," Vanessa shyly answered.
"What do you mean? We're friends!" Clementine burst out laughing.
A yawn slipped Alcina's lips as she nodded her head slightly.
"I think you should go to bed; you appear to be restless." Clementine expressed her thoughts.
"My lady, I concur. You appear to be exhausted." Vanessa added to the conversation.
As she looked at the two of them, she had a perplexed expression on her face since something about their ostensible friendship seemed odd to her.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep in my room now. I'll catch up with you two later," before walking away, she smiled at them.
Clementine and Vanessa were now alone, their arms still intertwined as they watched Alcina go away.
"Vanessa?" She called.
"Yes?" Vanessa shifted her gaze to her.
"I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"What is it?"
"Could you perhaps lend a hand in the library to Lady Daniela? I realize it's a lot to ask, and it's perfectly fine if you don't want to."
Vanessa's lips curved into a smile. "No, no! I think this is a great idea; I've always wanted to get to know the girls and this is a great opportunity."
"Really?" Clementine gave her a warm embrace. "Thank you a lot! Tell her you're helping Ingrid if she questions why you're there."
"You're going to help Ingrid in the north wing?"
She smiled and nodded. "She requested me to assist her, and I couldn't refuse."
"Alright! I'm going to the library right now; see you later?"
She smiled and nodded. "Enjoy your time with Lady Daniela!" She said her goodbyes with a wave.
Clementine let out a sigh of relief as she watched Vanessa go away. She proceeded to the north wing, where she summoned Ingrid.
"You took a long time to get here; I've been here for a few minutes!" Ingrid was irritated.
"I'm sorry; Vanessa and I saw Alcina in our way."
"Really? When she saw the two of you, what did she say? When she saw your arms linked, did she have jealousy in her eyes?" Ingrid squealed and punched her shoulder in amusement.
"I don't sense any jealousy in her eyes; all I see is complete perplexity."
"Aw! I expected to see her become envious," Ingrid pouted.
"Enough with the chit-chat. I need to see The Duke, so you should sneak me out before anyone notices i'm missing.
"Oh right," Ingrid said as she grabbed her wrist and dragged her deeper into the room.
They entered a room that appeared to be a storage room. Clementine wore the black cloak that Ingrid had given her, and she followed Ingrid into a room that led her to a shattered wall with a small hole large enough for her to fit through.
"You need to be back before an hour okay? Just follow that path ahead because that leads to the altar." Ingrid said.
"I'll be quick and i'll be back before you know it," she winked.
Ingrid sighed. "I'll wait here till you get back, stay safe!"
She responded with a nod and exited through the hole that led to the outdoors. She was in the castle's back wing, where no one typically goes. She hurried down the route that Ingrid had directed her along, and it didn't take her long to get at the altar, where she instantly noticed The Duke's cart.
As she arrived, The Duke said, "Ah, Ms. Clementine, what a delight to finally see you."
"It's been a long time since we've seen each other," she said with a smile.
The Duke smiled and nodded. "How have you been? Oh, why am I even asking? You're doing great in Lady Dimitrescu's arms, aren't you?" He burst out laughing.
The heat was creeping up on her cheeks, so she lowered her head slightly. "You really know everything, do you?"
The Duke shrugged his shoulders. "There are only a few things I'd like to mention. So, what exactly do you have in store for me?"
Clementine pulled something from her pocket and presented it to The Duke, who grinned broadly.
"Can you tell me why you brought this to me?"
Clementine nibbled the inside of her bottom lip. "Could you just keep it for me or toss it somewhere far away?"
He smiled and nodded. "I'd be delighted to! You've given me an extremely rare item."
"That's they only reason why I came here. I wanted to ask you some things, but I'm sure you won't answer them," she let out a sigh.
He grinned as he said, "The answers you're looking for will be right in front of you very soon."
"I'll go then, it was lovely to see you," she said as she turned around and went away, but The Duke interrupted her.
"Clementine?"
She shifted her gaze to his. "Yes?"
"You're on the correct path, but please proceed with caution."
Even if she didn't understand what he was saying, she nodded in response. She rushed back to the route that led to the hole at the back of the castle; Ingrid will be relieved that she didn't take long to return. She entered the hole expecting to see Ingrid but she was nowhere in sight.
"Ingrid?" As she took a few steps ahead, she called out.
When she felt someone standing behind her, her heart pounded rapidly, and she knew it wasn't Ingrid. She dashed towards the door, but before she could reach the doorknob, something sharp struck her in the head, knocking her to the ground. She felt something hot flowing from her head, which she guessed was blood, but before she could see who had hit her, a black cloth was placed over her eyes, blinding her and another sharp object struck her in the head, finally knocking her out.
-
Alcina exited her room when she had finished bathing. When she awoke, it was beyond lunchtime, and she assumed the girls had already eaten their food. When she entered the dining hall, she was surprised to see the three girls in their seats, all of whom appeared to be frightened.
"What's up with your expressions? Did something happened?" She inquired as she sat in her chair.
The three girls exchanged glances before turning to face her, their expressions indicating apprehension.
"Girls?" She inquired, her brow furrowed. "Did you do something? Please respond."
Daniela burst into tears, prompting Alcina to get from her seat and approach her daughter.
"Why are you so upset? What exactly is going on?" As she caressed the girl's back in circles, she inquired.
Cassandra got out of her chair and tossed a piece of paper onto the table.
"That's what's going on!" Cassandra screamed angrily.
"Calm down! It hasn't even been confirmed!" Bela took a step forward, facing Cassandra.
"Calm down? Not confirmed? Everything is written in the letter!" Cassandra made a sneering remark. "I knew she was the same as the rest of them," she said, turning aside to keep from crying.
"What exactly are you two arguing about? Would you mind telling me what happened so I can understand?" Alcina remarked.
"Clementine left!" Cassandra scoffed.
"That letter is a forgery!" Daniela jumped out of her seat and screamed. "She won't leave, she promised me that she won't leave!"
"That's nonsense, Daniela! You've already seen her chamber; it's empty; she's gone, and she's taken advantage of us. We'd been duped yet again!" Cassandra became enraged.
"Cassandra, don't jump to conclusions just yet!" Bela remarked.
"Oh? So, what do you believe happened here? Is everything a joke? Is it also joke that she packed her bags? Is the letter also a joke?" Cassandra remarked, her cheeks flushed with tears. "She took everything in her room and left nothing behind,"
Alcina took the paper that was on the table and began reading it, her grip on the paper tightening as she did so.
Please accept my apologies.
I can't be here any longer, and I can't deal with each and every one of you. Everything was a lie; I lied to everyone so that I could be free and leave this horror. I've never loved any of you; you're all monsters who will remain monsters forever. I suppose I should thank you for allowing me to stay in there; at the very least, you allowed me to live. Unfortunately for you, I now have the opportunity to leave this hellish situation. Don't bother looking for me or even trying to find me because I'll never return. I don't want to be enslaved in that fortress once more.
-Clementine
Alcina scoffed and dropped the paper on the table before rushing out of the dining room and into her study, where she took out her phone and dialed Clementine's number in the hopes of getting a response.
"Pick up," she said as she held the phone to her ear.
She tried calling Clementine several times, but she never answered. She hung up the phone and ruffled her hair with her fingers. Alcina closed her eyes and took a long breath, her cheeks wet from the tears that had fallen down on her eyes.
She whispered, "I always knew investing my feelings for you was going to end this way."
--
So, this was supposed to be long but I decided to cut this short. Next chapter contains almost 5k words :D
Anyway... The end is near for this book (༎ຶ ෴ ༎ຶ)