♦Chapter 122: A Woman's Secret (1)♦
If I were to define fate, I'd resemble it as something as simple as dirt.
Dirt could be so fickle that once stepped, it would automatically get carried away to somewhere far from its original place. If not, even the passing wind could shake it off in an identical manner, so easily.
The past, present, and the future infinitely brims of unspecified potential. Any slightest change in the running cogwheels could have the possibility to change something bigger or greater than expected. Nonetheless, not all things turn out as well and as perfect as one expects the circumstances to be.
For example, an aim that wasn't supposed to hit its original target. Or perhaps...
A predetermined sight of a certain individual lying down the wooden casket.
"Lady Shevaria, do you hear me?"
Being brought back to reality from my dazed state on the outside, I lifted my head to pay attention to the other person's last statement, which I failed to perceive.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that again, please?", I went on ahead with my pleading with a fake smile, trying to hide the fact that I was out of it for a short moment, earlier.
Gazing at my profile with his chin up, the man narrowed his jewel blue eyes only to prove that he was irked a little by my distractedness amid the situation that proved to be quite disadvantageous to me, unless his support hasn't been acknowledged as quickly.
"I have to admit that you've done well in terms of noticing the obstruction before everything was too late, but... There wasn't a need to display a scene that could be misunderstood by other people, at first glance.", the emperor continued to lecture me for the risky courses of action that I chose to do without thinking twice.
I simply allowed such words to pass, giving in for long to how his blabbering contained some point since the time that I finished my business with that one accomplice whom I dealt with.
In the first place, his support to hide my involvement or even the way how I settled things was what I intended to gain from the start when I advised the imperial guards to report about the captured conspirator back then. I was ascertained that my name wouldn't be left unmentioned after having those bunch become the witnesses of my blood-stenched accomplishment, after all.
Now, thanks to the absolute command given by the dude before my presence, this matter would remain confidential as though it has become a part of the imperial palace's taboos.
"All is well as long as he still lives for the interrogation, no? Rather than that, shouldn't Your Majesty be occupied by the Crown Prince's condition?", I brought myself to speak what's better so I could break free from the scolding which could've caused my ears to bleed if ever it managed to last any longer.
"I can't deny that I'm concerned, but I have a different affair to handle after this. The guy who did the shot apparently died as he attempted to escape the venue from one of the upper floor's balconies, after all."
I smirked at the ruler's face which momentarily gazed some place above to point out the direction where the scene was portrayed. Making use of that material, I soon gestured my hands to represent the mentioned stage like how tour guides would introduce a famous tourist spot to shoo him away.
He could only breathe out a brief sigh after being a spectator of my cheekiness.
"The guests have been sent away for long. I advise you to not make your company wait too much."
"Of course. May great fortune be with you.", alongside the retrieved and neatly polished sword that I borrowed within my grasp, I bowed with all due courtesy and excused myself from the setting where the feast was held, which was now so empty and desolated unlike its cheery atmosphere for about an hour ago.
When I entered my feet within the bounds of the main gate of the Imperial Palace, two men seemed to have swallowed their impatience to wait for my arrival beside the carriage crested with the Shevaria emblem, parked beyond that point.
"Wha-?! You!! Just where on earth did you head off that you ended up like that?!!", Lucian shouted the moment my messy get-up reached the range of his view as he hurriedly approached my side with a typical, caring brother's demeanor.
"You're not hurt or anything, are you?!", he questioned after having a closer look and a confirmation of the dried blood stains left on my dress.
Before I could answer thoroughly, I couldn't bring myself to not glance at Aiden's figure behind my half-brother's broad shoulders. As soon as my eyes met the legitimacy of his worried stare, the black-haired man could only avert his gaze from mine.
I was convinced that his reaction was natural since a conflict just generated between us back in the middle of the opening of the event.
There, I plainly shut my eyes and slipped away from Lucian's act, which I still found to be disgusting in a deeper meaning till now, for some reason.
"I just got involved in some sort of crossfire on my way to the Imperial Physician. For better or for worse, I didn't get a single injury so let's pull a break to your useless worrywart side, please?"
I didn't hesitate about choosing not to waste a single second for a meaningless consideration toward a change of treatment to the person that followed me from behind after I started to make my move. And dragging myself to follow the flow of the awkward atmosphere between me and my personal bodyguard, I stepped my feet onto the carriage without anyone's help as I passively expressed my indifference to his presence like how I usually ignored Lucian's concern.
In a matter of time, the horse-drawn carriage's door has been shut after the young master of Shevaria's entrance and set off its path to the Dukedom for the sake of our early recuperation.
But before the wheels could function along the clopping sounds which would come from the coachman's side, the man who was sitting before my eyes looked at my side profile with a face full of wonder and began to speak.
"Did Aiden just offend you somewhere? The two of you didn't look too good.", he said as if he was preparing for sh*t in case I nodded accordingly to his first sentence.
I reproduced a fake smile on the outside for the nth time and replied, screaming about the fatigue toward everything internally.
"Does that matter to you?", I became direct at pointing out the fact that it was none of his business.
♦♣♠♥
The next day dwelled by at ease, although with things standing the same to how it was the day after when it came to the issue about my discord with Aiden.
Nevertheless, as he still held the role to guard me at all times, it's not like he could be excused without a credible reason for a granted permission of absence. Thus naturally, even now, in the middle of my meeting with Natasha at the Imperial Palace, he was required to accompany me.
"Lady Melissa, what of Sir Aiden?", the blonde-haired maiden asked, quickly noticing the distance of the mentioned person from both of our positions, which was obviously different from usual.
Coming from her, this was to be expected. After all, for a personal bodyguard, Aiden still got to draw closer to our circle which likewise included the currently bedridden Noah as per Natasha's request, after considering how it could've been a lonely experience for the black-haired juvenile back in the day to be alienated from our merry group when he's also around our age then.
The lady's amber irises could only gleam in curiosity at the sight of such a scene where the other person involved in our intimate friendship has become distant all of a sudden, specially at a moment where she could feel nothing more than restlessness after the disturbance last night.
"I think he's being considerate in his own way for Your Highness after that incident. Perhaps, he thought that only another lady like me could you express your feelings more openly."
Although there was truthfully a sign of reluctance to be found from the bottom of my heart, I couldn't assume that I was capable of lying as smoothly as I breathed. And whilst the guilt slowly seeped within my chest, never did I know that a shocking set of words have waited for me from that point.
"That's a lie, isn't it?"
The reaction approached my demeanor as fast as a shooting star. The widening of my eyes was most probably as clear as a summer blue sky before I could manage to bring back my consciousness from the chilly feeling that I sensed down by my spine.
And as soon as I got to realize how Natasha was ascertained of everything after having witnessed that short phenomenon, the uneasiness made me swallow a gulp out of a habit.
The gentle smile that she showed me with her brows slightly furrowed in melancholy somehow made me nervous in a while.
It was then that I felt nostalgic about the feeling that I was having right now.
That's right. Back then too......
When I hallucinated the image of her, wearing an evil smirk back in the previous timeline and around the time before the Grand Feast could be hosted officially, a similar twist of emotions strangely occurred to me as well.
And as I was presently dealing with its great influence to my stability, I helplessly yielded and blurted out things which partly admitted that she stated the truth.
"How--"
"I'm actually on a level higher at detecting lies compared to other people...... For various reasons, that is."
Her gaze went blue in a blink of an eye, by the end of her phrase. I believed, it was to point out the depressing circumstances that surrounded even someone who was often as dazzling as her, at most in front of the public.
I wouldn't even dare to lie about my doubtfulness toward Natasha's innocence, from time to time. Because of all things I would be ascertained of as a lady like her, I knew it very well-
That every woman hides another face behind her thick mask on the exterior.
And now, the mist was gradually clearing itself to a certain point, on its own will.