𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝕿𝖎𝖙𝖑𝖊: 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝕮𝖆𝖓 𝕿𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝕸𝖊 𝕳𝖎𝖌𝖍 𝖇𝖞 𝕮𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖋𝖊𝖆𝖙 𝕬𝖓𝖉𝖞 𝕯𝖊𝖑𝖔𝖘 𝕾𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖔𝖘
***
The weekend finally came and as he said, silhouettes of dancing hues came around by the corners. sounds of shoes going with every rhythm, like leaves dancing before falling to their right places, engulfed the street of Montholia. Melodies played like chill breezes, becoming warm as they chased the sun.
Warmth is everywhere.
Until I looked at his hand gripping to mine.
He had long, slender fingers, but the palm of his hands spoke of ruins. Some scars from behind his back made me reminisce about the time when I saw Klein's.
He moves like a true warrior, as if making my vision vague from anyone else other than him. The cloak I had went to move from the other direction, and it must have been from the dawn's wind.
Still, we could barely bump into anyone.
I gazed back at his hand, as his hold never changed. I closed my eyes, and yellow glitters from the summer of my twelve years came to mind.
I was under a Sakura tree in the middle of a high mountain full of green grasses. I open my palms to receive Sakura leaves falling, only to claim someone's hands.
It had long, shiny, slender fingers with smooth palms. A kind of feeling that I wish I never had that time.
"Viona, let's go over there."
"What about there, Klein? I'm catching Cherry blossom leaves here," I said, pouting at his words, which only made him laugh.
Then he gave me a pink little leaf he managed to catch in the air. He put it in my hands as he closed it.
"There you go. I helped you already," he said, pausing. Then he leaned in over as my back went to the tree itself.
I gasped.
Klein chuckled for a second before looking straight into my eyes.
"So I guess, for as long as I'm alive, you will have to remember this moment. I can only give you a leaf of cherry blossom in your hands. By that happening, please make one wish every time I give you a leaf."
"Why?" I managed to utter in my low breath
My hand that held the leaf went to my chest. I kind of felt warmth at that time.
He leaned his forehead to mine and the corners of his lips curled upward.
"Because I can only be the one to..."
"Viona, are you listening?" A low voice spoke, accompanied by a click of his tongue.
I looked at the person right in front of me, and he had his face completely in my eye. He raised one of his eyebrows while his eyes barely stood too wide.
"I-I am; I guess I'm just carried by the breeze, that's all."
"It doesn't seem to be but who cares. As long as I brought you here already."
"Where are we?" I asked Alexander.
The walls were made of greyish bricks. There were closed wooden windows on the sides of the building. In front of the building was a double door made of wood, and on the side of each was a vase with some flowers.
Silence screamed at the place. The echoes were nowhere to be found and the hues were kind of far away. I gazed back at Alexander and he wasn't even looking at me. Still, I can feel his warmth through our hands.
I followed his gaze when he decided to move towards the door.
"Hey, can you answer me first? Are you even trying to kidnap me?"
"Tsk, be quiet, Lady. As I've said, I'm not that kind of person."
"Then why are we far from the market's festival? What are you trying to do to me, huh?" I said aloud, trying to break free from his hold but I only heard him sigh.
A second later, his finger went to my mouth as he leaned in closer. I could feel his warm breath on mine, as he had a different kind of intoxicating smell.
Wait, intoxicating? Get a grip of yourself, Viona! This is not the time to have any other thoughts! I have to know what this man is planning.
The only thing I agree with about him is because of Vaxius and also because of Klein, since after visiting the Golben's household that day, Klein's been acting very weird lately and he is always outside the manor, which I found very unlikable like him.
Is possible that it had something to do with that event?
"Listen. I'm going in and it's up to you to come but don't expect me to save you when you won't even abide by my rules."
"What rules did you even implement, Alexander?"
"Now we're talking on a first-name basis, huh?"
"I heard you first say my name earlier," I almost spoke aloud and put my hands on my hips as I could feel my breath in a racing manner.
I saw him shake his head while sighing as he put his hand on his forehead.
"You have the right to reject me but remember, it's your choice." he said, shaking his shoulders and going forward the double wooden door, not even looking back at me.
I looked around and my whole body shivered.
Wait, will he leave me like this after dragging me into this mess? I know it's not a mess, but then the place is very quiet.
I nearly jumped when I thought someone held my shoes when it was only a mouse.
Wait mouse?
"Wah! Alexander! Please! Help me!"
"As I've said, it's already your choice."
"Fine! I'm coming to you!"
"Then hurry up, will you? You're just as slow as a turtle," he said and I saw him roll his eyes.
I could barely keep up the speed when I couldn't even help biting my lips.
Why did I even agree to this?
I closed my eyes as my feet tried to move towards the double door, only to land on the ground. But why didn't I fall?
Usually, whenever I act like this, I fall painfully, not because Klein would only look at me but because after he left, I would fall to the floor in my room and act like a lady who had a moment with her crush.
That's what I was in the past.
I could only hear the loud sound of a thing falling to the ground and a voice as deep as an ocean whispering through my ears
"Ouch!"
"Alexander?" I asked
I opened my eyes and saw Alexander's face in a disgruntled look, as if he had his eyes shut, while his mouth was in a tight spot, as if gritting his teeth wasn't enough of a deal.
"Now that you're fine, can you get up already? You're heavy for a lady, you know."
"Why you----"
I didn't let myself finish as I got up and fixed my dress when my cloak got entangled with his.
He sighed and stood beside me. In his swift movement, our cloaks were already hanging on a wooden stand.
That's when I gazed around and saw how clean everything was. The matting on the floor, the wooden tiles, and the lamps attached to the sides of the wall on every corner. The walls were even cosier to look as they were made of fine wood.
In front of the door were small stairs made of wood. Beside them was a wooden rocking chair that, on top of it, had some clothing and some drawings in it. I can also see the small wooden table that had some embroidery materials and a drawing of a small girl in a white cloth.
"Where are we?"
"I guess you're never tired of asking that question, Viona."
"I didn't permit you to call me by my name."
"Me either, young lady."
"Why you---" This time, it was him who interrupted my words when he looked in front of the small kitchen beside the stairs.
The house feels like the size of our manor's two rooms, still, it feels cosier and warmer than when I'm all alone.
"Mrs. Eline!" A voice I didn't know spoke from the young man, who always had a deep, irritable tone of voice.
"Oh dear, you have come again? Do you want to learn how to embroider this time?" An old grandmother came from the kitchen. He had some wrinkled hands, an overly knitted cardigan with large pyjamas, and a pair of red slippers with a strawberry drawing in the middle.
"Um, this time, I have brought my friend, Vio," he said, and he began to introduce me to the old woman named Eline.
From where we stand, I finally understood where we are. It was when Mrs. Eline told her story and how Alex, whose pen name, as I already presume, never even told her he was a noble, just as when he introduced me, met for the first time.
At first, I thought Alexander was just a rude young man who had nothing on his mind but commanded people to do exactly what he wanted. I even doubted how Vaxius and he became friends. But then I never knew he had a different side.
He helped Mrs. Eline when he saw her almost panting for dear life in the market, only after buying some fruits. Mrs. Eline even thought she was going to die without ever seeing her son, who was currently working as a knight.
But it was all thanks to Alex, the name he gave her.
I guess every person has something up on their sleeves that they don't want people to know, maybe because if they knew, they'd be subjected to vulnerabilities, especially among their enemies. That's why they have to keep up with their image in the public's eyes.
However, knowing Alex through Mrs. Eline made me think of things that I never thought would be possible, even until now, and how I was able to live my life for the second time.
We talked and laughed about silly things. I felt as if I had become closer to Mrs. Eline in just a few hours. She even taught me about embroidery, which has gladly improved my skills, and Alex never missed preparing us some refreshments.
I didn't even know he was good like this if I hadn't heard about it from Mrs. Eline.
Time flew by and the next thing I knew, the festival was still ongoing but when I looked at the time, it was already passed midnight. Mrs. Eline already retired to rest while we left the elderly house, a foundation founded by the emperor to help the elderly have a safe home in town.
"Now you managed to come, did I put you in harm's way?" I heard Alex say and I went straight in front of him and put on my sweetest smile. The kind of smile that I never mustered to anyone other than Klein.
"Perhaps you just did the right thing, Alex. I'm truly grateful to have met Mrs. Eline tonight. We can visit her again next time," I said and he nodded
I got to see him lower his head as his hair covered his face, but I also saw how he smiled.
"Silly, we still have a lot of time, you know? Besides, didn't I tell you that Vaxius will meet you? Come on or we will miss the chance."
"He will not wait on us? And why here, He could have come to our manors."
"He's only visiting today for an important task by his brother. Other than that, he's subject to report immediately so he wouldn't have enough time to visit our manors. You see, he's been eyed."
The second he spoke of those words, I knew immediately what he meant. I also know this because when I first came to the imperial household, he greeted me with such a pretence.
"Tell me first, what do you know about him?"
"That's not important right now; we might lose him or we might meet him. We only have two choices."
"What if we couldn't meet him tonight?"
"Then I guess we have to attend to that place."
"To that place?"
"Nevermind, we will meet him; just trust me."
He held my hand and we ran as fast as we could to a place he only knew.
By that time, I didn't know what happened next but I bumped into someone, and my whole body got lifted.
"Viona?" A voice familiar as the trees' leaves dancing through the air spoke.
My vision went back to those hues, illuminating every colour and blurring everything except this young man lifting me. I saw his hair dancing through the golden mist, with his eyes sparkling like an emerald jewel.
My hands unconsciously held his warm cheeks and he closed his eyes as he lifted his lips.
"I'm glad you're okay!" He said he was putting me down. We talked for a while until his eyes and tone became sharp.
"I need you to listen to me, Viona. You only have two weeks to prepare."
"Prepare for what?" I was shocked.
"You need to go back to the capital no matter what happens."
"Why? What will happen?" But he never answered; instead, he gave me a letter and tapped both of my shoulders.
"Never spoke to anyone that you met, not even at Klein, Viona."
"Why?" I asked again and his hands on my shoulder gripped me, making me gasp.
"Do you trust me?"
"Why would I agree to your deal if I didn't trust you?"
"Then that's all that mattered, Viona. You just have to trust me. Alex," Vaxius spoke as he threw me into Alex's arms. I saw his look, he nodded to him and I was taken to another place again. But the side of my eyes caught something familiar.
A movement, an appearance, and a warm feeling I couldn't even deny.
What is Klein even doing in the side alley of the festival and who is he talking to?
This is never good. I'm afraid that things will change and this time it's out of my grasp.
"Alex, what is happening?"
I asked while I saw my hands gripping on his cloak, shivering like my whole body.
I gazed into his eyes but he never spoke. He only narrowed them until he put his hands over my eyes
"By the time you know, you'll wake up in your manor."
"What?" I asked
I'm afraid; I feared that there was nothing I knew about them when I thought I knew all about them.
I felt as if I were inside a lion's den and I was a prey and would continue to be a prey even if I wanted to know what was going on.
If I don't do anything, will I remain as clueless as Alex, who is a friend of Vaxius? Like Klein acting weird?
Then what am I supposed to do?
Right, I only have to find my happiness, but what is the point of finding it when I can't even understand a thing?
What happiness anyway?
"Viona, do you remember? I'll be your best friend no matter what happens."
"I'm sorry, Viona but you're just someone I used to know."
Right, for achieving happiness, shouldn't I try to change the outcome of my first life? Then I might find someone who'll truly love me, right?
***
"Klein, can you spare me some of your time?"
"Viona, you look serious. Of course, but why the sudden?"
"I have something I want to ask; do you still want to proceed?"
The way his lips became flat when he nodded, I saw the ruby-jewelled eyes that would always shine become dull.
For a moment, I felt like I saw a different person, a person who wasn't even my best friend.