"And where do you think you're going?" Lord Berney demanded.
Elouise snarled, whirling around to see him chasing after her—halting her from seeing her father. Again.
Lord Berney stopped a few feet away, dramatically waving his arms about. "This entire area could be contagious!"
Elouise squinted at him and folded her arms across her chest. "You are exaggerating, Lord Berney."
"I would rather not risk figuring that out! You are our jewel, and you must be protected at all costs."
She almost scoffed. "I am not a jewel, Lord Berney. I am a person with feelings and concerns. And right now, my concern is my father." She started turning, but she didn't even manage a step when the nobleman spoke again, capturing her interest this time with his words.
"Then I suppose it is useless to inform you that your old friend has dropped by and is asking to meet with you."
Eldon. Somehow, she knew without asking. She held her breath, unable to move anymore. She didn't dare to face Berney either. The last thing she needed was for him to see her like this—paused with an indescribable terror that made her stomach and heart tingle. Her hands were trembling, too.
Eldon... was here? Great Holy Deity. How long had it been?
Oh, who was she fooling? Elouise knew precisely how long it had been. Approximately two months and two weeks since her birthday. Since he had to leave and return to Mary's side.
Elouise prayed everything was alright with his family now. Should she ask about them? Would that be intruding? Should she wait for him to say something instead? Or would that make her insensitive?
Perhaps none of that mattered. Why exactly was Eldon back?
"He is waiting outside the gate," Berney explained. "He will not be allowed in unless you—"
"Let him in," Elouise interrupted, perhaps more eagerly than she had wanted. She put her hands behind her back and tried a more proper approach. "Please let him in."
"This is not a casual visit, Your Highness. He has a plea and we—well, you—have not yet decided when court will reopen."
A plea? Ah, so he was not here for—
Elouise gasped. Oh no. What if something was wrong with his family?
"Then open it now," she demanded, grabbing her skirts and holding them up as she began walking. "Have him escorted to the throne room. If you do not want this to be a casual visit, then it shall not be." However, she halted while Berney hurried past her. Then she regretfully stared down the corridor.
Although Berney was against it and often prevented it, she needed to see her father. Dr. Rolfe refused to give her any details about the illness beyond saying that her father was having trouble staying awake and eating. Was the physician even doing anything helpful, though?
Elouise sighed and lowered her shoulders. She felt she had to do something before it was too late.
Then her heart leaped as an idea struck her.
After speaking to Eldon, she would head to the temple. She was confident Reverend Mathew would know of a physician or two who could further assist her father. She recalled when her father had actually done the same for her mother.
Unfortunately... her mother hadn't lived long enough for anyone to arrive.
Elouise clutched her skirts tighter and shook her head. That wouldn't happen. She wouldn't allow it.
Not this time.
With that in mind, Elouise mustered the strength she desperately needed, and she went on her way.
---
Elouise jogged toward her destination and only slowed down whenever someone walked past and addressed her. She caught her reflection in a gold vase and stopped for a moment to examine herself. Half of her hair had been braided back, leaving the rest to fall down her back and over her shoulders in waves. She attempted a smile and grimaced at how forced it seemed.
She then heard Lord Berney's voice echoing down the hall. Elouise leaned in its direction and tensed when she realized he was speaking to Eldon. She frantically glanced back at the vase. Then she rolled her eyes. Her appearance hardly mattered.
Instead, she cleared her throat and resumed walking, clasping her hands together. Lord Berney finished escorting Eldon into the throne room just as she approached, not letting her get a glimpse of Eldon.
Berney gaped at her, and Elouise widened her eyes as he pointed to another small corridor. Oh, of course. She was supposed to enter from behind the throne, wait for Eldon to bow, then sit and allow him to speak. It was how her mother began every People's Word.
"I am aware, Lord Berney," she scolded, already heading that way.
Berney and a few guards followed suit.
The nobleman and the guards entered first to situate themselves while Elouise waited behind. She briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
There is nothing to fear. It is merely Eldon. Yes, you will be judged for how you behave, but it will be over soon. You can do this, Elouise. And remember, after it is over, you may speak to him normally. You've been waiting for this moment. There is so much to tell him. Be brave... be brave.
Then the landscape painting hanging on the wall across from her fell.
Elouise yelped and jumped back, bumping into the door. She heard shuffling inside the throne room and moved away before Lord Berney and a guard rushed out.
"What is it?" Berney asked, bobbing his head as he searched the area. "What's wrong?"
Elouise sputtered and pointed at the painting. The guard visibly relaxed and walked over to pick it up.
"Did this startle you, Your Highness?" His tone was kind, but she could tell by his smile that he found her amusing—and not in a positive way.
Elouise pursed her lips.
Berney groaned and pointed at the painting with his thumb. "I never liked that one. Shall we do this castle a favor and get rid of it? We can commission a new one if you'd like, Your Highness."
Elouise averted her attention to it. "No. This painting has been here for so many years. It is apart of this castle... and my memories. We are not getting rid of it." She then asked the guard to hang it back where it belonged.
Afterwards, she stared at it. The beautiful image of the beach in Solis. The painter had evidently enjoyed vibrant colors and adding various little details, like the setting sun reflecting off the rippling water. There was also a dog playing in the sand with a green and white striped ball, which would have made her smile had she still not been on edge. In fact, that very same dog used to make her smile whenever she'd walked past this painting as a child.
"Besides," Elouise continued, "most of these paintings were chosen by Queen Beatrice. I've no doubt this was one of them. So, please, do not disrespect her tastes."
Lord Berney squinted as he bent forward. "Yes, but this painter was such an amateur that they did not bother signing their own work! Even they did not want to be associated with this!"
"Nonsense, Berney," the guard chuckled. "The signature is in beige in the lower left corner."
Elouise raised her eyebrows and inched closer to see for herself. He was right. Scribbled carelessly there were the initials A.W.
Elouise slapped her hands against her mouth, preventing herself from yelling again.
A.W.? As in... Ashton... Ashton Ward?
Ashton had been a painter. A quite talented artist, in Beatrice's opinion.
Elouise nearly gasped.
And Beatrice had chosen most of the paintings in the castle.
"Of course," Elouise whispered, lowering her hands.
The style of this painting resembled many others. So, Beatrice did not merely pick any paintings, she picked through his collection.
Elouise sighed, remembering the sweet ways Beatrice wrote about Ashton. Beatrice never said it—never admitted it in her passages—but she had loved Ashton. No, she had been in love with him. Hanging his works on the walls of her home was perhaps her declaration. The idea should have made Elouise smile, yet it tugged painfully at her chest as she instead wondered if Ashton had known. She had a terrible feeling he didn't. After all, Beatrice had married another man and mentioned Ashton having a family of his own.
Not everything was sweet. Nothing ever was, actually.
But at least this meant Ashton hadn't completely disappeared from Aristol's history like Elouise had originally believed. The only thing that bothered her was... why did it suddenly fall now?
Perhaps it was unnecessary to think further into that. Things fell all the time. This had to be a simple coincidence. She would lose her mind if she told herself otherwise. It did not help that this also had happened with Eldon in the other room. It felt like a warning of sorts.
No, she refused to dwell on it. It meant nothing. It couldn't.
Lord Berney and the guard walked back into the throne room. Elouise remained still until she heard the nobleman announce her name. She forced herself to look away from the painting and enter.
Any hope of appearing confident and calm flew out the window once she saw Eldon standing in the center with an unfamiliar young woman. Elouise gulped and made her way to the throne. Her knees began to tremble, and her heart thrashed.
She started to sit when Lord Berney furiously cleared his throat. Elouise stumbled and clumsily repositioned herself upright again. Berney asked Eldon and the young woman to bow, and they obliged.
Eldon's burning gaze made it difficult for Elouise to look at him, so she concentrated on his companion instead. She was beautiful—with her blonde braids, face full of freckles, and eyes that reminded Elouise of the shade of blue Ashton had used in his painting.
The girl stared back, and Elouise watched as her eyes widened and the corners of her lips rose to reveal teeth. Elouise blinked, uncertain if she should smile back or turn her head. She couldn't decipher what that expression meant. Was it mere friendliness from a stranger... or was there more to it? Had Eldon said something to he about Elouise? Surely, it couldn't have been anything about magic.
... Right?
Elouise sat down afterward and gripped the ends of the armrests so tightly her knuckles paled.
She suddenly wished she hadn't agreed to this.