Elizabeta
The air outside stung my cheeks, freezing breeze rolling around, making my whole body shiver. With the Sun shining, the snow sparkled in one's vision like a beautiful diamond.
The horses thumped around impatiently, swishing their fluffy tails around and batting their ears to one side and then to the other side. They even bowed their heads to the ground, sniffing and gaping the white blanket in search of finding something to eat. They shudder when the wind hit them, huddling closer to each other while their breaths came out in hot puffs.
I pulled the silky blanket tighter around me, creating a little and meaningless shield against the cold and looked at my young companion who seemed rather tense. "What's wrong, my dear?" He looked up at me, fear in his eyes. "I just...never been on a carriage or rather sleigh in my life," he explained quickly, his voice dying out in embarrassment at the end. I chuckled at that, throwing the blanket round his shoulders as he jerked. "I don't—"
"Hush now," I said, "Toni won't let me live in peace if something happens to you. He did tell you to stay warm at the end, didn't he?"
Did Roma flush or were his cheeks red because of the cold? Maybe both. The coachman, an old man all dressed in warm clothes, came at last, taking his seat in the front before grabbing the thick leather reins. He turned to me, a kind smile on his face. "Wohin, meine Dame?" I rolled my eyes but chuckled softly at my friend's silliness. "Wien, bitte. Das Geschäft, in dem ich gerne einkaufe," he nodded his head at that and turned away, settling in his seat a bit better. The man grabbed a tall whip but didn't use it just yet; he only tapped the horses' backs with the reins, a few sounds escaping his lips that got the animals moving.
As soon as the vehicle moved, I could see Roma grabbing the blanket around him, his breath hitching. I laughed, pulling him closer and patting his head gently. "Don't worry, my dear! It's nothing to be afraid of," I said, my voice light and cheerful but that didn't seem to convince the young Italian.
Clearing my throat, I let my lips quirk into a little smile. "Are you excited to see the city? It's the first time you'll get to see one, isn't it?" I looked at him and now way more relaxed, Roma shrugged his shoulders. "It won't be the first time; I've already been to Barcelona," he paused, lips becoming a line, "but under different circumstances." My mouth opened to say something but my mind didn't manage to come up with a remark, thus our ride was silent for a while.
"Well then, are you excited for some shopping?" He leaned into his seat, crossing his legs and pulling the blanket closer to him, nose buried in the soft fabric. The Italian once again only shrugged, making me sigh mentally; This is going to be a long day. Neither of us spoke again, just looking around, letting the surroundings fill our heads.
Hooves clicked gently, the thumping muffled by snow. Suddenly, the carriage jerked and the boy's reaction made me giggle; he jolted as well, hand flying to hold onto something. He looked a bit sick but tried to not let it affect his features and so, he sat as comfortably as possible to give off a casual look.
"May I ask you something?" He said, catching me off guard. I gave him a side-glance and nodded, "What might it be, my dear?" He let go of whatever he was holding, sulking a bit. "Why did Antonio tell you that and why did he cut you off earlier?" A silent "ah" left me but then I stayed quiet, thinking and playing with the question in my mind.
I didn't want to say anything too detailed to the boy; not that I didn't trust him, I did, mainly after keeping such secret. But I didn't want to say anything Toni wouldn't want me to say. Good thing my friend in the front didn't understand English at all; no matter how long we've known each other and no matter how well I knew him, some things must be hidden even from our dearest friends. And this was still so new to me, too; I didn't really know what to think myself, let alone tell Romano.
At last, I sighed, my breath becoming only a puff in the winter air. "To tell you the truth, I don't know why Toni told me but I'm glad he did; he seemed so relieved it was out. It's a dangerous game you two are playing, my child. Mainly in this world where if you aren't born into a good family, you're just a toy to others. Even I'm like that, you know? I'm Hungarian; a mere servant to the Austrians. But I can't really complain; the other servants experience even worse things. They're all from different countries than I am; Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, hell, even north Italia. I don't like what the monarchs do to us, it's not fair; we're all only humans. We were born the same way and we die the same way." I paused, taking a deep breath as we crossed some trees and a small bridge, passing another carriage filled with wood.
"All you need to know is that I know and I'm okay with it, so if anything happens, even between you and Toni, you can always come to me. I'll be more than happy to help you." I smiled at the boy who was closely listening. "Now, the other thing," I chuckled, crossing my arms under my breasts and slumping into the blanket. "Some things are better said by their owner, not someone else." Roma gave me a puzzled look but didn't ask any further questions, just leaning into his seat and gazing at the outside world before we had to get off.
"Just know one thing, Roma. He cares about you dearly and even though he doesn't show it, he's very fragile, here," I touched my chest where my heart was beating, gentle thumps vibrating through my hand. "And he'd never let anything bad happen to you, so you better be grateful for that; it's not a matter of course." With that being said, he once more fell into deep thoughts until I had to alarm him that we were about to pass the city borders.
White landscape changed into a very busy district with tall and lovely looking houses, lamps lining up the streets, people going up and down, laughter and noises echoing everywhere. Ladies in beautiful dresses, all huddled and warmed with the finest fur, crossed the street, cheerful chipper following them. Gentlemen with gloves and walking canes strolled down the sidewalks, barking out low laughs. There were children of all age running around, laughing and playing; it made my heart melt.
All in all, Vienna was a wonderful city full of life.
Soon though, the carriage took a turn onto a different street, other vehicles passing us by. They all looked fancier but who was I going to be kidding; this was the capital city of a whole empire, only the rich lived here. Though they often got tired of the ruckus and moved to live somewhere far from the mending crowd. Romano, on the other hand, seemed to be charmed by the capital city. His eyes were fixed on everything, looking about each corner which made me chuckle.
The horses came to a halt, one bowing its head and puffing out air rapidly while the other swished its tail everywhere. Albert, the coachman, turned to me with a smile, reins still in his hands but the whip was laid down behind his back. "Dankeschön, Albert. Es wird heffentlich nicht lange dauern aber du gehst und wärmst dich auf. Gib uns eine Stunde. Höchstens." The old man replied with a nod, a small flash of relief washing over his face.
I quickly hopped off, Romano right at my heels and after saying goodbye, I entered the shop right in front of us. There was no-one there, only the shop assistant; an old, friendly lady whom I known for quite the time. The bell above my head rang as I swung the door open, the same sound escaping once it got closed. Her white head shot up, a smile playing across her face as soon as she saw me.
"Elizabeta! Wie geht's dir?" She came to me slowly, her age reflecting on her walk. She planted a kiss on each of my cheeks, smiling even brighter. Without answering her questions, I took a step to the side, revealing a very curious Italian looking around himself. The old lady beamed at him, grabbing his hand and pinching his cheek, making me laugh and surprising the young adult.
"Meine Güte! Er hat sich so sehr verändert, seit ich ihn das letzte Mal gesehen habe! Du bist nicht mehr so blass, Feliciano!" Roma gave me a confused look, visibly asking for a rescue and I chuckled, resting a gentle hand on the lady's shoulder. "Ja, er hat sich verändert und so, wir brauchen Ihre Hilfe." The elder woman spun around, going to grab her measure tape, coming back and getting right into work.
She ordered Roma to stretch his hands to the side, measuring whatever she needed before she wrapped the tape around Roma's muscle, a low whistle leaving her lips. "Du bist männlicher geworden!" She then measured his chest, waist and legs, making the poor Italian red in the face as she did so. Once she came back to the counter, she scribbled the measurements on a piece of paper quickly, disappearing into the many rows of fabric and clothes.
"Möchten sie etwas warmers?" She called out, and I called back an answer while the boy was looking at me. I laughed at the grimaces he made when the lady pushed him into a corner where he could change, tugging the curtain and while he was getting done, we had a quick chat. Roma came out after a few minutes, looking a bit uncomfortable in the blazer but everything fitted him perfectly.
He adjusted the collar, visible not used to something so uptight but I came to him, smoothing out the fabric on his shoulders. "How does it feel?" I asked, checking him out once more. "It's fine, I guess," he stretched a little, a frown resting upon his face. "Does the blazer fit on your shoulders? You look great, by the way." He nodded silently and I smiled, giving the lady behind me a grin. "Gib mir auch einen warmen Mantel und wir nehmen alles."
After a bit more, we finally paid and happily left the shop. Or, at least, I was happy while Roma looked pretty much dead. I chuckled, patting his head with the things thrown over my arm. "You did a good job, sweetheart. How about we go get something warm to drink before Albert picks us up?" He sighed but nodded, following me down the street soullessly.
Soon, we came to nearby pub and we sat down before I ordered rum for both of us. Yes, alcohol during the day was a taboo, mainly for a lady and a child but to hell with that; it was good and it would make us warm on the inside for a really long time. After the drinks were served, I took a large gulp and sighed happily. However, the boy in front of me didn't seem his usual self.
"What are you thinking about?" The lights were dimmed and despite the still early hour of the day, the pub was full of people and thus, full of noises and different sounds. His shoulders slumped forward and he stared into his cup. Even when I was leaving Toni's room, he seemed to be a bit off and after the ride to the city, he was completely out. He clasped his hands together, then atop each other, fingers thumping against the wood. He bit his lip in distress and my eyes narrowed; there was something bothering the poor Italian.
"That lady in the shop," he said after a while, sighing, "she said a name; Feliciano. Is it, is it my brother's name?" He gave me hopeful look. I inhaled and placed my already half empty cup on the table. I found myself in a very bad situation; yes, Roma and Feli did look alike, very alike but no-one knew if they were really brothers. Toni has never even seen the other Italian, so he was completely out of question. While Roderich and I knew Feliciano, how he looked, how he acted, we would say that, yes, there must be some kind of relation between those two. And yet, neither of us was sure.
I sighed once more, taking a sip from my drink and looking at him, my eyes boring into his. "Yes," I decided to say at the end and he looked relieved, at least partly. "And...when can I see him?" I smiled, prompting my elbows on the table. "When the semester at his school ends, my dear." The Italian was shocked and before he could ask anything, I rushed to explain what school and everything was.
"Kids learn there, just like you learnt at the ship, but they aren't taught only how to write and read, but also other things; mathematics, Latin, Greek, history and French. It's a shame though, only the children of monarchs can attend school. I myself can hardly read, let alone write." A sad smile pulled at my lips but I quickly shook my head, smiling more cheerfully now. "The winter break is going to be soon, so don't worry; I'm sure you'll get to meet him in no time."
Roma didn't ask nor say anything afterwards. We hurriedly drank the rest of the liquid before paying and rushing to the shop again, Albert already awaiting us. I apologized to him as I was getting on, Roma already seated with his new clothes on his lap, and despite whatever my old friend was saying, I insisted on treating him to a drink next time.
"Entschuldigung! Warte mal!" A boyish voice stopped the coachman from getting the horse to move. A small, dark haired boy was running towards us, a bit bag over his shoulder. He looked young, younger than Roma and he had mud stains on his clothes but the white envelope in his hand was clean and smooth as he handed it to me.
"Fräuline Héderváry, richtig? Das ist für Herr Edelstein von der Burg," he all but panted out and I thanked him, the child bowing politely before running off somewhere again. I sat down, exchanging a raised eyebrow with Albert. On the way home, when we were surrounded only by white fields and nothing else, hooves thumping against the snow gently again, I took out a small pocket knife from the inside of my neckline and opened the letter. Inside was a brownish paper, labelled with golden ornaments and sealed. I tore it open, not caring one bit if Roderich was going to be angry at me later on.
Black letters formed an invitation to the Christmas ball hosted by the Majesty Himself. I hummed before folding it and shoving it back into the envelope, hiding the pocket knife and squeezing the piece of paper in my hands. As soon as we arrived back to the mansion, I went to Roderich's office, placing it onto his table and he mumbled a thanks, never looking up at me. I stayed standing there silently for a bit more before turning away and slamming the door shut behind me, a soft Tsk escaping me; no matter how angry I got at him, I could never stop myself from loving him and seeing him like that, I wanted to cradle him in my arms and kiss him countlessly.
But I was still angry at him so, no, nothing of that until he'd apologize.
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"Wohin, meine Dame?" - "Where to, my lady?"
"Wien, bitte. Das Geschäft, in dem ich gerne einkaufe." - "Vienna, please. That shop where I like to shop in."
"Dankeschön, Albert. Es wird heffentlich nicht lange dauern aber dugehst und wärmst dich auf. Gib uns eine Stunde. Höchstens." - "Thank you, Alberta. It hopefully won't take us long but you go and warm yourself up. Give us an hour. At most."
Wie geht's dir? - How are you?
"Meine Güte! Er hat sich so sehr verändert, seit ich ihn das letzteMal gesehen habe! Du bist nicht mehr so blass, Feliciano!" - "My goodness! He has changed so much since the last time I saw him! You're not so pale anymore, Feliciano!"
"Ja, er hat sich verändert und so, wir brauchen Ihre Hilfe." - "Yes, he has changed and so, we need your help."
"Du bist männlicher geworden!" - "You have gotten/beccome manlier."
"Möchten sie etwas warmers?" - "Would you like something warmer?"
"Gib mir auch einen warmen Mantel und wir nehmen alles." - "Give me a warm coat and we're getting it all."
"Entschuldigung! Warte mal!" - "Excuse me! Wait a bit!"
"Fräuline Héderváry, richtig? Das ist fürHerr Edelstein von der Burg." - "Miss Héderváry, right? This is for Mister Edelstein from the castle."
I tbh have no idea what to say XD So, I just want to thank you for reading this chapter; hope you enjoyed. It won't be too long until Feliciano comes to the scene finally. I hope you guys are enjoying your holidays just as I am; snow, books, writing and tea <3 be sure to stay warm and not get sick!
Thanks again, love you all! <3
- Boora-kun