A beautiful sunrise. The sky is a mix of black and deep red. The sun slowly peeking from behind the irregular mountain ranges. The irregularity of the mountains making the sight even more breathtaking. The sun slowly rise up. The comforting warmth of the sunlight, making the whole experience priceless and unforgettable. Something else comes into the beautiful view. Or rather someone. Someone is standing a few feet front. His blonde hair gets a deep shade of orange in the sunrise, slightly dancing in the calming breeze. It is so hard to understand who that is, until he looks over his shoulders. And then, finally gets a chance to see his face. His face is just as happy and immensely beautiful as the sunrise. His grace was a competition for the view before him. Both the unbelievable beauties competing against each other making it impossible to chose one to concentrate. And finally he smiles... A familiar smile... Before he could turn around completely...
Astrid opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is the sun shining brightly outside the window. The room was more lit than ever, with the sun rays falling on nearly every edge of the room with all the curtains removed. The whole room looked different without the dark curtains covering.
She slowly sat up, before standing up to walk towards the huge bathroom for the second time. Just before she could open the door to the bathroom, a knock came from the front door. Astrid walks towards the door with her eyes not entirely open, to open the door.
Astrid saw a lady dressed as a maid. But, she wasn't the same made who accompanied her last time. Mary. Astrid still remembers that lady's name. After all, she was the one who told Astrid the unique meaning of her name, and how can she forget how kind the maid was.
The maid at the door was not as old as Mary. She was rather young, with a tall frame. She was smiling widely at Astrid, while her hands were holding a dress and a box.
The lady quickly hands Astrid the box and the dress, before bowing down and hurrying out of her sight. What was that? She was in such a hurry.
That lady didn't even say her name. Maybe, she has some work to do urgently.
Before Astrid could close the door, the maid rushes back. She was slightly panting, with her hand placed above her chest.
"Sorry, I forgot to say this. Young master wants to meet you at the library." The lady's eyes moves to the left as if she is refreshing her memory.
"He said to be ready, and he will accompany you to the library." She quickly says before, rushing out of Astrid's view, again.
After the maid vanishes, Astrid waits for a few seconds near the door, just in case the maid comes back. But, this time she really was gone. So, Astrid closes the door and looks at the beautiful dress in her hands. It looked similar to the dress Astrid was wearing at that moment. It had the same frills, length, and embroidery. But, it was blue, unlike the cream colored dress on her body.
She walks towards the bed, and places the dress on the blanket, which is a mess. After all, she slept on them. The box on her hand was not too heavy. It was a white box. Astrid sits on the bed and places the box on her lap. The door opened at the first try itself. Inside contained a beautiful pair of slippers. It was brown and flat, comfortable enough to wear every single day. Suddenly, she thinks of Arthur and how she owes so much to him, after all the things he did for her.
She doesn't waste any time, and quickly takes a shower before getting into the new sky blue dress.
It was exactly like the cream colored dress she wore yesterday. The same rose embroidery all over it, while the edge of the dress reaches a few inches above her ankles. She dries her hair with the one of the many white fluffy towels in the bathroom, before clipping the front of her hair with the same hair clip she used yesterday.
The slippers. Astrid sat on the bed which is now perfectly set. She tidied the bed up after getting out of the shower. Astrid takes the white box containing the brown slippers. She slips the comfortable footwear onto her feet. It was her perfect size. How come Arthur knows the measurements for her dresses and shoes? Must be one of his magic tricks. Astrid slightly smiles at how Arthur is taking care of her by giving her all the things she need. How will she ever repay him for all the things he has done?
Astrid flinches at the sudden knock on the door. This boy never forgets to scare her on a daily basis. Great.
"It's open." As she is still fixing the straps of the slippers, she tells him to get in. Arthur walks in, immediately after Astrid gives him the permission to get in.
They both look at each other. Arthur's cheeks gets flushed almost immediately. He quickly looks away. He is wearing a gray suspender-pants with sleek white shirt. His coat is tangling on his arms, while both his hands are inside the pockets of his trousers. His hair is slightly wet and is brushed backwards showing his forehead, while some of the few blonde strands are falling on his face.
Astrid stands up after fixing the straps of the slippers. Arthur gives a warm smile before bowing down, which slightly made her uncomfortable. Astrid doesn't return the gesture but just stands there staring at the oddly smiling boy.
"Why did you want to meet me in the library?" Astrid asks him.
"It's not me who asked to meet you. It's my sister." Astrid's suddenly tenses up. Why does she want to meet her? No matter what happens, Astrid cannot entirely forget how she felt when Katherine, his sister, accused her of lying. Astrid doesn't want to go back there. She fiddles with her fingers while looking at her feet. Arthur runs his hands through his hair, before speaking again.
"She might have found a way to get you back to earth." His words make Astrid's gaze shoot up to meet his face. Is she finally going back? Finally. Even though the fact that she can go back, brings some satisfaction, it is oddly saddening as well. Leaving this place seems harder as she spends more time over here. It is better not to get attached and make it hard to leave. Not to get used to the beautiful mornings, the satisfying breeze, the palace, the stars, the moon, is going to be hard. But, not to get attached to the blonde boy with the most charming smile, visiting her every morning with a new surprise everyday, is going to be way harder.
Astrid doesn't waste time and walks out of the room with Arthur who is walking before her. Through out the journey to the library, only one thought seems to pass through Astrid's mind. Does she really want to go back? Does she really want to leave all this behind and return to the place where no one can bring a smile on her face, not even herself? Does she really want to leave the beautiful nights which are brighter than her usual mornings and go back to a place where even the mornings are dull and dark? Does she?
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