My head turned in an instant. Laura stood behind me with a bouquet of sunflowers and daisies in her hands. Gently, she walked towards me without breaking eye contact with me. “May I?” she asked as she referred to the flowers she brought. I nodded. She left a small kiss on the bouquet before she put it on top of Lady’s grave. She then proceeded to sit beside me without a word. We stayed that way for a long while. We were so close and yet, so far. I wanted so badly to pull her into my arms and hold her tight. But at the same time, I wanted to push her away. I wanted for her to stay as far away as possible so I could recover from the pain that was inflicted on me. I knew she didn’t deserve to be blamed for the pain I had been feeling for days. But she became a part of the problem as Benjamin chose her to be his wife. I cleared my throat to diffuse the tension between us. “So, what happened between you and Benjamin?” I asked as I kept my eyes on the sunset. “He left a few minutes af
“This shows exactly my point,” Bethilda remarked as she pointed at me. She turned back to Mother and James and asked, “Is this what you call exemplary manners?” I instantly stepped right in front of her, face to face. My distance caught her by surprise and Bethilda stepped back right away. I put my hands behind my back and lowered my voice as I said, “And who are you to call us animals? Who are you to say that my parents failed to raise us properly? And who are you to disrespect them in their own castle and kingdom?” Her eyes widened as she grew terrified with my tone and close distance towards her. She tried to avoid my glare but she knew she couldn’t. “Robert, please,” James cautiously called me as he tried to calm me down. “You have no right to stop me now, James,” I replied without removing my stare from Bethilda. “This hog is a relative but she is also a mere guest. She does not have the right to scream and demean the both of you in your own household,” I continued. Bethilda
Nana’s sudden appearance startled me. I stopped what I was doing and slowly turned around. “Hello, Nana,” I smiled at her amidst my shaking knees. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked as she approached me. She glanced over to the basket behind me. “This is not the appropriate time to have a picnic.” “Oh, um, I was just… uh…” I stuttered as I tried to stay calm amidst my panicked state. “I was just preparing this for later in the morning,” I reasoned as I prayed in my mind that it would work. “I already planned a picnic with Lady. I didn’t want anyone else to use the basket.” She then nodded slowly. “That’s good thinking on your part. It was supposed to be used to deliver bread to other servants tomorrow. But if you need it, you can use it,” she replied with a smile. “Thank you, Nana.” An enormous wave of relief washed throughout my body. “Don’t forget to clean the kitchen once you’re finished,” she reminded me as she headed back to her quarters. The kitchen was connected to th
We instantly returned to our true form as our feet settled on the soft grass. I looked around us and there was nothing but the light from the moon above us. The moon has been abundant with her light tonight and I was grateful for that. As I finished admiring the moon’s beauty, I realised that Laura was still gripping onto me. “Laura?” I looked to her to check on her. Her grip on my clothes was too tight to pull away. She hid her face onto my chest as her eyes remained closed. “Laura, you can open your eyes now. We’re here,” I whispered. Her shoulders relaxed as she slowly opened her eyes. Her grip on me loosened. Her eyes shifted from scared to amazed. She took a few steps forward and looked around. “Is this real?” she asked whilst I prepared the picnic. “Are we really here?” I let out a chuckle. “I don’t understand why you can’t believe what you’re already seeing,” I said as I spread the blanket onto the grass and settled the food on it next. She then turned and sat across fr
“Good morning, Grandpa Ben,” we greeted with our heads low, avoiding his stare. “It seems like the two of you enjoyed your rendezvous last night. A bit too much, if I may add,” Grandpa Ben remarked. Slowly, I looked up and Grandpa Ben wasn’t in a forgiving mood today. He continued as he turned to Laura, “Young lady, you know very well that you are not allowed to go outside at night. Especially at midnight.” “It was indeed wrong of me to do, Grandpa Ben. I am truly sorry,” Laura spoke softly as she tried to hide her shaking voice. “If I may, Grandpa Ben,” I carefully intervened, “Laura has no fault in this. It was my idea to have a picnic last night and invited her to come along. She told me she was forbidden to do so but I insisted. I beg of you, please do not punish her for my wrongdoing.” Now was not the right time to act all noble. But I had to say something because this debacle was the consequence of my impulse. I was the one responsible as to why Laura was in such a predicam
I closed my eyes as I gave myself a moment to prepare. I took a deep breath and slowly faced him. ‘That was a good way to greet someone who has been your family for years,’ I thought to myself. I asked, “Is that your new manner of greeting a long-time friend and confidant, Benjamin?” With a few steps forward, I continued, “Is that how you treat your brother now?” Gonzalo scoffed as he raised a brow at me. “Brother? Brother?! You call yourself my brother after you betrayed me?!” he ranted even more as he walked towards me. Gonzalo kept him in arms’ reach as he followed behind Benjamin. “You took everything from me! You are the reason why she rejected me!” Gonzalo’s eyes widened as he heard Benjamin’s complaints. It just gave further confirmation as to what Gonzalo had already suspected: that I met a woman in the Mortal Realm and she was the reason for my frequent visits. From utter shock, Gonzalo slowly shifted to furious. I sighed and replied, “Benjamin, I never did anything to i
As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the bakery, I immediately stepped out and approached the chauffeur. Sternly, I instructed, “ Should my family ask for my whereabouts, you are to tell them that I am in the process of choosing a new horse. You are forbidden to tell them the truth.” “As you wish, Your Highness,” he bowed. After I gave my permission, he left. I proceeded into the bakery and as expected, it was filled with the townspeople. Those who preferred the rushed orders lined up until the door. By far, this was one of the busiest days I witnessed in this bakery. “Robert!” a voice surfaced from the noisy, crowded shop. I looked around and found Grandpa Ben as he waved from the counter. I smiled and returned a wave. Grandpa Ben gestured for me to come closer before he patted an unoccupied seat. Gently, I pushed through the crowd. I didn’t want to bump into anyone, especially the workers. As soon as I reached the counter, I greeted, “Hello, Grandpa Ben.” We shook hand
I turned my head and there stood Laura. She wore a white top with long, loosened sleeves. She paired it with a long brown skirt but kept her working boots. Her long, dark brown wavy curls hung freely down her shoulders. This was her. This was Laura. I immediately walked towards her as I stared at her entire being. My grin grew wider as I was unable to contain my joy. “You look radiant, Laura. As you always do,” I complimented her. I leaned in to kiss her on her lips but she softly pushed me away. “Robert, please,” Laura murmured as she looked around in a panic. “People can see us.” I stepped back with a smirk and a raised brow. “I didn’t know that you care so much about what other people will think. Why does it matter if they see?” I asked. Laura sighed as she stepped closer to me. “I think it is only proper that you understand this,” she started, “But unbeknownst to you, you are highly respected here. Ever since you made your presence known in Bullingar, the people here hold you