07 Alone

Camila

Ronan wandered around the house for an entire week after the incident. I kept my distance from the main house, but I often saw him lost in thought while I worked diligently in the vegetable garden, my new station. 

He was just a shadow of his former self, a stark contrast to the confident man he once was. 

Two week passed, and the matter still troubled me. 

I had admitted to being responsible for the drink in the decanter, but the question of who drugged it and why still baffled me. Everything pointed to something sinister, and it gnawed at me.

I decided to ask my mother questions about the drink. I needed the full picture of what had happened to see how I could protect her if the issue arose again. 

Ronan's question about the drink lingered in my mind, and I knew it was time to get to the bottom of it, even though I had already taken full responsibility.

As I left the garden and walked to the cottage, the sun was setting, casting a warm, golden glow over the garden. The beauty of the scene did little to calm my racing thoughts. 

My mother greeted me with a weary smile, her eyes filled with worry. I took a deep breath, knowing this conversation was necessary.

"Mother," I started, my voice shaking a little, "I need to know everything about the drink I served Ronan that night." 

She stayed silent, waiting for me to ask the real question.

"Ma, did you put something in the drink you gave me to serve Ronan?" I asked, watching her eyes widen in shock.

"Heaven no, Camila. I would never do that!" she replied, sounding genuinely worried. I believed her. My mother was an honest servant in the Morozov household and never tried to rise above her position. 

There was a time when Master Sergey's younger brother, Dimitri, was interested in her, but she never took advantage of the situation. 

Why would she do something so risky now?

"Someone drugged his drink, and he knows it. He asked me lots of questions about the Decanter," I said. She and she became worried.

"I bought the decanter for Young Master Ronan. I used the money I earned from selling the vegetables I grew in the garden. I had to sell them as if the Morozovs had asked me to do it; otherwise, I would have gotten in trouble.

 I wanted to do something nice for him,” she explained, and I was glad I took full responsibility for the drink. This was like a nail in the coffin. If it ever got out, both my mother and I would be executed.

“Is he suspicious of us?” she asked, sounding worried. I shook my head. I didn’t want her worrying for nothing.

“Do you have any idea how the drugs got into the drink? I poured it myself,” she asked, and I shook my head. I had no clue, either.

“Then how did it get into your system, darling?" she asked me.

"He offered me the cup I poured for his friend. The man left, and Ronan didn't want to waste good liquor. If I hadn't stayed behind to clean the room, none of this would have happened," I said. But I didn't cry. 

I had cried so much that my eyes were dry. All I could do was hope that the matter would eventually be forgotten and that Ronan and Leah would get married and find peace so that my mother and I would be spared.

Master Ronan left the house two weeks after the incident. Leah had refused to make up with him, and he was too heartbroken to stay around. I walked around with a heavy heart, feeling guilty for everything that had happened. 

Madam Melania was harsh and unkind to me, blaming me for ruining her son's life. I stayed away from her but she didn’t stay away from me.

I  now only worked in the garden and the surrounding areas, like a common servant and was allowed one meal a day. 

General Sergey did not know about the food part, but I was grateful I still got to eat. Not being in the house meant I would be safe from being set up. Honestly, it was better than being used accused again.

Before Ronan left, he never brought up his findings about the drink and the strange Decanter, and for that, I was deeply grateful. My mother and I were safe from the consequences at least for now. 

Before he left, a new maid was assigned to him, and it was a bittersweet moment for me. 

It was bitter because he was a good master—never troubling, never bothering, and never harassing me. I would miss that. But I was also glad. 

Instead of being assigned to someone else or kicked off the property, I was sent to the vegetable garden. Here, I wouldn't have to interact with anyone. 

It was sweet because not being around Ronan would save me from his anger and hatred. Leah had refused to reconcile, and seeing me every day would have triggered those painful emotions in him. 

His hatred for me would have grown with each passing day, realising that I was the reason Leah wasn't in his arms.

As I worked in the garden, I felt a mix of relief and sadness. The sun was warm on my back, and the scent of fresh earth filled the air.

 I focused on the simple tasks, letting the repetitive motions calm my troubled mind. But deep inside, the guilt and sorrow lingered. I wished things could have been different. 

I wished Ronan didn't have to leave, and I wished Leah had found it in her heart to forgive him. 

Every day, I hoped that time would heal the wounds and that one day, peace would return to the Morozov household. 

Until then, I found solace in the quiet of the garden, away from the prying eyes and harsh judgments.

 It was my safe haven, a place where I could be alone with my thoughts and dreams of a better future.