"The assassin!" Her shout echoed against her room walls as she jolted awake with her eye lids burning due to the face movement. Breathe left her lungs as she abruptly sat up, then stood to her feet and glanced at the long mirror at the corner of her room. Her coat was hanging on it, and she immediately rushed over to pull out her new pocket watch.
Although the bright day light hitting inside her room was a clear sign, she still felt the need to check on with the time as she rushed towards her table next, to read her documents for the latest date. "Oh... It's only been a week." She spoke while covering her eyes with the back of her hand. Then, as if realizing her words, she slammed her palm down on the table with widened eyes. "Wait... It's been a week!"
Finally feeling the need to catch up, she rushed towards her closet and with the flick of her fingers, she changed into a dim, mustard coloured coat. Then hoping onto her shoes, she glanced back towards her desk and looked at the second pile. "Homework... There it is... The real trauma." She slowly walked over and picked up one page, then the others. While a little by little, she found a few connections to the missing theories, the rest of them weren't making any sort of sense to her.
Finally despite being hungry and in a rageful state of mind, she pulled her school bag and slammed it onto her sofa area, while bringing over the pile of school work and grabbing at her new ink bottle. Clicking her knuckles and stretching her arms, she wrapped her fingers against the body of her glass pen and hesitated from writing onto the surface. Then, she gave up and walked over to the door, searching for her handmaid.
Closing the door behind her, she ran down the corridor and over to the dining area. The palace seemed a little too quiet, with the cats not in sight and Henry's laughter not echoing through the house. I wonder how the kid is... I am a little worried... Hopefully he isn't traumatized due to those gunshots that day. I honestly wish I woke up a little earlier, even if they already went to school, I would have liked to meet them before they left. It will take about another thirty minutes for them to arrive, so I will just... Wonder around during that time.
She walked down the hallway, while glancing twice at the duchess's door and hesitating three times to knock at George's door. It was a feeling of guilt for her that stopped her mind from every single thoughts and sent her into a trip she never payed for. There is a saying that free things cost the most. Even the Guardian of Silence has gone still, not a single golden hue appearing at the corner of her eyes or in front of her, making her feel like she were just a floating ghost at this point.
Then, midway there, her mind changed and she immediately sprinted back to her room, while not even stopping to search for the cats. Slamming the door shut behind her, she breathed heavily and sat down at her sofa area and got hold of her glass pen. "Nevermind... There is no need to try and act like I have got authority and I can just fight over food! Let the palace stay at its silent state." She spoke while feeling lightly relieved she didn't go as far as facing a servant.
The first one she started with was the general language writing, which she wrote a bunch of non-sense as a draft onto her notebook and then closed it, while flinging it to the side with frustruation. If I can't solve them until now, I guess I can read through the questions? Ugh! This is exactly what a week worth of no going to school does to you!
She slammed her hand onto her face with regret and then took a math problem with her free hand. Tilting her head all the way back, she read the paper while holding it above her face. Light went through the page, duplicating the written words behind, appearing to the front page with a little bit more visibility. But it wasn't distracting her, so she didn't mind as long as it didn't get in the way to cause her anger tantrums to surface.
I already hate math! And now it's additional mathematics! Then there is chemistry to coup up with! And it's literally bio-chemistry we are speaking here. How am I supposed to know the Rutherford-Bohr experiment when I didn't even come across it?! And since when did chemistry appear in Physics?! I already have a feeling this is going to the worse direction.
***
The school bell rang, and both the brothers walked out of their campus while standing in front of the school gates, and under the sun which were falling down on their heads with no mercy. Henry complained about it while he watched his elder brother speak to a orange-haired girl, who studied at their class and was supposed to be their sister's close friend. I want to know how she is... But no one ever allowed me to visit her ever since she had started locking herself inside her room.
Or maybe that's what they say. Because if she had been trapping herself inside her room like that, wasn't she supposed to be starving by now? No sorts of food tray could be seen being taken to her room during anytime of the day. The child's thoughts were loud and surfacing at his face. I wish she were here, then even if brother was busy, she would have been able to keep me entertained while waiting for our carriage. I hate this family... For keeping her away from me! I know it is impossible for her as a person to stay away from her younger brother!
He clenched his fist at his sides while watching his brother's face with side eyes. What kind of an elder brother were you?! A feeling of rage settled into his eyes that almost caused tears to well up his face. What kind of a brother can't do a simple thing as to keep their younger siblings from going down this path?! You are just... Neglectful! That is why you can never fulfil the small space that she had been fulfilling until now! If she were to ever leave this palace... It would have been because you couldn't stop her!
Soon enough, he tilted his head downwards as the sun burnt the top of his head and caused sweat to roll down the sides of his face. The conversation between the girl and his brother continued for a bit longer as the carriage arrived and the kid stared at the window of the transport. For a split second, he thought he had seen her face and hair from all the way across the street, but it was strangely not her, but almost the same look and a rather, shimmering dark, long hair that reflected light a different way. I wish it were her, coming over to pick me up.
"You are free to come over and visit her whenever you want. The palace guards won't mind as long as you plan a harm upon them." He finally answered with an expressionless face, almost duplicating their sister's. "And if you are willing to come over, you may find her around after the sunset. That is when she usually hang around the library and goes behind the cats." He added after a short while as he turned towards Henry at his side with a shadowed face, and gritting his teeth tightly.
"Thank you for the invitation. I will speak with my family and see if I can afford the time." Merissa answered while bowing her head a short while and walking away to the waiting area of the campus. Finally, he grabbed onto his younger brother's wrist and walked over to the carriage. "What is up with that stoic mask you are wearing around your face?" He asked after about a moment.
"..." Instead of answering anything, Henry just grabbed onto his seat armrest and gritted his mouth further. I want to say it! But I don't want to be disrespectful! The hesitation was a little too obvious as Lewis disregarded the matter the very next second and decided to ask a different question about his school day instead. "How was your classes today? I hope no one tried to steal your books away again." Leaning his head against the window, he glanced out at the streets.
"It went normal." Henry answered in short and looked away at his school bag. Nothing else happened along the way back to the palace and it felt a little too quiet for the time being. Pulling out the last pieces of homework and walking up the stairs, he took his steps towards her room while reading through them a little bit to occupy himself.
With his eyes stuck to the paper, he walked over to the desk and placed the sheet on the surface, while also noticing the the empty place. "Probably just cleared it off because she wasn't going to look into them." He muttered to himself while looking sideways to the bed, which was left in the state of a mess, with the blanket not folded and the sheets not properly straightened, while the most important of them all, she was gone.
"... Did they grave you already?" He asked while looking to the rest of the room with a quiet and painful smiling. Then, getting a jumpscare when she suddenly stood up from the sofa area, charging at him with a shocked face. "I am dead?!" Aefia asked while a few papers trialed her steps and her fingers grabbed onto his collar. "If I am really dead... Why are you bringing me these new pack of frustruations!" Her strength increased as she rattled him like a mannequin. When did she awake?! He thought to himself while staring at her face with a little bit of joy. Thankfully she is awake.
Then, when she didn't receive any answers, her steps marched off towards George's room as he followed behind her with a fear. Slamming the room door open, she asked just one question, as she stared at their startled elder brother. "Am I dead?!" She stood at the end of the door while staying expressionless and with her eyes widened. George shook his head in return.
"... Then I am not dead."
With the sigh of a relief, she turned backwards and planted a punch at Lewis's side and left him breathless for a few seconds. "You better have a good explanation for this..." Her face shadowed as she glanced back at their elder brother, smiling at her. "Sorry if I am interrupting... I didn't mean it." Bowing her head, she rushed over to Henry's room next, and stood in front of it for a long while. Her fist was hovering over the door's surface as her face showed signs of hesitation.
Laughing to himself, he pushed open the door and looked inside. "He seems to be still awake..." Trialing off, he entered the room and pulled off the blanket from over his face. But unfortunately for him, the kid was crying with his face covered with his pillow. "Just let me go!" He shouted while flipping over to pull the blanket back over his face, while also catching the sight of Aefia in a mustard coloured suit and her hair open, standing at the end of the door with a questioned look.
"Then I guess I will come back another time." Just when she was about to leave towards her room, the child jumped off his bed and grabbed onto her leg. "... Or maybe not..." Holding her nose, she sat back up and faced forward as Henry lunged towards her like a bunny and fell into a hug. "No! No! You stay in my room from now!" He shouted while weeping and leaving tear stains against her coat.
"Then give me a moment to stand up..." She softly replied while using her hands to keep herself from falling back down. "No! I am not allowing you to do that!" He clung tightly to her as she struggled to keep herself from the ground. "Then how do I stay in your room?" With a smile, she stood up and carried him against her shoulder, as she wrapped her hand around his back to hold him from falling.
***
"Henry really seemed to have gotten traumatized." Aefia spoke while sitting down at her sofa, right after tucking Henry in at her bed because he didn't trust her leaving for a short moment. "I think you came at the right time seeing how these few problems are a little frustruating." Picking up a paper at her lap, she showed the first question in front of him. "And this... Is the most difficult." She added after a short moment of pause.
He stared at the paper and her finger for a few seconds, with complete silence as he placed his right hand against the sapphire brooch at his collar. "Hello? Grandpa lost his hearing?" She threw a crumbled piece of paper at his face as he was forced back into reality, staring at the person who seemed to be a little changed from the last time. "Maybe... We should talk about your health for now." He spoke while leaning forward at his place.
"Alright then." Aefia shrugged while holding up her fingers. "I am completely alright. No signs of pain or anything... Maybe a little bit of pain from the times I had quickly stood up or when Henry pounced onto me." She spoke, all while keeping a smile at her face.
"No... I mean... Like how you are completely he opposite of what I had seen the last time." He added while looking down, finding her smile a little contagious and upsetting. "Like before the assassination, you were mostly expressionless, a little bit serious in everything you do. Now you are a completely different person... Like you are faking it."
"..." While heavily breathing out, she leaned against the back of her sofa and sat cross-legged. "Maybe because... I use to fake it a lot back then. And now that I am really smiling, you seem to find it as a vulnerability." She spoke while her face fell back to its original state, making it seem more natural. "But I also think... It's because I had to sacrifice another part of me... Again."