Chapter 3: My Abandoned Lady
Esthertia fidgeted with her frilled gloves on her lap. She looked up at her father who was pacing back and forth in the room. She gulped and bit her lip in nervousness. She has never seen her father so uneasy. The duke was pacing like an animal backed into the corner. Esthertia had a vague idea of why he was in this state.
It has been a month since the ring incident. Everything has almost gone back to normal. The atmosphere was no longer uneasy. The days have gone by as they used to. Only a few things have changed. Lady Amatora was no longer teaching due to departing for another place. Esthertia's new teacher wasn't as fun as Lady Amatora but he got the job done and she learned a lot from him as well. Esthertia still missed Lady Amatora's lessons even though she only had two dance lessons. She sighed. There was something about Lady Amatora that brightened up the place.
Esthertia shook her head. Now is not the time to be thinking of other things. Her attention went back to her father. She extended an arm towards her father. As she slowly lifted her gloved hand, she could see the thin outline of the cold delicate ring that lay under her gloves. She lowered her hand and traced the crease that it had made on the cloth. Esthertia closed her eyes as she felt the slight cool feeling as she felt it through her gloves. She wondered why it felt so cold yet still filled her soul with warmth and longing. Esthertia clenched her hands. She wondered why...hasn't it faded yet…
When the gem of the silver ring is to turn black, the ring will slowly decay with rust and fade away. It had already been a month. It should've been gone by an hour or days at most. Esthertia has started wearing gloves to hide it from the uncomfortable stares of people that silently gasped as she passed by.
Everything seems fine right now, but deep down, Esthertia knew that behind turned backs, were a den of whispers and gossips. Gossips that she was cursed by the Gods that ruled over the realm of the humanum. Gossips that she was damned to never find her other half till the end of realms.
Esthertia dismissed those thoughts. She lifted her gloved hand and gently pecked the cold ring. No matter what the gossips and beliefs of others were, she knew that the pull at the core of her very being was enough to give her hope. She deeply wanted someone to believe her. The only person she told was Nanny Leana and the only response she had gotten was an uncomfortable atmosphere for the rest of the day. Esthertia looked at her pacing father. She nodded to herself. She knew that she trusted her loving father. She knew that he would believe her.
Esthertia gripped the small frills at her dress and decided to do it.
"F-Father?", Esthertia called out softly.
Lost in thought, the weary man continued pacing tirelessly. Esthertia cleared her throat and stood up. She was tired of seeing him in this uneasy state. She cautiously walked toward her worried father and gingerly tugged at his coat. Her father looked at her with a worried look on his face. "You do not need to put up such a strong face, my dear. It must feel terrible to no longer feel that urge on your precious young heart.", her father said as he stroked her hair, comfortingly.
Esthertia brushed the hand away and shook her head. "Father! That is not the point. You are misunderstanding.", Esthertia protested. He shook his head in dismay. "This may still seem like so much to take in. Please go rest back on the chair. One of the majesty's seers will be here soon. The majesty sends his concern as well." Her father said as he gently hugged. "Father! You aren't listening!", Esthertia started again as she gently pushed him away. The duke ignored her protest again.
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. " Now, now. We have guests." Her father said as he straightened his clothes. He went back to his working aura instead of the worried father from before. "But father..." Esthertia said softly. He shook his head sternly. Esthertia sighed and decided to save this conversation for later. She will not let go of the tug that continues to pull her to her other half.
"Come in." Her father bellowed.
An old but respectable man walked in and bowed towards them. "It is, I, the head butler, Your Grace. The royal seer and his entourage are here. His majesty, the king, sends his regards and hopes that his most trusted seer will help Lady Esthertia to his fullest capacity." Esthertia gasped silently. She knew that the majesty would send a seer but to think that it was the Royal Seer. Only people of the royal family were bestowed upon the Royal Seer's services.
The duke tilted his head. "Entourage? I believe King Erenfiel said that the royal seer would come alone. Has there been a mistake, butler?" the duke said sternly. The butler did not flinch at the duke's icy tone. "It is the royal seer's apprentice, Your Grace. They have informed me that it was a last-minute decision." The butler said as he showed two quartz badges with the seal of a Royal seer and that of a normal seer. The duke sighed. "Well, it can not be helped. Guide them towards the tearoom and prepare them some cold tea. The trip from the palace to the west is quite the trip." The duke said as he waved his hand for the butler to leave. The head butler nodded and bowed as he left.
"Father, why can't they just meet us here in your office?", Esthertia asked. The duke shook his head. "The seers can see more things than just that of the rings, especially the Royal seers. Those of the bloodline of the Royal Seers were gifted more from the God Pelagius. They were granted more power than seers should have. It is best to remain cautious, Esthertia, even if the majesty has sent them personally to us." The duke warned. Esthertia nodded and followed him out of his study.
The walk towards the tearoom was painfully silent. The tearoom was on the other side of the mansion from her father's study. Esthertia wondered if she could speak to her father now of her sneaking suspicious of her ring but every time she tried to tell him, a servant would pass by. When they arrived at the door of the tearoom, she sighed and wondered if she would ever get the chance to tell him.
The duke opened the door to reveal two people clothed in robes with their hoods down, casting shadows on their faces. One was seated on one of the chairs while the other stood behind the chair. The one seated had a velvet red cloak, brimmed with golden lace at the edges of his hood. Clasping the cloak together, there shone a quartz badge that signified he was the royal seer. Esthertia's eyes shifted towards the quiet individual at the royal seer's side. The person stood completely still. One would've thought that they were a statue until they would see their shallow breathing. The person wore a green cloak, lined with silver silk. Just like the royal seer, a quartz badge clasped the cloak together, with a symbol of a normal seer. Unruly ginger curls fell from the hood till the seer's shoulders.
The royal seer stood up as he saw the duke enter the room. Both seers bowed as the royal seer introduced themselves. "Greetings, Duke Simone Windly. I am the royal seer, Lerfid Eaodiais. This is my son, the royal seer apprentice, Aselsiel Eaodiais. We humbly come forth from his majesty to bestow our knowledge and service for Lady Esthertia." The duke greeted and told them to sit down once more. The apprentice seer continued to stand behind her father. "Seer Aselsiel, you may sit down as well, unless the seats are not to your liking?" Esthertia suggested. The royal seer shook his head at the lady's comment. "This is a discipline all apprentices must go through, my lady. They are to only observe and only interact when necessary.", the royal seer explained. Esthertia blushed in embarrassment.
The duke cleared to divert the attention from his daughter's blunder. He nodded at the royal seer. "I presume you have been briefed about the situation?", The duke asked. The royal seer nodded and extended a hand towards Esthertia. "May I take a look at your ring, my lady?", royal seer Lerfid asked.
Esthertia hesitantly took off her left glove. There shone the black ring, darker than the night sky. The royal seer hummed in agreement. "This is indeed quite odd. This has been in this state for a month, am I correct?" The royal seer asked. Esthertia nodded. Deep down, she wondered if she could ask the seers on this odd tugging in her soul. "I'll be taking a closer look now." The royal seer's words brought her out of her thoughts. He kneeled in front of Esthertia and gently took her hand.
Royal seer Lerfid closed his eyes as he softly traced the black gem. "Hmm...something seems amiss..." The royal seer said as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" Esthertia asked the royal seer. "Well, my lady. Firstly, your other...." the royal seer opened his eyes in shock. He stared at the ring in fright. Seer Aselsiel let out a small terrified gasp as she took a step back. The royal seer fell on his back as he scrambled away from the ring. "I...I'm sorry, Your Grace. I can't continue. I will be taking my leave now." The royal seer said in a panic as he rushed out of the door.
Seer Aselsiel was stood still, frozen from fear. He lifted his hood a little, enough for Esthertia to see his ruby eyes. Without opening his mouth, Esthertia could hear Aselsiel speak. "Meet me in the garden at dawn, my lady. This is an urgent matter." Seer Aselsiel bowed towards the duke, who was staring at the door with bewilderment. He went out of the door more calmly than his father, although it was clear that his body was stiff from fear as well.
Esthertia turned to her father who stood up as if he was about to chase after the royal seer. "Father?", Esthertia called out her father. The duke blinked multiple times as if he was in a trance. He rushed towards the window, to see the seers' ride out with their horses. He clenched his fists. "Butler, prepare a carriage. Send word to the majesty that I will be visiting in a few days." The duke said to the head butler who had just entered the room. The butler bowed and walked out.
"Father, will you be going now?" Esthertia asked her tense father. The duke turned to his daughter and nodded. "Please stay here for now. I will be back in a week or two. Don't worry. Your brother will be arriving on the day after tomorrow from the knights' academy." The duke lightly kissed her forehead as he passed by her.
The door softly clicked behind Esthertia. She went to the window as she saw the head butler waiting at the end of the steps with the silver carriage. Dozen of knights flanked the carriage. Esthertia gripped her hands as the coldness of the ring pierced her skin. She wondered how could this little ring create so many problems in such a short amount of time. She leaned on the cold window. It was almost winter. "The autumn season has come and gone so quickly because of the several things that have happened." She said as she sighed.
'Why did the royal seer run away? What could Aselsiel want? Why did he ask her to come to the gardens? Why did my father have to leave so quickly?' Esthertia's held filled with endless questions of the countless things that were happening. Esthertia looked out the window to see the sun, only hours from setting.
Dawn...
Esthertia decided to follow the apprentice seer's instructions. He was her only hope of finding out what could be the meaning behind all this. Esthertia stared off into the distant pink colored sky.
Hope...
It's been a long time since she felt such a thing. Could this man really help her with the mysteries that surround her? The spark of determination in those ruby red eyes. With a hint of something else...concern? Perhaps Esthertia was just imagining the concern. Esthertia wondered if the apprentice was merely helping her so that they can gather more knowledge and power.
Esthertia sighed. By any means or intentions necessary, she will find out the truth. The truth about her ring. The truth about the fear that surrounds it. The truth of the pull that gives her hope and misery.
Esthertia fell to her knees as she looked up at the now purple sky. "The stars are quite pretty at night..." Esthertia whispered under her breath. "I can't seem to remember the last time I enjoyed this beautiful sight. Mother always loved them." A tear slowly fell down her tear. 'Everything would be a little better if Mother was here.' Esthertia thought.
The reason behind all her fantasies and dreams of soulmates were because of Esthertia's mother. A beautiful and radiant woman who resembled that of a hummingbird, always filled with life and checks on everything and everyone to see if they are all right. In return, she receives the smiles and joys of others. To her, that was alright.
Such a beautiful woman filled Esthertia's mind with thoughts of grand proposals and stories from when the duke finally met the duchess. Esthertia smiled at those fond memories as the tears kept falling.
"Where has my happy ending gone, mother?" Esthertia said, voice trembling.
"What's wrong, my lady?" A familiar voice said behind her.
Esthertia jumped in surprise. She thought she would never hear that voice ever again. She whirled around and met a pleasant surprise. She burst into joy and rushed towards the person. Esthertia embraced the elegant woman who stood by the door. "Lady Amatora!! I'm so glad you're here!" Esthertia exclaimed. Finally, there could be someone she could share her thoughts with.
Amatora smiled and laughed softly. "I am glad too, my lady." She leaned in and hugged Esthertia tightly. "I'm very glad...", Amatora whispered into her ear. Chills went down Esthertia's spine. She tried to gently get out of Amatora's embrace but she could not budge. "Lady Amatora?", Esthertia said in a concerned tone.
Esthertia looked up at Amatora's eyes and felt her heart drop. Her eyes glowed like a lioness ready to kill her prey. "L-lady Amatora...p-please let me go...", Esthertia begged in a trembling voice. Amatora gently shushed the young lady.
"Everything will be fine now.", Lady Amatora said in a low whisper.
Esthertia's vision turned black. All she could hear was the soft laughter of Amatora as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone