Night of Eden 69

 Chapter 69

    ***

    "Dana."

    Liana led Dana to a quiet place.

    "...I’m in trouble."

    Dana gasped as she reached for the painkillers.

    In a shaky voice, Liana explained what had happened. Unlike her friends, she was pale and exhausted.

    "Rothesandra... Brother Theodore... most... favorite horse... ...... ... Why on earth did I ask to borrow it...."

    Dana noticed that the young woman's hands were shaking.

    "Lady, calm down."

    "I was going to tie the reins, as soon as I got off the horse."

    "It's no big deal, don't beat yourself up."

    Dana spoke calmly and carefully.

    "It could happen to anyone... It happens to everyone, even the most seasoned trainers."

    "...Really?"

    Dana turned to her, her eyes threatening to burst into tears at any moment.

    "Yes, my friend told me, even the most experienced can lose a horse with the slightest mistake. Don't worry, no one will blame you."

    Dana said soothingly.

    "Rothesandra can't have gotten far, and it’s probably still around here. I've heard that horses are afraid of being separated from the herd, and I'm sure it’s shaking with fright when it realizes    it’s all alone in the woods."

    "Really...horses are afraid of being separated from the herd?"

    "Yes."

    Dana answered vigorously.

    "So calm down and take some medicine."

    "Uh... No, thank you."

    Dana glared at the waving woman and put the pills back in the bottle.

    For a moment, she wondered if the headache was just an excuse. There was nothing but cold wariness in the Lady’s eyes now.

    Still, the only reason she was able to keep her cool was because she had a realistic understanding.

    Dana didn’t think there's a noblewoman in the world who would enjoy her brother’s entanglement with a maid.

    They all had their own definitions. If Dana had been a noblewoman like Liana, she might have done something worse.

    Dana wanted to remember her master as just the sweet lady from a year ago.

    "Well, since you don’t have a horse...."

    Dana glanced over Liana's shoulder at the women waiting in the gazebo in the distance.

    Some were a little nervous, and some of them were frowning openly.

    Tobias, who had taught her to ride, had said it was all the rage among the young ladies. Unlike the streets of Peron, which were crowded with carriages, the trails in Belvida were safe and    beautiful, and everyone loved them.

    For such a young lady, the last thing she wanted was to lose precious time.

    "Miss, do you know all the remaining courses?"

    "Huh? Uh... I do."

    "Well, then, take the pooch and go. I'll go back to Belvida right away and tell butler Stan what's going on, and he'll find Rothesandra in no time...."

    "No, no. You can't do that!"

    Liana whispered yelled, suddenly desperate.

    "Brother Theodore must not know. I've heard he hates people who’s incompetent... so... he'll think I'm... foolish."

    Dana was at a loss for words for a moment; there was no way he would say that to a young lady.

    "Oh, no, he wouldn't... he wouldn't... he wouldn't blame you for this."

    Her stomach lurched as she answered. Dana realized that she was doing something to her that she shouldn't.

    "No, you don't understand. Of course he'll say it’s fine on the outside. He won't be mad at me outright or hurt my pride, but I owe him, right?"

    "...."

    "I can't stand that. Our relationship has to be equal. I’ll owe him for this, and I don't like that. Dana."

    Liana's voice slowly turned into a pleading tone.

    "How about this? You know the paths of the forest, and you seem to know your way around horses... Why don't you go find Rothesandra now?"

    Dana's mouth fell open. The Corinthian Forest was a huge forest.

    How could she possibly find a horse that might have gone anywhere on its own?

    "But Miss...."

    "You told me, it's got to be around here. Besides, you know your way in and out of Corinthian Forest like the back of your hand. You're good with animals. You found a bird's nest. Willow likes    you better than me. You can catch a frog. You're friends with the trainer."

    Liana was practically babbling.

    "I was so stupid. What good is this medicine... I shouldn't have sent you..."

    "But the male servants of Belvida will be able to find it much quicker than I. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that it will be much quicker to find it with the other male servants than    it would be for me to go looking for it alone. If you are uneasy, I will tell the butler and he will keep it absolutely secret...."

    "Aah, Dana, please!"

    Liana was on the verge of tears, and Dana had never seen her like that before.

    "I'm not asking you to find it, I'm just asking you to try. Am I stupid? If you don't find it, of course I'm going to tell Stan. Is it... is it... is it so... is it so... is it so much to ask for    my pride?"

    Dana was completely at a loss for words.

    ***

    "Edwin."

    Theodore called out to him, his voice as sharp as a sharpened knife.

    "One would have thought you'd welcomed a god instead of a protester in Pemburg. What's the matter with you since yesterday?"

    Edwin blinked a few times, then laughed softly.

    "Yeah, maybe."

    A look of meek approval pressed against Theodore's throat.

    "How many hours a day do you think I slept in Pemburg? Three hours? Four? You know, but I'm crushed under the weight of responsibility. I'm sifting through hundreds of papers as I eat, and    suddenly I feel lightheaded. I remember my father collapsing from overwork, and I choke up."

    Edwin smiled bitterly and took a sip of his drink.

    "And you know what I thought of then?"

    "...."

    "The realization that I've never had a proper relationship. Like an idiot."

    Thump, thump, thump, Theodore listened to his heart racing anxiously.

    "Naturally, I thought of the girl, much to my own surprise."

    "..."

    "Was my heart really that deep, and if so, why am I wasting my time? How many people in the world are so sure of their feelings?"

    "...."

    "So now I'm going to let it out, I'm not saying I'm going to marry her right away, but I'll know for sure when I spend time with her. And Dana doesn’t seem to be uninterested in me    either."

    The last words pierced Theodore's heart like a triggered bullet. He sucked in a soundless breath and opened his mouth.

    "So, what are you going to do with her? Make her a mistress?"

    "Theodore."

    Theodore felt his blood rush backwards at the warning tone of Edwin’s voice.

    "Why are you angry? Isn't that what most men do when they touch a maid, or do you intend to make some kind of noble, elegant, mental love to her?"

    Edwin, who had been glaring at him as if he had just received a grave insult, suddenly laughed heartily.

    "You are still the same," he said, "though for an heir to the Macmilan name, you are surprisingly impatient and childish. You see the world as two sides, your side and mine, and there's always no    middle ground."

    "It's getting ridiculous."

    "Well, maybe."

    Theo couldn't believe Edwin's casual dismissal.

    Should he just punch him in the face?

    Theodore's hands were still fidgeting.

    "I told you, time will tell how I feel about Dana. Unlike you, who are not exactly single, and many men and women in Peron engage in what is known as dating before marriage, sometimes ignoring    the difference in status."

    Theodore felt the blood drain from his veins, and he was nailed to the spot. A thought flashed desperately through the chill.

    “Unfortunately, Edwin."

    Theodore suppressed his emotions with a cold laugh. His tone was a bit urgent, as if he expected to drive a stake through his opponent's heart.

    "I'm afraid I must inform you of the unfortunate fact that your 'the one' has been promised in marriage."

    "...What?"

    Predictably, Edwin's handsome face cracked, and he blinked at Theodore for a long moment, as if questioning both his ears.

    "You... How...do you...know?"

    "Does it matter?"

    Theodore waited still. Hoping Edwin Hastings would seize, twisted with rage, as he had.

    But something unexpected happened.

    Edwin suddenly broke into a blood-curdling laugh.

    It was a bitter laugh that made his mouth go dry, but it was also a deceptively lighthearted reaction that made him feel terribly uncomfortable.

    "Yeah... Well, I thought about it. It could be...."

    It could... could?

    "...Not just a relationship, but a marriage? I guess it's too soon, but...."

    Theodore stiffened completely and watched blankly as Edwin lifted his glass to his mouth and took a long swig.

    "Well, I shouldn't be surprised, my mother puts a great deal of importance on her maids, and Belvida's maids are especially popular, and they all marry early, perhaps more so because she forbids    them to have relationships."

    The last of the warmth in Theodore's eyes drained away.

    Why is this bastard so relaxed? 

    His head spun with confusion.

    "Well, she’s not married yet, and I know I've been a little too vague with Dana."

    Theo’s heart pounded in his chest, spilling blood.

    Why had he forgotten?

    To Dana Bordon, Edwin Hastings was a shining star. She always looked up to him like he was a celestial being. And the bastard had already noticed.

    He's convinced that if Edwin lifted a finger, she’d ditch the asshole she was going to marry and run to him.

    That was the difference between Edwin and himself.

    That's right.

    Dana loved Edwin Hastings.

    The fact that she had only allowed him a few kisses didn’t change that fact.

    “Because he’s a star. It’s something that makes you happy just by looking at it.”

    The moment that stark reality sunk in, Theodore felt something inside him shatter.

    ***

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