Night of Eden 76

 Chapter 76

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**This chapter is sponsored by Shipwrecklover. Thank you ❤️

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Three large flags flew at the entrance to the 10-acre field. They were those of the Macmilan and Hastings families and the Polo Association.

The entrance of the players began with a full orchestra playing. Under a clear sky, the referee, in uniform, rode in on horseback in columns.

He was followed by the players of each team, represented by Edwin and Theodore.

Following strict protocol, the players were all dressed in white pants and brown boots. The teams were distinguished by their polo jackets, which Theodore's team wore ultramarine blue and Edwin's team wore red.

The horses, specially named "polo ponies," had their tails braided and tied with string. In their riding gloved hands, the players held a "mallet," the polo equivalent of a stick.

"As they say, Master Macmilan shines brightest when he's on horseback, and there he is. Doesn't he look the most striking?"

"Yeah, he looks taller, too."

"You'll be even more surprised when you see him in action later. I saw him once before, and even when he was galloping, there wasn't a flaw in his upper body."

"So His Majesty encouraged him to try dressage? I heard he would have competed even if the Duchess hadn't objected."

"And what about Master Hastings?"

Someone who had been listening interjected.

"I think he's the most handsome man I've ever seen, and his skill is second only to the other master. I want the two to be eternal rivals in the social scene."

"I agree, the two of them side by side is a feast for the eyes. By the way, how master Edwin have such golden hair?"

"My dear, it's not far from here."

Rosa pointed to Liana's hair, which was braided into a single braid.

Everyone in the room waited for Liana to cover her smug face with her fan and laugh. But she just stared off into space, expressionless.

Some shook their heads, some frowned.

The previous conversation had been designed to keep Liana, the main character, afloat.

Social gatherings, even if they were mud slinging fights at their core, were supposed to be civilized and respectful of each other's dignity.

Liana was the star of the show, and they had to keep her up on the public stage.

But instead of being grateful, she didn't even pretend to listen.

Angie Miller and Alexandra covered their mouths with their fans and exchanged dirty looks.

Rosi, who had been standing behind Liana since the beginning, was at a loss for words.

The ladies' reactions were one thing, but the shocking details in Celeste's letter were another.

Dana was causing trouble between the two masters.

And not only that, but she was pregnant......!

Even though Celeste explained that she was wrong, it still begged the question: what had happened to make such a suspicion possible?

The letter clearly said so.

“Something... happened between you and the two masters, didn't it?”

What was it? Was she referring to the day that Master Edwin went to see Master Theodore in person about the teacup?

Or was there something else that happened that she didn’t know about?

Rosi was uneasy, especially since she had been so vigorous in denying any suggestion of a relationship between Dana and the masters.

Earlier, she had grabbed Dana and asked her outright if there was something going on with Master Edwin. But the only answer that had come out of the child's mouth was that there wasn't.

There was not the slightest hint of falsehood in her tone, so Rosi could not probe further. It wasn't like she could continue to berate a child who had just been slapped by her owner.

In the end, Rosi and Stan decided to leave the matter alone until the party was over. Instead, they sent someone to Celeste. To hear what was going on.

Once they had a better idea of what was going on, they could tell Master Edwin everything.

Yes, all after the party was safely over.

Rosi calmed her nerves.

***

Beep.

With a long whistle, the race began.

Eight horses galloped off with the sound of thundering hooves.

Edwin was the first to get the ball. Emil, the opposing defense, was right behind him. A chase and a chase ensued, with the manicured lawn being trampled back and forth.

The goal was getting closer and closer. Edwin ducked low and swung his mallet wide to score.

It whizzed by.

But for some reason, he didn't meet the front of the ball, and it deflected. The ball didn't fly as high as it should have and landed too close to the goal.

Emil, behind him, quickly intercepted it. Then he passed it on.

"Andrea!"

The white ball traveled in a parabolic arc and landed exactly in front of Andrea.

Quickly scanning the field, Andrea pretended to hit the ball and ran past the defender.

"....Bullshit!"

Rob, fooled by the ruse, cursed, while Andrea leisurely drove the ball the other way and sprinted toward the goal. On the other side, Marcus came running out as if he'd been waiting for him.  Andrea lobbed a pass to Marcus, who took it well.

A straight shot.

The ball stretched out coolly and sailed lightly between the posts.

"Wow!"

A cheer erupted from the stands. The scoreboard went up by one.

"Nice!"

"It's Marcus!"

"Great assist."

Andrea elbowed Marcus and walked over to Theodore on the sidelines.

Polo, more than any other sport, was a game of strategy. And most of the tactics were driven by the number three player, the captain and game-maker. Their number three was Theodore, so it was only natural that they celebrated together.

But instead of joining in the celebration, Theodore walked past them expressionlessly. Andrea and Marcus looked at each other and shook their heads. As they stared in bewilderment, Emil approached them.

"Nice defense!"

"You guys had Edwin frozen with your pressure."

The three patted each other on the shoulder.

"But him."

Emil pointed at Edwin with the tip of his elbow.

"He doesn't look like he's feeling well. It's probably more accurate to say that he made a mistake than I did. He's got too much power in his swing."

Edinger, Robb, and Pearson gather around Edwin, who stares off into the distance. Their facial expressions and hand gestures were encouraging. At any other time, Edwin would have been cheerful, even intentionally so. But he kept looking down.

"What's wrong with him?"

"And so is Teddy."

Andrea glanced at Theodore. All three pairs of their eyes darted sharply between Edwin and Theodore.

The whistle blew and the game resumed.

"Come on, let's go! You do realize that this year, the first team to score a goal advances, right?"

"Yeah!"

Theodore spurred on.

As captain, it was up to him to observe the players' positions and movements to figure out the next move. But his head wasn't spinning. His nerves, his senses, everything else was occupied.

“Don't blame the Lady. Please, please....!”

The anger from the previous dawn at the hut was still coursing through his body.

...Don't blame the Lady? You even begged me?

Whoosh.

The ball came flying.

"Teddy!"

A shrill voice pierced his ears. Theodore instinctively moved his arm to catch the ball.

"Block it!"

Rob, the defender, called after him. As Theodore galloped toward the goal, he pulled sharply on the reins to halt his horse. Rob couldn't keep up with his pace, and he passed him.

The crowd erupted in gasps.

Theodore, who had succeeded in outrunning the defenders, reined his horse back in and headed for the goal. Edwin and other players on the other team galloped to stop him.

He needed to pick up the pace. Just a little more and he would swing and he would score.

But Theodore felt his body grow unbelievably heavy.

You burrowed into my arms.

Like I'm the only one in the world.

You cried, like you couldn't live without me.

His breathing became erratic. Sensing it, the horse began to shake.

...But how could you do that?

How could you be so calm so quickly?

The goal grew closer and closer. Theodore lowered his stance and pulled Mallet back as hard as he could.

But his shoulders were too heavy, like they were weighed down with iron. His frantic hooves lost their rhythm and he stumbled.

"What are you doing?!"

Someone shouted, and Theodore felt the rider's wind whip past his side. At the same time, the ball disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Nice!"

Rob, who had managed to intercept the ball, turned his horse's head and threw a long pass to Edinger.

Edinger frantically drove the ball down the field, shot, and scored.

Another wild roar erupted from the stands.

Edwin's teammates rushed to celebrate the goal, cheering each other on.

The scoreboard flipped over.

One to one.

"Oh, shit!"

Marcus bellowed.

"Not again, Teddy!"

None of it reached Theodore's ears. His consciousness had long since drifted off the field.

Yes, you don't even care.

Whether I see another woman or not, what I do with her or not, whether I marry her or not.

Theodore breathed harshly. Beads of sweat rolled down his temples and trickled down the back of his head. The sounds around him faded into the distance.

You don't like me.

You're not even jealous.

You don't care at all.

The hand that held the reins relaxed. Theodore's polo pony came to a halt, standing tall on the spot.

What am I to you?

Someone to hate and drive you crazy?

Or just someone, nothing special, nothing at all?

The bitter questions he'd pushed to the back of his mind came flooding back like a tidal wave, engulfing him in an instant.

Yes, I was never special to you, not once.

No matter what I did, no matter what I do, I was just a breeze, just like the wind that flows.......

The cheers and noise of the crowd faded away. The only thing that reached his ears was the wild wind that swept across the hills.

Riding that wind, Theodore began to crumble to dust.

***

At the same time, Dana was struggling to get Willow, who kept following her, back inside.

She couldn't stand to listen to her plight. After repeatedly trying to push her through the door, Dana finally gave up and picked her up. Willow was busy licking Dana's face while panting in pleasure.

"No, now I really have to go......."

As Dana was about to put her down again, she noticed a male servant walking out of the storeroom. It was Kenneth, a friend of Noah's, and he and Dana had only said hello.

"Hey!"

Dana limped over to him.

"If you have a moment, would you mind taking her to the head maid, or maybe the butler?"

Kenneth nodded his understanding and took Willow in his arms. Dana quickly shoved the treat in her hand into the pup's mouth. The pup immediately calmed down.

Kenneth's eyes widened when he noticed the small bag in Dana's hand.

"Uh, I'm staying in the mill's outbuildings for the time being."

Dana said casually, as if it was no big deal. Kenneth narrowed his eyes as if something was amiss, but didn't probe further.

"Then please."

Dana wasted no time in turning away from Willow, taking advantage of the fact that she was chewing excitedly on a treat.

Bye, Willow.

Dana waved goodbye with her heart.

After parting ways with Willow, she turned onto the path that led to the barn. She walked slowly, her eyes taking in the gnarled trees, the blue sky, and the yellowing grass.

The barn was deserted. The trainers, grooms, and stable hands had all been called to the arena, where they would be busy tending to dozens of polo ponies.

Dana slipped quietly inside and stood at the fence.

"Hello, Diggie."

Dana could spot the sloppy spotted pig in a flash.

Noah had said it was so light he could hold it in one hand, but it was anything but.

Diggie, the "tiny, fragile little piglet," was now bigger than most dogs and Dana could barely lifted it with both hands.

"Ugly turned out to be cute."

Dana smirked and searched Diggie’s face. Diggie struggled frantically, yelping, until she was too scared to make eye contact. The shove was so rough and strong, Dana nearly dropped him.

"Ah! Okay, okay, sorry, sorry."

Dana was a little startled, and quickly set him down.

Diggie pawed at the ground, looking very angry. In a fit of temper, he punched his brother in the side of the head. Dana watched, wide-eyed, and a smile slowly crept across her face.

"What? I thought you were gentle."

Dana leaned against the fence, still smiling.

"...And when does your master come back, anyway?"

A pair of lonely eyes turned to the window. Her hand was unconsciously cupping her cheek again.

The red, swollen spot was still throbbing.

She had never been slapped by someone before.

At the moment of the slap, she was stunned, more by the shock than the pain, and a terrible feeling of humiliation swept through her body.

"..."

Dana shook her head, trying to shake herself out of the shattering feeling.

"...I was hoping to see your face before I left."

Dana muttered and picked up the bag she'd set down at her feet.

She had carried this bag when she first came to Belvida six years ago. The contents were just as simple as then. A few pairs of undergarments, a change of clothes, and a small wallet with the money she'd saved.

The only thing that had changed was the employment agency papers in the innermost pocket.

"I'll... write a letter later."

Dana squared her shoulders and left the barn.

The head maid would only think she was going to the mill's outbuildings.

It was the farthest outbuilding from Belvida, and it was always empty except during harvest season. It would be the perfect place for the head maid to protect Dana while still obeying the lady's command. She gave her some bread and other simple food, saying that she would have to stay alone for a couple of days.

But Dana had no intention of doing as she was told. Her bruised heart was screaming at her to leave, to not spend another day here.

The crickets chirped in the bushes, even though the sun hadn't yet set, and the mournful, lonely sound drew her to the pond.

The Pond of Patronage meant a lot to Dana.

The first time she was scolded by the head maid, the first time she missed her grandfather, the first time she couldn't hold back her tears, she always came back to the pond.

Each time, the colorful water lilies soothed her troubled mind, sometimes with carp as big as her forearms, sometimes with plump saltfish that befriended her. It was here that a young woman and a frog became friends.

And then, a few months ago, the man dropped the bowtie from that cloud bridge.

His eyes were as unreadable as a thick mist. ....

Dana quickly looked away. Trying to shake off the strange feeling that had settled over her, she walked toward the hill where Seyfried was.

Her ankle hurt, and she couldn't climb the tree. Dana sat on the ground and breathed in the sea breeze for a while.

The sky was slowly turning pink. Dana took a deep breath.

The game should be over by now.

Who won?

Dana chuckled to herself.

For once, she hoped Master Edwin would win.

Dana's heart always went out to the underdog, and she hoped a win would restore his confidence for once.

Of course, Theodore would not stand for it and would go on a rampage.

He couldn’t stand to lose.

Dana quickly pushed the man's face away from her mind as the tide rolled in.

The setting sun's glow on the water grew darker.

She really should leave.

If she stuck around, she might miss her chance. Now was the best time, with everyone busy preparing for the polo match and the party.

Dana gripped the wooden beam with her hands, grimaced, and pushed herself to her feet, but before she could take another step, a figure stood in her way.

"Dana?"

It was Dorothy.

Her startled eyes darted frantically between Dana and the  bag beside her.

"...Where...are you...going?"

"Uh? Uh... No, just...."

Dana stuttered in bewilderment.

Not only because of Dorothy's suspicious gaze, but also because of the sudden hot lump in the pit of her stomach.

"Dana."

Something strange had happened.

Dorothy had always been like a little sister to Dana, someone she could turn to and think of, someone she wanted to care for and take care of.

But now, everything was upside down.

"What... Happened...?"

Dorothy's eyes widened as she asked. Dana's eyes closed as something slid down her cheek.

A tear was rolling down her cheek unexpectedly.

The shock hit her like a hammer blow. It came so suddenly that it surprised Dorothy, but even more so Dana herself.

***

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