It was already late at night, but at the inner palace, one of the chamber was illuminated by the light from the inside. It seems like the person inside were not planning to hit the bed soon.
Eithne was sitting beside the table, fiddling with the piece of paper in front of her. It was unknown what she was thinking based on her expressions. After a long time, she let out a small sigh as she threw her head back, her eyes looking up at the plain ceiling above.
"Ethan..." she muttered the name softly as the image of the man with his sincere smiles became to form in her mind.
The first time she saw him, she could tell that he was no simple man. He introduced himself as a merchant, but the noble aura exuded from him was unmistakable in front of her discerning eyes.
He was a fine, good-looking man, a handsome build, and a head taller than her. Eithne never knew that she would be so interested in a man's body until she met him. She actually started to compare him with the men beside her, causing them to have a goosebumps when at one time she stared at them so intense from head to toe. Even the silent Alpheus flinched and he subconsciously guarded his body. Zerach even, out of concern, with hesitation pulled her aside and asked her in a solemn voice if she was in need for a man in which she suddenly wondered how was her gaze looked like that made the innocent Zerach to ask her such question. She actually was ashamed for the first time in front of those people she had been with for ages, and it took her almost a month avoiding them.
He needed to go back for his business affair, and little did she knew that they would met again after a year, this time the time they spent together was quite long, almost 8 months. It was at that time when that incident happened, and they were separated, never to hear from each other again, until 2 days ago when the letter came.
The letter was addressed to her old 'workplace', the place where they spent most of their time together back then. She actually wondered why he had the confidence that the letter would reach her. Eithne could not be blamed for having such thought, as 5 years is a long time, a normal person would assume that she does not work there anymore, or maybe she already left the place, or any other possibilities, such as she might be already dead, well, especially after that incident.
However, in his letter, it was clearly stated that he invited her to this place, in a way as if they were just together at that place yesterday, and wanting to go there again tomorrow.
Eithne closed her eyes. She thought she would never heard or meet this man again, but seems like 5 years were too short, both for him, and her. For him, it was too short to forget her, meanwhile it was too short for her to meet him again so soon.
Her intuition told her that he was someone she should not associated herself with, but she subconsciously was attracted to him, just like the moth that was drawn to the fire, where her wings were burned, and she fell down, then died. Did she died of joy, being able to be near her object of admiration at her last moment of life, or did she died of agony, full of suffering and regrets?
"Seems like fate really hates us being together, Ethan," she slowly whispered as she closed her eyes, suddenly the tiredness came into her, and all she wished right then was to forget that man, and to lock again the feeling that was starting to break itself out from the dusty, chained box in her heart.