"So…where is your coat?"
"A welcome back would be appreciatable, but yeah, I lost it."
"Mhm…you sure did. And that smell?"
"Erm..yeah, what you are smelling it's probably blood. But did you know that the kitchen is the most crowded place inside the palace? A maid led me there to wash my hands since it had warm water 24/7, and it did come off more easily than I expected. She helped me remove some of my faces too, but at that point, I just gave up and let his highness know that I was leaving before he noticed as you did just now."
"…eh?"
Strange story, huh? His face says it all. Confused, surprised, disappointed, and…ugh…would you please pick a side, Spencer, you can't act like this is the first time you hear me talk like this and also you expected it to happen at the same time.
"What did you do now, and how many?"
"You really have no faith in me, do you? I helped out someone who unfortunately for me because I suppose it still won't look good even if I tell you, was injured. The blood got all over my hands when I picked them up and it probably smells a little since I didn't wash them on time before it dried, so here we are."
"Yeah, right. Anyway. Did someone see you "help" that injured person, or did they see you act like the mighty hero that you are?"
*Gasp* That was a good one! But, I don't know how to answer it though. If I respond with a No, he will probably be like, "Good. You were spared for another day. Next time be more careful.", even though I haven't done what he thinks I did. If I respond with a Yes, he will probably kill me…or at least try to. One is worse than the other, and both mean that I did a bad thing.
"Nope. No eyewitnesses, because I didn't do anything."
"All right, I got it, lower your voice now, would you? I know you are not that stupid to go and murder someone inside the palace and expect to come out alive from it, and there was no reason for you to go on a rampage if you were the whole time together with his highness, right? But back to the main topic. You didn't tell me why you smell different?"
I don't like where this is going. Why is he fixated on this topic? I don't get it.
"I thought that I told you, didn't I?"
"Really, you did? But how bad that no human being can notice the smell of blood after being cleaned? This is a different scent, a flower fragment? No, not only that…*sniff*… hmm, interesting! Perhaps, vanilla, lather…*sniff*…amber and cacao, and it definitely has a strong scent of lavender and bergamot, but still, it doesn't overpower the others."
"?!... When did you become a perfume expert, Spencer? And stop sniffing!"
"I must say, this is quite a tempting smell indeed, but also expensive. And if you noticed, you just admitted that it was perfume, so... can you tell me what were you doing?"
*Gulp* "What? I don't know what are you talking about."
"Show me your neck. Right now!"
*Knock*…*Knock*… "It's me. May I come in?"
"Y-yes, of course. Come on in!", Thank god. I almost had a heart attack, and my life flashed before my eyes. That word literally gave me the chills.
"Raelian, I am so excited for today, are you ready?"
"…?!"
"Don't worry, I have prepared everything in advance. I finished my last homework, did all the rest of your paperwork that needed my signature, and selected the most suitable clothes from my garderobe so now we are good to go…but… it seems like you are not done yet. Should I help you get ready or do you need a little longer to decide? ...*sniff*…huh? Something smells good. Did someone else notice it or it is just me?"
"Not you too Mireya!"
But I didn't understand something. Paperwork, get ready, clothes? She was talking too fast. Why so excited and where are we going?
"No way, that look. Don't tell me, you already forgot?"
"No, no, I have not, but…erm yeah, where are we going exactly?"
"Oh right, I got carried away and didn't explain the whole thing before talking to you. In fact, when you said we were going somewhere to spend some time together, I was so happy that I marked every possible place on the map so we could visit. And today is the day when we are going to start exploring the kingdom together. It is going to take us some time to visit them all, but it's only you and me, all alone like in the old days!"
Oh right, today is the day I was supposed to go out with Mireya after she was over with her lessons, and since l made a promise a while back that I was going to be a good little sister and cheer her up after making her worry for so long. What meant was about a little walk outside the mansion for a change, but…this is too much! It will take us at least, four to six months to return from this trip.
"Erm…Mireya, don't you think you went a little overboard this time? We can't them all, it's going to waste a lot of our precious time, and don't forget about the money."
"Well, I-…"
"Think about what's necessary first like food and water, a place to stay, a room with a bath are also pricey, transportation for us and your bags, and so on. Multiply it with the sixty different places you chose and we are going to be brock probably if we are lucky in our third destination."
"I-I'm sorry I didn't think about that, but we are not going to spend our money. The duke said he is going to pay after I proposed it, and he even came up with some of the places. This was going to be a cute but expensive gift for your actual birthday since you oppose the idea of an actual birthday party."
?!... Say what now? "Mireya, who did you tell about the exact date of my birthday? Did you speak about it with prince Jonathan by any chance?"
"No, I had no reason to tell him, and when he came here it wasn't the time and place to talk about this topic. The only one I spoke with was the duke."
*sigh*…It can't be! She might have spoken with someone else or his grace did it. How many people know? No, if the duke found out about it, that means that I was caught lying in his face. Not only that, but the word even reached HIM from all people.
"Raelian, you don't look good. Is there something wrong? Can I help you with anything?"
"Don't worry, I am fine."
Calm down, she didn't know anything. It is my fault, I should have told her that it was a secret. But wasn't she with me when we signed the adoption papers? She definitely knew that I set us the same date, she didn't complain about it and never asked me if I made a mistake either. Mireya was fully aware that I did it on purpose, then why? Why did she expose me like that?
"Mireya, I say you leave her alone for now. Today is not the right time to talk about a trip. I will come and tell you right away the details if something changes."
"But I wanted to stay a little longer. Raelian is here, we can sort this out together and…and…I mean…yeah. Sure, I am counting on you, Spencer! I'm sorry I should have noticed soon, I will be on my way."
All my work, everything I said, the punishment of a broken trust. I purposely made that mistake to keep myself clear and out of the social gathering, but if the duke caught me lying for something so simple, then what about the story I told him? Does he still believe that the war is real and he will be awarded a higher position? What if this trip is a one-way road, and at the end of it we are going to be bosted? If he knows we are done for. Mireya you-
"*Sigh*…Raeliana!"
"Huh?! What? Why are you yelling at me?"
"And you ask! Look at hand…you are clenching your fist so hard that blood is coming out, can't you see?"
Strange. I didn't feel anything before Spencer pointed it out to me. Heh! I suppose you need someone to tell you that you are bleeding even when you can see it with your own eyes.
"Now. What were you thinking? Making a face like someone died and closing yourself inside that tinny brain of yours is gonna bring you nowhere. What would you have done if I didn't call for you, huh?"
"Nothing. That is the whole point, I couldn't do anything. My words come back to bite me, and I can predict the bitter end. Spencer, if something were to happen I-.."
"*sigh*…I know that you are worried, but don't scare us like that, ever again. Letting your anger out is not the answer, and you know very well that Mireya didn't do it on purpose."
Did she though? I don't know anymore. I cannot expect her to lie, it's in her nature, but still, I can keep defending her every time she does a mistake. The reason behind that date was simple, I had to pick one that was the same as Mireya's and since my birth was not documented it was easy for me to register myself with a random name and birth date. And since I was a rapha people wouldn't come to celebrate it even if became an aristocrat, so to save myself some trouble and embossment I picked hers.
It is sad, but I don't know when and where I was born. The date Mireya and Spencer know is my birthday from my past self, and it is in one month. Each year, the white day commemorated his arrival, yet here I have forgotten all about it.
"You seem to be lost in thoughts again. Well, what should we do now?"
"You can go, Spencer. There is no reason for you to stay here any longer. I have some work to finish before going to sleep."
"No, you will come with me. No work will be done in the state you are in right now, and sleeping is your way of hiding from reality at this point. So what do you say, my lady? Will you join me for a drink tonight?"