The next day arrived sooner than both of them expected . Cecilia kept looking at Sepher who was playing with Pica . The little creature was running around while playing with the small woven ball , which Sepher was throwing towards her.
"Sepehr..."Cecilia started drawing the attention of the man who looked at her with a gentle look.
"Yes?" he asked her.
"Ever since I have come here a question keeps bugging me" Cecilia told him honestly.
"And what is that?"
"Are my parents finding me ? or have they contacted your father regarding absence?" Cecilia asked.
She wanted to know her parents have reacted to her being missing ever since the past month . Have they understood her value ? or are they worried that their only maid has gone forever? These questions have remained with her.
"To be honest Pyralis , I was trying to hide this from you as you were recovering but now that you have decided to actually go away from all of them , I feel I can tell you about this . It will help you in detaching your hearts from those useless fools'' Sepher told her while feeling anger inside him .
He still remembered each and every word clearly that his father told him about and it still makes his blood boil in anger. How can a person be this heartless towards their own blood after all.
"Did they come to inquire about me ?" Cecilia asked with a little hope inside her heart. She would still move on with her life , that was the main motive and she can't step back from that , but if her parents cared about her slightly ,then she would try to return as soon as possible to meet them once . She can't completely forget about what they did with her , but she can obviously forgive them . They only need to seek it.
"No. Instead , they came to meet my father and tell him about how you have stolen her two thousand gold coins and dresses and ran away with all that with your lover" Sepher told her .
"That's-That's a lie Sepher. I would never do that . You know what happened right ? The only dress which got ruined due to my blood was your mother's dress and the-the fu-fur coat was something I bought for her with my own hard earned money . You have seen me since the past month right ? I have never stolen anything, right?" Cecilia asked with teary eyes feeling sadness .
She was desperate to prove her point to Sepher, that she was anything but a thief .The words of her mother pierced her heart like a strong knife. Cecilia was stammering in between , overwhelmed with emotions .
Sepher's heart ached as he saw Cecilia's condition. He rushed towards her and cupped her face gently.
"I know. I know everything. I know how wonderful you are . How magical you are . I know how honest you are. Those are just empty words made to frame you . I know all of that okay ? so don't cry . These tears are way too precious to be wasted on someone so worthless like your parents. I don't know what made them say that , but still I can never forgive them or either my mother for how they all behaved with you" Sepher told her sincerely.
"Ignore their words. I just informed you about this , so that you can make your future decisions based on it " Sepher comforted her. He removed his palms from her face and hugged her while again pulling her close to his heart.
She rubbed her face with her palm, wiping the tears away. She felt good that at least now she had someone who would care for her. They pulled away after sometime only to see that Pica had stopped playing and was looking towards them with a half tilted head as if curious as to why her new owner was sad.
"Meow"
"Yes Pica I am fine" Cecilia answered the call of the kifery . She didn't understand her words , but her feelings told her that Pica was concerned about her sadness. Once she said those words , Pica again went and started playing with the woven ball.
"Never cry okay ? Look Pica is also concerned" He told her while patting her head gently and Cecilia nodded while wiping her tear stained cheek with a soft smile.
"I won't," She said and went towards Pica to pick her up and cuddle with her for sometime in her room alone . Sepehr understood that Cecilia needed time to recover from the pain she must have felt after hearing those words , so he sat outside.
After some moments of deciding what he could do to lighten Cecilia's mood , he walked over to the kitchen to prepare a fresh strawberry pie for her .
He has noticed that the younger one likes strawberries. But the problem here was that he didn't know how to make strawberry pies , so he opened the recipe book which was lying on the side of the book shelf covered with dust to read the recipe and the ingredients which are required.
He dusted off the dust from the top of the book . He opened the book ,only to see the crinkly pages with handwritten recipes which were written by his grandmother. Before passing away she gave it to Sepher , but he never got the chance to make anything from it as it only contained the recipes of desserts and Sepher was highly diabetic. This way , he couldn't make anything for himself and his parents didn't get enough time for him to taste something he made.
It was the first time he would be using it for someone and the fact that someone was Cecilia , made it special.
He flipped the pages until his eyes fell on the title : Strawberry pie. He looked at the ingredients.
𝑰𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔
1 Qᴜᴀʀᴛ ꜰʀᴇꜱʜ ꜱᴛʀᴀᴡʙᴇʀʀɪᴇꜱ, ʜᴜʟʟᴇᴅ 1 (9 ɪɴᴄʜ) ᴘɪᴇ ᴄʀᴜꜱᴛ, ʙᴀᴋᴇᴅ 1 ᴄᴜᴘ ᴡʜɪᴛᴇ ꜱᴜɢᴀʀ 3 ᴛᴀʙʟᴇꜱᴘᴏᴏɴꜱ ᴄᴏʀɴꜱᴛᴀʀᴄʜ ¾ ᴄᴜᴘ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ½ ᴄᴜᴘ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ ᴡʜɪᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ
𝑫𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔
1) ᴛᴇxᴛ ɪɴɢʀᴇᴅɪᴇɴᴛꜱ ᴅɪʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴘʀᴇʜᴇᴀᴛ ᴏᴠᴇɴ ᴛᴏ 450°. ᴜɴʀᴏʟʟ ᴄʀᴜꜱᴛ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ 9-ɪɴ. ᴘɪᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴛᴇ. ᴛʀɪᴍ ᴇᴅɢᴇ. ʟɪɴᴇ ᴜɴᴘʀɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴄʀᴜꜱᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴅᴏᴜʙʟᴇ ᴛʜɪᴄᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ ᴏꜰ ʜᴇᴀᴠʏ-ᴅᴜᴛʏ ꜰᴏɪʟ ᴏʀ ᴘᴀʀᴄʜᴍᴇɴᴛ. ʙᴀᴋᴇ 8 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ. ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ ꜰᴏɪʟ; ʙᴀᴋᴇ 5 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ. ᴄᴏᴏʟ ᴏɴ ᴀ ᴡɪʀᴇ ʀᴀᴄᴋ.
2) ɪɴ ᴀ ꜱᴍᴀʟʟ ꜱᴀᴜᴄᴇᴘᴀɴ, ᴄᴏᴍʙɪɴᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴜɢᴀʀ, ᴄᴏʀɴꜱᴛᴀʀᴄʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ꜱᴍᴏᴏᴛʜ. ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ʙᴏɪʟ; ᴄᴏᴏᴋ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴛɪʀ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴛʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴᴇᴅ, ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ 2 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ. ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴛ; ꜱᴛɪʀ ɪɴ ɢᴇʟᴀᴛɪɴ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴅɪꜱꜱᴏʟᴠᴇᴅ. ʀᴇꜰʀɪɢᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ꜱʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ ᴄᴏᴏʟᴇᴅ, 15-20 ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇꜱ.
3) ᴍᴇᴀɴᴡʜɪʟᴇ, ᴀʀʀᴀɴɢᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴀᴡʙᴇʀʀɪᴇꜱ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʀᴜꜱᴛ. ᴘᴏᴜʀ ɢᴇʟᴀᴛɪɴ ᴍɪxᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʙᴇʀʀɪᴇꜱ. ʀᴇꜰʀɪɢᴇʀᴀᴛᴇ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ꜱᴇᴛ. ɪꜰ ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇᴅ, ꜱᴇʀᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡʜɪᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴍ.
Sepehr kept reading it for a few minutes and then went to the kitchen. He started doing as it was written in the recipe book . He knew his grandmother was an excellent pastry chef , he sometimes misses her way too much.
After a total of one and a half hours , the fresh strawberry pie was ready . He carefully put it on a plate and clicked a few pictures of it on his mobile phone with a proud smile.
*Ring*
*Ring*
The doorbell rang . He walked over there only to find Evalina Hyacinth panting heavily . sweat beads were dripping down her forehead.
"What happened, Eva?" He asked her as a frown formed on his face.
"Sepher–"She gulped and rested her hands on her knees in a resting position to catch some breath. She had come here while running to tell him the news as soon as she could.
"..." Sepehr was silently looking at her trying to understand what she was willing to say. She was one of the few people who knew Cecilia was living in his cottage .
"Why don't you come inside and drink some water?" Sepher offered her but she just shook her head frantically and again stood up .
"Look...your mother knows that Cecilia is here living with you . One of the wolves who brought the boxes told her this , now she's coming with the whole pack to burn her alive" Evalina warned.
"They can't just burn her alive ! what has she even done to them ?"Sepehr asked her back in annoyance.
"She will kill her on the charges of adultery with you"
"That's rubbish ! Nothing has happened between us " Sepher defended.
"I know. She knows this too. But she doesn't care. Nobody will ever take your words as a testimony or anything , so send her far away for her own good before everyone kills her.
Your mother knows you have grown a deep desire for her and she will do anything to make sure you both don't end up together" Evalina explained to him the whole situation. Sepehr ruffled his hair in frustration and turned around to inform Cecilia about this , but she was already standing on the side looking at him with teary eyes. Sepher's eyes got teary too.
They both knew it was the final time and they would have to bid each other goodbye . They both knew this situation would come but not this early.
Sepher quickly looked away before he would start crying and rushed towards her room , to pack her things in the bag which she could carry. Cecilia held his hand tightly.
"They can harm you," She whispered .
"They won't . They are after you. There is no rule to execute an alpha for adultery in the pack. It's just for omegas'' Sepher told her with guilty eyes as his voice got wavery . He blinked his tears away and started pushing all the dresses in the huge bag.
"Evalina , go towards the small stable which is behind the cottage . There is a black horse and beside it is a wagon . Attach them together and bring it here " Sepher ordered and Evalina quickly rushed. That wagon was here ever since day one so that in cases of emergency, Cecilia can run away .
Cecilia hugged Sepher from the side the whole time .
"Thank you for everything, Sepher . I can never thank you enough not only for the things which you gave me but also for your comforting hugs and precious friendship . I will surely come to meet you" Cecilia told him while pecking his cheek as tears rolled down her own cheek.
Sepher's tears started to drop down from his eyes too .
'I love you' He thought but couldn't say that . He just couldn't. He knew that thing was better when it was unsaid.
"I will miss you too. I will look forward to meeting you in future till then I will keep looking at the moon" He told her remembering the first time they met.
"And I will keep looking at the stars" Cecilia whispered while again wiping the tears from her cheek.
"Hurry, " Evalina told them and Sepehr quickly put the heavy stuff inside the wagon . Pica jumped into it once she saw her favorite woven ball put into it . Cecilia sat on it and stared at Sepher for a few seconds unsure if she should really leave him to face all the people alone.
"Wait" Sepehr told her and rushed inside to give her the pie he prepared for her . She could eat it on the journey . Cecilia smiled with teary eyes as she looked at it.
"Now go please. I will manage " He told her , knowing very well that she is encountering doubts , just by looking at her face . In this one month , he got to know her way too well.
"We will simply say that the man was lying okay ? You won't be here then he won't be able to prove anything. Before coming here , I had already talked with the doctor . He will tell everyone you are dead , so don't worry okay ? we will be fine " Evalina comforted.
"Good luck little one" Sepher wished her while wiping his tears from his palm roughly .
Cecilia leaned down and placed a peck on his cheek and drove away the horse.
With the footsteps of the horse leaving behind , her previous life as Cecilia was being left behind too . Now she was Pyralis . She had no past , just a future ahead of her.