As the funeral was over, everyone else walked away, leaving only Elestria and Matilda in the dark forest.
Elestria sank to her knees. She felt sharp pain throbbing in the area where she had been injured while running towards the royal palace. Ignoring the pain, her eyes darted towards the headboard, which said, "Agatha Sinclair, former assistant librarian.".
Her thin, trembling fingers traced the letters on the headboard.
She lifted her gaze at the sky, which was still cloaked in lingering dark clouds, as if it might rain any moment. Her mind buzzed with uncertainties, grappling with the thoughts of how she would live now, all alone and without anyone.
Matilda, standing by her side, sat down beside her and hugged Elestria in a gentle side hug. Her fingers traced soothing patterns on Elestria's forearms without uttering anything.
Elestria leaned into the warmth she was feeling. She herself doesn't know why, in such a short time, she is feeling so safe with Aunt Matilda.
Soon one guard approached them, bowing in respect, and he said, "Excuse me, lady Matilda."
Hearing someone call her name, Matilda glanced back while she tried to stand up, just when a twinge in her back caused her to wince. She instinctively placed her hand on her right waist, and she rose while holding Elestria's hand for support.
Elestria questioned, "What happened, Aunt Matilda?" In the concerned voice. "Your aunt is old now; there is nothing to worry about," Matilda assured Elestria, turning her attention towards the guard.
"Yes?"
"Sir Walter requested your presence; he said it was urgent." saying that he bowed his head in respect.
Matilda shifted her gaze towards Elestria, but before she could say anything, Elestria said, "Don't worry, I want to be alone for a while with my mother." Matilda, nodding her head in understanding, squeezed Elestria's hands gently as she walked out of the forest with the guard.
The soft smile that Elestria had on her face fell, and sadness engulfed her entire body. The feeling of being alone sent a shiver down her spine. The deepest ache she felt at that moment was the realization that her mother didn't commit suicide; instead, she was killed by someone.
Someone who is lurking within the palace walls. Someone who wanted her mother to die.
Unknown to Elestria, her eyes flickered with an icy blue hue, and she clenched her hands into a tight fist.
The anger she was feeling right now was beyond the pain she felt. The desire for revenge burned within her. She wants the person who killed her mother dead right before her eyes.
Unknown to Elestria, someone had been silently watching her. The figure walked towards her with measured steps. Approaching her, he bowed his head before speaking, "Miss, young master Zephyr requested to meet you.".
Elestria, who was consumed by her anger and sadness, shifted her gaze to the side and whispered, "Please lead the way, sir." Unaware of the guardsman's intentions.
She walked towards the path Matilda had taken, but the guard stopped her while stating, "Not that way, miss." Pointing towards the other gate, which was opposite the main gate, he said, "Please go this way.".
Elestria, lost in her grief, followed him to the path that leads to the backside of the funeral ground, which is the forbidden side of the forest.
She climbed on the carriage with the help of a stool; her eyes looked dead, void of any life.
Soon, the carriage started rolling down the wet road. Elestria gazed out of the window, each tree passing by one after another, and it felt like she was losing something once again.
It was the same sensation that she felt that day when her mother left for work.
The cold wind gently tousled her hair, coaxing it out from beneath her scarf. She quickly used her hands to tuck them back securely.
"Why would someone kill her mother?" She pondered over the possibility of her mother's death. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that the carriage had taken a different path than the one leading to the royal palace.
As the carriage came to a sudden halt, Elestria's silvery gaze swept over unfamiliar surroundings. This isn't the royal palace. Anxiety gripped her core, and a sense of urgency washed over her. 'Something is wrong with this place, her voice echoed inside her head.
She noticed the road on which the carriage was stopped was dimly lit due to clouds hovering over the sky; the place looked old.
Abruptly, the wooden gate of the carriage swung open with a force that startled her. That's when the harsh reality sank in: she was being abducted by the guard. Her eyes widened with the chilling revelation; fear creeped under her skin, making her shudder.
Her already shattered heart began to pound beneath her thin fabric. Her heartbeat rising to audible levels. Her breath hitched with the overwhelming emotions.
Instinctively, she moved back in her seat, desperately trying to hide herself. This can't happen to her, not now, not when her mother just died. God can't do this to her.
The man's voice cut the threads in her thoughts; in an authoritative and demanding tone, he commanded, "Climb down; don't test my patience, little girl," while his hand firmly gripped the wooden gate of the carriage.
Elestria trembled with the thought of what would happen to her. Unsure of what to do in this situation, she reluctantly climbed down. She kept her head low and avoided the predatory eyes of the people present there.
She scanned her surroundings as if trying to find a possible way to escape, but she wasn't able to pinpoint one. This place looks daunting. The men standing in front of her seem different from the ones she has encountered so far.
She felt a sneer curl on the lips of one of the men. "Haha, don't ever think of escaping, little girl." He moved close to her, his proximity unsettling to her core. And whispered while tilting her head up with his index finger, "Or else you will be tuned into a meat, but then again, you are as beautiful as your mother."
Hearing those words, Elestria's eyes burned with anger. The royal palace had already snatched her mother away, and now this.
The sadness and fear that gripped her a moment ago have now turned into something else. She had hands clenched into fists, aching to retaliate, to hit him in the face, and to show this man his place.
She raised her hand to strike him across his face just when the man swiftly intercepted, gripping her hand in a tight grasp, and with a forceful pull, he dragged her from there, leaving Elestria clutching her trembling hand.
It was hurting.
The pain radiating from her small frame was evident. He was too big and strong for her frame to counter.
"Leave me alone, you fucking moron," she screamed on top of her lungs. However, her plea was met with a sudden blow to the back of her head, and she crumbled to the ground.
"You weren't supposed to hit her; what will we say to him now?" was all she heard—one of the men speaking to the other.