Aurora's knees hurt when the man pushed her inside the room. Hearing the door closing, she ignored the pain and stood fast. "DO NOT," she shouted seeing the door closed. "Get me out of here," she screamed, her tears flowing. "Please get me out of here," she begged, getting on her knees, and knocking on the door.
After what felt like an eternity, Aurora's hands began to tremble with exhaustion as she surveyed the room. It bore a striking resemblance to her old room back before she moved to the Marquis' manor.
The only piece of furniture in the dimly lit space was a weathered wooden bed tucked away in the corner. A small square window let in a feeble glimmer of light, casting weak shadows across the dusty room. Cobwebs clung to every available surface, enveloping the room in a cloak of neglect.
The air carried the musty scent of decayed wood, filling Aurora's senses as she desperately searched for any signs of escape, but to no avail. Recognizing the futility of her efforts, she resorted to calling out for help, her cries echoing through the abandoned space in a desperate plea for someone, anyone, to come to her aid.
Aurora lay motionless on the bed. Three days and two nights passed slowly and awfully. She cried day and night but nothing changed except her voice becoming hoarse and her tears went dry. No one could imagine how she wanted to go to her parent, to cry in her mother's embrace and to feel strong and safe between her father's arms. The situation she was living in made her weak and afraid.
A single tear fell wetting the brown quilt below as a sense of powerlessness ate her up from the inside. When she closed her eyes, familiar blue eyes came into her mind making her heart yearn for hope. The blue-eyed owner was the source that motivated her not to give up besides her parent.
She knew her thoughts were wrong because he belonged to someone else, but she could not stop thinking about him. They were contacting each other over the passing month. Although their conversation was mainly about Barbara, she would jump from happiness whenever her maid notified her about his letters.
She had suggested that he should partake in the hunt as Barbara would be happy so he participated to make her sister happy. She had promised to convince her sister to knit a handkerchief for him but broke her promise. 'Is it because she did something wrong, she had encountered bad thing?'
"Yes, of course, it is. I should have never been close to him again—"
Aurora snapped out of her thoughts when she heard stepping sounds, she rose from her bed and ran to the door. "HELP. HELP," she shouted, knocking on the door forcefully.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, growing louder as they drew nearer to where Aurora was being held. As the heavy door creaked open, she instinctively took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest with overwhelming fear.
When the door swung fully open, a stream of light from the window illuminated the figure standing in the doorway, clad in a shining knight's suit. His piercing blue eyes seemed to glisten like the stars on a dark, moonless night. Overwhelmed with emotion, Aurora's eyes filled with tears as she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him in a tight embrace, finally feeling safe in his arms.
"Lady Aurora," Richard called with his mellow voice like a lullaby soothing her raging emotions.
Aurora took a few steps back. "I apologise. I –I was afraid," she said between her sobs.
"You are safe now, Lady Aurora."
Seeing the smile printed on his handsome face, Aurora stood there; her heart swelled with fondness as he was consoling her. She could listen to her raging heartbeat thumping nonstop not from fear or anxiousness but from something else.
'Can I break my promise again? But what about Barbara?'
***
Susie woke up from sleep, shouting. She held her chest and sat on her bed. "Aurora, Aurora," she cried out. Her breaths hitched. The door was opened and her husband came in.
"Susie," he said, running to her, holding her hands. His eyes were full of anxiousness. The black under his eyes spread. His figure was unkempt different from the usual Marquis image he used to show. He looked as if he had become older by ten years old in just three days since their daughter's disappearance.
"I just saw my daughter in my dream, crying and begging me to help her. She was covered in blood and —" Susie sobbed nonstop.
"It is only a nightmare, calm down," he soothed her taking her in his arms.
Susie cried for a long time soaking her husband's white shirt. "Where is our daughter? I am suffering every day. My heart is going to crush if something bad happens to Aurora."
"They will find her. I sent my knight to look for her. Besides, many noble families and the royal family had sent their troops to help," he assured her, patting her back.
Susie listened not convinced by Bernat's words. Three whole days had passed and their daughter was still missing! A huge number of knights had been appointed for this mission and no one of them had been close to the location where Aurora was being kept.
It was a failure for a kingdom with the name of Evoria Kingdom which was known for its strength and power not to succeed in finding a lost daughter from a noble family. The upper society was like a battlefield, the stronger you were, the everlasting you would prevail. Thus many families waited for any noble families' downfall to replace them. Helping each other was only a pretense nothing more and would be a return in the future.
"Madam," her maid cried outside. Susie's heart jumped. "Lady Aurora had returned."
Hearing the announcement, Susie's body shook. She threw the quilt and stood up. Her husband had already opened the door and left the room. Susie followed after not caring that she was wearing her nightgown and running without wearing her shoes.
'Aurora,' she murmured, rushing downstairs. As she arrived at the hall, she saw her daughter hugging her father. She stopped and covered her mouth; her tears flowed washing her face.
"Mother," Aurora called, running to her and hugging her.
Being engulfed by a familiar figure and smelling her daughter's peachy odour, Susie wept, tightening her grasp around her daughter as if shielding her from everything, wishing that she would protect her from everything even the autumn breeze that could be make her ill.