"Take it," Richard said, offering his handkerchief.
Barbara took and wiped her tears. Her eyes were red from crying for so long. "I am sorry for seeing me in this state," she said, embarrassed by her outburst. But who could blame her? The frustration she felt, weighed heavily on her.
"Why are you apologizing? I was supposed to apologize to you instead. I should have been with you the previous days. I feel guilty for not visiting you earlier," he stated.
Barbara felt a surge of warmth in her heart as she caught sight of his anxious expression. She couldn't help but be touched by his care and thoughtfulness. She had expected Richard to be like all the others, running after Aurora. Despite them being engaged, it felt as though it held no real significance since she wasn't the Marquis' daughter.
"Have you calmed?" he asked inquiringly and Barbara nodded.
After a brief silence, she replied, "Actually, I was feeling awful the previous days. Nothing seems alright. Everything and everyone changed after Aurora's appearance."
Barbara clutched the delicate white handkerchief between her trembling palms, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she felt the weight of her emotions pressing down on her heart. A deep, heavy ache pierced her chest whenever she began to unravel the tangled mess of her identity.
Despite the passing of many days, she found it impossible to come to terms with what had transpired. Every morning, as she reluctantly awoke from her uneven sleep, she half-expected to find herself immersed in a bittersweet dream.
In her mind's eye, she would picture herself opening the front door to her childhood home, anticipating the warm and familiar embrace of her father, whose eyes twinkled with warmth and love. Her mother's voice would chide her affectionately for darting out in her nightclothes, laced with the familiar cadence of maternal concern and adoration.
However, the reality of their behaviour plunged her into a complex whirlwind of conflicting emotions, as she struggled to reconcile the immutable changes that had befallen her beloved parents.
"Father wanted me to babysit her too as if he and mother were not enough to do that," she added.
Richard turned to look at her and said, "I did see no harm in helping your sister—"
"She is not my sister. Stop pushing some stranger to me and identify her as a family member. I had only a father and a mother," she interrupted. Anger rose in her chest.
"She is the marquis' daughter so she is your sister too. You are living in the same house so you will encounter her a lot. Until when will you plan to avoid her? Maybe helping her will make you used to her being your sister," Richard explained patiently. His voice was gentle as a lullaby song.
"I cannot do it. I am feeling uncomfortable whenever I see her," she said, after calming her rage.
Richard smiled. "Little by little, you will get used to her. You two will be best friends more than sisters," he reassured.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And you will beg me to postpone the wedding to spend more time with your sister. I and my brother fought a lot, but he was closer to me than anyone. And you will find how it was good to have a sibling," he stated.
Barbara's lips curved upward as she talked with Richard, which helped her dispel the bad feelings she had been experiencing lately. Perhaps he was right. She should have allowed Aurora to be close to her and seen what would happen.
***
Aurora stood on the balcony, astonished by the splendour of her new house, the beauty and softness of her clothes, and the comfortable life she was living. Her two maids stood behind her, waiting for her orders, making her look like a woman of nobility.
She had freed herself from the grasp of her poor life. No longer burdened by the constant worry of ways to earn to support her family, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Baron Clement, who incessantly chased her to marry him despite being as old as her father, was now something of the past. She could now turn over the suffering she endured to embrace her new life as the Marquis' daughter.
Aurora smiled brightly. Her life resembled the fairy tales her mother used to narrate to her before bedtime. Her body appeared plumper, her skin became softer, and her face glowed in just a few days.
She gazed at the garden below. Its beauty was not concealed by the autumn. Hearing footsteps, she leaned over to see her 'sister' walking with a man, chatting happily.
"Who is the man walking with sister?" she asked.
"He is Richard Clarkson, the Count's son and Lady Barbara's fiance. He enrolled in the Knight recruitment and became a one hundred knights leader at a young age."
Aurora listened as her maid, Priscilla praised the young man, she leaned over to take a clear view of him but heard her maid's warning.
"Lady Aurora, Don't step closer, what if you fall!" her other maid, Gemina cried out, stepping to her side.
"They looked perfect together," she said. A surge of envy rose in her chest.
"He was supposed to be Lady Aurora's fiance instead-"
"Priscilla! What are you saying?"
"Am I not telling the truth? The engagement happened between the Count and The Marquis' mansion and Lady Barbara is not the Marquis' real daughter. She was shameless to continue in this engagement."
"Stop it. What if someone heard you?"
"I am fighting for Lady Aurora's rights. Am I not right, Milady?" Priscilla asked, and she froze.
"Stop fighting you two. I am feeling thirsty, bring me fresh apple juice," she ordered, shrugging off the maids.
As soon as her maids disappeared from her sight, she resumed her watch. She saw Barbara bidding farewell to her fiancé and hurriedly descended the stairs, leading to the garden's entrance. Despite hearing footsteps approaching, she didn't slow down and ended up colliding with her sister's fiancé, falling to the ground.
"I apologize, milady."
Aurora forgot the pain, hearing his mellow voice. Her heart skipped a beat looking at his handsome face.
"Let me help you." he offered his hand.
Aurora took his hand, her heart pumping in her chest as soon as their hands touched. A new feeling caused her tummy to flutter and her cheek to blush. The man was the epitome of beauty and gentleness.
"Are you alright?" he asked, and she was absorbed in his blue eyes. "I asked if you are well, Lady," he repeated.
"I-I am fine," she stuttered but upon putting her foot on the ground, she yelled.
"Where are you maid?" he asked, helping her to stand up.
"They went to bring me juice. Sir, you go, I will wait here for them to come," she replied. Her face palled from the pain in her ankle.
"I will help you sit on that stool," he said, and she leaned on him. Her heartbeats rose and her mind was chaotic.
After taking her seat, the man waited by her side for a while before her maids came to look for her. They anxiously asked about her wellbeing.
"Since your maids are here, I will take my leave. Rest well and don't run again so the pain will vanish," he said jokingly, walking away.
Aurora watched his every step to the outside with unspoken emotion.