'A gift is not just an object; it's a piece of one's heart, a tangible reflection of the emotions we sometimes struggle to express with words. It carries the weight of love, memories, and intentions.
The value of a gift lies not in its price, but in the thought behind it—a silent promise of care and connection that transcends time and space.'
What if the gift you hold closest to your heart, the one that holds all your emotions and memories, is given away by someone your family, not for their own sake, but to impressing to another? Imagine giving something so precious, not because you keep it, but because seeing someone else satisfied their egoistic self.
It's a strange feeling—watching something you cherish being passing some egoistic people who never care about your feelings.
Has something like this ever happened to you? Have you ever given away a part of yourself.
*Flashback of Tea Party*
In the garden, Calantha stood with a tense expression, her maid trembling before her. The air was heavy with reprimand as calanthe scolded the poor maid, her voice sharp as a blade
"How dare you embarrass me in front of my guest!" Calantha hissed; her tone low but venomous.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?
Calantha was furious. Her eyes burned with anger as she glared at the scene unfolding before her.
The maid, Trembling in front of her, had accidentally spilled tea all over a lady. The rich, golden liquid stained the lady Seraphine's dress and the garden fell into an awkward silence.
Calantha's clenched fists were a clear sign that her patience had snapped. She wasn't someone who tolerated such mistake, especially not when they embarrassed her in front of others.
"M-my lady, I'm so sorry… It won't happen again!" The maid, on the verge of tears, stammered.
Lady seraphine, who had been watching quietly with a calm expression, finally spoke, her tone soft and composed.
"Let it go miss calanthe. It's just tea. Mistakes happen, and I want now change my attire." Her expression looks changed with her voice.
Calantha shot her glance but didn't argue. Her irritation was still evident as she turned toward miss Seraphine.
"Miss Seraphine, my sister's room is nearby. You can change there. Follow me." Calanthe is afraid.
"Thankyou, miss Calantha. That would be perfect." As soon as they stepped out in the garden, the atmosphere seemed to shift dramatically.
The air felt heavier, laced with an unspoken tension, and the once-vibrant garden appeared darker, as if the sunlight itself had been swallowed by sudden change.
Leading seraphine down to hall, calanthe arrived at the Elara's chambers. She knocked sharply, and the door was answered by Yura, one of Elara's trusted maids.
"Where is my sister? Calanthe asked curtly. She looking for Elara but didn't find her.
"The lady is in the duke's office, my lady." Yura bowed and answered hesitantly.
Calantha wasted no time and stepped inside, gesturing for seraphine to follow.
"Yura" Calantha ordered, her tone firm.
"Fetch some clothes for miss Seraphine. Her gown has been ruined."
"My lady… I can't take anything from Miss Elara's wardrobe without her permission." Yura hesitated, visibly uneasy.
"I'll explain it to my sister. Do as I say. Or do you want me to fetch the clothed myself?" Calantha rolled her eyes, her patience wearing thin.
Yura's hands trembled as she approached the closet, reluctantly. Her nervousness was palpable. Calanthe sighed impatiently.
"At this rate, we'll still be standing here tomorrow!" she pushed past Yura and selected a beautiful gown, one that Elara had recently purchased.
"My, lady… that dress… it's miss Elara's favourite. She—" Yura's eyes widened in alarm.
"Enough!" Calantha snapped, cutting her off.
"Miss Seraphine needs it, and that's final." She handed the gown to Seraphine, who took it with a gracious nod.
As Seraphine moved toward the changing area, something on the nearby shelf caught her eye—a radiant golden object. Her gazed locked onto it, her expression momentarily slipping into fascination.
"What is that?" she asked, her voice quiet with curiosity.
Calantha followed her gaze. "O, that? I think it's an egg. Few days ago, someone gifted it to my sister." Calantha smiled and replied her.
"An egg? How extraordinary, I have never seen like this before. May I…. touch it? Seraphine's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"My lady. Please! That belongs to miss Elara. You mustn't—" Yura immediately stepped forward.
Calantha interrupted sharply, waving Yura away. "Of course, Seraphine. Feel free."
Seraphine stepped closer to the egg, her mind racing. 'So, this is the dragon egg I've been searching for. All those black-market auctions, all those leads… and it was Miss Elara who bought it in the end.' She composed her features into an emotional mask and turned to Calantha.
"I've been looking for an egg like this." She said, her voice laced with a touch of melancholy.
"And yet, your sister has it. She's truly fortunate." She said, 'When I first heard about the dragon egg. I thought it must be a fake. Could such a legendary dragon egg really exist in this world? But when I went to the Black-Market auction, my doubts vanished. Seeing it with my own eyes, I was convinced.
The sheer aura it emanated, the way it shimmered in the dim light—there was no mistaking it. This was real and it was for more valuable than anything I had ever imagined.
"It is beautiful, isn't it? Calantha, oblivious to seraphine's schemes, nodded sympathetically.
"Calantha… do you think you could give it to me? I promise to gift your sister something even more valuable in return." Seraphine's tone turned soft and persuasive.
Calantha hesitated her expression conflicted.
"I'm sorry, Miss Seraphine, but I can't do that without My sister." Calantha smiled and said, I know I give her my sister's fav. Dress because it's our fault her dress was ruined, but how could you ask for someone else's possession, without their consent, and expect to take it? Is this what the nobles teach?
Is this the kind of behaviour that define them? To take what doesn't belong to them, regardless of the cost or consequences? It made me Question everything I had been taught.
"If you truly want to this egg, then wait for my sister, Mis Seraphine" Calantha smiled and spoke.
"Come on, Cally, didn't you say your sister is kind and understanding? Surely, she wouldn't mind." Seraphine said smoothly, her tone coaxing.
"Hm…But…" Seraphine interrupted her. And come to her close and spoke slowly.
"Don't you want your academy carrier to go well? Or should I speak to my father and have your name black…?" Seraphine's words were sharp, dripping with cold authority.
Calantha stood frozen; her gaze fixed on Seraphine. She didn't want her family's name tarnished because of her actions. The thought of disgraceful rumours spreading, of her family's honour being ruined… it was enough to make her reconsider. Reluctantly, her shoulders sagged as she sighed, realizing there was no way out.
"Fine" Calantha finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper. But before she could speak, Yura stepped forward again.
"My lady, I cannot allow this. Miss Elara would never forgive me if—"
"Silence, Yura! Calanthe snapped, her eyes blazing with irritation.
"She's, my sister. I'll handle this step back.
'I stand frozen, my gaze fixed on the scene unfolding before me. In my own room, right in front of me, without my permission. It's being given to a girl who, with that smile on her face, is only looking to satisfy her own ego.
The most precious gift I've ever received is being handed away. My heart pounds as I watch the delicate gesture, the object I've cherished, the one that holds so many emotions and memories.
Is it just a gift, the one Orian gave me? Or does it feel like I'm giving away a part of my myself, something that belongs to me? Can I truly let go of something so precious, so easily. Once again? No… not this time. It won't happen. Not on my watch. I won't allow myself to lose what's mine.
Seraphine's smile widened as she reached out for the, her excitement barely concealed. *Finally, it's mine…*
"Touch that egg, and I'll make sure you regret it." The cold, commanding voice echoed through the room.
Everyone Froze. Elara stood at the doorway, her crimson eyes glowing like embers, her aura radiating quiet authority and danger. Seraphine turned, her smile faltering as she met Elara's gaze.
"Ah… Miss Elara. I didn't realize you were here." She steps back.
Elara stepped into the room; her expression unreadable. Her eyes flicked to the egg and then back to Seraphine.
"You seem very interested in my belongings, Lady Seraphine."
"Sister, I didn't mean—" Calantha stammered, her voice trembling.
"Enough" Elara cut her off her voice sharp enough to slice through steel.
"Step aside"
Seraphine's mask of composure cracked as she backed away from the egg. Elara's presence was suffocating, her dominance undeniable.
Elara's gaze intensifies as she steps even closer to lady seraphine, her voice dripping with challenge.
"So, is this how all noble-status people behave?" her words hang heavy in the air, sharp and cutting as she slowly circles Seraphine, as if testing her resolve.
"And is this the lesson the academy's principle imparting his daughter? To sneak into others room and take their things without a second thought?"
The tension between them thickness, like a storm about to break. Elara's eyes burn with defiance, while Seraphine's poised demeanour barely holds against the weight of Elara's accusation.
Every breath feels strained, every moment thick with the unsaid, as if they are standing on the edge of an inevitable confrontation.
Seraphine stiffened, her face betraying a fleeting flicker of fear… "Miss Elara, I was just—"
"Just what? Elara cut her off, her tone dripping with disdain. Her movements slow and deliberate. "Just asking for someone else's things" she let out a small, incredulous laugh, shaking her heads.
"And from someone who doesn't even own them? How low can you go, Lady Seraphine? Her eyes flash with disdain as she confronts the absurdity of the situation.
"Is that your understanding of nobility, Miss Elara's?" her voice is smooth, yet laced with underlying ice.
"Do you believe that one's title or status defines their every action? She pauses, her gaze narrowing as she takes a step forward, but…
"Taking what isn't yours, without permission… is that really what you're reduced to? And you call yourself Aristocrat?" she's done playing games.
"That's not what I meant, miss Elara, Seraphine smiled lightly, her tone smooth yet with edge.
"I wanted to offer you even more than you could ask for, but you're getting angry, rather than listening."
Before Elara could respond, the duchess Catherine entered the room. "What's going on here?" the duchess asked, her voice calm, but curious.
Elara didn't hesitate. "Nothing, Your Grace. there's someone here who was planning to give away my belongings without permission, and someone else was trying to take them"
The duchess turned her gaze to Calantha, who had silently retreated to the side. "Is that true, Calantha."
Calantha said nothing, only overting her eyes, her silence speaking volumes. Elara turned to Seraphine, a sly look crossing her face.
"So, what exactly can you offer me?" She asked, voice measured, but with an edge of challenge.
"You can have whatever you wish." Seraphine paused, then answered with cool confidence.
Elara's mother, sensing the rising tension, interjected, "Elara, why are you making such a fuss? End this now." Duchess Catherine glare at Elara and said,
But Elara ignored her mother, her eyes locked on Seraphine. "Really? Can I ask for something? Hmm… could you give up your noble status for me? That is true value of this egg" Elara's word are sharp.
At her words, Seraphine's face flushed with color, her composed exterior cracking. "Grr… you're crossing a line, Elara…" she said, her voice low and threatening. But Elara didn't back down.
"Huh…And what about what you are doing, lady Seraphine? Was that any better?" She shot back, her words sharp.
"You blackmailed my sister, it wasn't right" with that, Elara moved toward her sister.
"I could've crossed even more lines, but since you're my sister's special guest, I'll stay quiet."
"Lady Seraphine, hmph… the thing you desire? You will never have it. Because I don't share, especially not what's mine."
Elara's mother, ever the diplomat, turned to Seraphine, offering an apologetic smile. Seraphine still clearly agitated, nodded curtly and left the room, her composure restored. Calantha made an announcement about the end of the party before leaving to join her.
The duchess once the room cleared, turned to Elara with an exasperated sigh. "What was all this commotion about? Was it really such a big deal?
Calantha breaks her silent and spoke. Because she is the real one who caused all this scene. But she is afraid of her.
"Mom, it's not sister's fault, it was me who giving Elara's gift. Because she blackmailed me. I'm sorry Elara."
"So, it just gift." Elara's mother said.
"If someone ask for your most precious thing, would you give it to them? Tsk… of course not"
"Then, why would I do that. It's mine, and no one else is worthy of it."
The duchess fell silent, staring at her daughter, caught off guard by her words. And left the room. And the room felt suffocating, heavy with the weight of unspoken words. The air was thick with a sense of finality.
Elara sat on chair. Sitting on the chair, her posture radiated a newfound strength, a determination that hadn't been there before. Elara now appeared stronger, more resolute than ever. When the sound of her mother's footsteps had completely faded away, she slowly closed her eyes.
*The Rutledge's Estate*
As evening fell over Viscount Rutledge's mansion, the atmosphere grew heavy with unspoken secrets. The butler entered, his expression stoic as he carried piles of documents—each one a piece of a large puzzle. With careful precision, he laid them on the grand ook table, the weight of the papers suggesting matters of great importance.