ENORA sat hunched over her study desk, surrounded by a sea of scattered papers as she tirelessly read the load of papers one by one. The room was quiet, except for the occasional rustle of paper and the soft tap of her feather pen. Her eyes and hand stopped moving when she felt a faint warmth and an unsettling trickle down her nose. Her hand instinctively reached up, only to find her fingers slick with blood. Before she could react, a few drops of blood splattered onto the papers in front of her—its bright red stain quickly soaking into the crisp white pages, staining her notes with a vivid, unwelcomed mark. The blood dripped slowly, each drop adding to the chaos of her already overwhelming workload.
For a moment there, she could only stare helplessly at the mess—her own body betraying her concentration in the most unexpected way.
"Hah… I don't have time for this." She stared at her hand which was covered in blood. Her exasperated sigh clearly showed her impatience and slight fatigue. She glanced at the antique clock standing across the desk. The size is taller than a man's and is absurdly heavy to carry with its ornaments and gems. Yet somehow, she couldn't bear to put out an order for it to be removed and replaced by a simpler clock.
In the middle of zoning out, the door was abruptly open. Who was it that dared to enter the room that the princess's residing in?
"Enora!" Clear and commanding, a rich alto that resonated through the room. Echoing against the walls with a balanced blend of warmth and worry.
"Eira? What are you doing in the dead of the night wandering about? It's 1 in the morning.
"Exactly!" Eira stomped her feet as she walked straight towards Enora's desk that's placed directly across the door. Her sight set on Enora.
"Do you realize your appearance right now?"
Enora turned her face to the small mirror standee sitting on the side of her desk. Oh, it was like looking at an exhausted ghost. Bleeding nose, tired out droopy eyes, and not to mention the eyebags, it was as if a ghost from a horror movie came to life. She quickly pulled out some tissues and wiped the mess around her nose and lips, not forgetting her hands while at it.
"It'll get better later once I get some rest."
Eira crossed her arms and started giving her sister an earful. "You're the future queen, so how could you neglect your health? Even if it's not important to you, it is to the kingdom and can affect how things unfold in the near future! Why are you always so careless? You act like you're the most mature among us, yet you're acting like a stubborn child. I don't know what you've been so invested in these days that you ended up like this, but whatever it is can wait. But what if your health depreciates in the blink of an eye?"
"Thanks for worrying about me, Eira. But I'm not quite sure I can be patient any longer." Enora's expression went bitter as the words rolled off her tongue.
Eira's earlier determined demeanor wavered. She knew exactly what her older twin sister meant. Too well, in fact that it tugged at her heart seeing her sister in this condition. "Even so you should still take a rest."
When Enora remained stubborn for god knows how long, Eira was forced to use her mana on her own sister. As much as it pained her, she'd rather have Enora be angry at her compared to her collapsing overworked. She knew how much stress her sister had been living with all these years, and feels guilty because she doesn't know how to ease the stress load of her sister. With just a flick of her fingers, Enora dropped her head onto her desk. Already sound asleep.
Eira walked around the table and assisted her sister onto her four-poster bed. She stared at her sister's ragged appearance and pale complexion. "Even the brightest gem cannot bring you happiness. If so, what can I possibly do to finally see your smile again?" She planted a soft kiss on the corner of her sister's eyebrow. Quietly turning the lights off, only leaving the soft orange lighting from the half moon ring duplex chandelier on.
The room went still and silent as Eira left with heavy hearts. The only sound audible was the chirping sound of Enora's spiritual pet.