CHAPTER 434: STRUGGLES AND JOY

Arabella had found refuge out, on one of the balconies that lurched over the gardens. Clutching at the embroidered drapes her grandfather had brought along. She breathed its essence in only to be relieved upon realizing that throughout all of those years its original scent had been preserved.

The perfume did mingle with that of her grandmother’s, but it wasn’t nearly as prominent as that of her mother’s.

So good it was, almost too good to be true.

Thankfully, Cedric did not insist on speaking to her for longer and merely allowed staff to guide him to his quarters. No complaints from the servants arose just yet so Arabella treated her time with as much care as possible, enjoying every second of peace and quiet to its smallest and last bit as though they were her last.

With such people under her roof, who knew what could happen?

Her roof? For the first time since ever... Arabella thought of the Eleazar manor as her roof.

Still, its walls seemed to have turned grayer and gloomier after their arrival and even the sun cast its bright light differently.

She couldn’t put her finger on the issue, but it was almost as if the sun was shy to shine the way it did before they came around.

"How are you feeling?" Silas’ voice made her spin around.

"I thought you’d have been gone back out already," she gave him a half smile.

"And I thought I’d wait for things around the manor to settle a bit," he neared her, looking down at the fabric between her fingers.

His interest in the item did not go unnoticed and so, she spared him the effort of asking, "I remember telling you that my grandfather was the one that insisted upon me learning the craft of embroidery,"

"You did,"

"This one," she raised it a bit higher in her hands, "Was the very first piece that my mother and I managed to finish together as she was teaching me," a chuckle escaped her as she pointed at a specific part, "You can tell by where the quality starts dropping which hands worked on it," that odd, nebulous smile she had on slowly vanished, "She was good at so many things my mother,"

"So are you," he murmured.

"I suppose we all have our strengths," she chuckled again, "Ada told you about my birthday, didn’t she?"

The question came a little out of nowhere. Arabella expected her husband’s expression to shift.

"She seemed quite disappointed to know that I hadn’t enquired about your date of birth even though she’d come gleefully to inform me of it," he made a short pause before asking, "What made you think of this all of the sudden?"

"When my grandfather made a mention of it, I sensed the way your arm tensed and upon cogitating it for a bit I leaped to the most convenient conclusion," Arabella bit down on her bottom lip and smiled, "Well, that and the fact that Ada and the others were acting all shifty... It made me realize, they couldn’t lie to save their lives,"

"I see," Silas pushed a long sigh.

"So, out with it already!" she simpered, "What is it you’ve been not so carefully hiding,"

"I’ll remind you that I have played my part perfectly well. It wasn’t I who fumbled at keeping the secret, but you will see it in due time," he raised his chin and looked away, "Hopefully, you won’t be disappointed,"

A reaction that stole a solemn giggle out of her. One that stopped as her face gradually dimmed.

"What is it?" he asked, leaning closer.

"I feel like such an awful person for laughing and finding joy in such dark times," her eyes fled towards the tall trees in the distance.

"The presence of struggles in no way demands the complete absence of joy,"

He was right. There was no reason to bury herself under the crushing weight of everything every time something new happened.

"You did not answer my first question," he drew her attention not just with his words but with his warm touch as well which landed on her hands.

"Truthfully, I have no idea how I am feeling," her head shook slowly, "I thought he had died too," she took a few heavier breaths, "Never could I have imagined that he...," no more words came after that.

"Do you believe he is up to something?" he asked.

"As much as I’d like to leap to the conclusion that he is... I can but temper that feeling in me. Although I understand that I am not being rational either,"

Her father came first and when that didn’t work, the prince followed and finally... Her grandfather.

It was all too convenient for them. Arabella doubted that the prince just happened to cross paths with Rubius out of nowhere. No, it was a carefully crafted tactic. The perfect emotional blackmail like they loved to do it.

A solid reminder that Cedric held the remainder of her family between his hands and that, at any moment, should the desire strike him, he could simply crush them right in front of her eyes.

"We should definitely keep our guard up," Silas leaned closer to kiss her temple.

Arabella shut her eyes to relish the moment before returning to her reality, "Have there been any new developments regarding Allegra?"

"None," his features turned somewhat stern again.

"I can’t help it. I keep thinking to myself that had I simply come to you with my suspicions none of this would have happened,"

"And I keep thinking that I did leap to the same conclusion as you without input from you and yet still did nothing,"

Her eyes darted up towards his, "You did?"

"We discussed the possibility that she had ended Edna in the dungeons, and we also discussed the theory that there was a poser in our ranks. I did put two and two together but...,"

Her expression softened as her hand went up and brushed his arm, "It is more understandable than you think," she nodded, "You did see her as your little sister and that weighs on the balance a lot more than you might believe,"