The Author's Will

36 | Icicle Eyes

　　 As the day idly passed by, and those at the Cherliann estate went about their duties as usual, Irene began to prepare for sighting the meteor shower later that night. She and Mikael hadn't seen much of each other since breakfast - as the two had their respective lessons to attend. But throughout her breaks between sessions of River's increasingly arduous teaching, Irene saw to it that all of her preparations for the meteor shower were set.

From morning till evening, the manor was alive with servants and workers frolicking to and fro, getting their work done during daylight hours. After dinner, things would quieten down - and eventually, everyone would slip away to rest, at the coming of night.

The meteor shower Irene found out about - wasn't entirely by coincidence. There was actually a written memory of Mikael's in her original novel, where he witnessed a beautiful shower of stars rushing across the sky, once in his childhood soon after entering the Cherliann manor. For the villain he would later become, it was the only good memory he treasured — and a deep secret he initially told to Isabella.

It was a golden opportunity for Irene to partake in this evocation — which he would remember for the rest of his life with her by his side. Instead of watching it alone like Mikael originally did, having her join in with the experience would help to improve their relationship.

And so, after doing a little research, Irene pinpointed the date of the meteor shower, with the help of Snow and Sir River. Thankfully, her tutor was an astronomical genius - on top of all other areas of illustriousness. He too, was looking forward to observing the meteors through the telescope in his tower.

After everything was prepared, Irene waited for her nanny, Joanne, to finish tucking her away into bed. She sang her a gentle lullaby as the little girl pretended to drift off to sleep, before quietly stepping out of the room and dimming the lights.

Once ensuring everything was clear, Irene glanced up at Snow, hovering over her headboard to give her the sign that the hallway was clear.

"Okay, it's empty," he nodded, tilting his beak down to face her. "The route to Mikael's room is clear."

Irene smiled in thanks, before slipping out of her covers and taking out the bag she filled with necessities, from under her bed. It was stuffed with pillows and blankets, since the rooftop was always cold, as well as some binoculars and a thermal bottle with hot chocolate inside, made by Jane and Gerald earlier that evening at her request.

Once she made sure everything was there, Irene took her bag and sneaked out of her room, swiftly making her way down toward Mikael's chamber. There were little to no people other than a few guards on patrol - but thankfully she was able to furtively creep past.

Once she reached Mikael's room, she knocked on the door. And much to her surprise, the boy actually stepped out.

Mikael rubbed his eyes and yawned lazily, his hair a mess. It seemed like he fell asleep waiting for midnight, but woke up regardless. "This had better be worth waking me up for..." He murmured, as Irene gently wrapped a blanket around the boy's shoulders. He was so fatigued he didn't even notice the gesture.

He's so cute when he's sleepy. Irene smiled, gently taking his hand to guide him upstairs. Mikael remained quiet the whole way there, his expression still one of sleepiness as the pair headed to the top floor of the manor. Irene remembered there being a window leading directly to the rooftop, so she decided to use that to get to the spot she had planned.

It wasn't long until the cold, frigid air of the early spring night latched itself to Mikael's warm body and forced him awake. His drowsiness quickly became drained away by the cold, but the blanket on his shoulders kept him sound.