She's Eristic[ONGOING]

Chapter 05

It's too obvious not to notice that the stone walls guarding the insides of the mansion feel higher than they ever have been before. Shadows lurking everywhere created a depth of unfilled space similar to emptiness. There's not a single ray of light coming through that was supposed to brighten up the rooms. The daughter has been wearing black since the awareness of the mother's death. Ignoring the happenings inside the mansion, she will never forget her mother's portrait.

She touched her mom's picture. I'm afraid mother, is all she can ever think about seeing her mom in painting.

Ella went to see Lucia inside the room where her mother used to do her work. There's a quiet sentiment that struck her mind. She saw the headmaid preparing books on the table and fixing the writing tools beside them. Now, she's curious about the meaning of these actions. She
remained calm. Observing Lucia silently as the maid was busy carrying out her duties. Then, in between her work, she exclaimed, "Milady, you must learn everything."

An ominous feeling came when she saw Lucia's gaze. She was sure something was different by the way Lucia toned her words carefully, as if there was a threat she wanted to imply. However, Ella followed the headmaid and sat beside the table with the prepared learning manuals. With Lucia's guidance, Ella earnestly learns how to make a proposed budget plan for the funeral and burial rights. However, both were stricter on themselves this day than they usually are.

Ella turned a piece of paper to the headmaid for the approval. The look in Lucia's eyes were quite strange. Reading each words the paper has as well as calculating numbers one by one inside her head. It gives Ella an undenying fright of presumptions. "That's not it.", is the phrase Ella hears the most from the mouth of the head maid that pushes her to try again. The young lady keeps on failing to meet the head maid's expectations of how much money would be enough to be used for funerals and other things that concern the mansion's internal affairs. Her hand stings because of hours of writing the budget plan repeatedly under Lucia's watch. Excessively thinking about the numbers and decide which is the most sufficient and reasonable among the listed ones. The pressure instilled within the young lady's mind stresses her out, making her unable to be decisive when it comes to her new education given by the head maid.

"I'll go to the cathedral and inform the priest that will perform the lady's mother send off to heaven. Please continue what you are doing." Lucia put the papers with number scribbles on it on the table. She then went to grab her coat because the setting of the sun means the hour of chilly winds is about to come.

She nodded. Ella waited for Lucia to head outside of the room. She felt the overwhelming pressure leave her mind as soon as she saw the head maid leave. She put down all the papers and a pen on the table. The mood was perfect for resting. That's what she thought, so she laid her head on the couch she had been sitting on. Her hand was placed on her forehead to prevent the light from reaching her restless eyes. The young lady took a deep, long breath to relieve the stress inside her. She placed a soft white towel on her face to replace her hand. As she removed her hand from her head, it touched her lips in the process. It feels like a dry and flaky texture. Every little thing that takes too much effort or a worrisome situation takes a toll on her body. Being a bit feverish is presumably because of having no appetite. Most of the time, she will drink a glass of water to ease her hunger.

She walked around the room, attempting to divert her attention away from her thoughts and emotions. Looking at the window to see what kind of weather the place will be having.

"How dreary..." She phrased the words with lonesome sentiment.

The workers were as busy as they had been, but the liveliness inside the estate faded as the child shut herself off from the world. People still harvest cotton from the farm. However, the clouds were bashful gray in the intense orange painted sky. What was this view? A breaking dawn of a suffering heart.

The service carriage Lucia used came from the estate as the sun fell from the sky, touching close to the landfarms that can be overlooked by how relieving it is to see them through a wide glass pane. Ella waited for Lucia's story about how the meeting with the priest went on. She again sat on the couch near the working table. She then reached for the papers she had earlier to make the head maid believe that she was studying the documents. She jotted down some unnecessary sentences and words on another paper to make it more real.

As Lucia entered the room, Ella stood on the couch and asked, "How did it go?" The head maid emplaced the used coat on the dark wood coat rack.

"Lady Ella, it was arranged accordingly. Allow me to help you get ready. We will be going to the embalmer's home to wait for the process to be over. " She walked away and opened the closet behind the bookshelf. Lucia gets her hands on a blue medieval cape to warm the young lady's body when they are outside of the house. People were preparing for the journey and organizing the wagon that was carrying the baroness's dead body. From changing the seats' foam to connecting the wagon to the travelling carriage, henchmen are grabbing their trench coats before hitting the road.

They got in and started their not-so-long trip. Beyond the path, the horizon of the obviously coming dawn could be seen clearly. Black stallions become the force that pulls the heavy transport vehicles. They made their way to the market so loudly that spaces were filled by the crowds trying to go on their destination's stop. But, what captivated the child's attention was the little flower shop at the end of the red-brick walled shopping street. Setting aside the innocent white roses and charming pink peonies, it was the red roses that meant the most to Ella. To some, red roses may look so plain or might mean romance, but to her it means respect.

"Lucia, order the henchman driving to stop. I'll buy something just for a couple of minutes. " The young lady commanded the head maid beside her.

As per the direct work assigned to her, the head maid, she knocked on the carriage's wall to make a sound--meaning to pull over or to halt for a moment. Ella went down from the vehicle to purchase three red roses. The florist stubbed in the profit made from the purchase. Then, the helper wrapped the flowers with old tainted newspaper and passed them on to the hands of the young Esenwood lady. The only child of the Esenwood estate holds the flowers tightly with care. She went to the hooked wagon where her mother was lying. She creatively placed the flowers beside her mother's temporary coffin.

I respect you, mom. A tear fell from her left eye, followed by another tear falling from her right eye.

Then, they proceed on their journey.