The Lady Knight

Chapter VIII: Pasts and Plans

The Lady Knight

"The Crown Prince danced with me four times! Oh, it was the best night of my life...."

With glittering irises, Dora dreamily stared off into the distance. She had two plates balanced on one forearm, and a pot full of steaming gravy on the other, perched on top of the step leading down from the kitchen to the dining room with one foot in the air, lost in her daydream.

It made a very amusing portrait, truth be told.

"Dora, do be careful," Lisa tapped her shoulder hard from behind her, scowling, "Mama will not be pleased if any of the porcelain breaks."

With that, she gently but firmly pushed her aside - causing Dora to almost lose her balance - before stomping down the step and banging the dish she was carrying onto the dining table none too gently.

Upon hearing the sudden noise, Jo and I paused, exchanging meaningful glances.

Lisa had been a vengeful mood since she had slipped away with Evoric the night before, and truth be told, it was beginning to worry me.

Whatever did he tell her to upset her so?

I had no opportunity to speak to him about it. He had left the Manor at daybreak today with the Duke of Louvre, Ned and the Prince, who was required to learn about every duchy in this country during the Potential Quest. The rest of my Captains had accompanied them for protection.

In the meanwhile, the Duchess of Louvre requested that I remain with her in the Manor, and help her and the other Ladies with the household. However, I suspected that she asked me to stay only because she felt awkward being alone around Lisa in this mood. She knew, as well as I did, that I was terrible at household management.

Terrible as I was at that, however, I liked to think I was passable in confronting Lisa in such a bad mood.

"Alyssa," I fixed my dark eyes upon her now, before murmuring, "what is the matter?"

She spun around to glare daggers at me, her fists clenched, preparing to no doubt lash out at me about how her miseries were none of my damned business.

However, I levelled her with a calm, unfazed gaze, daring her to even begin that thought.

The both of us stared at the other for a long while, each challenging the other to break our gaze, until Lisa's expression crumpled in defeat and her emerald irises filled with tears.

Sighing, I walked towards her and put an arm around her shoulders, handing her a handkerchief. Dora and Jo nervously approached her, despite being aware, as well as I was, that the storm had already passed.

She put her face in her hands. "I am sorry," she mumbled, " I am so, so sorry."

"What happened?" Jo asked her gently, "you seemed all right until the Ball last night."

"I was," she was struggling not to cry, "Jo, I was so happy to see Evoric last evening. He had gone to Osterlund with the Crown Prince to study alongside him ten years ago, and I had not seen him since." She sniffed, pausing for a moment.

"Even when they had all returned to Monrique recently, I had not dared to hope that he would remember me. After all, I was merely the girl whom he had found hiding in the rose bushes all those years ago." Lisa broke into a small smile in reminiscence.

Ah, the rose bushes. How well I remembered that day.

"Hiding in the rose bushes? What were you doing there?" Dora and Jo leaned forward, interested.