Zyczenia

Chapter 15: First Breath of Freedom

"...u....ugh...."

Rays of sunlight entered the guest room where Aristia is resting. The stinging light woke her up from her deep slumber, slowly opening her golden orbs. The first thing she saw was a ceiling, an unfamiliar one. She sat up and looked around, an unfamiliar room interior, but her eyes spotted something familiar. The crest of the roaring gold lion, painted at one of the walls in the room.

"I-It couldn't be...!"

Click.

The door opened and a maid walked in, Aristia's personal maid, Rina. She glanced towards the silver-haired who was supposedly lying in bed, her eyes widened.

The orange haired immediately ran towards the bed and bombarded Aristia with questions. "My lady! Are you awake now? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

"Ri-Rina!" Aristia exclaimed, surprised. "Why are you here? W-wait... why am I here? Isn't this the palace?"

"You fainted on the crown price's coming of age party, don't you remember?"

The silver-haired grabbed her head, recalling her memory. Images of the event started flowing in her head. "Ah, right...."

"What exactly happened, m'lady? I heard that you were with the crown prince when you fainted. Did he harass you or something?"

"Its.... not like that..." 

'Ah, right. The crown prince... how am I supposed to face him now?' Aristia said to herself. But then, something came to mind. "Hold on, then how long did I stay unconscious? And when I fainted, is it the crown prince who brought me here?"

"You remained unconscious for about... 10 hours? I'm not sure about the crown prince bringing you here, though..." Rina mumbled. "I heard that the Marquess was at the garden's gate, and when he heard a loud scream, he rushed inside and found m'lady unconscious, and then the crown prince ordered to bring you to the nearest available guest room. Well, I guess he practically brought you here?"

'Father...? He's Back???' Aristia's golden orbs widened. "Rina, Daddy's back??? Where is he right now??"

Aristia got up from her bed and prepared to dash off to find her father.

"Whoa! My lady! You shouldn't get off bed yet. I'll call him, so you should wait here."

After saying that, the orange-haired left the room to call the Marquess. A few minutes after, the door opened loudly.

Bang!

"Tia!" Keirean exclaimed, calling his daughter's name.

"Dad!!" Aristia ran towards her father, hugging him.

"Are you okay now? Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

The silver-haired shook her head. "I'm fine, now. When did you arrive at the capital?"

"I arrived at the capital last night and immediately went to the palace to check on you, but there was that commotion."

"...I'm... sorry..." She whimpered.

"Don't say that, you did well, Tia." Keirean patted her head, then he glanced at Rina, signaling her to leave the room. The orange-haired caught the Marquess' signal and nodded, then she quietly left the room.

When Keirean confirmed that the only ones left in the room are him and his daughter, he spoke up. "Tia, listen to me carefully."

The silver-haired raised her head, "What is it daddy?"

"Last night, when you were unconscious, the emperor, the crown prince, duke Rass, duke Verita, and I discussed about the commotion that happened that evening."