The Cafe

The interior of the cafe was designed a little differently from the standard restaurant that can be found in Gladiolum. The floors of the cafe had familiar shiny tiles, pink and gleaming with a layer of gloss. The walls matched the color of the floor tiles with pink and white stripes for wallpaper. Several glass displays were set around one side of the shop, surrounding a backdoor that most likely led towards the kitchen area.

The cakes and pastries that were found in the glass displays were all cakes that Alice was familiar with. She spotted some traditional desserts like strawberry mille-feuilles and apple pies, but there were also more modern snacks like animal-shaped cupcakes and even crepe cakes that were rainbow in color. All that was missing was a neon light sign with the bakery's name in cursive and it would've been just like any other cafe that could be found in Riverside Creek.

There were many ladies present in the cafe, all gathered around round white wood tables with matching stools. Each slice of cake was served on round porcelain plates, tea and coffee served in matching white teacups decorated with dainty flowers. Tea break snacks were also served on three-tier pastry stands displaying both sweet and savory selections.

"How nostalgic…" Alice mumbled under her breath, a finger touching her bottom lip.

"Hmm? Did your hometown have cafes like this?" Wyatt enquired, leaning forward a little.

"Oh." Nodding, Alice gestured to the crepe cakes at the counter. "I used to make those a lot at home too. They were my favorites."

"Then let's get a slice. Why don't you take a seat? I'll place the order at the counter." Wyatt gestured to an empty table before turning towards the counter.

He returned shortly after with a tray holding their desserts and drinks. When he set the items down onto the table, Alice couldn't help herself but gasp a little at the sight of a familiar tall glass. Condensation rolled down the sides of the glass like beads of diamonds, trickling towards the base before finally landing on the cup coaster. Inside the glass was a light brown drink topped with whipped cream and a golden sauce, the smell suspiciously similar to Alice's usual order when doing a coffee run.

"I wasn't sure what drink you would like with your cake but this is a popular item on the menu among young ladies currently. It's called a 'caramel frappuccino', an iced coffee drink with caramel syrup," Wyatt explained.

"A caramel frappe?" Alice gasped, her confusion growing.

'Was it really possible that there's someone else like me over here?' She silently pondered.

"What's wrong?" Wyatt's smile faltered for once. He leaned forward, holding out the tea he ordered for himself. "Is coffee not to your liking? Perhaps you would like to have my rose tea instead?"

Shaking her head, Alice raised both hands to stop Wyatt when he tried to swap their drinks.

"No no, it's alright. I was just surprised." Her hands landing on the table, her fingers slowly curled into a fist. The tips of her nails dug into the flesh of her palm but she was unaffected by the pain. In fact, it only seemed to calm her down from her raging thoughts. "This drink… This cake… It's all very… nostalgic."

"You must miss your home and your family dearly."

"Yes, I d—"

Stopping herself short, Alice looked up from the ice-blended drink, her eyes widening just a fraction of an inch. She had almost slipped up again. There was no doubt. Wyatt was testing her.

"Yes." Changing up her sentence, she continued, "I do miss my home. If I had a family, I'm sure I would've missed them too." All the while, she kept her eyes glued on Wyatt. She tried her best to act pitiful, to place a few drops of crocodile tears in her eyes. She clearly wasn't trusted. Not yet.

Silence hung over the two of them. All that could be heard was the clinking of porcelain as Wyatt picked up his teacup. He sipped at the rose tea, inhaling lightly before placing the cup back down onto the saucer. The hum and buzz going on around them in the cafe seemed to be drowned out by the sharp sounds that came from Wyatt's small actions.

While glaring hard at Wyatt, desperate to look through his mind like he had so easily flipped through hers, Alice noticed a strangely familiar figure walking towards the cafe doors behind him. She stood up, the legs of her chair noisily scraping against the tiled floor, hands slammed onto the table as she sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth.

Behind Wyatt, a middle-aged woman dressed in a simple pastel dress walked out of the cafe. She had no wrinkles on her face yet, her features still spared from the deterioration time brought about and her hair was a dark burgundy instead of glistening white. Regardless, she still bore a striking resemblance to the old woman Alice had chanced upon in the forest during her camping trip gone wrong. Unfortunately, she was out of the cafe before Alice could double confirm, the woman gone.

Twisting his body so as to look behind him, Wyatt frowned when he caught sight of the lady leaving the cafe and nothing more. He had assumed that something was going on behind him but he hadn't expected Alice to react so excessively over nothing.

"Is something the matter?" He asked, looking back at Alice who was still on her feet.

Her eyes were still glued on the door where she had last seen the woman, teeth chewing on her bottom lip.

"Wyatt, who was that woman just now? The lady that just left the cafe. Do you know her?"

"Oh!" Surprised that it was indeed the woman that had caught Alice's attention, Wyatt leaned back in his seat before answering. "That's the owner of this cafe. What's wrong? Is she someone you know?"

Slowly, Alice sat back down, her heart thundering madly in her ribcage. There were too many coincidences for it to be a pure chance. That woman and the old lady that had gifted her the scented candle were linked in some way. They had to be.

"Maybe," she vaguely replied. Picking up a fork, she neatly cut the rainbow crepe cake before spearing through it, gingerly placing it in her mouth. The sweet vanilla flavor was just like how she made it back home, sweet with a pinch of citrusy tartness. Then, she admitted, "I don't know."

☆ ☆ ☆

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived back at the estate. The sky was starting to show hints of gold within the bright blue. Even the clouds had streaks of tangerine, signifying that evening was about to start with nighttime arriving soon after. It was still warm since the sun was still high up in the sky, sending down torturous summer waves that made Alice drip with perspiration as she was bundled up beneath all those layers of her dress.

Stepping out from the horse-drawn carriage first, Wyatt offered Alice a hand, helping her out before letting go. Still a little stunned by the events at the cafe, Alice was in a world of her own. Her eyes couldn't really focus on what was happening in front of her, her actions and movements robotic.

As soon as Wyatt had let go, footsteps could be heard. The heels of someone's boots hit against the stone pavement, their speed increasing and growing louder as they neared. Alice's intuition caused her to look up from the pavement and at the person headed towards them. Hair flying with the wind as he ran, Miles rushed towards where they stood, a letter in hand. When he finally arrived in front of them, he held out the letter for Wyatt to take.

"An urgent message from the palace. Prince Hartley has summoned you," he panted.

Without providing a reply, Wyatt took the letter before tearing it open, scanning through the contents at rapid speed. He was done within seconds, quickly spinning around towards the staff that drove the carriage.

"I'm headed to the palace. I'll be right back." Just like that, he sped through the front doors, running through the halls until Alice could no longer see his figure.

"Is he alright?" Alice asked, frowning at how hurried Wyatt seemed. He had always portrayed himself to be an easygoing person, his actions more often than not slow and relaxed. She had never seen him in such a rush before.

"These letters come by every once in a while," Miles supplied. "No one but Wyatt knows what's the contents inside but he's always in a mad hurry whenever he gets them."

Sure enough, Wyatt hastened down the steps of the mansion and out of the front door within moments. His briefcase was barely even locked properly, some of the documents spilling from within as he hopped into the carriage. He didn't seem to notice, however, as he pulled the door shut while checking the pocket watch in his hand.

"Wait! Wyatt!" Alice shouted, running forward to where the papers had fallen. "You dropped something!"

Completely missing Alice's call, the carriage sped off, gaining in speed before disappearing into a black dot down the path. Alice watched as it drove away, cursing softly under her breath as she gathered the scattered papers. With Miles's help, they collected every piece that Wyatt had dropped.

"These must've been important." Alice frowned, looking down at the stack of papers in her hands. "Should we bring them over for him?"

"I'll go get a horse. Wait here for me," Miles instructed before darting off towards the stables.

All alone, Alice looked towards the striking palace in the distance. The building may be far away from the Ragan estate but it was magnificent and large enough of a structure to be seen even from where they were. Against the backdrop of the blue sky and gleaming sun, there was an illusion of a mist cast against around the building, making it seem foggy and more mysterious as a result.

She hadn't thought that she would be back in the royal palace so soon. While she would be headed there for official matters, there was also a chance she might run into the prince in black or the masked man from the gardens, or even both. A strange feeling welled up in her at the thought of encountering those two faces, an emotion which Alice couldn't classify as either bad nor good.

Taking in a deep breath, Alice silently prayed that her visit would be uneventful. However, in truth, her fate was more intricately tied to these two than she had ever thought it would be. There were some things that could never be avoided no matter how much one prayed.