13 Chapter 13 - The Young lord is sick

Ophelia unknowingly fell back to sleep, her body felt heavy and tired. The experience was too much for her 12 year old figure. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to unconsciousness and everything turned hollow dark.

-

The sun slowly met with the dark again, twilight had come sooner than expected and a new day had begun. And the most unlikely character to grace her entrance outside the mansion this early is none other than the Duchess. Dressed in her luxurious purple silks that cradled her busty figure, a black fur coat of the latest fashion embraced her bare shoulders –keeping her voluptuous flesh and figure hidden. Her raven hair was set loosely like black thread-silks of waterfalls rested on her back and down to her waist. Staring blankly at the twilight sky, her ruby eyes had bewitched the scenery before her. She had planned to leave the mansion for the Cathedral today without any advance notice, only the coachman and with the farewells of Zachy.

Today was the first time she would step out of the estate for years and decades. She might be the mistress of the house, but she wasn't free enough to roam outside. Something had been keeping her from stepping out the mansion all these years, but she had forgotten what it was and had blatantly accepted her state as a caged bird in the estate. But today is different, the Duchess with her crooked mindset and yet ironically kin senses were activated.

"Did they think they can keep me in there forever (~phhahaha)"

'Finally, I can pay the darn Cathedral a visit and pray...'

In her mind, there was no other day more perfect than this –to pray in the cathedral for her first day out.

-

As the time came for Ophelia to wake up, there was no sun that greeted her window, in fact it had been thunderous outside. She had woken up at 12pm and some servant had left a meal in her room. Still wrapped in her white sheets, she noticed that she wasn't wearing the same wet clothes anymore, perhaps the servants changed her when she had been asleep.

Back in her spirits, Ophelia went for the door and walked down the empty halls that led her to the empty dining hall. Where was everybody? The mansion had been pretty silent.

'Icarus, did he left for his studies again?'

Reminiscing the events of yesterday, she remembered that Icarus still haven't discuss the main matter of calling her out. She continued to wander inside the mansion again, the looming darkness seemed to be gloomier than before and made her heart feel heavy even though it was too plain quiet inside. She mindlessly decided to pay each room a visit, and didn't bother with the dark aura. It didn't matter if she got caught since she would only look like she had lost her way again in the mansion and servants wouldn't dare question her too much since her ties with the Duchess.

Making her way again, she went first to the young lord's room. She had never entered his room again after two years. She wondered she could find something in Icarus' room, then maybe it would trigger something in her, may it be a memory or some clues that might help.

She easily crept inside like a mouse. Her eyes laid on the neat room before her, the curtains were dark which made it feel like it was already night in his room. There wasn't really much displayed in the young lord's room for he didn't keep too many things aside from his clothes. His closet and mirror were directly placed facing his bedroom. Looking around, Ophelia had noticed that the bed wasn't empty at all. Slowly, she walked closer to the sleeping figure.

'Why is he still here?'

She wondered and peered at Icarus, he was comfortably tucked in his dark sheets. He was breathing feverishly and his face was rather pale and sweat trickled down his smooth forehead.

"My lord, are you sick?"

Ophelia asks gently as she caresses his forehead. And she was right, Icarus had been burning up for a while now. She took the initiative and went unto his closet, fumbling from drawer to drawer until she found an unused towel. She directly went towards his bathroom with the towel on her hand. Washing it with the cold water, she squeezes it firmly with her hands to dry and hurries back to the young lord. There she plopped down beside him and folds the towel into the size of his forehead and presses it down to give him a cool pressure.

There was only silence in that room. Icarus was too tired to open his eyes despite noticing the unwanted presence that graced unto his room and is now suddenly taking care of him. A few minutes have passed now and the young lord finally caught up with his temperature.

"w-water..." he meekly asked in his feverish state. He looked helpless and nothing like the person who had pushed Ophelia down on the water yesterday. Ophelia immediately went outside and asked a servant for water to be brought on later.

Until he had finally drunk a glass, they were back into silence again. Ophelia didn't mind the silence between them, and rather she stayed guarded beside Icarus' side. Her mind wondered in the thoughts of him, how she could save him, what if he suddenly goes berserk again. But this time, the aura surrounding them was different. Icarus' room felt warm and light, it had seemed to ease Ophelia down and helped the dark sensation around her to disperse. And again, she could only feel this peaceful moment with the young lord.

'Just like back then...in that garden'

-

Blinking his eyes, his neck felt sore for staying in the same position. There wasn't really much happening in the mansion since the Duchess was away, but the two didn't know about this. As Icarus had woken up, his eyes laid upon Ophelia who laid on his bed, her eyes were closed and she looked like she had fallen asleep for a while.

"Ophelia, wake up"

He sloppily states at her sleeping figure, and Ophelia woke up at the sound of his voice and the sensation of his bed that he had moved from his position.

"Icarus...are you okay now?"

She immediately asks for his well-being and places her hand on his forehead in reflex, the fever was gone.

"What are you doing here!?" The young lord hissed at her, he was surprise with Ophelia's hand. And he didn't want to be near her again, yet she was the first person to greet him today.

"I... was wondering inside and found that you were sick"

Ophelia stated, though she was not sure of her words, she didn't know how to explain or to tell the young lord how she had ended up in his room.

"You! (sigh)...can't you feel any danger at all?" Icarus let's put a frustrated sigh, but he kept on lecturing Ophelia changing his tone gently and low.

'Is he worried about me?' Ophelia thought as she listened to him bicker.

-"what if something were to happen to you again? Can't you sense the aura around you had grown so"-

"You sense it too?"

'Wait, is he saying he knows what he has been doing? Is he perhaps aware of his curse and the growing darkness in the mansion?'

At this question, Icarus stops talking and fixes his eyes on her. It felt like a revelation for Ophelia and somehow hopeful about this. Just maybe, they can finally be on the same page and talk about it.

"I don't know what your deal is...but you really keep causing me trouble." Icarus speaks coldly with force, as if he really didn't mean to say it. He felt the means to protect her again, though he really couldn't grasp why, but it felt like he had to. And that involving Ophelia would make things terrible.

"I"- Ophelia started but she was immediately cut off.

"If you're up, then get out."