Chapter Thirty Two - The celebration ends with a splash

When we got back from the training ground to the pond, everything was ready. The table set up along it was full of sandwiches, fruits and pastries. Pleasant music flowed from the gramophone and Rihian had a big smile that I hadn't seen in a long time. He looked as carefree and unburdened as a child of his age should be. 

Mother sat much closer to father than was proper, but since we were at home, and given the circumstances, it was forgivable. At least I didn't see any problem with it. Their glasses were full of red wine, and the rosy tinge on mother's face told us that it wasn't her first one. She wasn't a lightweight, but she hadn't been drinking these days and I doubt she's been eating properly since father fallen ill so... Yes, I was a little worried. I rushed to the round table and sat down on one of the empty chairs. Eiran followed me and took a seat next to me.

"Would you like some wine, my lord?" The butler immediately asked and then poured it for him. Then he did the same for me. In this world, drinking was allowed at a younger age, so it wasn't unusual for me to have a glass of wine with a meal.

"Mother, have you tried this scone? It's really delicious." I wanted to divert her attention from her wine and get her to eat something. And since she loved sweets, this seemed like the best choice.

"Yes, Anliliana. You shouldn't drink so fast." Father tried to help me out.

"Oh, you're worried about me?" She leaned even closer to him and hooked a finger under his chin. "Darling." Her voice was sweeter than honey.

Since it wasn't a rare occurrence, it didn't faze me at all, but I still felt a little uncomfortable. Just like father who didn't like public displays of affection. Mother had never been the shy kind of person who would care about other people's opinions, so it was hard to tell if it was the alcohol or not. Maybe it was the immense relief that freed her of her inhibitions.

He gently took her hand in his and dropped it next to them, making them invisible to others.

"Of course, I always care about you." He whispered something else too, but I couldn't hear it. It must have been something nice based on mother's lovestruck smile. Then he cleared his throat and turned to Eiran. "You told us earlier that you plan to marry our daughter. If that's what she wants, I won't stop you, but she is still too young for it."

"Yes, Father, I want to marry Eiran one day." I wanted to be clear about my intentions, so there would be no misunderstandings or regrets. Never again.

"Sister, will you go far away after you get married? Eiran said he was born in another country." Rihian looked at me with big, sorrowful eyes. I wanted to say something definite, but since we didn't really had time to discuss it, I wasn't sure what we will do in the future. I didn't want to live away from my family, but I didn't wish to force Eiran to be far from Aprudeé either.

"Uhm..." I had no idea what to say.

"I don't plan to kidnap Liri and never let you see her again." He said with a small smile at the corner of his mouth. "I'm going to buy a mansion nearby and live in it until we can get married. After that, we can build our home there together." Our eyes met and his were filled to the brim with love. I was happy that he would do this for me, but...

"What about your little sister? You can't leave a little girl like her all alone." She is such a sweet child.

"Liri is right. Children need affection, attention and guidance." My father agreed with me.

"And family time." My mother added. 

"And swordsmanship lessons." Rihian didn't want to be left out, so he also said something he thought was important.

"Not all kids need this." Mother shook her head with a loving smile and ruffled my brother's hair.

"I don't want to touch on a sensitive topic, but as far as I understand your parents are not with her." He didn't ask directly, but it was clear he wanted him to elaborate.

"I'm ashamed to say this, but they were never good parents to us. Basically, my brothers and I raised Aprudeé." He admitted with his head down. I squeezed his hand under the table.

"You don't need to be ashamed. This is your parents' shame." Hearing my mother's stern voice, he raised his head.

"Anliliana has a point. You are not responsible for your parents' actions. It is also commendable that you took care of your younger sister in this way when you were almost children."

I always told him that his parents' behavior had nothing to do with him, it didn't change who he was, but it was something he had a hard time dealing with. I hope that hearing it from someone else will make it a little easier for him to believe.

"Thank you for your kind words." He bowed a little. "I'm a little sad to say this, but Aprudeé is a very mature girl. She would never complain, even if we never visit her, but that's not what I plan to do. As I said, I'm going to purchase a home here, but I will make regular visit to her, when my brother busy with other things."

"I will accompany you." I said without thinking, then looked hopefully at my parents. "I can, right?"

"We will talk about this later." My father sighed and raised his glass to his mouth.

After that, much lighter topics came up. Eiran told us about his home country, its customs, famous sights, and his family. Mother enthusiastically recounted the famous love story with Father, and he interrupted here and there when Mother went into huge exaggerations. Rihian told him about our childhood and his future plans. I didn't have much to say, I was just content to watch and listen to them.

As the afternoon turned into night, the food on the table dwindled considerably and the wine also ran out to a great extent.

Father allowed Rihian to drink a little, but the alcohol made him drowsy, so he returned to the castle earlier than us to rest. No matter how much he drank, Father never showed the effects, but Mother's face grew a darker red and she started slurring her words.

"I think we better retire for the night." Father stood up and helped Mother up as well, who leaned against him, rubbing her face against his neck. Definitely drunk.

"We should go too." Eiran offered his arm and I gladly took it.

I didn't feel it while sitting, but as soon as I stood up, the drink immediately hit my head. I got dizzy and even though Eiran tried to support me, I tripped over something and dragged him along with me. It wouldn't have been such a big problem if it wasn't happening along the pond.

I felt the icy water wrap around my body, I heard a scream and a cry, and I could see my beloved's face in front of me, then nothing. Damn it!