Counting stars

It didn't kill me,

But something inside me died that day.

—Unknown

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Six Years Later,

"Eva!"

A young girl barged inside the small cottage and looked around frantically for someone. When she saw no sign of her, Vanessa smelled the delicious aroma of food coming from the kitchen.

Only her sister could cook this delicious food, she thought and hurriedly ran towards the kitchen. As soon as she spotted her little sister, she grasped her arm and tugged at it to grab her attention.

"What's wrong Ven?" her sister asked worriedly, turning around to face her. "Is mother okay? Did you get hurt somewhere?"

"No, silly!" she scolded her little sibling. "Lord Ken is waiting for you outside the house and I believe that he has come intending to propose!"

Eva's eyes almost popped out of her sockets. Lord Ken? Propose!? Had monkeys started jumping out from the sky or had her ears betrayed her?

"Are you certain?" she asked her elder sister and in return, Vanessa misunderstood her tone to be nervous, so she nodded enthusiastically.

Taking her sister's hands in hers, Vanessa squeezed them softly. "I assure you that I wish you the utmost happiness and hope you and Lord Ken have a most successful marriage, Eva," she spoke with a wide smile.

Her elder sister Vanessa was only a year older than her and superior in both looks and manners. So, what was Lord Ken thinking when he arrived here to propose to her? What if he suddenly mistook her for her elder sister?

"Perhaps you are mistaken Ven. He might be here to propose to you instead of me." suggested the girl.

Vanessa scoffed at this notion. "He had made his choice clear to me long ago. True, he had asked me to marry him but I refused immediately. He is a nobleman but not my type, you see. With your good-natured countenance, you might be able to change him into a better man Eva. He is quite foolish, I must say."

Then why am I being given the responsibility of changing him?

"But I have never given much thought to matrimony..." her voice trailed off as she saw Vanessa open her mouth.

"Think of how happy Mama would be!" she exclaimed joyfully. "A daughter married at the ripe age of nineteen. Lord Ken might be a little, uh, non-sensical but he is an acknowledged knight. Not too bad in looks I can say." her voice was hesitant on the last line but was soon replaced with a bright smile.

"He is rich and you will be safely secure with him as your husband." she caressed Eva's silver pearly-grey hair that fell in light waves to her shoulders. "You'll look quite pretty if you only remove that apron and wash your face. Don't forget to cover your head! I'll go and inform the Lord to wait patiently while you get ready." with that Vanessa ran off once again, out of the house.

Eva hesitantly departed off to her shared room where she and her mother slept together. She had vowed to herself that she would never marry a man for money but only for love would she stand on an altar and give her marriage vows to a man she loved deep heartedly.

Lord Ken was a known gentleman yet whenever he was around, she did not feel that sense of safety that she wanted. She had talked about it to her mother who had replied, "I would never force you to do anything that you don't want. Follow your heart's instinct. Even if you make a wrong decision, at least you won't regret it."

As she remembered her mother, she felt the sudden urge to hide her face in her bosom so that her mother could comfort her like she always did.

No, she had to be brave and face this with her head held high. She would make her mother and sister proud of her. With this resolution in her mind, Eva steeled herself and splashed some water on her face from the basin.

Patting her face dry, she put on her bonnet and tucked every strand of hair inside. Having silver hair was extremely rare and so when her mother saw the danger it posed to Eva, she made her wear a bonnet every time she left the house. Only inside the house, did she let her hair flow freely.

As Eva walked outside the house, she saw the Lord pacing outside in deep thoughts. As he noticed her, Lord Ken stopped walking and slowly approached. When he was only three steps away, he stopped with a gentle expression on his face. Not knowing why Eva felt her heart beat uneasily, she continued to remain wary and bowed timidly.

"I believe your sister has already told you why I came here." were the first words he spoke.

Eva tried her best to not let the shock show on her face. "How did you know?" she asked, looking up at his face. The ends of his stash were curled as he softly stroked them with his thumb and forefinger.

He gave an amused smile. "It was only you who did not know that I was hoping to propose. My intentions were no secret to the whole of Gleana."

"If so, then I'm deeply sorry but I have no hope of ever being your wife. I cannot marry you." she disclosed, letting the cat out of the bag in the most modest way.

He did not even blink as if he was expecting this all along. Confusion fogged up her brain as she tried to decipher his actions and words carefully to not take a wrong step.