Whisper of The Past

Isabella overheard Mabel's comment and rolled her eyes, retorting, "You're the one who followed me around. You should be thanking me; I did share my food with you."

"But it's because of you stopped talking about my mommy," Mabel grumbled, turning her head away in disappointment.

Isabella's frown deepened as she crossed her arms. "First of all, you're foolish if you asked me about your mother. Second of all, I don't have any obligation to tell you about her."

Mabel fell silent, acknowledging the truth in Isabella's words. She had been the one pressuring Isabella for information about her mother, someone Isabella clearly despised. 

"I'm sorry, I just... Wanted to know about her," Mabel admitted, lowering her head. "I don't even know her face or her name. The only thing I know is what you said about her, and it made me feel like she was not a good person."

Duke Caius and Clara had always portrayed her mother as kind and beautiful, yet they never explained why. Isabella was the only one who had shared a different, less flattering perspective. 

But somehow, Mabel felt she could connect with her mother more through that honesty.

Isabella glanced at Mabel, a hint of guilt creeping in. She wanted to apologize but let her pride override that impulse. 

Instead, she said, "She's not that bad. I was just angry at her for something in the past," her voice tinged with nostalgia and pain.

Mabel's eyes sparkled with hope. "Really? But I think I must apologize to you for what my mom did in the past. I'm sorry on behalf of my mom," she said sincerely.

As Isabella got to know Mabel better, she couldn't help but notice the resemblance between the young girl and her mother. It irritated her because she had hurt someone so kind and innocent.

She was angry with herself for not letting go of the past, trapped in a moment of pain and sorrow. Isabella resented how everyone seemed to have forgotten or moved on, especially when she considered herself the victim of it all. 

How could they forget the pain she'd endured?

Selena was gone now, at peace, free from the burden of remorse. Duke Caius still loved Selena and was weighed down by it, but he'd never apologized for his mistakes or shown remorse for how he'd treated Isabella.

Did they all fail to realize that she had become who she was because of them?

"You didn't need to apologize on your mother's behalf. It won't change anything," Isabella said, her gaze distant as she stood up, lost in memories of her past.

"But—"

Cutting Mabel off, Isabella said firmly, "I need to gather some more material. You stay here; don't follow me."

As she turned to leave, Isabella paused for a moment and added, "Her name is Selena, your mother's name." Then she disappeared into the distance, leaving Mabel.

Isabella's claim of needing to gather materials was just an excuse; she yearned for solitude. Her mind was a tangled mess of memories she desperately wished to forget but couldn't shake.

She found herself by a tranquil waterfall, perched on a moss-covered rock. Her feet dangled in the water, absorbing the sensation of its icy flow.

As Isabella gazed into the cascading water, her thoughts wandered back to the past, to a time when she first met Duke Caius, known then as Prince Lirio.

Back then, a young and hopeful Isabella, merely fourteen years old, was brimming with excitement about meeting her fiancé. Innocence and dreams of love filled her heart.

She dedicated herself to becoming the ideal bride and a loving wife. She threw herself into her studies, particularly magic, believing that if she could match Lirio's prowess, they could stand side by side.

"I'm Isabella Crescent, Your Majesty," she introduced herself with a formal curtsy.

"I'm Lirio. You don't need to be so formal," he replied coldly.

Prince Lirio was known for his chilly demeanor, and rumors of his arrogance and mischievousness abounded.

Isabella, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, smiled and asked, "Can I call you Lirio, then?"

"Whatever you want," Lirio responded, nonchalantly.

Their first encounter left little Isabella feeling like her heart might burst from happiness. It was as though her heart had blossomed with flowers.

But when they met again at the debutante ball two years later, Isabella was sixteen, and her world crumbled. Lirio was engaged in merriment with someone else, dancing and laughing without so much as a glance in her direction. The pain was excruciating.

The most agonizing part of it all was that Lirio was with Isabella's closest friend, someone she cherished. Isabella clung to the hope that they were merely dancing, but the gossip at the ball was merciless.

"Aren't Prince Caius's fiancée Isabella from House Crescent?"

"Why is she with someone else?"

"Who is his fiancée again?"

The relentless chatter and prying eyes made Isabella wish she could vanish. That night, she sought solace in the palace garden, tears staining her cheeks, unaware that it marked the beginning of her enduring misery.

A heavy sigh escaped Isabella's lips as the weight of her past pressed down on her. Looking back, she berated herself for ever allowing Lirio's actions to affect her so deeply. 

She felt foolish for the anger and tears she had shed over a man who had never truly cherished her.

During those years, her entire world had revolved around him. She had strived relentlessly, believing that her efforts would win his heart, oblivious to the painful reality that he had never loved her the way she had yearned for.

"I should have given up back then," Isabella mused, her voice tinged with regret. "In the end, I'm still standing alone, and strangely, I'm fine without his love," she sighed, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon.

But even as she spoke those words, the pain in her heart lingered, like an old wound that refused to heal. The image of Selena, cherished and adored by Lirio, remained etched in her memory, a constant source of torment.

"In the end, Selena triumphed," Isabella murmured, her laughter carrying a trace of bitterness, her cheeks wet with unshed tears.

Selena had been showered with love by her husband, and even Isabella's former fiancé had fallen for her. She had a loving family and loyal friends. It was only natural for Isabella to feel a pang of jealousy.

"I hope," Isabella whispered softly to herself, "that someday, someone could love me that deeply too." Her yearning for love as profound as the one Selena had experienced was an unquenchable flame in her heart.

Isabella was silent, not moving in that place for a while. She enjoyed her tears because she rarely even cried anymore. She felt pity for herself still stuck in the past.

As the sun began its descent, painting the sky in shades of orange and gold, Isabella resolved that it was time to move forward. 

She yearned to rediscover happiness, to return to the days of her youth when she was filled with innocence and hope. She held onto the dream of finding love once more, and this time, experiencing the joy of being loved in return.

However, as the sky shifted and the sun's glow grew dimmer, Isabella's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization. 

She had left Mabel alone in the forest, a place teeming with dangerous monsters and wild creatures. Panic surged through her veins, urging her to return to their meeting spot.

Arriving at the location, Isabella discovered that Mabel was nowhere to be found. She tried to calm herself, knowing that Mabel, being a child, might have wandered off a bit, perhaps chasing after small animals.

'Where is she? I shouldn't have left her alone. I need to find that child before something happens to her.' Isabella thought. 

With determination, Isabella chanted a spell, conjuring a fiery eagle that served as her familiar. She urgently instructed it, "Search for a child with silver hair and purple eyes. She's lost in the forest."

The eagle nodded and took flight, scanning the area for any sign of Mabel. Meanwhile, Isabella continued her own frantic search, calling out, "Kid, Mabel, where are you?" Her voice echoed through the forest, filled with worry.

The forest they were in bordered the fae forest, a place known for its treacherous inhabitants who often led humans to their doom. 

Isabella's fear grew, dreading the possibility that Mabel might have fallen into the clutches of these malicious creatures. She hoped against hope that the child had merely become distracted by the allure of a woodland creature.

Isabella blamed herself for leaving Mabel alone, but she had trusted Clara's assurance that Mabel was a well-behaved, obedient child. Little did she know, she had been wrong.

Isabella continued to call out for Mabel, her voice growing more desperate as the sun dipped below the horizon. The night began to shroud the forest, making the search even more challenging.

Then, her heart pounded with both dread and hope as she stumbled upon a circle of mushrooms—a fairy ring. She saw Mrs. Bunnies, Mabel's cherished stuffed doll, lying nearby. Panic gripped her, realizing that Mabel might have ventured into the fae forest through the ring.

Isabella hastily sat down, drawing a piece of paper and a quill from her bag. She wrote a hurried message, her hand trembling with anxiety. Summoning her eagle once more, she instructed it firmly, "Send this to Ashford Manor."

The eagle swiftly took flight, carrying the urgent message on its wings. Isabella knew that help was on its way, but she couldn't delay any longer. 

She stood before the fairy ring, her resolve steeling her against the unknown challenges that awaited her in the perilous fae forest.

'I have to enter the fae forest, no matter the risks. That child safety is my responsibility.' she thought to herself.