Sleepover

The Duke covered Elaine's eyes as he led her somewhere. He had told her it was a gift and he wanted to surprise her. She could tell they were outside somewhere within the manor's walls. Her heart was pounding with excitement.

"Okay," the Duke said as he removed his hands from her eyes. "You may look now."

Elaine slowly opened her eyes. Before her was the family graveyard so she looked at the Duke confused. They all visited the grave every year on the death anniversary of family members. She wondered if her gift was the graveyard, but that couldn't be it. She tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to understand the Duke's intentions.

"Thank you, grandpa!"

She smiled at him, thankful for whatever he had given her. The gift didn't really matter to her, as long as her grandpa was there. The Duke chuckled, knowing fully well that Elaine had no idea what was going on.

"Look over there," He said as he pointed at something.

Elaine realized there were two new graves. The Duke urged her to get closer so she walked towards the graves. As she got closer, she read the names that was written on the gravestones and began to tear up. Both her parent's names were written there. She thought she would never be able to be this close to them again and was afraid she would forget them as time passed. She touched the engraved name on the stones. Back then, she only ever heard their names but she could read them now. She ran back to the Duke and hugged him, burying her face into his clothes.

"Thank you," she quietly said.

The Duke kneeled down to hug her and patted her back. It wasn't easy to find out where her parent's bodies were buried, but it was more than worth it to go through all that trouble.

"Your welcome, my child."

Almost five years pass with nothing special happening. She had perfected her etiquette lessons which was actually quite an achievement at her age. Moreover, she had reached Jared's level in education. He was getting anxious she would surpass him soon so he struggled to keep the pace. But of course he never missed a day of training. It was his favourite part of the day. Something that made him feel refreshed.

Dezmond was already far beyond their academic level. He was a genius who taught himself everything he needed and wanted. Even the tutors were having trouble with him for he corrected their every mistake. Since he was mostly in the library like Elaine, they had become quite close. Most times, he was quiet. But whenever they had a topic to discuss or when he talked about things that interested him, no one could interrupt him from talking.

Elaine's relationship with Amelie was quite the opposite. Although she seemed to be an angel in front of everyone else, she was the one that bullied Elaine the most. She wasn't very extreme at first. Only bossing Elaine around like demanding sweets with the promise that she would like Elaine in return. As oblivious as Elaine was, she did everything Amelie asked of her, thinking she was bonding with her. However, as she got older, her teasing turned into hatred. Elaine found out soon enough why.

Amelie would always vent her anger out on Elaine. Pushing, hitting, and destroying her belongings.

"Argh!!" she would shout. "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!"

It seemed their aunt Syvne was obsessed with controlling everything she did and every movement she made. Everything had to be exactly like her diseased mother. How she smiled, how she talked and what she liked and didn't like. If she ever acted differently in front of her Aunt, she would be punished. She learned quickly how she must act in front of everyone out of fear for more punishments.

"Why don't you just tell grandpa about it?" Elaine suggested as she fed Amelie, who laid on her bed, a cookie. "I'm sure he would put a stop to it."

Amelie turned pale with fear. She sat up and pushed Elaine. Not expecting to be pushed so suddenly, she lost her balance and fell on the floor. She looked up to see Amelie looking down at her.

"Don't you even think about it," she said as her voice trembled. "Not a word to grandfather."

Elaine could only apologise and promised not to mention it to anyone at all. Elaine couldn't imagine what she was going through. But she was just glad that Amelie was confiding in her about these things. She believed it meant that Amelie was comfortable around her and that they were closer than it seemed.

While Elaine read a book in the garden, Sophie handed her a letter from Feanix. It wasn't a rare occurrence, since they regularly wrote to each other. This time however, Feanix had asked if Elaine would like to come visit them and maybe stay over for a few days.

Elaine was delighted with the idea and immediately visited the Duke at his office to ask for permission. She knocked at the door and immediately entered after the Duke said, "Come in."

"Good afternoon, grandpa," she said as she walked towards his table with the letter in her hands. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Of course not, my dear," He smiled as he put down his pen. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"...Feanix sent me this letter," she handed it over. She clasped her hands together. "She's asking if I could visit her and possibly stay for a few days."

The Duke looked at the letter briefly and asked, "Do you wish to visit her?"

"May I?" she replied while she fiddled with her fingers. "But I'm not so sure, since I haven't been away for so long. The time it takes to get there and back already takes at least four days, so if I stay there for three days, I'll be away for a week. And-"

"Elaine," the Duke cut her off as he chuckled. She clearly wanted to visit her friend, but she was nervous to be away from him for the first time after she had been adopted. "You have no need to worry about such things. No one will stop you from doing whatever you wish to do. All I need to know is whether you would like to visit your friend."

"I-I would like to," she shyly replied as she nodded her head. She went over to the Duke and gave him a hug. "Thank you, grandpa."

"No need to thank me, child." He said as he hugged her back. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back gently. "But of course you won't be going alone. Miles will accompany you to keep you safe."

"Of course," Elaine nodded vigorously, agreeing to his conditions.

She wrote back a letter to happily inform her friend of her visit. The letter arrived at the Whitlock Household just a few days before she arrived. Just enough time to prepare for her arrival.

When Feanix was told that Elaine's carriage was sighted, she immediately made her way to the door. She eagerly waited for Elaine although it may not show on her face.

Elaine was excited herself and couldn't wait to have a memorable time with her friend. She wanted to make a good impression for it was also her first time visiting them at their home. They had mostly met up at the capital whenever the Duke and the Marquess had a business to attend to at the same time.

Her carriage finally stopped in front of their house. Elaine took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"G-Good afternoon," Elaine said. "Thank you for having me, Lady Whitlock."

"It's a pleasure to have you here with us, dear," Beatrice said. She guided her into the manor. "There is no need to be too courteous. Just feel at home."

Elaine nodded. Beatrice smiled and wished for Elaine to have a pleasant time. Feanix guided her towards their garden pavilion. Miles followed behind them. By the time they arrived, the maids had already brought out the snacks and drinks. Elaine, exhausted from the journey, was glad to have some refreshments.

"Where are Maeve and Kayden?" Elaine asked, curious why they haven't showed up yet. Maeve would usually greet her by jumping at her and giving her a big hug and Kayden was rarely late to greet guests.

"Oh," Feanix said as she placed her glass with juice on the table. "Maeve has made it her goal to prove to everyone that she is capable of becoming a knight. She's always bothering Kayden to train with her so he's quite occupied with training her as well as training for himself."

"I see," Elaine said as she nodded her head. She stared at the glass filled with apple juice. She found it amazing how both of them were working so hard towards their goals. Maeve never hesitates and Kayden was always so confident and responsible. Elaine became more motivated to work harder after she got back to the duchy.

"Don't misunderstand though," Feanix held up her glass close to her mouth and took a sip. She then continued to say, "they are excited to have you here."

After they were done having refreshments, they stayed in the library, discussing the novels they had both read. What they liked about it and which characters they liked or hated. Elaine couldn't feel more grateful for the time she spent with her friend.

When it was late in the afternoon, both Feanix and Elaine heard someone running in the hallway. They could immediately tell it was Maeve. They were proven right when the door slammed open and she came running towards Elaine.

"Elaine!!" she shouted as she jumped to give Elaine a big hug. "I missed youuu."

Elaine caught her and spun her around to avoid loosing her balance. She hugged her back and caught a whiff of her freshly washed hair. She giggled as she said, "I missed you too, Maeve."

"You look so cool in pants," Elaine added.

"I know right?" Maeve said with a big grin with her hands on her waist. "It's way more comfortable than dresses too."

Kayden arrived not long after and shook his head as he walked towards them. "You should be more careful around Elaine, Maeve. She could have gotten hurt had she lost her balance."

"Hmpf!" Maeve crossed her arms. "You're just jealous you don't get to hug her like I do."

His face slightly turned red and wanted to deny what she said but just sighed instead. He faced Elaine and smiled at her. "It's nice seeing you again, Elaine. I hope you've been well."

"Yes, thank you." Elaine smiled back at him. "I'm glad to see you too, Kayden."

He stared at her in awe, mesmerised by her eyes. When he realised he was staring for a long time, he started to blush so he turned away. Elaine tilted her head confused and Feanix rolled her eyes.

"Come let's go play in the garden!" Maeve started to pull Elaine towards the door. "it's way too boring to stay in the library on such a nice day."

They all played hide and seek in the garden. Kayden was chosen as the seeker since he was the only boy. It wasn't that hard for him to find the girls. The easiest one to find was Elaine for either her head or foot were always sticking out. However, she was always the last one he looked for. Maeve complained, but he just patted her head.

When it was time for bed, Elaine asked if she could sleep with Feanix. She was given a separate room, but she felt a bit anxious to be alone in a new place. Feanix gladly let Elaine sleep in her room. They talked late into the night until they both fell asleep.