A Secret

She curled up and hugged her knees, buried her face in, heaving a sigh of exhaustion from crying. She finally decided to calm her emotions after her head suddenly felt dizzy from crying for too long.

"However, no matter how hard I try to find out what I did wrong, I always fail to find it," she whispered to herself, fiddling with the skirt of her dress. "Just now Duke Kleo was talking about Baron Jason. Why is he suddenly talking about him? We can't even meet because he locked me here." Her breath hit her dress, which absorbed the stifling warmth.

Looking out the window she saw a very clear sky, a perfect day for horseback riding, and saw an opportunity to escape. However, all of those plans were ruined. She was even locked in a room like a prisoner, not knowing her guilt.

Her body rose to approach the open window, looking out with a sad face. How she missed her friends, how she missed the noise of the market, and even, how much she missed the countess' cursing at her. Whatever it was, good or bad, she just yearned for freedom.

Her body turned when she saw Ella and Gena come into the room, bringing the lunch menu for her. Yeah, time seemed to pass quickly for other people, but not for her.

"My Lady, it's time for lunch," Gena said, placing some fruits on the table. Ella brought a tray of the main dishes.

"Should I eat those dishes?" Lyra asked weakly, still standing by the open window, leaning her back. "I'm afraid those are poisoned." Her head hung low, her feet kicking the floor aimlessly.

"My Lady!" Ella pleaded, then walked over to Lyra. Her brows slanted sadly when she saw Lyra's condition. "You must be very depressed," she said encouragingly.

"You're right," Lyra nodded unenthusiastically. "I don't even have an appetite."

"But you must." Gena insisted, bringing the food in front of her while Ella led her to a graceful seat on a chair. "We already know why His Grace is furious today."

"Is that true?" Received a bowl of the main course from Gena, while Lyra's mind wandered in various places. "So what's the point of him being angry with me?"

"We only have a few minutes until you finish your meal, My Lady. So you better eat first," Ella coaxed, tilting her head and looking at her sadly.

Suspicious, of course, Lyra didn't instantly believe it. She still thought that her two maids tricked her into getting her to eat lunch.

"Well, we should give you a bit of a grid." Gena glanced at Ella while nodding as if they were talking to each other.

"Baron Jason visited Wereal this morning." Ella snorted, pausing to provide the next information, then asked Lyra to eat her food first.

Having no choice, Lyra nodded and began to devour all the food provided to her without any leftovers. Her stomach was too small to fit all that food, but there were more important things than thinking about her stomach being distended from being full.

Hand wiped her mouth after she managed to burp so loudly, Ella and Gena giggled at her barbaric behavior. "So what's next? Did Baron Jason say anything to Duke Kleo?" she asked impatiently, growing even more furious after seeing Ella and Gena nod at the same time.

Gena lowered her voice as she spoke. "I heard that Baron Jason begged His Grace to have you forgiven."

"That's not a good reason to be mad at me right?" Lyra protested, then fell silent after Gena asked her in the form of an eye.

"The problem is that Baron Jason is showing the closeness of both of you, My Lady. I'm not too sure about this, but I think he said he proposed and slept with you." Gena grimaced as if spitting out a sin.

Ella tilted her head sympathetically as she watched Lyra close her eyes and take a deep breath.

"So Baron Jason said we had slept together and proposed to me?"

"And you refused him," Ella added. "From the information I've heard, Baron Jason makes it seem as if you two are very close."

Once again Lyra closed her eyes tightly, cursing herself as well as cursing Baron Jason. "I know he loves me very much that's why he doesn't want me to be punished," she whispered subconsciously, surprising Ella and Gena, who thought Baron Jason's words were bullshit.

"My Lady does that mean…."

"Yes, we did have a relationship. But it's over," Lyra replied lightly, frowning after seeing Gena and Ella drooping after that. "What? What is wrong?" Glaring at Ella and Gena who were on the floor.

"No wonder His Grace is angry with you, My Lady."

"Huh? What did I do wrong?"

"You don't understand either?" Ella gaped in disbelief, after getting up and sitting up straight. "Even the stupid Gena can catch on to His Grace's reason right away."

"Hey!" protested Gena snorting.

"His Grace is jealous, My Lady. That's what happened."

Gena nodded in support of Ella's argument. "Right. I'm sure so. After everyone in the palace learned of this information, they thought the same. His Grace is jealous, that's why he's mad at you."

This news was too hard for Lyra to believe, like the news that her lover suddenly got engaged to another girl. The sensation was still the same when she found her brain foggy and her lips unable to speak. "B-but that's impossible." Finally, she managed to speak. "Why is he jealous of me? It doesn't make sense."

"After you two kissed last night?" Ella raised her hands in the air, turned to Gena who was already preparing the other evidence.

"And after you two slept together last night?"

"I was only looking after him because he was sick," Lyra argued, between wanting to believe and not wanting to believe all this.

"And after you were brought to Wereal?"

"And after you grabbed His Grace's hand without getting punished?"

Ella snorted at Gena, then glared at her for no reason. "Last night His Grace was the one who kissed you first. That's obvious, My Lady. His Grace has feelings for you."

"N-no way!" Lyra's denial was too much. "Duke Kleo can't possibly have feelings for me."

"Now I want to ask." Ella folded her arms across her chest. "Why were you brought to Wereal? Countless rumors are floating around, and the answer lies solely in your hands. If you will tell us that, then maybe we can find a more reasonable reason why His Grace is so mad at you."

"And we're the kind of people who can keep secrets even though we like to gossip." Gena's statement was too contradictory.

They waited while inclining expectant faces. Seeing the worry on Lyra's face ignited their curiosity even more. Maybe they just wanted to know, or maybe they just wanted to see Lyra happy, or more likely that they wanted to see Duke Kleo have a wife soon so that his vicious behavior could be controlled.

Those hopes were too pure to be grasped alone.

"What rumors did you guys hear about me?" Lyra asked back, apparently not ready to admit that Duke Kleo wanted to marry her.

Gena sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, like you are His Grace's lover. That kind of stuff. But we noticed something strange here."

"That you're not so aggressive," Ella continued excitedly. "As if only His Grace approached you."

"That's why we're all confused about your relationship." Gena tilted her head in thought. "Did His Grace threaten you to come here?"

"Do you have a mistake on His Grace?" Ella added.

"Are you guys getting married soon?"

"OUGH!" Lyra choked on her saliva. Gena's question hit her stomach and solar plexus so dramatically, it made it hard for her to breathe. Her hand reached for the air and reached for the glass that was handed to her, then gulped it down. Wiping her mouth, her eyes glanced at the two maids. "Where did you hear the latest news?"

Gena and Ella gasped instantly. Their bodies jerked backward while their hands covered each other's mouths. "So… so…."

"You have to keep this a secret," Lyra muttered without looking at them. "That's what happened. He did ask me to marry him."

Oh, Wereal must be in an uproar when everybody there hears this news.

***