Chapter two: Echt

At the dawn of the following day, a sleep-deprived Yuki laid in bed staring at nothingness. There was a lot on her mind and at the same time there was no thought at all. Occasionally, the silhouette she had seen the day before would surface in mind though she actually had no idea what thought she associated with that image.

After a fruitless attempt to sleep, Yuki rose and went about her daily chores. Thus, before sunrise, she had completed all her chores like the dutiful daughter she was.

When she finished setting the table for breakfast, she went on to first wake her mother and then headed for Jacek's room to wake him as well.

Jacek rose sluggishly after feeling gentle taps against his back. "Good morning to you, sister," he drawled while sitting up. He yawned, stretched and got on his feet then abruptly stooped to stare at Yuki's face.

"You didn't sleep," Jacek stated while holding Yuki's gaze.

"Not a wink," Yuki confessed. She did not look away from Jacek. She beheld all his emotions and reactions in her sky-blue eyes. She noticed how his expression swayed from worry, to anger, to frustration and back to worry.

"Yuki…" Jacek hesitated.

"Jacek, I am fine," Yuki whispered.

"I have heard that phrase enough times to recite it, Yuki. Your insomnia is the only discernible effect of the drugs you smoke. What about the effects that we do not notice or those that will emerge as you-"

"Jacek!" Yuki cut in with an evident frown and clenched fists. "Do not forget you promised to not protest against my choices the day I decided to confide in you with them. You of all people should know how I got to this point and the last person I wish to preach to me against them is you. If you think seeing that side of me is too hard for you, I will not hold it against you to be nothing else but my brother. If not, you promised me an accomplice and not a preacher; I hope you stand by your promise, Jacek."

The two stared in silence at each other for a long time before Jacek said remorsefully, "Forgive me, Yuki. I am only worried, but compared to being ignorant of your transgressions, I guess I will always choose to be your confederate."

Clearly relieved that Jacek had chosen again to side with her, Yuki grinned and embraced her brother.

"A confederate I said, not the subject of your forbidden love," Jacek teased.

"Oh, keep quiet!" Yuki snapped.

Following their hearty conversation, the siblings joined their mother to have breakfast. The serene atmosphere that characterized the Adlerian household that morning was a sight to behold.

"Will you two leave for the shop early?" Mrs. Adlerian asked the duo as they cleared the dishes.

"I will leave early. Two customers will be picking their orders early this morning. Jacek, on the other hand, will be joining me later because he has to buy some tulips and hydrangea from our grower. Will you need us for something, mother?"

"No, not at all. I was only curious," Mrs. Adlerian responded.

"I will take your word for it then… I should be getting ready to leave soon, the sun is rising," Yuki hurried off with the used dishes into the kitchen to wash them.

As Yuki hastily scrubbed the plates, her hands moved with a sense of urgency, the warm water and soap suds swirling around her fingers. Her attention was focused on finishing the task at hand while her mind was elsewhere.

In her haste, Yuki's grip on the knife she was washing slipped, and the blade, still slippery with soap, darted across her palm.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she felt the sudden sting of pain, and she pulled her hand back, her eyes narrowed, her expression stern. A thin line of crimson appeared on her skin, like a delicate stroke of a painter's brush, and a small droplet of blood trickled down her wrist, staining the suds in the sink.

Yuki stood there, frozen for a moment, her eyes fixed on the cut with a thoughtful look. Then, with a quiet curse, she swiftly grabbed a nearby towel, pressing it firmly against the cut to stem the bleeding. She glanced at the entrance of the kitchen as if to make sure no one was there. After noticing the empty entrance, she sighed softly.

…

"I am leaving now, mother, brother." Yuki announced after she came out of her room.

Mrs. Adlerian scrutinized her daughter who was dressed as plainly as ever. The extent of her modesty was an atrocity to her beauty. Mrs. Adlerian had tried futilely to convince the girl to dress more fashionably.

Every day, she had to endure the heart-wrecking sight of her beautiful daughter hide under those dull, long and old-fashioned dresses. To add salt to wound, she would even smear substances on her body to tan it, with the reasoning 'People will stare too much mother. My complexion attracts too many eyes' as if that was reason enough to look ten years older than her age. No wonder she has no suitors at that age. Mrs. Adlerian thought and sighed.

"Mother, I know that look and I advise you to not waste your pity on her. I can assure you that suitors should be the least of your worries when you look at that girl," Jacek passed on when he noticed his mother's worried expression. He looked everywhere but his sister's face after saying that.

"I am leaving mother" Yuki announced again, kissed her mother and threw a deadly glare at Jacek before proceeding to leave.

⸎⸎⸎

Yuki sat in the carriage with a stoic expression. Her fingers playing with the smoking pipe in her purse. With every second that passed her thoughts swayed towards a direction that would be all but pleasant. It had always been like that when she was idle or did not have Jacek close by to keep her company.

Yuki's eyed shifted onto her palm, where she has received the cut earlier. She gazed intently at her smooth and unblemished skin. The wound had disappeared. She let her eyes linger momentarily at woundless palms before tearing her eyes away again with a dark countenance.

Yuki sighed, threw her head backwards and shut her eyes.

Just as quickly as her eyes closed, they flared open again when vivid memories of a sour past resurfaced in her mind's eye. Her blank face morphed to one of frustration before she turned her head to stare outside the carriage's window; her hand supporting her chin with a pensive expression as she gazed at the familiar streets while the carriage sped on.

The carriage wheels clattered over cobblestones, rattling her gaze as she watched the duchy awaken. Merchants in aprons and caps scurried about, arranging colorful wares in their stalls. Pedestrians of all ages rushed to and fro, some clutching steaming pastries or cups of coffee.

The air was alive with clattering wheels of carriages, the chatter of pedestrians and the occasional neigh of horses.

As the carriage took a turn, the sun burst through the window, casting a warm glow onto Yuki's eased face. Her eyes narrowed, squinting against the brightness, but her gaze never wavered from the vibrant scene unfolding outside.

The carriage sped on, carrying Yuki through the heart of the duchy, leaving a trail of bustling streets and spirited markets as it passed. Yuki remained transfixed, her eyes drinking in the beauty and vitality of the world outside the window.

To an innocent traveler the scene Yuki beheld could be the entirety of their perception of the duchy; to Yuki, this lovely sight was the veil that masked the scarred and hideous face of Echt.

Echt was a secluded duchy in a prosperous country; one of the very few duchies of the era with absolute sovereignty. It bore little connections to neighboring lands and allowed only a few into its partition.

For lack of reciprocity, it was a little outmoded for a duchy of the late nineteenth century.

 Nevertheless, it was an interesting place. Despite being stiffened with all of its outrageous rules. And despite its abhorrent classism, it was much more peaceful than most of its neighboring towns.

 The duchy of Echt had three main divisions: the section where nobles resided, Beicheden; the lower-class part of the duchy, where all commoners resided, Stolz, and then, there was the public square that sat between the two divisions.

There existed no middle class. Thus, there was only those of noble birth, the Beichans and those who were born outside of Beicheden, the commoners.

The public square of Echt was a neutral place. Freed of most of the classism that generalized the duchy. Anyone who had enough capital could set up a business there, regardless of their social rank. Notwithstanding, most of the nobles simply invested in the businesses there without going down to the place themselves.

The majority of the Beichans wished for no interaction with proletariats at all, except if it had to do with important businesses. It was for such a reason that Beicheden was off-limits to all residents of Stolz, and any foreigner without a pass. Trespassing the beautiful borders of Beicheden was punishable by banishment and worse, death.

The destination of the carriage that Yuki sat in was the center of the public square, where her flower shop, the most popular in the entire square, was located.