Not So Alone

Healing all alone wasn't for the faint of heart. 

After Leonor's father retrieved her from the stables, he sent her to a healer to save face. Since then, he hadn't visited her a single time. The only person who had visited was Francia. Unfortunately, she couldn't always be there because she had other tasks to complete for the Count.

When Francia would visit, she would also bring new books or entertainment for Leonor, but she was by herself once again when she finished reading or playing a card game. Loneliness ate at her. She always longed for her mother to return, but she felt particularly wishful for her mother while she healed.

Since her foot was in a sling connected to the bed so she wouldn't further injure her knee or shin, she memorized each detail of the ceiling above her. There was a warp in the wood that looked like the face of an owl1. A cobweb in the corner managed to sway despite the window being shut. 

With a groan, she would try to shift because it was uncomfortable on her backside and lower back to be in one position, but she never found relief with such little range of movement. 

Unfortunately, she knew she had to keep still. The pain she felt whenever she moved too aggressively was a harsh reminder not to take the situation too lightly. Something bad happened and it was time to be more cautious. 

When the entertainment brought by Francia was done and there was nothing more to glean from staring at the ceiling, Leonor's thoughts often drifted to the day Valerio rescued her from the rain.

His masculine scent diluted with rainwater as he held her was an easily accessible memory. It caused a lot of daydreams and she was ashamed at the string of thoughts that ensued whenever she allowed herself to think about him. 

As the heiress to Burien County, she knew she couldn't attach herself to anyone. From a young age, she had been reminded that her duty was to take over in her father's stead and value the strength of her house over love. Whoever she would end up with was a tool for her house to absorb. She couldn't get carried away by someone of a lower status than her.

Just as Count Mikael married Leonor's mother, Jara, because of her father's influence as a mage, Leonor would find someone who made her look good.

Yet she never knew someone so genuinely concerned over her and it affected her heart. Valerio's care felt warm and soft.

His name was Valerio, he told her. However, his utterance afterward was fresh in her heart. "I think," he said as if he didn't know his own name.

She had many questions but didn't know if she would ever see him again. Her father was a strict enough man to shatter the lives of anyone involved. She couldn't imagine her own repercussions for making such a mistake that led to her injury. 

Deciding to delve into a fantasy story about fairies that she had already read, Leonor fell asleep with a book on her chest. Her breaths were short and sharp as she dozed without a care in the world. 

Surprisingly, only a mere whisper of "my lady" was enough to bring her back down to Earth. Her attention snapped towards the door and she momentarily forgot the predicament she was in. 

Leonor turned her head and saw the visage of Valerio himself closing the door behind himself. Her only response was to pull the blankets higher over her body, wishing she could hide under them completely. She was mortified having to see someone so beautiful when she likely looked like such a mess. 

 "What are you doing here?" she asked sharply. "Does my father know you're here?" 

"Not exactly," Valerio admitted as he pulled off the hood of his cloak soaked in rain and revealed his blonde hair to her. The bottom of his cloak was still torn apart from the day that Leonor was injured and he needed something to wrap her leg.

In Leonor's mind, nothing was worse than her father finding a reason to get rid of the stablehand even though he had done nothing but show exemplary work since he had been there. Fairness never mattered to the Count anyway. 

"Have you gone mad?" Leonor couldn't help the harsh question that fell from her lips. 

"I wanted to make sure you're alright," Valerio admitted and hesitantly walked forward. However, the closer he came, the more that Leonor seemed to reel and he stopped. "You were in a terrible state before, my lady." 

As he tried to come up with excuses, he realized he didn't have a real answer. To say he wanted to see the Count's daughter was too flimsy of an excuse. There was no reason someone like him should dream outside of their means. 

The truth was that he saw how her father handled her and worry ate at him for a long time afterward. There were hints that Leonor may not trust her father. For what reason, Valerio could only wonder. 

"I'm fine," she tried to convince him. 

Valerio glanced at her leg lying in a sling, telling her he knew she wasn't.

There was an uncomfortable pause and Leonor knew that she was being stiff. She wanted to be impenetrable so no one could catch her off-guard. 

Attempting to sit up straighter, Leonor pushed her hands into the bed. Valerio was at her side in a split second, adjusting the pillows so the position she chose would be comfortable.

With a face burning up with embarrassment, Leonor cast her eyes away. 

"I should be thanking you for saving me," she uttered. "Since the Count likely didn't. I also apologize for the way he accused you that day. I know there wasn't anything behind your actions." 

Valerio was crouched next to her bed and he watched as she did anything to not have to look at him. He wondered if he had done something wrong that day, not realizing it was simply his presence overwhelming her. He wasn't raised around many girls. At least the ones in the orphanage were like his siblings so they wrestled with him and were rough around the edges. 

She seemed so soft and sweet compared to any girl he had ever been around. He didn't know if it was simply her or her status.

"You don't have to worry about that," he responded. "I didn't take offense to it. It's normal treatment from nobles, isn't it?" 

Leonor's eyebrows lowered and she frowned. Being upset overtook her feelings of timidness. 

"That isn't how it should be," she insisted, partially angry because her father had a history of mistreating people. "You saved me." 

He wanted to assure her that if it wasn't him, someone else would have. Her father would have noticed eventually. However, he wasn't entirely sure if that was true. All he could do was stare at her miserably, wishing she would smile instead of frown. 

"It was the least I could do," he assured her.

There was a lull in their words and Leonor gained the courage to look at him again even though his mere presence was causing butterflies in her stomach. She wondered if that's how it always was when you were around the opposite sex. Was it a feeling she would have to get used to if she ever married someone?

"Why aren't you wearing your hat today?" Leonor asked, unable to hold back her curiosity. 

His long blonde hair cascaded down his back and the gentle waves of it framed his face so beautifully. She wished she could feel it to see if it were as soft as it looked. 

However, someone fumbled with the heavy door to her room and Leonor's eyes widened. 

Not knowing what else to do, she whispered, "The wardrobe!" 

Without hesitation, the teenager ran across the room and slipped into the armoire against one of the walls. It was big enough for him to fit inside and he crouched, peeking through the crack to see who was there to check on the lady.