Meetings

Days went by slowly and silently with an extra person added to their house, dining table, and family. Her parent was over the sky about this change. They chose the biggest room beside hers for Aurora to live in, the best teachers to teach her everything a noblewoman needed, expensive clothes, well-trained maids, and everything they could think of.

They were so happy that they forgot to ask about her wellbeing after being ill for three days. She felt the mansion was pressing over her heart, taking her breath away slowly.

Barbara glanced at the new contracts absentmindedly, when the thought suddenly occurred to her: "It's teatime." Her body wanted to stand up and fetch her father's tea from the maid who was heading towards her father's working room, which was directly opposite hers. However, she refused to make a move. A moment later, she heard the door opposite her creak open. She let out a long sigh and slouched in her chair.

She had never felt this weak in the eighteen years she had lived. Her body lost its power. Her heart pained every day from expecting her parent to look for her only for once, but they would not. Her mind kept saying to her that it was a dream, not a dream, a nightmare, and would pass away sooner.

Hearing raised voices coming from the outside, Barbara walked to the window. Seeing her parent with Aurora welcoming an elderly man and woman, she guessed they were Aurora's parent. Her mother, Susie, took the initiative to hug Aurora's mother when she taught her never to chat or interact with poor people and to make boundaries when treating servants. Her mother always looked down at the servants or anything below their statue.

For someone so dedicated to following rules, breaking them for a daughter found days ago was surprising.

Barbara kept looking at her smiling mother with unspoken sadness. She never saw her mother this much happier, even when she tried hard to cheer her up. Barbara exited the room to go to the garden, as it was suffocating. She walked through the hallways.

"Lady Aurora's parent looked gentle just like her."

"Now, we knew where Lady Aurora's kindness came from. She differed totally from Lady Barbara."

"It would have been better if she were raised here."

"hm, I heard the midwife is going to be executed tomorrow morning."

"She deserves it. How can she swap children?"

Barbara shuffled closer to the maids, who stopped when they heard her coming. They paled and bowed their head. When she passed by them, they trembled. "You know what to do," she said, ignoring their pleas.

Standing halfway down the stairs, she watched servants bring different trays of sweets, drinks, and snacks inside the gathering room where her parent and Aurora's parent sat. Their loud voices transmitted through the entire house, full of praises for Aurora. Her kindness, humbleness, and cleverness.

Barbara's mood got worse. She gave up her idea of visiting the garden and she turned back and went to her room. Upon entering, she sat on the sofa. Seeing a strange box on the table, she grabbed it. After she opened it, she saw a white square quilt. Its quality was good and its texture was soft. It seemed they used expensive fabric to make it. The quilt's borders were embellished with golden thread. In a corner, it was embroidered an 'R' letter with a shape of red rose pasted to the letter.

'What does it mean? Is it the first letter from her parent's family name?' she thought, then shook her head to ward off any unnecessary thoughts.

Those days, many times, she imagined her meeting her real parent. Would they welcome her like the Reylsons do to their daughter? Would they be happy to meet her? Would her mother love her as soon as she looked at her?

Many questions would swarm into her head, but she refused to comply. She was only thinking this way because her parents were distancing themselves from her. She didn't want to know anything about her real family. They didn't look for her for years and she would do the same.

Despite trying to cheer herself up, Barbara kept thinking about her identity. Her anxiousness rose with every passing moment. Barbara sipped the tea, brought by her maid, while she thought was on the midwife who would be executed tomorrow. She was the key to knowing more about her. If she didn't go, guilt would eat her all her life.

"Call Conner," she ordered, and her maid went out.

***

"Lady Reylson, we have arrived," the coachman informed when the carriage stopped.

Barbara descended and found herself standing in front of a large, eerie building. The rehabilitation headquarters seemed to stretch into the darkness of the night. It was a place that no criminal dared to enter. The building had been constructed over two decades ago at the start of the rebellion. Rumours circulated that the king had turned the rebel leader's house into a prison for captured revolutionaries, adding to the building's ominous reputation.

"Lady Reylson, are you sure about getting inside?" Conner asked, and she nodded.

It was to ward off any guilt that would appear later on about why she didn't take this opportunity to know the truth. Stepping inside, the building was lightened by only firelights at the border of the hallways. Conner, her most trusted knight, went to talk with the guards and to complete the procedure for her visit.

When she was waiting, she heard voices closing.

 "MOVE," the guard shouted. "Don't let her slip from your hands. Tie her hands very well. This Venom had run away many times from the centre."

Barbara gazed at the guards as they roughly pulled a young girl into the room. The woman wore a tattered and soiled black robe, and her short, dishevelled brown hair covered her face. Despite her slight, feather-like frame, there was an air of defiance about her. As Barbara's eyes met the girl's, she was startled to see a pair of piercing green eyes that seemed to fume with an intense, almost threatening energy. It was a look that sent a shiver down Barbara's spine.

"Lady Reylson," Conner called, getting her attention from the woman. "Follow this guard. He will show you the place. If anything goes wrong, call me," he informed, and she followed the guard.

Barbara's belly churned, smelling a sour scent. She covered her nose with her handkerchief and walked carefully, not to step on any dirt.

"Here," the guard pointed at the cell where the elderly woman was staying.

Barbara walked over. Her heart pounded more furiously as she went closer. When she stood up, she saw a woman sitting on the floor. Her face was full of wrinkles; her hair was whiter than the moon.

"I know nothing else about your family. I told your father all that I know," the woman said, not changing her posture.

"That's all I need to know," Barbara stated, then turned around.

"Didn't you come to know about your family?" she asked, standing up.

"Yes, I thought I needed them beside me, but now I changed my mind. I need nothing or anyone," she said.

The reason for her weakness must be overwhelmed by her parent's changing toward her. She thought about it in the carriage and when she saw the woman; she was convinced that her life was going smoothly and she would return to normal once she got used to the changes.

The old women came closer. "You are such a brave one, young lady." Barbara smiled and bid farewell to the woman. "You weren't alone that night. There was a boy with you."

Barbara turned. "Boy? Who is it?"

"Didn't you say you don't want to know the truth? Why are you so anxious to know the boy's identity?"

"I am not anxious. The matter didn't interest me," she said, flickering her eyelashes.

The woman laughed. "It was years ago and my memory isn't good. What was the boy's name? Cesar? Kasper? … Ah! It's Kai—"

Barbara patiently waited for the woman to remember, but a loud bang made her jump in fear. She turned to the woman. "Did you remember the boy's name?" she asked.

"Boy? Who are you? And why am I here? Get me out of here; I must hurry to Betty's house. Her daughter is giving birth…"

Barbara stood, astonished. She heard that the woman had gone senile and didn't believe it. She shook her head and went out, feeling a mixture of sadness, comfort, and disappointment.

As she turned, she crashed into a man, causing the box containing her quilt to fall and break.

The stranger extended his hand to grab the box, and she screamed, "Take your hands off my things."

The man stood straight. The first thing she noticed in him was his height. As someone tall where most of the men she met were of the same height or slightly taller, the man stood out to be huge. He was over a head taller than her. The man said nothing and walked past her.

Feeling enraged by his actions, she grabbed his arm. "Where are your manners? You didn't apologise for breaking my box. You--"

Barbara paused when she saw his face. His eyes were a very light honey colour, resembling the sun's hue, reflecting the firelight.

"Why should I apologise for something I didn't do? You were the one who bumped into me and then refused my help, so..." he said in an unyielding tone. "Now, can you take your hand off me? I don't like it when strangers touch me," he added, and she stepped backwards. He dusted his arm and walked away.

Barbara fumed with anger at seeing his action. "Mannerless," she murmured, going out.

Upon riding on the carriage, she thought of everything that had happened in the quarter. It was the last time she would come here. She, herself, was enough to live happily and needed no one.

***

"You old hag," a man shouted for the crazy woman to stop her wails.

"Who are you? Are you Betty's husband?..."

"Stop it. You became more trouble-maker when you lost your mind," he said, opening the cell. "Come, let's go before they notice anything."

The man dragged the old woman into a closed-end; he moved a brick into the stony wall and a door opened. "Go inside." 

They strode inside a tunnel-like road to the exit. When they reached the backdoor of the headquarters, he moved faster, hiding from every guard he faced. When he went out, he said, "Stay in the carriage. I will return after a while."

"Kaisar! It is you! What are you doing here?" 

"Your mind has finally returned to you," the man named Kaisar said suspiciously. 

The woman sighed. "Oooh, forgive me for not recognizing you earlier," she said, acting guiltily. 

"Did you finish?" he asked boringly. "I have something else to do. Stay with Laith and don't disappear again. I have something to talk with you," he added, returning to the prison.