Chapter 82 - Alone This Year
The entire evening, Yvonne spent reading the scores of 'Tear of our Love' in hopes of getting another vision which could uncover some of the mystery behind the musical piece.
Sadly, nothing of that sort happened to her again and she had to give up on her absurd attempts.
'Ever since I moved to this world, I have encountered such ridiculous things that I have stopped doubting the authenticity of anything.' She sighed at her sorry state and kept the folder away from her sights.
'I just believe the existence of everything I face and never question them.' She shook her head and rose from her seat which was by the window.
'I mean if the god of thunder and flight exists and he has thrown me into this story world that he created… Why would I still doubt the existence of evil entities and prophetic visions?' She scowled at herself as she left the room.
Tonight, the St. Claire's family had decided to have an early dinner as early tomorrow morning, Howard would be leaving for his new academic year at the Royal Academy.
Yvonne on the other hand was least bothered about her older brother being away for the next whole month.
What she was most excited about and anxious about were her new classes which would begin tomorrow.
'That weirdo will be long gone by the time my trainer arrives so he won't be there to badmouth me in the trainer's presence.' She rejoiced that her brother and trainer wouldn't meet each other.
This was because Yvonne was still unaware of the agreement between the father and son in her household regarding Howard meeting and greeting the person who would train her before he left.
When Yvonne reached the dinner table, all talks were about Howard's stay at the Academy.
Raylene repeatedly reminded him to take good care of himself while he was there and to come back if he felt lonely or sad without them.
"Vonny, do you have anything to say to your brother?" She signaled her daughter to say a few words to her big brother.
Yvonne was not flustered that she was put on the spot, she was used to being called on for advice in her grandpa's company and hence she wasn't too worried.
She gave it a moment's thought and then glanced at the boy with dark blue hair sitting on the other side of the table.
Howard gazed at him suspiciously, wondering what she had to say.
"Make sure to drink water. It helps in calming muscle soreness and also to not faint during training." She uttered her wise words of advice.
'I can't say 'stay hydrated' here but that should be alright.' She supposed and then went back to eating her food.
Howard's eyes softened when he heard the concern laced in her advice but it soon vanished when he heard the second half of her sentence.
'She thinks that I am so weak that I will faint!?' As usual, he had misinterpreted her words.
Yvonne was immersed in planning on how to find an aide for herself that she did not notice the glare that she was being subjected to.
Raylene sighed as she looked at her two children who were always at odds with each other.
Rutherford was cognizant of his wife's worries and he gave her a reassuring smile before engaging in another conversation with Howard to divert his mind.
Raylene glanced at her husband who was talking to their son about matters that interested them both and she felt a strange sense of jealousy.
'Earlier, Vonny would always come to my room to learn and talk about the new fashion in the capital.' She reminisced about the good days before Yvonne's amnesiac episode in their fief.
'Now, all she does is spend her days with her books!' The sad mother sulked while playing with the boiled peas that were on her plate.
The small clanging noises that she was making when her fork hit the plate made Yvonne's little face muster a frown.
Looking at her mother who was behaving like a child who did not like their food, Yvonne shook her head.
"Peas are good for your health, Mama. Please finish them." She chided her mother while using her soft childish voice.
Raylene's grievances for not having the daughter who shared her interests faded away and she nodded excitedly, then began shoveling the peas into her mouth.
Yvonne wanted to ask her to stop eating in such a hurry but decided against it.
'Maybe she is hungry.' She assumed and then went back to eating her portion of the food.
Soon dinner ended and the members of the family retreated to their rooms.
Mrs. Jacinth promised to wake Yvonne on time after the hundredth time that she had been reminded regarding this by the little girl.
"I will be here to dress you up before the meeting time." She reassured before making her timely exit from the room.
Yvonne pouted when she saw her maid's hasty withdrawal but did not think too much about it.
"I better sleep early so that I can wake up early and be fresh and enthusiastic for my first day!" She encouraged herself and then jumped into bed.
Getting herself comfortable under the sheets, she hugged a pillow and dimmed the lights in the room.
'I wonder who the new trainer is?' She wondered and then shut her eyes to get some rest.
_____
Here, Yvonne had reached her marvelous land of dreams and in another place, someone had reached a secret rendezvous point.
"Did we have to meet here?" A silent scoff was heard through the dense trees.
"Think of this as…" A second voice was heard but the sentence couldn't be completed as it was cut off.
"I swear to Asmodeus, if you call this as 'training' then I will not hesitate to push you off this branch!" The first person threatened through gritted teeth.
Right now, two shadows were cast by the bright light that was being shone from the moon onto the green grass below them.
The two boys who had been conversing were sitting on a big and sturdy branch of a tall oak tree.
"Did you have to sneak out one day before the start of the new academic year?" The boy with flaming red hair asked his friend who sat on the other side of the branch.
The friend, the boy with deep brown hair scoffed at his friend and then threw a twig which he had snagged off the branch earlier.
"Live a little, Topher! We never know what might happen tomorrow.." The young boy chided his friend and then smiled at him.
The boys who were sitting underneath the night sky on these branches were Topher Tanner, the elder son of Duke Tanner, and his close friend, Damien.
"Will you stop being so childish and tell me what is going on, Damien?" Topher interrogated his best friend when he heard those ominous words.
His eyes widened when a certain thought popped up in his mind and he widened his eyes and gaped at his friend.
"No… Don't tell me that…" Topher did not complete his sentence in fear of what the answer might be.
But when he saw the nod coming from his friend, his shoulders slumped in a dejected manner.
"But why!? You are fine already so why can you not stay back?" He polled with a wronged expression emerging on his face.
Damien watched his friend moping around which made him sneer at him.
'I'm the one who should be moping and sulking but look at him! It looks like he was the one who was being punished.' He rolled his eyes and then looked up at the bright stars that twinkled high up in the sky.
"So I'll be alone this year?" Topher peeked at his friend while muttering those words.
The reason for this gloomy atmosphere was Damien's sudden change in plans.
Just like Howard had planned to spend the entire month living in the Royal Academy's dormitories, Topher and Damien had made similar plans.
This was a huge task to accomplish, given that Damien's family, particularly one member of his family was too strict with his upbringing.
So when he had been given the green signal to stay back at the Academy on a trial basis for the first month, the two friends were overjoyed.
Yet now their joy had turned upside down after hearing this disheartening news.
"Was it because you snuck out of the house without permission last time?" Topher broke the silence between them with his query.
"Hmm… He was very worried when he couldn't find me." Damien smiled as he continued gazing at the stars.
Topher frowned when he saw that his friend did not seem to find the flaw in the way he was being treated back at home.
"You do realize that he cannot keep you trapped at home at all times like a bird or a pet, right!?" He scowled looking at Damien's passive behavior.
The soft smile on his lips faded and Damien glared at his best friend for speaking against the person he loved the most in this entire world.
"Topher… Not another word!" He spat in annoyance at this boy who never seemed to learn from the lessons he was taught on numerous occasions.
Topher shut his mouth after shuddering under the glare that was directed towards him.
He instantly turned away and tried to shake away the memories of the beatings he received whenever he spoke ill of this person.
Though he was miffed regarding the change in the plan that was made months ago, Topher decided that it was wise if he kept his mouth shut.
"I hope that he changes his mind and lets you stay at the Academy with us." He muttered while scratching his neck sheepishly.
Damien glanced at Topher and then back at the stars.
"You and me both, my friend." He whispered as a soft yet beautiful smile appeared on his face.
Following those words, silence engulfed them and they sat for a long time, gazing at the stars that littered the sky on this clear night.
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