I knew what would come next, but I still felt like I was on edge. Warning bells rang in my head, signalling that something was off. But I didn't get enough time to ponder over the signs.
"Estelle."
I turned around to find Letis, dressed in mourning clothes. The once bright blue eyes of the fifteen-year-old now blankly stared at us. It was almost like the light in his eyes had been extinguished.
"Uncle has something to discuss with all of us."
The poor boy… He had numerous servants he could order to summon Estelle, but he still came on his own. He must've been desperate for some time alone. Despite needing to keep up a stoic appearance, Letiswas shy and found it hard to control and hide his emotion. For an heir to a noble family, it was considered to be a fatal flaw.
Estelle stared back at her brother, her eyes mirrored the same blankness. She turned around and looked at me, almost begging me to not let her go. Even back when her parents were alive, she'd feel nervous and anxious if I or my mother weren't beside her. And now that she'd lost them… I couldn't imagine what she must be feeling.
Still, no matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn't join the family meeting. Despite practically growing up with the siblings, I wasn't officially their family. It was impossible for me to be present there.
I smiled at her, trying to reassure by gently tapping her hand. Still reluctant, Estelle slowly let go of my hand and walked up to Letis.
Under the bright moonlight, the siblings' pale blue hair sparkled as they constantly looked back at me during their walk towards the manor. Were they…worried about me? I wanted to hug them and tell them that as long as we were together, everything would be fine.
But at that time, I didn't know that their worry was not for naught.
If only I'd known that that night would be our last time in the gardens for the next two years… I would've picked up a wild blossom to take along.
***
When I opened my eyes, a strange ceiling greeted me. That was the first surprise of the day. I didn't know what others might have done in the same situation, but panic suddenly began to creep up on me.
The second surprise sprung up on me soon after. When I turned my head, I found Estelle' long pale blue hair resting on top of mine. I'd clearly gone to sleep in my room in the annex last night, where I used to live with my mother. Unless either of us suffered from sleepwalking, there was no way we should have been sleeping on the same bed. What was even more weird was that the room itself was unfamiliar to me. It wasn't mine or Estelle's. How did we end up here?
I stared at Estelle's sleeping figure in stunned silence. She must've felt my gaze burning into her because she soon stirred awake. Her sleepy blue eyes blinked vacantly and looked at me. She looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and spoke in a groggy voice.
"Did you bring me here?"
Why would she think that? Perhaps she was still half-asleep. I wish I had someone I could ask the same question.
"Sasha? Estelle?"
"Are you guys upstairs?"
Suddenly, I heard Letis and Benya calling out to us. I panicked for a moment, I couldn't figure out where they were. But soon the two boys came running up, their footsteps thudding against the steps.
The moment our eyes met, we all fell silent. The last time we'd seen each other in pajamas was about 8 years ago. It was embarrassing to see each other in such a state, but this wasn't the time to linger over something like that.
"Sasha, do you have something to do with this?" Letis raised a query against me.
Ah, he didn't know anything either? And here I thought I could rely on Letis. He is the most reliable out of all the siblings. I couldn't help but stare at him in disappointment.
Benya ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. He turned around to glare at Letis upon hearing his question. Letis expression, in return, turned sour seeing Benya's suspicious face.
"What? I just wanted to clear it up, okay?"
"The fact that you said that shows that your intellect is suffering from a major problem."
"Won't you think someone's playing a prank on us after waking up together in a strange room too?"
We exchanged puzzled glances, all of us ignorant about the current situation. An ominous feeling began to creep up on me. It was as if my heart was plunged to ice cold water.
"Does our house even have a room like this?"
"Are you an idiot? You're the eldest son and you don't even know this?"
"Did you know?" Retorted Letis.
With balled fists, Benya couldn't help but say, "It's not like you know anything about it either."
We used to run around all over this manor during our childhood, so we found it hard to believe that there was a place that even we didn't know about. The bedroom was fairly large, but it looked cramped because of all the furniture stuffed in the room.
A short-legged bed lay in the center of the room, surrounded by different kinds of chairs and a marble table with a lamp on top of it. Several chests and closets were lined up against the wall, right next to the dressing table and the thick rugs covered the cold floor. But none of the furniture matched each other, as if chosen without any care for beauty.
The sunlight trickled in from the large witch window placed up on the wall. It was the only source of air and sunlight in the room. It was quite disturbing. It was as if—
"Were you guys in a room downstairs when you woke up?"
"Yes, imagine having to wake up next to him!"
"Hey, how do you think I felt?"
I left the bantering pair behind, choosing to explore the place instead. I spotted a small door right across from us. I walked towards it and held the rusty brass doorknob. The door creaked open as I turned it.