I thought the pain would settle—or at least get a little better—by morning, but of course, just like my luck, I was wrong again. Everything stung. Sharp waves of pain pulsed through my body, forcing me to limp toward the manor's kitchen. I wasn't going to be working for a week, but that didn't mean I couldn't do other duties. I still needed my pay. Even now, with every passing month, servants were being paid less and less. House Eboncrest was definitely crumbling. If I didn't fix Lord Caelvorn soon, this place would be abandoned… and whatever was inside would stay inside.
Including us. Including him.
The weight of everything felt like I was carrying a boulder strapped to my spine. The pressure of Eboncrest was crushing, and I couldn't even imagine how Lord Caelvorn must feel. I had never gotten into a fight before, never been attacked—but there was a first time for everything, and that had already happened. I was just glad Lisa was at the manor. Without her, who would've treated me? Certainly not Rael, and no one else had the knowledge of a doctor.
I opened the kitchen door and slumped into one of the old wooden chairs. It hurt to even sit. The only position that didn't make me wince was lying down. I rested my head on the table, the cold surface pressing against my bruised cheek, and that's when I caught a glimpse of Rael.
He was running a hand through his short, dark wavy hair. His hair was lighter than Lord Caelvorn's, I noticed—not that it mattered. Caelvorn's hair had a strange darkness to it, not quite brown, not quite black. I'd never gotten close enough to be sure. Not that the color of his hair would change my opinion of him.
Rael looked… uncomfortable. That was the only word I could find to describe his body language. He was stiff, tense. In front of him stood Lisa, her lips moving quickly. I couldn't make out what she was saying from where I sat, but whatever it was, it had clearly shaken Rael. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door that connected to the dining room—a room meant only for servants—and through the small window in the wooden frame, I could see everything.
He paused when he noticed me. His gaze softened for the briefest second.
"Morning," he said—and left.
Morning? That was it?
Rael had never been this dismissive with me. Something was off. And my selfish, aching, broken self needed to know what it was. Even if it meant pushing through the stabbing pain, even if it made me limp worse than I already did.
Maybe he'd heard footsteps and thought I was someone else—someone he didn't want to face. He picked up his pace, and I had to stop for a moment because the pain was unbearable. Still, I reached out and brushed against his arm.
I barely reached his shoulder, but that had never mattered to me.
He didn't look at me. Instead, his tone turned sharp—colder than I was used to. He rarely used that voice with me, only when we got into real arguments… like the time I tripped him for fun when we were kids. That week of silence still stung.
"Didn't I already tell you I don't agree?" he snapped. "I told you—it was just a mistake."
He was glaring at something ahead of him, not even seeing me. I didn't understand what he was talking about, or if he was even talking to me.
"That night, I wasn't thinking. Just let it go! I'm sorry, but I have someone else on my mind all the time, and she's the only—" He stopped, groaning and running a hand through his hair.
I wanted to interrupt, to say I had no idea what he was rambling about. But something in my gut told me to stay quiet.
"Lisa… just let me think."
Oh. It was her.
He finally turned around. "Lisa—"
"What are you even talking about?" I asked, my voice quieter than I intended. His face flushed with embarrassment.
"Sorry for snapping. I didn't know you weren't Lisa."
That was enough.
"What's happening? You can't just say good morning and leave."
He shook his head, trying to shake off the conversation like dust.
"It's nothing. Will you just stop? Please—I don't want to tell you this."
Rael had always kept secrets from me. Like when I asked about Lord Caelvorn and he wouldn't speak. This was just another wall he was building between us.
"Why are you always like this? You treat me like I haven't known you since we were kids!"
That hit something in him.
"Please, Evaline! You're still a kid. I'm not going to tell you everything you ask."
Evaline. He never used my full name. Not once. I always liked how he called me Eva. But hearing it now—like a stranger—it stung.
"A kid?" My voice cracked.
"Do you not trust me? Or is it because I'm still a kid?"
He groaned in frustration. "Not now, Evaline—"
"No! I want to know."
"You always have to get into my business, don't you?" he snapped. "Don't you realize I don't always need to tell you? Or maybe I don't want you knowing—for a reason!"
He was trying to push me away in different words, but the meaning was the same.
"Please… can't you trust me?" I whispered.
He froze.
"Go away now before I—just leave!" he yelled.
He yelled. My best friend—my Rael—yelled at me.
I flinched.
"Eva—" he started, but I cut him off.
"I understand."
His face twisted. "What do you mean by that?"
"From now on, I'll stay out of your business. I'll stay away from you."
He panicked. "Wait—Evaline!"
How I always had to make things worse, I thought bitterly.
"That's not what I meant!" he said, grabbing my wrist.
"I've been a bother, haven't I?" My voice was soft, shaking. "I'm always near you, always trying to know what you're thinking. I never realized how clingy I was. I won't do that again."
His face turned pale. He didn't say anything for a moment.
"That's… not true," he whispered.
All this—just for a secret.
I pulled my wrist away. Maybe I was making things more complicated than they needed to be, but I turned and left.
"Lisa—I mean, Evaline!" he called out as I walked away.
"And I'm not Lisa!" I shouted back.
He gasped. He hadn't meant to say her name.
I didn't wait for his response. I headed back into the manor.
My personal life was one thing. But my duties? They were another. They weren't about to mix—not anymore.
First duty of the day: clean the garden.
There wasn't much point, really. No one came to visit. No one even looked at the garden anymore. Still, it needed doing.
I stepped outside, the sun already high in the sky, probably the beginning of summer. It was hot. Sweat clung to the back of my neck and the front of my uniform. I put on my gloves and tied my hair into a tighter bun, pulling it out of my face.
"My name isn't Lisa," I muttered under my breath as I crouched down to yank out a stubborn weed.
The work was slow, but it calmed my mind. Three hours passed before I even noticed the time. The sun had reached its peak, and I was exhausted.
I didn't want to go back inside—not if it meant seeing Rael.
I needed to focus. I needed to figure out how to teach Lord Caelvorn to be a proper lord. Not that I had any clue how to do that. I wasn't noble-born. I couldn't even read or write properly. A book would've helped. If only I could understand one.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and squinted up toward Caelvorn's window. I wasn't sure why I was looking for him. I just was.
I gathered my tools and removed my gloves. The garden looked neat, almost worthy of praise. Even if no one was there to see it.
I decided I needed a walk. Just a short one. The forest behind the manor always felt like a breath of fresh air for my chaotic thoughts. The trees were full and green, the grass a bit overgrown, but I pushed forward anyway.
The farther I walked, the lighter I felt.
Then I noticed the herbs. Or what I thought were herbs. I wasn't sure. I didn't have a talent for that kind of thing. Or for anything, really.
I crouched again, fingering the leaves. I never had any particular spark. Nothing special to offer. No gift for healing or lifting spirits. If anything, I probably made things worse.
I always believed people had a spark inside them—one that would reveal itself when the time was right. But mine just felt… empty.
My thoughts wandered, and before I realized it, the manor was just a dot behind me.
A loud, echoing roar filled the air—but it wasn't an animal. It was water.
I moved toward the sound, the ground growing muddier beneath my feet. My uniform was already soaked and dirty, but I didn't care.
There were footprints—many of them.
And then the waterfall came into view. It fed the river that wrapped around the manor.
Two figures stood near it—embracing.
Rael and Lisa.
They looked like something from a storybook, wrapped in each other like nothing else existed. I turned too quickly and slipped, making a loud sound that echoed.
Rael looked up. "EVA?!"
I didn't wait to hear the rest. The roar of the waterfall drowned his words anyway. I stood, mud clinging to my skirt, and ran.
I ran through the flowers without looking at them.
I ran until my lungs ached and my body screamed from the bruises I hadn't let heal.
I had left the manor's property, I was sure of it.
And when I finally collapsed near a pine tree, pain seared through me again.
I hated Lord Caelvorn for this pain. He was the one who hurt me. He started this. And now…
Now Rael and Lisa.
Why didn't they tell me?
Why didn't they trust me?
The betrayal clawed at my insides.
I closed my eyes, panting, the roar of the waterfall now far behind me. I staggered back toward the manor, leaning on trees when I had to. The forest at least smelled clean. Sweet. Unlike the rotting silence inside the manor walls.
It was sunset by the time I returned. The sky glowed gold and red. I had barely done any duties today.
Rael and Lisa were gone. Maybe too ashamed to face me.
Or maybe they didn't care.
I told myself I buried the pain. That I pushed the betrayal deep down.
But when I reached my room and closed the door… I exhaled.
Everything that happened—everything that kept happening—I knew deep down:
Things were only going to get worse.