Blood and Lilies - Part V

"..."

I sat beneath the white-and-emerald gazebo in our garden, as the porcelain teacup cooled between my hands. My thoughts wandered back to my sisters’ return earlier that day. Their faces haunted me, as they were not the expression I was quite expecting. But I wasn’t expecting an expression of joy either, but rather at least some sort of relief, even if it was just a bit. Instead, they had looked all… crushed, as though carrying some unspoken burden within them.

Was it simply the exhaustion of the long journey?

Or was it Marquis Beaumont’s engagement talks that had drained them so completely?

Whatever the reason, I found myself longing for the smiles I once knew.

"..."

The wind whistled through the garden as clouds gathered overhead. Soon the drizzle began, soft at first, then hard and unrelenting. The rain fell in sheets, hammering the roof of the gazebo and rolling off in streams.

The gloom suited the mood of the household perfectly.

Yet, for all its dreariness, the rain’s steady rhythm was oddly soothing. Closing my eyes, I let it drown out the weight of the day.

"..."

When I awoke, half an hour must have passed. My tea had gone cold, but the storm, however, was still raging on. But strangely, I felt lighter, the first real rest in a long while.

Rising, I pulled my blazer over my head and dashed through the rain toward the mansion. By the time I entered the hall, I was soaked to the bone. The maids and butlers were already bustling about with towels and anxious glances.

“Oh no, Master Elias,” one of the butlers fretted. “Shall I fetch you a towel?”

“That’s fine,” I said quickly, trying to smile. “I’ll get changed and take a bath.”

“Very well. We’ll prepare it at once.”

I hurried to my room, eager to change into dry clothes before the chill set in. But as I entered, something on my desk caught my eye.

A letter.

Its envelope was a deep, unnatural red, sealed shut with wax.

My heart skipped. Who…?

I broke the seal and unfolded the parchment. The handwriting was unmistakable.

"..."

Dear Elias,

Are you well?

I’m sorry I had ignored you by the door. I saw your smile, that bright, uplifting smile of yours, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet your eyes. 

I was too ashamed.

I am grateful for everything you’ve done for us. Truly, I am. But I have learned that not everything in this world bends to your will. 

So, always take good care of your Elias.

I will always love you.

Goodbye.
Alice

"..."

The letter slipped from my hands. My chest tightened. My pulse hammered so violently that it drowned out all sound.

No.

No.

No.

This wasn’t happening.

I staggered to my feet and bolted from the room. My legs carried me straight to the kitchen, to the place where Clara and Tessa would usually idle around this time. I burst through the door, startling the entire staff. Their heads whipped towards me, eyes wide.

I quickly scanned for Clara and Tessa, but neither was in sight. Then, out of the storage room, Tessa stepped into the kitchen.

“Tessa!” I barked.

“Ye-ye-yes, Master!” she stammered, startled by my sudden shout.

“Where is Clara?”

 “Uh… attending to your eldest sister...?"

“Then take me to Alice’s room. Now.”

“M-M-Master, is something wrong?”

“Just do it!”

“Yes!”

In a matter of seconds, she bolted down the corridor, and I chased after her, heart pounding in my ears. For a maid, she was astonishingly fast, almost like an Olympic runner. Perhaps it was fear driving her legs, but truthfully, I found myself more afraid of her, knowing well the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature she had revealed in past iterations.

Within moments, we arrived at the hallway leading to Alice’s chambers. Crimson plaster walls loomed over us, the door painted a shade darker, almost oppressive.

“H-here, Master…” Tessa whispered, trembling.

“Thank you,” I muttered, pushing past her.

I knocked on the door, hard, again and again. “Alice! Alice, answer me!”

No reply.

My chest tightened further. Courtesies be damned, I shoved the door wide open.

At first, I saw only the shadow stretching across the carpet, long and unnatural. My gaze lifted, with dread clawing at me.

And then.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"!"

“NO! NO, NO, NO, ALICE! NOOOOO!”

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"No... No... No..."

I fell to my knees. My breath caught in my throat. The world spun as my eyes widened in horror.

Behind me, Tessa stumbled into the room, her scream piercing the silence.

For there she was.

Alice.

Suspended from the chandelier, rope biting into her neck, her body swaying gently with each creak of the beam.

My sister had… hanged herself.

"..."

Seeing the scene before me, bile rose to my throat, and I vomited, unable to bear the horror. Tears forced their way from my eyes, blurring my vision. And yet, I couldn’t look away.

Alice’s skin was pale, drained of life, a harsh bruise carved into her neck where the rope had stolen her breath.

Why, Alice?

Why did you kill yourself?

Why didn’t you talk to me?

What happened…?

"!"

From the corridor, the sound of hurried heels echoed closer. 

It was Karen. 

At first, her eyes found me, and she quickened her steps, ready to rush me into her arms. But as she neared, her gaze lifted and froze on the sight above.

“A-Alice…”

Her voice trembled, breaking.

“What are you doing, Alice…?”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“Alright, stop it, stop trying to be funny, hahaha…”

Her laughter cracked, hollow.

“Alice.”

“Alice?”

“Alice!”

“Why won’t you say anything!?”

“Alice!”

Karen screamed her sister’s name again and again, hysterical, refusing to accept the truth. Finally, her body gave out. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing, her cries raw enough to tear the heart apart.

“I’m sorry, Alice… I’m so sorry!”

“It’s my fault... it should’ve been me!”

“It should’ve been me…”

Her words snapped me from my haze. Alarmed, I forced myself to crawl toward her, wrapping my arms around her trembling frame.

“What do you mean, Karen? What do you mean by that!?” I demanded, voice shaking.

Karen’s tear-soaked face lifted, her expression crumbling with guilt.

“Alice… she… she entered Marquis Beaumont’s chambers to—”

“Why!? Wasn’t this supposed to be just engagement talks!?”

“Yes…” Karen choked, “but… he knew. He knew our secret, one that no one knows, but Alice, Mother and I. He threatened us. Said, unless one of us entered his chambers, he would reveal it to the world.”

“That bastard!” My rage boiled, searing hot, flooding my veins. No wonder Alice and Karen had returned so dejected. No wonder Alice left that letter… before ending her life in despair.

But still… what secret could have driven her to this?

“What secret?” I pressed, my voice almost breaking. “I know it may be unbearable to speak, but tell me, Karen... please!”

Her lips trembled, and then, with a firmness that contrasted her grief, she whispered.

“You see… we are not Father’s children.”

The words struck me like a blade of ice.

No… could it be…?

Reading the horror on my face, Karen continued, her voice shaking yet resolute.

“Yes. Mother was already carrying another man’s children before marrying Father. We never had his blood… and yet he loved us as if we were his own.”

Her sorrow twisted into fury.

“If it wasn’t for that woman... If it wasn’t for her selfishness... Alice wouldn’t have…”

She broke down again, screaming, venting years of torment she had endured under their mother’s shadow, forced to carry a shame that wasn’t even hers to bear.

I tightened my embrace, holding her against me as she clung desperately to my blazer, soaking it with her tears. She needed to let it out. Fifteen years of suffocating under that secret, fifteen years of silence.

At last, she could cry. At last, she could breathe, even if only in grief.

"..."

But I knew this wasn’t where it would end.

Slowly, my eyes shifted. 

They settled on Tessa...