Chapter 59: Chapter 59

DAHLIA:

“Come with me first.”

I led Lady Livia into the end of the eastern wing and into the bedroom I shared with my husband.

“Sit here,” I said, directing her into the sofa. I entered another room where I had kept my dresses and shoes. I began leafing through the boxes, searching for one particular item...

“What are you doing? Why did you take me here,” the lady said curtly from the main room.

“Uh, just one second,” I replied. I reached to the top shelf where a dark, rectangular box was kept. I opened it, and thankfully, it contained what I was looking for.

“Here,” I said, going back into the room where Lady Livia was still seated. “Try this on.”

The moment I showed her the pair of shoes that were inside the box, her eyes popped out in shock. She looked at me and back into the box.

“Come on, take it,” I said. When she still did not move a few seconds after, I proceeded to get the shoes inside the box myself. I kneeled in front of her, removed the worn-out pair of boots from her feet, and replaced them with the shoes I just showed her.

The shoes were the exact same color as her dress, and thankfully, they fit her feet well. As I thought, she and I had the same shoe size.

“No, please, I can’t -”

“It’s alright. They’re an old pair of mine that do not fit me anymore,” I lied.

Tristan had bought me that pair as well as the dozens of other pairs a few days after I arrived with little to no clothing articles at Crohmwall District.

If he and this lady were indeed good friends, I’m sure he would not mind me giving it to her… If they were secret lovers, maybe he would feel a little guilty if he ever did recognize that it was mine.

Lady Livia did not say anything. She simply sat there looking at the pair of royal blue shoes at her feet.

I sat on the chair opposite her.

“Go ahead. See if you can walk comfortably using them. The fireworks will end soon, so we have to hurry and get back out.”

When she did not budge, I peered at her feet again. “Did you injure yourself at any other place? Where does it hurt?”

I was about to lift a part of her skirt again when she spoke. “Are you crazy? Why are you doing this?! I know you heard me and your husband at the study earlier! You know I hate you too, so why are you doing this?!”

Tears were starting to pool at the corner of her eyes again. I didn’t want to aggravate her further, lest the guests see her puffed up eyelids from crying later.

“Before I am Tristan’s wife, I am a doctor,” I said, “Well, technically, I am not a doctor yet, but I still have the responsibility to help those in need…”

I sighed as I continued. “Don’t worry… To be honest, I don’t like you that much too. You could go on and hate me, and I could go on and hate you. This wouldn’t change how we should feel for each other.”

As soon as I said this, the knot that had been present at the pit of my stomach had untangled itself. I felt so much lighter when I spoke to her honestly and told her how I felt.

“If you want to go home and leave now, I shall have a carriage ready for you,” I explained, finishing my speech.

“You… My opinion of you still does not change, you know. I still don’t like you for Tristan!”

My heart quivered a bit. Lady Livia spoke Tristan’s name without any titles as if they were really intimate to each other. I was curious to death what the relationship between them really was.

“Very well. I respect your opinion,” I replied. “So what do you want to do now, Lady Livia?”

“Do you even have any clue who I am, Countess Abell?”

I looked back at her light-violet eyes. They were angry for some reason, but I saw something else too…

What was it?... Hesitation?... Confusion?... No, it looked to me like a desperate need to be understood without the need to explain…

Whatever it was, it softened Lady Livia’s image in my heart.

“Look, Tristan said you and him are close… My husband promised to never lie to me, so I will choose to believe him. If he chooses to deceive me, shame on him. If you chose to deceive me too, then the same goes for you… So you tell me yourself, Lady Livia? Who are you really?”

She continued to stare in my eyes, not saying anything back, and I did the same into hers, both of us never backing down from each other’s gaze.

The minutes quickly passed. Soon, the fireworks could not be heard any longer.

I sighed and stood up. “I have to get back out there. Tristan could not host the party by himself after all.” Lady Livia did not stand from the sofa.

“Just stay here if you want to,” I said. “You can come out anytime you want. I will prepare a carriage to take you home. You just need to give your name and come by the side gates if you are ready. You can also stay here in the villa for tonight, if you want. I will prepare a room for you, just in case. Just wait for me here. I’ll come and show you in the room after the guests are gone.”

I shut the door carefully and walked towards the garden when I met my husband by the hall way.

“Dahlly, where did you go? I thought something had happened to you.”

“Sorry… I was just feeling a bit dizzy, so I took a rest for a bit.”

Tristan wounded an arm around my shoulders. “You look pale. Are you alright now?”

“Yes, yes,” I said, faking a smile. “Don’t worry about me. Is the party over now?”

“Yes. Everyone must be getting ready to go home.”

“Hmm, okay, let’s say goodbye to them then. Just let me see Lina first, and then I’ll join you by the front door.”

Tristan showed a worried look. “Let’s go together then.”

“No, no. Our guests will be waiting. It’s rude to keep them waiting after the party,” I said, trying my best to smile as warmly as I could.

After a few more seconds of coaxing, Tristan finally let me go, and I looked for Lina by the kitchen. I asked her to prepare a room and a carriage for Lady Livia. Once both are done, I asked her to fetch the lady from our room and help her with whatever decision she came up with.

I joined my husband soon after and said goodbye to our guests. They praised the banquet and promised to invite us at their houses soon. Some of them also pledged help for the growing rogue and vampire problems at Crohmwall District.

Outwardly, the party was a success. Tristan and I were able to make the connections we wanted to establish for the sake of our district, and the guests seemed to have had a good time despite the occasional absences of the host and hostess during the party.

Internally, my heart just felt heavy and sad though…

After the guests had all left, Lina privately informed me that Lady Livia disappeared from the bedroom and was nowhere to be found despite her attempts to look for her.

When I entered the bedroom, I could see the box of the pair of shoes I had given Lady Livia on the table where I had left it.

The lid has been placed back, and it was empty. Instead, there was only a simple piece of note with a neat handwriting.

“I owe you one. I’ll make sure I pay them in due time.”