Chapter 16: Chapter 16

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

-Marcel Proust-

***

The sound of the alarm had managed to wake Clara up. Her biological clock usually woke up at six A.M on a regular basis but since adapting to her new life, she had set an alarm for 7 A.M because she found no reason to wake up so early when she slept so late at night due to unpacking and organizing everything and settling herself in.

She flipped over her blanket and found a bouquet of white lilies and a short good morning letter on the bottom end of her bed. She slowly grabbed the bouquet and placed it beside her bed and read the note.

"Bonjour, Mon Amour,

Today I have work until the evening, I will see you at dinner tonight. I have asked the cook to make you a special breakfast today, and I have transferred some money in your account in case you want to go out somewhere for lunch or take a stroll around the neighborhood.

Je t'aime vraiment,

Raphael."

Clara receiving different kinds of notes since she arrived every single morning with different flower bouquet at the end of her bed. It seemed from what she had heard from the housekeeper, he made an arrangement with the florist for a whole entire year. She knew whether she liked it or not she had to get used to it.

A few days had passed since she arrived in Paris. The previous day she had just received her art supplies which was shipped a day after she came there. They are still stored in her room because she did not want to trouble Raphael with the sight of boxes stacked together in the living room.

During the days she would focus more on making herself feel better more than anything. Staying with Raphael had improved her heartbreak recovery, as she would call it. She was trying to restore herself and her appearance by exercising and doing yoga. Raphael had been much of a help as well, although he was mostly absence, which was fortunate for her since she still felt awkward around him sometimes, but as he promised, he had provided everything she needed.

Food would always be served in the morning along with a note sticking on the fridge. Along with the clothes and belongings she brought herself, Raphael had bought her a few pieces of clothing which really suited her style, she was a bit confused on how he knew her measurement perfectly, the clothes he brought seemed to be custom tailored to fit her, there were no common labels present on them, but they looked well-made and high quality. He also left an order for the housekeeper to tend to her needs, in case she needed any help.

Despite all these, Clara still had some difficulty adapting to the new surroundings, although she was born in the upper class family, Raphael's level of wealth way far higher than her. Every piece of furniture in his house were of the finest, she had gotten a glance at his watch collection (one of his obsession) which were mostly from Audemars Piguet. He himself was not hiding it in the slightest, and Clara was aware she was covered physically.

Yet that was not the point, other than Raphael, she had no one to back her up in Paris, the housekeeper was friendly to her but she was only doing her job and clearly was not interested in Clara's personal life.

She knew if she wanted to survive there, she needed to make connections. And the best way to make connection was by going out. She herself had yet to go out to see the beauty of Paris, which was mind blowing even for her, because that was one thing she always wanted to do.

Clara picked up her phone and searched on the best tourist destination in Paris. After all, if she was going to stay there, she should at least know what the city had to offer, and figured out the insider gems.

After browsing for fifteen minutes, she made up her mind, she quickly changed into a comfortable long sleeve white turtleneck and a pair of black pants with low heels boots on, she headed out and went straight to Saint Germain Pres by Taxi, then made her way around by walking.

Within her brief arrival, she had already fallen in love with the atmosphere in the neighborhood, everything was unique and different to her sight, the street were important for a lot of philosopher, artist, and writer throughout history.

She made a list of the few of must see destinations, famous boutiques and cafes in the area, it was difficult to her to choose where she was going to go first, because there were just so many things for her to see, she had brought a printed guide of the city as well alongside brief information about each individual places, because it gave a higher sense of adventure, but she wanted to waste no time on deciding where to go and headed to the ever so famous Saint Germain des Pres church, where it all truly started.

It was the oldest church in Paris and had witnessed an array of events throughout history. A place which anyone would not want to miss out.

Other than being attracted to art museums, galleries, and historical places related to art, she was also fascinated by old churches and cathedral, it gave her a sense of déjà vu, an odd sense of belonging, something about the air just brought her back to the past she never had. It was a reminiscence which she could not fathom into words.

She entered the place and found herself fully consumed by its beauty, as she walked deeper, she was entranced by the beautiful stained glass windows on the main altar room. She took a moment to sit down on one of the chair. Pulling out her phone she managed to take some pictures which she would definitely keep for the rest of her life. It was so serene and peaceful inside, like time could just stop right there.

Yet Clara could not spend forever in there, there were also some other guests who had started coming in and it was getting more and more crowded, she had seen enough and left the place.

"Where should I go next?" She wondered.