We walked out of the Temple. I saw Adel lean in and whisper something into Lady Octavi's ear. I couldn't catch the words, but after they exchanged glances, they both nodded at each other in silent agreement.
Suddenly, Adel sprinted away toward the carriages alone.
Meanwhile, Lady Octavi scooped me up into her arms and began walking in that direction. Watching Adel go, I was somehow impressed; despite wearing that long skirt, she could run incredibly fast without slipping or tripping over the hem.
Being carried in Lady Octavi's arms like a princess—or a bride—was mortifying. Every eye in the vicinity turned toward us, drawn by the spectacle and the blood staining the front of my white gown. I could see their expressions: shock, surprise, confusion, and pity.
I tried to shrink into myself. We just kept walking steadily toward the carriages. I looked up at Lady Octavi's face; her expression was stone cold, showing absolutely no emotion.
…
All of a sudden, I spotted Adel in the distance. She was riding a horse toward us at a gallop.
Moments later, the carriage appeared behind her, followed by two guards on horseback. When Lady Octavi spotted them, she stopped and waited. Adel reined in the horse nearby, then dismounted and walked toward us.
If I thought walking was embarrassing, waiting still while pedestrians gawked was worse. Finally, the carriage pulled up in front of us. More people stopped to stare, whispering amongst themselves.
"Is that the Duke's daughter?" one murmured.
"So she is one of the Aurelius Family…" another whispered in awe.
Lady Octavi carried me inside and laid me down gently on the plush couch of the carriage. I thought we would leave immediately, but she paused to speak with the two guards outside.
Still lying down, I heard the door click shut beside my head. Lady Octavi lifted my head and sat down, placing it softly in her lap. She knocked on the wall separating us from the coachman.
Knock-knock.
Immediately, the carriage lurched forward, taking off at a much faster pace than our leisurely departure from home this morning.
On the way, I looked up at her.
"What did you talk about with the two guards before?"
"We just had a brief discussion about the situation, My Lady," she answered calmly.
"And I saw your horse… Adel was the one riding it. I didn't know she could ride a horse in those clothes."
"She can do anything. That is why she is your personal maid."
"Maybe I will try to learn how to ride a horse," I mused.
"Why, out of the blue, has My Lady thought about that?"
"If my maid can do that, it makes me want to do it too. So I don't feel pointless compared to her."
"It is… great… that My Lady has that spirit," she said with a faint smile.
…
"How about the little two? Are they alright if we leave first?" I asked, suddenly remembering them.
"Well, I believe Adel took care of that, like Madam ordered. And My Lady can take a rest now."
Heeding her advice, I closed my eyes and took a short rest.
… .. .
Unexpectedly, I felt a hand shaking my shoulder gently.
I slowly opened my eyes. Lady Octavi was looking down at me.
"We will arrive at the front gate, My Lady."
"That fast…" I mumbled, sitting up.
We arrived at the front gate and passed through without stopping. Moments later, we pulled up in front of the main house.
"My Lady, let me carry you to bed!" Lady Octavi offered.
"Ehhh, I can walk by myself," I protested.
"It is better if I carry you, like Madam said."
"Sigh. Alright then."
She immediately slid her left arm under my knees and her right arm behind my back. Then, she lifted me up effortlessly, as if I weighed nothing, while still in a seated position.
The carriage door opened from the outside. Lady Octavi stood up, holding me securely in front of her. Adel was already there, having set up the retractable steps stored at the back of the carriage. We descended carefully.
In front of the house, a group of servants and guards were waiting for us. Among them stood Sofia.
As soon as Lady Octavi stepped onto the ground, Sofia rushed toward us.
"Are you alright, My Lady?" Sofia asked, her face etched with worry.
"I'm alright," I answered simply.
"Forgive me," Lady Octavi interrupted. "It is better for My Lady to clean all of this off and go to bed so you can freely examine her."
"Yes.. yes… that is great," Sofia agreed quickly, stepping aside.
We walked into the house, Adel leading the way and Sofia trailing behind. We headed straight for the bathroom.
When we arrived, several servants were already waiting inside. I saw Sofia stop at the door and leave us alone. Lady Octavi set me down on a stool, and immediately, all the servants—including Adel—undressed me.
Once the ruined dress was gone, Lady Octavi lifted me again and placed me into the warm bathtub before leaving the room herself. The servants began to wash and clean me thoroughly, scrubbing me from the tips of my toes to the ends of my hair. Soon, the bathtub and my whole body were covered in white soap foam.
After it was done, they lifted me out and sat me back on the stool. They dried me with soft towels and dressed me in clean white pyjamas.
Without notice, without a signal, and without a sound, Lady Octavi entered the bathroom again the moment I was finished.
She scooped me up once more and carried me toward my bedroom, Adel following close behind.
Arriving in the bedroom, I saw Sofia waiting inside. Lady Octavi laid me down on the bed, then stepped back to exchange a few hushed words with the physician.
While they spoke, I watched Sofia. Her expression was a mix of guilt and profound worry. It was depicted clearly in her hand gestures; she kept looking down, gripping her hands together tightly. At one point, she covered her face with her hands entirely.
They finished talking, and Sofia walked to the bedside. Lady Octavi and Adel stood at the foot of the bed like sentinels.
Out of the blue, Sofia dropped to her knees beside the bed.
"I APOLOGIZE, MY LADY!!" she cried out loud. She reached for my left hand and held it tight. "This lowly one is the one who caused all of this! Please forgive this lowly life, My Lady!"
I stared at her, confused. "Before you apologize for something, can you care to explain it to me? I don't catch anything from your words."
"Right, My Lady…" She took a shaky breath. "Honestly, I didn't know if something like this would happen to you. As the physician of this family, I try my best to find a great solution or cure… and My Lady's case is so different from any other case in my lowly experience."
She looked up at me with teary eyes. "After I heard that there was a voice emitting in your head while sleeping, saying 'mortal'... I hastened toward the temple library and asked the people there about your case. They said to bring you to the temple to make sure. After that, I tried to convince His Grace and Madam. At first, His Grace was convinced, but Madam found it ludicrous. After some time and convincing from His Grace, Madam finally agreed. So all of this came from this lowly one. It is my fault and my incompetency as the family physician."
She finished, her face struggling to meet my gaze.
"So all of this is your idea, Sofia?"
"Y..e…sss."
"It seems people around me are so interested in my dreams," I sighed. "Can you care to explain it to me?"
"Sure.. My.. Lady…" She composed herself slightly. "Like I explained to you, dreams come from our memories, psychology, and the sounds around us. But that explanation is just for Enhypnia."
"What is that?"
"Enhypnia, or an 'uninteresting dream,' is a dream of our habits, our memories, or our feelings. Like people who are hungry or thirsty will dream about eating a lot of food or drinking a lot of water. Someone who overstuffs themselves will dream about vomiting or choking. If someone has a lover, they will dream of their beloved one—but sometimes they will receive a dream of their beloved with someone else because of their fear of abandonment. So that is Enhypnia."
"I see… is there anything besides it?"
"Yes, there is Oneiroi. It is a dream that predicts the future. There are two methods to interpret this dream. The first is Theorems Oneiroi, where the dream predicts exactly what is shown—for example, a dream of being shipwrecked means that you will experience a shipwreck. The second is Allegorical Oneiroi, where the dream predicts something in a metaphorical way. For example, a dream of being shipwrecked can mean that you will be released from bondage or slavery."
"So, the dream from the other day that I experienced has some kind of meaning?"
"It can be…"
"But how should a temple resolve this problem?"
"The voice emitting while you were sleeping was a sign of something else. Honestly, I don't believe in that sort of thing…"
"What do you mean?"
"I believe a dream is not given by divine things or gods… but due to my lack of knowledge about what happened to My Lady, I went to the temple as a last resort."
"I see. Now I understand some of it," I nodded slowly. "And I am alright right now. There is nothing for you to examine. You may take your leave."
"But… My Lady, do you forgive me?"
"Yes, I do."
She stood up, bowed deeply, and walked toward the door. After she left the room, Adel turned to me and insisted I take a rest. They left the room, and I closed my eyes.
….. …. …
After some rest, I was woken up by Adel. She told me it was dinner time.
I went immediately to the dining room, still in my pyjamas. When I entered, I was surprised. Only the twins were sitting in their seats. Father and Mother's chairs were conspicuously empty—perhaps because of what had happened today.
I took my seat. As soon as I sat down, Adel clapped her hands sharply.
Clap!
Servants emerged with food. I watched Adel acting on behalf of my absent father, directing the service.
I noticed the twins were much quieter than usual. The absence of our parents seemed to dampen their spirits. They ate their food faster than normal, finishing well before me. They left the table and the dining room without saying a single word, while I was still picking at my dinner.
After I finished, I left the dining room.
On the way back to my room, I noticed the twins standing in front of our parents' master bedroom on the first floor. I watched them from a distance, Adel standing silently beside me.
They knocked on the heavy door.
Knock-knock.
There was no answer from inside. Their maids seemed to whisper something to them, steering them away. They turned and walked toward us. I quickly hid with Adel behind a large decorative vase in the hallway. They passed us without noticing.
Curious, I kept following them with Adel.
They went up to the third floor and walked down a specific hallway where two doors faced each other. I saw Ophelia stand in front of one door and Aurelio in front of the other.
They knocked on the doors at the same time.
Knock-knock.
After a few moments, there was movement from both rooms. The doors opened.
Surprisingly, the door Aurelio knocked on was opened by Mother, and the door Ophelia knocked on was opened by Father. Since the doors faced each other, Father and Mother's eyes met instantly across the hall.
I saw their expressions—they seemed to glare at one another with dislike. However, they quickly hustled Aurelio and Ophelia inside their respective rooms, shutting the doors tight. Their maids turned and walked away.
I found no words for the event, so I turned back toward my room.
"Why are Mother and Father on the third floor and in those separate rooms?" I asked Adel as we walked.
"Those rooms are for His Grace and Madam," Adel explained quietly. "Sometimes, when they are in a quarrel, they use those rooms to clear their minds."
"So the little two are trying to make their relationship better… Hope it goes well."
After arriving in my room, I immediately got back into bed to continue my rest. Adel retired to the connecting room beside mine.