The maid Julie silently helped Remesis pack her things. She carefully placed everything most necessary into the travel bag, just as her mistress had ordered. Nevertheless, her movements were unhurried, and they betrayed anxiety. Finally, Julie could not endure it any longer:
— Princess, forgive me, — she raised her eyes and spoke in a timid voice. — But you did not even inform the lord about your departure. Maybe... it would still be worth waiting for her return?
Remesis fastened the clasp on the cloak she intended to wear for this journey and froze for a moment. Then calmly, without unnecessary emotion, she replied:
— There is no need for that.
— But... — the maid hesitated, — the lord might be angry if you just leave like this...
Nevertheless, when Remesis looked at her with a sharp gaze, the maid immediately fell silent.
— Why should I even need her permission for such things? Can I not have an opinion of my own?
The words that Remesis spoke now sounded harsh and were completely unlike her usual nature. For not so long ago the girl certainly would not have said something like that. Nevertheless, it seemed as though right now her mistress had been replaced.
Realizing this, the maid only lowered her eyes and nodded. She understood that objecting to Remesis now was pointless.
In the end, after Remesis's belongings were quickly packed in just one hour, she immediately set out that very day.
The road from the North to the Carter estate was bound to take some time. Remesis traveled without a large retinue, accompanied only by two guards who could provide her safety on the road. In the end, Remesis went even without her maid, since she did not want to take unnecessary people with her.
Throughout the entire journey Remesis continued to stare out the window. The only feelings that remained deep in her soul at that moment were fatigue and vague expectation. In the end, she did not even notice how the rather long journey to the south was already coming to an end.
When the silhouette of the Carter family estate appeared in the distance, Remesis felt strange emotions. Here she had been born and spent the first years of her life. And before, this place had been associated with her solely with negative emotions. But now... Could she really be able to feel some other emotions?
— Princess, we are here. — said one of the guards accompanying the carriage.
The dazzling sunlight filled the carriage the moment the door opened. It truly was the warmth of the south. Remesis hesitated at first, but eventually rose from her seat.
Then, suddenly, a hand reached into the carriage. A graceful pale hand seemed to shine brightly in the sunlight. Just one glance at the porcelain-like skin and slender fingers, and Remesis immediately knew who it was.
Remesis reached for his outstretched hand. Almost hidden from view, he was waiting for her outside the carriage. Finally, Remesis looked out, and from above her looked down a pale face that seemed to absorb the sunlight.
Remesis looked at her second brother and lingered a little longer than she should have. At the same time, Livius beamed at her with a radiant smile. For some reason, despite the fact that not even a year had passed since their last meeting, the young man now seemed to her much older and more mature than before. Then Livius slowly spoke:
— Sister.
His unexpectedly deep timbre made Remesis involuntarily flinch when his voice reached her ears. The wind played with his dark blue hair, the same as hers, and it was beautiful.
Moreover, Livius's appearance today also differed from the usual. The young man was dressed in more presentable clothing, almost in the same style as that worn by the duke himself. Nevertheless, it could not be said that it did not suit him.
For a moment frozen in place, staring at him, Remesis did not immediately notice the movement that followed on his part. Livius looked at Remesis and then brought her hand to his face. His amethyst irises shone as brightly as gemstones in the sunlight. His lips touched the back of Remesis's hand. Despite his actions, he did not tear his gaze away from her. Remesis felt strange and spoke:
— Brother Livius.
— I have been waiting for you, sister.
When he spoke these words, Remesis involuntarily felt even more flustered. Because his lips were still touching the back of her hand. It was a somewhat unusual situation, but Remesis thought that her brother must simply have wanted to show her his attention after their long separation. It was only a gesture of gratitude.
— It has been a very long time, — he said.
— What do you mean? — Remesis asked in confusion.
— It has been a very long time since I dreamed of meeting you in this way.
— Oh, I see... — the girl only nodded, deciding not to attach much importance to these words.
Finally, when Remesis had completely stepped down, they embraced. Remesis pressed against him only for a moment, restrained yet warmly. A faint shadow of a smile flickered on her lips.
— Sister, in truth I did not expect you would really come so quickly, — Livius noted.
— Yes...
— Did something happen to you?
— Nothing special. I just wanted to visit you, — Remesis answered quietly.
Even though in her reply Remesis gave no details, Livius seemed to be able to understand her true emotions just by looking at her. Nevertheless, he also said nothing and only nodded.
— I understand everything, — he said softly. — And I am glad that you are here. The house is the same. Or rather... This is finally our house.
— I am also glad to be here. After a long stay in the north, I feel that I need a little sunlight.
— Then, would you mind taking a walk with me in the garden?
— Of course.
In the end, after Remesis's arrival, while the servants were bringing her belongings into the house, she and Livius decided to take a short walk in the garden.
They slowly walked along the stone-paved paths, and her brother told Remesis about the changes that had taken place in the estate not so long ago, and what successes he had managed to achieve. Even though Remesis already knew most of this from his letter, she still listened attentively.
It seemed that after his story, her expression even brightened a little. Finally, Livius fell silent and looked at her with a hint of embarrassment.
— Sister, it seems to me that today you look a little different, — he remarked when they stopped near a bench.
When they sat on the bench to rest a little, Remesis quietly confessed:
— To be honest, something happened to me recently... Even though that situation has already passed, I still cannot stop thinking about it.
— I understand, — Livius nodded, — Is it something serious? Related to the Lord of the North?
— No, not exactly... It is somewhat different.
Remesis did not continue speaking and only looked at her fingers. For the first time since what had happened, she tried to open her soul a little to another person, and because of that she now felt depressed.
She had been betrayed by the person she considered family and trusted more than herself. She had been betrayed by the companions with whom she had rebuilt the North over the past twelve years. In the end, even though in this life Remesis had truly opened her heart to these people and put in all her effort, all she had received in return was a dagger in her back.
Now Remesis doubted whether she could ever trust anyone again in this life. For it seemed that her disappointment and pain now knew no bounds.
Even though she said no more words, Livius noticed her depressed state and sighed. He took her hand and squeezed her fingers.
— Sister, here no one is your enemy, — he whispered.
Remesis raised her eyes and looked at him.
— From this moment you are here, beside me, in our home. And I will never again allow you to be hurt.
Each of his words was filled with sincerity. Remesis felt it, but... Looking at him right in front of her, unlike in the past when she looked at him calmly, now Remesis felt a strange awkwardness. It seemed to her that the gaze of her second brother, with which he looked at her, was a little strange.
Nevertheless, Remesis overcame this feeling inside herself and only tried to smile at him in return.
***
After she and Livius spent the whole day together and after the end of a hearty dinner, Remesis decided to return to her room to rest after the long day.
A long time had passed since Remesis returned to her room in the estate. This was her old room, but now it looked completely different. In fact, now it was in no way inferior to the luxurious chambers of her elder brother or sister, or perhaps even surpassed them.
Remesis could not believe that Livius had really managed to renovate it so quickly, as if already anticipating that the girl would not want to move to another room and would decide to stay here.
Looking at the newly furnished room, it was rather unusual, but Remesis decided simply not to pay much attention to it.
Without even changing, she lay down on the pillows and finally allowed herself to relax. It seemed that the accumulated tension of recent times was slowly leaving her.
In the end, for the first time in all these days, Remesis was finally able to fall asleep peacefully.
As soon as Remesis fell asleep, she did not notice the presence in the room of another person who came to her late at night. The door opened quietly and into the room stepped a young man with amethyst eyes gleaming in the half-darkness.
Livius Carter looked down at Remesis, who was sleeping, breathing evenly.
No matter how long he looked at her, in truth he could not stop thinking about how enchanting she was.
Livius had been waiting for Remesis to fall asleep.
The young man wanted to make sure she was asleep. Though there was no particular reason for this at all. He just wanted to make sure she was in her room. Just in case what had happened today had only been his imagination... When this thought flashed through his head, he could not resist sneaking into her room.
Just looking at her, sound asleep, the duke's second son stretched out a finger and touched her soft cheek.
From the moment Livius had seen the grown-up Remesis after their long separation, his heart had started beating strangely. No, it would be more correct to say that he had always felt a little strange whenever he was near her. Ever since that day in childhood when she saved him from the fountain.
In the past, Livius's heart had always beat much faster than usual when he saw her, but even that could not compare to today's heartbeat. The feeling that his heart was pounding so hard that it seemed about to burst from his chest engulfed his whole body.
For some time the young man froze like a statue, staring at the sleeping face of Remesis.
Just confirming that she was not an illusion and that she had finally returned to where she belonged.
At some point, a thrilling thought entered Livius's mind — that he very much wanted to kiss his younger sister.