The following morning, after the celebration, a servant knocked on Ysa's door. "Miss Ysa, your parents are requesting your presence in the study."
Startled awake by the knock, Ysa sat up abruptly. "My parents? Why would they need me?" she wondered to herself. "I'll be right there," she called back to the servant. Hearing the servant's footsteps fade away, Ysa quickly got out of bed, washed, and dressed, ready to meet her parents in the study.
On her way to the study, Ysa noticed the servants whispering and casting glances her way. She couldn't make out their words, leaving her confused. With a furrowed brow, she knocked on the door. "Mother, Father, it's me, Ysa," she called.
"Come in," her father responded.
As Ysa entered, the familiar scent of polished wood and parchment filled the air, the room dimly lit by the morning sun filtering through the heavy curtains. Her father sat in his large, imposing chair, the leather creaking slightly as he shifted.
Her mother stood beside him, still and rigid, her hands clasped tightly in front of her.The quiet crackle of the fireplace was the only sound. A knot formed in Ysa's stomach, her palms damp with unease.
She glanced around, her eyes darting to the walls lined with bookshelves, but she kept silent, the heavy tension pressing down on her chest.
Her father spoke first. "Ysa, tomorrow you'll be leaving for the countryside. Pack your things tonight—you'll depart early in the morning. A nanny will meet you there."
Ysa's brows furrowed, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words came. She waited, hoping for an explanation, but her father offered none. "Why? Why would they send her away?"
So she shifted her gaze to her mother, but her eyes barely met hers the woman's face was emotionless, as if carved from stone. She asked, "Mother, why?" Her mother looked at her with a cold, indifferent expression.
After a few moments of silence, Ysa tried again. "Isn't Nana Maria coming with me? Can I take her with me?" Tears began to well in her eyes.
Her heart raced as creeping dread coiled tighter around her chest. What if this isn't just temporary? What if they're sending me away for good? The fear of being abandoned in the countryside, alone and far from the only warmth she had known, sent an icy shiver down her spine.
What if they never want me back? It's as if the world she had known was slipping away beyond her grasp.
Her father's voice cut through her thoughts. "No, Maria will stay here to care for your sister, Sylvia. A nanny will be waiting for you there."
"But Father, why can't I take Nana Maria? Please, Father, let me bring her," Ysa pleaded, her tears now flowing freely. Her father, without looking up from his paperwork, waved his hand dismissively.
"Ysa, don't be stubborn. Go pack your things. Your mother and I have important matters to discuss."
With no other choice, Ysa ran out of the study, tears streaming down her face, and fled to her room. Overwhelmed with sadness, she sobbed, "I want my Nana! I want my Nana!"
Moments later, Nana Maria rushed into the room and enveloped Ysa in a comforting hug. "Oh, my sweet Ysa," she soothed. "It's alright, my dear. Don't cry. Everything will be okay."
"Nana? Why? Why can't I take you with me?" Ysa asked, her voice filled with sadness and confusion. "Sylvia already has a nanny." She couldn't understand why Nana Maria had to stay behind and felt heartbroken at the thought of leaving without her.
Nana Maria had no explanation to offer her young charge, so she simply held Ysa close. Ysa cried until she eventually fell asleep in her arms.
Quietly, Nana Maria began packing her things, carefully choosing everything Ysa would need in the countryside. She could only hope that Ysa would find a way to accept and cope with the changes ahead.
The next morning, when Ysa woke up, Nana Maria was already by her side, ready to help her wash up and get dressed. Though still unable to come to terms with the situation, Ysa cried quietly as she dressed.
At seven years old, she had grown accustomed to certain things, like her parents' cold indifference toward her, while they showered Sylvia with warmth and affection.
Yet, despite this, she still didn't understand why. As a child, she longed for their love, but no matter what she did, they continued to treat her with the same distant coldness.
Nana Maria knelt beside Ysa, wrapping her in a warm embrace. "Ysa, you're growing up now," she said gently.
"Nana can't go with you this time, but I need you to promise me that you'll be brave and give your new nanny a chance to care for you, alright? And promise me you'll take good care of yourself. If I can, I'll come to visit you at the estate in the countryside. So, no more tears, okay?"
Ysa, with tears still streaming down her face, nodded. "I promise, Nana. I'll be brave. But you have to promise to visit me, okay?"
"Let's go. The portal is waiting, and your father is getting impatient," her nanny said.
"What took you so long? I've been waiting here forever, and I still have other things to do," Greg said impatiently. He placed his hand on the portal's crystal, setting the location to the estate in the countryside.
The portal hummed with energy and its glow intensified, signaling that the destination was locked in. Ysa glanced back one last time at the mansion and her Nana before stepping onto the portal as soon as it was ready.