The haze of clouds was starting to blend in together in the dark sky, embracing its vast expanse once again. The crescent moon and the shimmering stars were then veiled behind the stormy clouds.
The temperature had dropped to a palpable degree in the past few hours.
Standing in an alleyway, in front of a meager two storey herbalist shop, Aster rubbed his hands together.
Of course, there wasn't a way to tell it was one, but he just knew it was. Because this was his home, after all. It was the only place that was still lit warmly inside, in this distant alleyway. Everyone else was probably asleep by now.
This place, especially, was quite anomalous. Standing out more than any house around it. Looking ahead and above him, he could see the bundles of drying sage and rosemary hung like green pendants from the low lintel, masking the sour stench of the alley with a sharp, medicinal sweetness. Just below it… a thick, gnarled grapevine snaked up the timber framing, its leafy canopy forming a natural awning over the dark entrance.
Aster let out a quiet sigh, his breath visible in the cold air.
'Huh. That's strange. It shouldn't be this cold this early. The winter solstice was just a week ago.'
It was very strange and unusual for it to get this cold this early.
Looking up, he could see the distant flashes of lightning in the sky, far away. The clouds had receded a little around the dusk, but after parting ways with princess Rose and making his way back home, they had once again embraced the skies.
He shrugged. "Maybe it's just my imagination…"
He shook his head, focusing on the current moment. It was… time to get scolded. Somehow explain everything without making Miss Rebecca faint… not that she would — and go collapse in his bed.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door. It clicked open. 'Huh.'
He had thought that she would have locked it, since it was late at night, but it wasn't, to his surprise.
Stepping inside, he closed the door behind and finally allowed himself to relax… just a little.
The apothecary was warm, with the smell of several different herbs permeating the air — and something else that strangely felt like home. The lanterns provided both warmth and light, hung in the corners of the shop.
There were a few small shelves, consisting of herbs and stuff that Miss Rebecca usually put in there.
In front of him, not too far away, there was another door. Beyond that door were stairs that led to the upper floor, where they actually lived.
The kitchen and bathroom, however, were on the ground floor, and were partitioned by a wall to keep hidden from the people who came to the apothecary.
To his right was the counter, where Miss Rebecca usually consulted the patients.
And currently… She was right behind it, sitting on a chair, her arms crossed and eyes closed.
Opening one eye, she asked in an eerily calm tone:
"Finally remembered that you had a place to return to, mister?"
Her voice was impassive, but he could sense the hint of worry, concern, and relief that she didn't make obvious.
As he looked at her, his shoulders dropped slightly, but tensed at the same time.
She had the same pale blonde hair, that was currently tied in a loose bun, just like him, and golden eyes, just like him, too. She was just shy of turning twenty five. And currently, she wore a cream-coloured full skirt and a light linen blouse, its sleeves gathered at the wrists. Over it, a dark velvet bodice hugged her waist, laced at the front with maroon cords and decorated with a delicate floral pattern.
She looked nothing short of majestic like that.
One would actually think that they were blood related, by the looks of it, but they weren't. Appearances could be deceiving, after all. But despite that, she was his big sister.
She was… home.
But currently, she was vexed. He could just see it on her expressionless face.
Hiding his apprehension, he took a deep breath and smiled widely. "Of course, I did! Why would I not?"
He, of course, knew his home. It wasn't just a place, but something almost sacred to him, how could he forget?
Despite the fact that some parts of his memory were vague, and he sometimes just didn't remember some events, he remembered this little apothecary like he remembered his name.
It was just as simple as that. How does one even go around forgetting their name, anyway? The thought was ridiculous.
Miss Rebecca opened her eyes and raised an eyebrow, not convinced.
But then, as if noticing something, she frowned. "You got into a fight again, didn't you, Aster?"
Aster hesitated for a moment, considering if he should go over exactly what happened earlier and start explaining things, one by one, or just state the obvious.
He opened his mouth to say something, but was then interrupted.
Shaking her head, Miss Rebecca rose from her chair and walked towards him.
He observed her quietly as she stopped right in front of him, knelt down to his level, and looked him in the eye.
Her gaze… wasn't intense. It was full of quiet questions, and worries. It was gentle, motherly…
Letting out a sigh, she lifted a hand and cupped his cheek, her touch feather-light, as though to not hurt him further.
He remained perfectly still, not knowing what to do or say. His heart suddenly felt unusually heavy, while his throat felt tight.
Nothing much had happened to him, so why was he feeling this way? He was… he was just being overdramatic…
At that moment, Miss Rebecca smiled faintly, her thumb caressing his cheekbone softly, and said warmly:
"Are you okay? How much does it hurt?"
His lips parted slightly at her words, as though to answer, but nothing came out. Was he okay? How much did it hurt? Aside from the fact that he got beat up — even if a bit badly — he was mostly okay. He could endure that much on his own.
But there were other things that weighed down on him insidiously. The fact that he seemed to be having his memories distorted, unnerved him too much. He was easily let down by the fact that he had no talent in magic, and was average in studies.
Perhaps even below average…
But he never made the fact obvious. He never let any of those dismal and melancholic feelings surface on his face, ever.
As much it may have overwhelmed him, at times.
All this time, he had kept everything to himself, letting every small thought, every feeling, every moment that made him feel he would never be enough pile up slowly.
Miss Rebecca was supportive, kind, and gentle, he knew he should tell her, even if a little, before he was drowned in his own inadequacy.
Before it was too late… but he couldn't.
Not just because he didn't want to make her worried, but he simply couldn't. It was… hard to open up, for some reason.
He had built walls around him that he himself couldn't climb.
But he wanted someone to try to, if not climb up those walls, then break through them.
And he… sometimes yearned that he could tell someone everything about himself, without holding back.
His insecurities, the heavy feeling that never left… everything.
But right now, looking at the face of someone who actually cared about him… he just couldn't bring himself to burden them. Maybe… some time else… maybe when things were a bit better.
As his hands curled into fists at his sides, he chuckled and shook his head, leaning slightly into her touch by pressing his cheek against her palm. "No, of course not! I just got beat up, Miss Rebecca, what else did you think? It… aches a bit, I guess?"
Miss Rebecca remained silent for a moment, looking at his face calmly. It was obvious that she didn't believe him completely, knowing that he was hiding something, but didn't press on the matter further.
Letting out a quiet sigh, she stood up again, ruffled his hair and smiled. "Come on, I need to patch you up, then."
—— ——
Soon, he was being taken care of while being scolded by her simultaneously. "Sit still, you fool," she snapped, though her fingers were gentle as she tilted his chin. "If you spent half as much time practicing your parry as you do running your mouth at random places, I wouldn't have to waste my good knitbone root on your ugly face."
Aster would have raised an eyebrow in amusement but it stung a bit, as she worked on his face.
She smeared a thick, dark green paste of mashed comfrey and hog's lard over his cheekbone. Aster winced, pulling back. "Hold," Miss Rebecca commanded, pressing a warm linen cloth over the mess. "Keep that pressed tight, or the swelling will close your eye by morning, and then how will you see the next fist coming?"
Aster would have pouted but, for some reason, the pain was a bit more noticeable now. It was good though, to hear her remarks. It made him feel at ease.
Wiping her hands on her apron, she said:
"Lily's here, too, by the way. So we will have dinner together upstairs."
For a moment, as he held the cloth against his skin, he stared at her incredulously, stumped.
But then, he frowned. Who was… oh…
Lily…
She was his friend, of course. They had studied together for the past few years, after all.
How could he forget?
But what was she doing here? Why wasn't she at her own place? A place that was infinitely far more comfortable and better than their ramshackle?
She was the daughter of the Duke, after all…
Duke… ah, what was her father's name, now? He could ask Lily later on.
He knew, though, that her father was a renowned leader and the military commander of the kingdom's royal army. His intellect and leadership had earned the kingdom many victories throughout the years. He was a pragmatic and practical person, an idealist.
…But that wasn't the point, why was Lily here? Did something happen to her? At her place? That was a possibility…
But he also wondered why he remembered that specific detail and forgot the Duke's name.
After pondering for a bit, he decided not to ask Lily anything about her situation and said hesitantly: "Why is she here?"
As Miss Rebecca gathered the things scattered on the counter table in front of her, she scoffed and answered in a flat tone. "There must've been some kind of dispute within her family. Probably her parents, if I'm being specific. She seemed… quite out of it when she came here. Of course, I wasn't really surprised."
She lingered for a moment, then added gently: "She was quite stressed, but after spending some time together, she finally allowed herself to relax. I told her that we could have dinner, but she insisted on waiting for you to return."
Aster remained motionless for a while, staring at nothing in particular, his expression thoughtful. He knew, of course, that her family was like that. A bit harsh, if a bit loving, a bit calloused, if a bit gentle. Things were managed in a perfect decorum that would seem like a strict order to a mundane person like him, but he was used to that by now.
So he understood why she must be stressed. But who was he to question how they lived, or what they did? As long as his friend was okay, that was all there is to it.
Nothing else mattered.
At that moment, Miss Rebecca turned around and looked at him, a strange expression appearing on her face.
"So, go upstairs. Freshen up if you want. We'll have dinner together in a bit. And while we do, you mister, will explain exactly what happened to you today."
Aster froze, struck with a momentary panic. But then, he took a deep breath and calmed himself down, somewhat, and nodded.
As he got up, he looked at Miss Rebecca for a moment, and asked curiously:
"She brought that book with her, too, didn't she?"
Miss Rebecca shrugged. "Sure, she did. Why do you ask?"
He shook his head and turned towards the door that led further into the house, and upstairs. "No reason. Just curious."
With that, he opened the door, stepped inside the house, leaving Miss Rebecca alone in the apothecary, and then closed the door behind.
The stairs were right by the door, right beside him, leading up to a corridor that was lit warmly with golden radiance of the lanterns. In front of him was another small corridor, and then the small kitchen just beyond it, where Miss Rebecca cooked her heavenly food, and where he usually helped her. At the end of the corridor was the bathroom, which was mere steps away from the kitchen.
Not exactly the best, but this was what they had, for now. And he was fine with it, at peace.
After staring around for a bit, he turned around and made his way upstairs, still holding the linen cloth against his face.
It felt a bit of a chore, honestly, but he couldn't let go of it just yet… unless he wanted an earful…
Shuddering at the thought, he stopped in the corridor and observed the familiar three rooms. It wasn't really that long, so calling these spaces a corridor in his house felt a bit weird.
But what about it? It was his place, he could call it whatever he wanted…
There were two adjacent rooms in front of him, while the last one was across them. That isolated room was his, just behind him. But instead, he turned towards one of the two adjacent rooms.
Stopping at the door for a moment, he mentally prepared himself for everything that was about to come, and knocked on the door.
There was a pause for a good minute before the answer came. It was another knock…
Shaking his head, he slowly opened the door and entered the room. The room was minimalistic, yet cozy. Not really spacious, but big enough for three people to dine together. Or if one wanted to stay the night, too.
There was a small dining table and four chairs surrounded it in the corner beside a window. The furniture was made of pale polished wood. The vista from the window… was just as peculiar as their house. Really, there was nothing but another alley outside there. The window was there to just let the wind in, nothing more.
Still, it was at least better than having a completely closed cell…
Across that window and dining table, however, was a cot made of the same pale polished wood.
On that cot sat a young girl, reading a book. She had platinum blonde hair and light green eyes, her ivory skin seemingly devoid of any flaw. She wore cozy clothes of white colour, seemingly at home and at peace.
'Huh… the house of blondes…' The statement was hilarious, but he just couldn't help but feel that way. Where would they see this many blondes gathered in one place?
'How ironic.'
Smiling to himself, he made his way towards the delicate looking girl after closing the door.
Compared to the rest of her endless errands and obligations, it was a respite.
Looking up at Aster, Lily tilted her head slightly and smiled cordially. But then, as though noticing something, a subtle frown appeared on her face. She seemed… solicitous.
Putting her book aside for a moment, she lifted a hand and pointed at his face with a finger questioningly. As though to ask what happened to him.
Aster shrugged, pulled one of the chairs to the bedside and sat down on it, making himself comfortable.
Lily was sitting right in front of him, waiting for him to say something — anything, the blanket draped snugly over her legs.
He lingered for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "Ah, what would you know? Today was quite wonderful! Mind-blowing, even!"
He grinned, then added: "I actually met, even talked, to a royalty today!"
Lily stared at him with a deadpan expression, not quite convinced, and shook her head silently.
Then, as if feeling a bit mischievous, she raised her hand again, leaned towards him slightly, and poked his cheek, where he didn't hold the linen cloth to hold whatever it was the Miss Rebecca had told him to hold there…
Aster would have winced, but he just stared at her with wide eyes, and then…
"How… preposterous! Simply inane!"
Seeing Aster's ridiculous reaction must have been quite comical for Lily.
She seemed as though she was laughing, shaking her head like she had seen a clown doing silly things, but the sound of her laughter was muffled.
Aster scoffed inwardly. 'This waggish girl…'
Funnily enough, the corner of his lips curled upward. The mischievous Lily was just… too scintillating…
Too precious