Bibliophile Princess: Volume 5, page 16
“They say you can find the lady’s spirit lingering in front of that window over there when the sun begins to set.”
I glanced through the glass. Rain was still pouring down outside.
There was a brief lull in our conversation, as if the old man was lost in thought, but he soon recovered and asked, “Why do you think she picks that window? There are so many others in the house. What do you think makes that one special?”
“Huh?” I asked, taken aback by his sudden query. After a momentary pause and some brief contemplation, I said, “I assume she must have enjoyed the view?”
“Indeed.” He smiled sadly. “A window is a way to enjoy the scenery, but it is also a place where one tends to wait when they’re anticipating someone’s return. Young Miss, have you heard the stories about the lady of this manor?”
My chest throbbed at the mention. “Yes, I have.”
The lady of this manor had suffered a tragic past. At one point, she was regarded as the flower of high society for her beauty, but she was later roped into a political marriage with a fellow noble. The man in question was unfaithful; he kept a lover on the side and even had children with her. Such stories weren’t altogether unheard of among the aristocracy. Nonetheless, the lady still waited longingly for her husband’s return each day. Her beauty began to fade with the passage of time, but even as she aged in solitude, she would still wait at the window as the sun set each day. That was what earned this place the name of Twilight Manor.
The old man nodded, turning his gaze toward the window. “All the strange phenomena that happen in this manor should be terrifying, and yet they also act as subtle reminders of the woman that once graced these halls. Perhaps it’s proof that there was someone who thought fondly of her as well.” His voice was so soothing that I found myself nodding along as I stared out at the rain.
I wondered if you could see the main gate from this window. Maybe that was why she waited here, hoping to see her beloved as he rode up. I could almost picture her.
As the old man and I lost ourselves in our imaginations, a voice called up from the floor below.
“Miss Eli, where are you?” It was Lilia.
I peered over the railing and responded, “Lilia? Julia?” I kept my eyes on them and started moving toward the stairs, not noticing there was a flower vase in front of me until it was too late. Fortunately, it was heavy enough that me brushing up against it didn’t even make it wobble. However, the dried-up flowers inside instantly turned to dust, sprinkling down over my two cousins.
“Eek!” they screamed.
I scrambled down the stairs to check on them. The whole situation reminded me of another spirit I had read about in A Hundred Tales of Mystery in the Capital—the Sand-throwing Hag.
“Julia, Lilia! I am so sorry. Are you both all right?”
After brushing off the dust from the dried flowers, Lilia grumbled, “I can’t believe you! Look, I understand you might find it scary being mistaken as a fellow spirit by the other ghostly inhabitants here, but that doesn’t mean you get to scare us to death just so we’ll join you!”
You seem to have some really odd ideas about me, Cousin, so I think perhaps we ought to have a talk so we can clear those up.
As I helped them dust off their clothes, Julia turned to me with a guilty look on her face and said, “Eli, I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” I froze as our gazes met. Her brown eyes were filled with regret.
“Four years ago when you returned to the capital, I was incredibly ill due to an imbalance in my body. You were the one who found medicine to help me. It was thanks to your efforts that I could start casually engaging in and enjoying high society. Likewise, I wouldn’t have met Lord Rupert if not for you. I can’t believe how ungrateful I was, taking all my emotions out on you like that.”
I quickly shook my head. “No, I owe you an apology as well. I didn’t even realize there was anything bothering you. I should have known what kind of pressure it would put on the rest of you when I got engaged. So I’m sorry, too.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one at fault. It was just like you said, I should ask Lord Rupert directly.”
“But it does require a great amount of courage to ask someone you care about to disclose their secrets. I was being arrogant when I—”
“Not at all,” she interrupted. The two of us stared at one another, and after a moment, we erupted into laughter. Lilia soon began giggling along with us.
Julia and I flashed embarrassed smiles at one another. Having regained my composure, I extended a hand toward her as a sign that I wanted to put this disagreement behind us.
“Eli, I love you,” she said.
The words were so direct that my cheeks warmed, but I was happy to have her affection. “I love you too, Julia. And I especially love how sincere you are.”
“Oh my,” Lilia chirped as she joined the conversation. “Well, I love both of you! Julia, for always seeming so composed even though she’s secretly holding it all in until she can’t take anymore and explodes, and Eli, for being so easily mistaken as a ghost simply because she spaces out and stands in the shadows all the time.”
That’s not half the compliment you seem to think it is, Lilia.
Inside the dimly lit manor, the three of us beamed at one another.
The old man’s soft voice cut in. “It appears you girls don’t need to know the secrets behind the portraits anymore.”
Julia nodded, firm in her determination. “No, I don’t need to see whose portrait he brought. I realize now that keeping my anxiety all to myself won’t solve anything. This is the man I’ve decided I want to spend the rest of my life with. Whatever his situation is, I need to hear it from his lips.”
Given her straightforward personality, it was the perfect answer.
Warmed by her resolve, I squeezed her hand tightly, hoping to encourage her. She glanced back at me and smiled.
“That’s good to hear,” mumbled the old man. “Nothing good comes from revealing the secrets that people keep. When someone exposes the mistakes you made in your youth, the person who will be hurt the most is the one you hold dearest. It can lead to a spiral of misunderstandings. And then no amount of apologies will ever be enough to mend the bridges burned.” He paused. “What’s most important is that you’re honest when you convey your feelings.”
Especially if you want to be with that person forever, his words seem to imply.
The three of us listened to his advice, filled with emotion. No sooner had he finished than the pendulum clock began to chime, the volume so earsplitting that it sent vibrations through the manor. Julia shrieked, throwing her arms around me. Lilia clamped her hands over her ears and shrank in on herself. I stiffened and waited for it to end. By the time it was over and I lifted my face, the old man was gone.
“Oh?” As I glanced around, we heard a crashing noise.
Lilia gulped and started clinging to me as well. Between her and Julia, I was locked firmly in place.
If you two would kindly unhand me, I’d like to check out the source of this disturbance.
“Miss Eli! What are we going to do if a real ghost does suddenly pop out?!”
This coming from the girl who has been calling me a ghost this entire time. Honestly, Lilia...
After all the commotion, someone’s voice echoed. It seemed to be coming from the portrait room the old man had first guided us to. After reassuring my two cousins, we started heading toward the source. I explained to Lilia and Julia that there were no stories about talking portraits so they needn’t worry about that, and as we swung the door open, all sound inside stopped.
I hadn’t paid any mind to it earlier, but the room was rather eerie with its poor lighting and the rows of portraits everywhere. No wonder my cousins were so unsettled.
Right as I plucked up my courage and stepped inside, one of the paintings smiled at us and began to speak. “I found you.” The person inside the frame had lips painted red with what looked to be blood.
Lilia and Julia screeched at the top of their lungs before flying out of the room. I was left behind, stiff as a statue.
The young man in the portrait gaped in shock at our reaction. “I can’t believe...those girls looked at me...and screamed in terror.” After a brief pause and with his face contorted in despair, he added, “It’s me...Alan.” His voice was stiff and unnatural, and as he stepped closer, I stared back at him, wide-eyed.
Jean popped out from beside him. “Ah, there you are, m’lady. You really are a troublemaker. Please don’t go disappearin’ off like that. I was almost shakin’ in my boots thinkin’ about the murderous rage the demon lord would be in once he heard.”
Pardon?
Confused as to what he was referring to, I could only blink back at him. That was when I realized—the thing I’d thought was a picture frame around Lord Alan was actually the edges of a window frame.
Jean pointed at Lord Alan’s lips. “You’re bleedin’.”
“Ah, I was struggling with the window and busted my lip on it when it finally came free.”
Chapter 3: The Twilight Promise
After calling Julia and Lilia back to the room, the boys proceeded to explain what had happened.
When we took a detour instead of heading straight home in our carriage, someone sent word to Lord Alan. He came straight away to check on us. Meanwhile, Jean and the other guards began a panicked search of the premises after we suddenly disappeared.
My goodness.
Our faces drew in confusion as the three of us traded glances.
“Oh,” Lord Alan exclaimed with a bitter smile as he pointed out the window. “The prince has come to check on you.”
I peered out the window. The rain had stopped at some point, and it was already dusk. In the dim light that remained, the prince’s bright blond hair shone beautifully as he stepped through the manor’s main gate. He cut across the garden and paused when he noticed us standing in the window. His blue eyes sparkled and a smile lit up his face. “Eli!”
My heart pounded as my chest filled with joy. It was as if the man I’d long been waiting for had finally come home to me.
Prince Christopher was accompanied by Lord Glen and his other bodyguards. They gave him a rundown of the situation as they strode over toward our window. His expression was one of exasperation as he stared up at us.
“Eli,” he said again.
I could already predict what he would say next. “It’s not proper for the prince’s betrothed to be taking detours and giving her bodyguards the slip.” I stiffened as I waited for his reproach.
Julia suddenly pushed her way to the front and said, “P-Prince Christopher, it wasn’t Eli... I mean, I was the one who convinced her to take this side trip. It’s not her fault this happened. I-If you want to scold anyone, it should be me!” In her haste to explain, she nearly tripped over her own words, but Lilia nodded in agreement with her.
Honestly, I was the one who made the final decision, so I still thought I held responsibility here.
A bright smile appeared on the prince’s face. “I’m not going to chastise her over a mere side trip. Though I’m not too happy about her slipping away from her bodyguards, I’d rather punish her than scold her.”
I’m sorry, come again?
He chuckled as he stretched his hand up toward me. “Come, Eli.”
Encouraged by his invitation, I reached toward him before pausing as I realized how unbecoming it was to hop out of a window like this. “No, um...I should meet you at the entrance instead.”
Jean said, “There’s a chain around the front door, so you won’t be gettin’ out through there. We haven’t found any other entrances to the place either. How in the world did you even get in here, m’lady?”
“What?” I stared back at him in disbelief.
“You suddenly disappeared, so we assumed you had to be inside,” Lord Alan explained. “Is there some other entrance besides this window?”
“What are you saying?” Julia furrowed her brows. “This is the Twilight Manor where the nobles are holding their seances, isn’t it?”
“About that... Those are actually held at the Setting Sun Manor, not this one. People apparently make that mistake occasionally and come here instead, but no one has ever been able to get inside, so they’ve always given up and gone home.”
Blood drained from my cousins’ faces.
In that case, who was the elderly man who invited us in, I wonder?
“Noooo!” Lilia began swinging her hands through the air as if to wave off the fear threatening to consume her. “I’ve had it! I knew this would happen. The ghost here thought Miss Eli was one of them—that’s why it appeared! We never had any intention of attending an actual seance, you know!”
As Lilia wailed, Julia turned deathly pale. “Eli, I do love you dearly, b-but I’m not fond of getting cozy with spirits...” She retreated several steps, putting some distance between us.
Excuse me, but I have to ask, do you two truly think all of the ghosts in this world only appear because of me?
After the ensuing fuss died down, we began descending the window one by one until all of us were safely inside the garden, where the evening air was fresh and clean in the wake of the rain. To be more precise, we were carried down because the overgrown grass was slick with water and too dangerous for us to navigate. Lord Glen and his subordinates took care of Julia and Lilia. The latter was in high spirits since she rarely got to experience a gentleman’s arms wrapped around her like this.
I, of course, was carried down by Prince Christopher. He lifted me up by my knees, keeping me practically perched on his shoulder where I could stare down at him. It was a bit of an embarrassing pose.
“I’m not heavy, am I?” I asked.
“Of course not.” His cheerful answer coaxed a smile out of me.
As we all began to head for the carriages, Julia suddenly called over to me. “Hey, Eli. I’m going to summon all my courage to have an honest talk with Lord Rupert, so I want you to make sure you’re honest with the prince as well when it comes to your feelings.”
The prince froze, still carrying me so my dress wouldn’t get wet. “Her feelings?” he repeated, a brow quirked.
I panicked. True, hearing what the old man had to say and learning how the lady of the manor had suffered gave me a lot to think about, but...did I really have to confront all of that today?
The rest of the guards, who were still carrying Julia and Lilia, politely excused themselves and left the two of us alone. Evening twilight spilled over us as we remained in the overgrown garden. I had no place to run, even if I wanted to.
“Eli, please tell me what she was hinting at. What is it you’re feeling?”
I hesitated, inwardly waffling back and forth. Part of me was consumed with intense embarrassment, and part of me wanted to make a run for it.
The prince was so special to me. I wanted to spend forever with him and only him. In order for that to happen, I had to be sincere with my words so misunderstandings didn’t form between us. That meant learning from Julia’s example and plucking up the courage to voice how I felt.
“I love you, Prince Christopher. Please stay with me forever.” My face lit up brighter than the evening sun.
His Highness stumbled. Panicked, I latched onto his shoulder. I didn’t think he would actually drop me, but the sudden movement surprised me.
“Your Highness?”
“Eli, what kind of punishment is this? My hands are preoccupied holding you up, so I can’t do anything else with them. You’re killing me here.”
I had absolutely no idea what he meant by that.
The prince continued holding me in his arms as he groaned to himself. His eyes wandered the area as if looking for some kind of bench or pedestal where he could set me down. Alas, the garden was so overgrown that he couldn’t find anything. He let out a small sigh as he resigned himself. His face fell as he glanced back up at me.
I gulped, and my pulse quickened again. The evening sun was reflected in the blue of his eyes, and in them I found a mix of emotions—pain and a gentle sweetness. His voice was warm as he spoke. “Eli, I love you, too. And I always, always, always want to be with you.”
His confession made my stomach flutter as joy flooded my chest. “Yes, me too!” The two of us exchanged smiles.
“In that case,” he said, “let’s seal this promise.”
“All right.” I nodded without thinking and then froze. Wait, what does he mean by “seal this promise”?
“Unfortunately, both of my hands are preoccupied at the moment. So you’ll have to be the one to seal our promise.” He grinned at me. For as slow as I was, the implication was still immediately clear.
“Y-You mean...”
“Yes.” His Highness continued smiling blithely, fully aware he was backing me into a corner by doing so.
Is this what he meant earlier when he mentioned punishing me?
He chuckled as I hesitated. “Eli?” There was a mischievous note to his voice, but the passion in his eyes was genuine.
After some more intense deliberation and hesitation, I finally plucked up the nerve and bent down toward him. As I drew closer to those beautiful blue eyes, my heart squeezed. I planted a kiss on his cheek. That was the extent of my courage.
The prince let an embarrassed smile slip. In the distance, a pendulum clock chimed, announcing the sun’s final descent.
A few days later, an embarrassed Julia came to report on what happened between her and Lord Rupert. As it turned out, Lord Rupert had been close with his grandmother, and she often chastised him for not understanding a woman’s feelings. Sadly, she passed a few years back, and the reason he began attending these seances to see her once again was because he wanted courting advice. After all, he and Julia hadn’t even been engaged a year yet. If that wasn’t evidence enough of his feelings for her, then her chipper mood was certainly a dead giveaway.
