Four months later.
Ashelia leaned back against the trunk of a tree in the manor's orchard, flipping through the pages of a book in her hand. Her eyes went over a paragraph in the page she turned to and her cheeks flushed a hot shade of crimson.
Just then, she heard shuffling from a distance and hurriedly rushed to shut the book and hide it behind the tree. Hardly anyone knew to find her here and the only person she suspected that was aware of her present hiding place was her maid, Lyra.
'What does she want now?' Ashelia thought as she fanned her flushed face with her hand.
"Is something the matter, my Lady?" She heard a gentle voice ask. "Are you ill?"
She turned her head to the side to see that Lyra was already approaching her.
Ashelia shook her head. "I'm fine. I just feel a little hot."
Lyra had a confused look on her face. "It's the middle of autumn, my lady."
"W–well, it's still hot." Ashelia argued.
"Hah.." Her maid sighed. 'She must have been reading one of those books again…'
"Well, my Lady, this silly argument is not why I came looking for you."
"I suppose it's not," Ashelia agreed with a smile. "Then why? Did Father call for me?"
"No," Lyra responded and rummaged through the large pockets of her dress. After a little while, she pulled out a small scroll.
"A message addressed to you was delivered earlier. It's from the palace."
"From the palace?" Ashelia asked aloud. "What could it possibly be about? It isn't time for the seasonal ball yet…"
She gently took the scroll from her maid's grasp and unrolled it.
Ashelia's lips pursed, and her expression grew heavier with every second she spent examining the letter. A few moments later, she handed the parchment back to Lyra.
Lyra took it and read through it as well, her face instantly lit up.
"Prince Reagan has finally succeeded in defending the western border! This is wonderful, My Lady!" She exclaimed in excitement. "He has personally invited you in advance for a celebratory ball the Emperor would be hosting in his honour!"
Ashelia remained silent for a long while, toning down her maid's excitement. "My Lady?"
"I don't plan to attend." she stated flatly.
"Pardon?!" Her maid shrieked in shock. "But, my Lady, it would be horrible if you don't attend! He has personally invited you!"
"That doesn't make a difference to me. I will handle it like I have handled every other invitation from the palace," Ashelia told her.
"He is your fiancé!"
"I have made up my mind, and nothing you say will change it, Lyra."
Ashelia furrowed her brows. 'The Reagan I know can't wield a sword to save his life. How did he do it? What in the world is he up to?'
This was the second time he was sending her an invitation like this, only that the last time it came late and this time, it was coming a little too early.
'I don't like how things are going.' She thought as she rubbed her forehead. 'Do I really have to go? It's obviously not going to be an ordinary celebratory ball.'
Lyra apparently did not notice her silent dilemma and proceeded with her initial argument. "My Lady, please reconsider—"
"How many times must I say it for you to understand?" Ashelia interrupted coolly, her green eyes taking on a dangerous sheen. "I do not want to go, and that is final."
Her maid pursed her lips. "My Lady..." she tried.
Suddenly, a shadow leaped out of one of the nearby shrubs in the area and landed right in front of Ashelia. It was a black wolf and its hunches were raised as it growled at Lyra.
"My word!" Lyra shrieked as she stumbled back, almost falling over and landing on her bottom. "Please learn to keep your pet in line, my Lady!"
Ashelia sighed. "That's enough, Meryl. Lyra isn't going to hurt me."
The wolf seemed reluctant, but it eventually withdrew and came to sit by her side. It gently nuzzled her hair as if to console her.
"I would like to be alone for now," Ashelia told her maid. "We can discuss this later."
Lyra gave her a small curtsy. "Yes, My Lady," she responded and immediately took her leave.
Even an hour after her maid left, Ashelia remained in deep thought. She absentmindedly stroked her wolf's fur as the contents of the letter continued to replay in her mind.
She sighed. 'What do I do now?'
She had already told Lyra that she did not want to attend, but it was obviously a bluff.
Her emotions had gotten the best of her. 'Father will definitely give me an earful if he hears of this.'
Still, it wasn't like she had a choice. Rejecting a direct invitation from a member of the Imperial family might as well be considered treason.
Ashelia knew she made her maid upset. 'I should have been nicer… ' She paused, then clenched a fistful of her hair on both sides. 'Urgh! But this is all that idiotic Reagan's fault!"
Her peaceful mood became nonexistent the moment she laid eyes on that letter!
She let out yet another long sigh and rested the back of her head on the tree as she reached for her pet's fur, but the canine swiftly got on its feet, surprising her.
The wolf stood about four feet tall with lovely fur, a mixture of gray and black, and its eyes were brilliant blue, like sapphires.
Ashelia had only ever seen eyes that blue once in her life.
The canine nuzzled its owner's hair urgently, and Ashelia instantly understood what it wanted.
"Meryl, you're hungry already?!" She asked in disbelief. "But it isn't even noon yet. There won't be any food for you now."
Meryl's wolfish ears drooped and she gave her owner the saddest, most adorable look she could muster.
Ashelia laughed and rolled her eyes fondly. "Alright, alright. Should we go hunting then?" she asked, ruffling Meryl's fur. "We can find you food there, since there wouldn't be any in the kitchen."
Meryl's eyes lit up instantly, and she panted in excitement, nudging her owner to stand quickly.
"Yes, yes," Ashelia giggled. "I'm standing. Can't you be a little patient?"
She slowly got to her feet, dusted herself off, and picked up a bow and quiver that was lying in a shrub nearby, then hid her book under the tree's trunk and covered it with dirt.
"I will be back for this one later." She thought as she and Meryl left the orchard and headed towards the back of the manor.