Diane was taken aback. This is the first time she's been called by her name instead of a title. She turned, now facing her. She looked at her small face, crouched from disapproval and something else that Diane couldn't place.
"I'm sure it wouldn't be so dangerous, Mira." "What could he possibly do, kill me? "Not like people can kill their wives for just venturing out, no?"
"Stop being so dramatic!" Diana retorted.
Mira was too stunned to speak. Diana is obviously the one being dramatic right now. That she lost her memory is no excuse to be unreasonable. Who in the whole of Valerune dares to openly defile Dravon, maybe in hushes, but not so brazenly? Unless the person is seeking death. This is common knowledge. The last time Athea had trespassed, she was found in the lake. There are still rumors that Dravon had something to do with her near-death experience.
"Athea, you really are not allowed into his residence, nor the other houses in the manor; it is even a more forgivable sin to go into town than stepping inside Lord Dravon's residence." "So, can we go back inside now?"
"Who said anything about his residence? I want to see the city, Mira, not Dravon or whatever his name is". Diane said, trying desperately to hide her embarrassment at being found out.
"We can't go into the city either, it is dangerous, milady".
How easy it is for her to move from calling her by name to the next minute, milady. As if she's playing a game, only she is aware of the rules. While what Diane had wanted was to tour the manor, visiting the city doesn't sound bad either.She will postpone going around the residence after her full recovery. It would be better even if Dravon did not see her with all the ugly bruises. She felt her face, imagining all the new breakouts that would have come along with the stress and everything she went through the past week. Her hand moved over her face, making to feel the emerging acne, but she only felt a smooth surface. I will need a mirror, she thought to herself. She turned around only to come face-to-face with an expressionless Mira.
"What is going through your mind now, milady? What are you plotting?"
"Nothing, Mira, only that we are going sightseeing!"
The next thing, she was dragging Mira back into the grey colored house. Mira knew then that there was no way to stop this. While Athea could be naturally stubborn, this new Athea looks like she will spell more trouble. Mira has spent her whole life being the sense of reason whenever Athea's mischievousness sprouts. All she does is pull her back gently, like holding a leash loosely around your favorite dog. A bad comparison, but still.
Mira thought about the days leading up to the accident. Athea was withdrawn, always giving that face she would make when she is planning something huge. To Mira's chagrin, she did not let her in. It did not matter how much she cajoled or the different methods she employed to get Athea to involve her. For days, Athea would go into the garden alone, even though they would normally go together. She planted a new breed of flower she got from the merchant who came to sell wares at the house. The usual Athea would talk about the new flower to her, whether she showed any interest or not. She would brag about how fast it was growing.
Athea did none of that; she only talked to her about random things, unimportant things. Athea losing her memory now meant there was no way for Mira to finally understand what it was all about, what she had done that night, even.
They walk into the room to meet the physician waiting for them. She signaled by pointing to the tray holding a jug and a small ceramic cup that looked more like the crucibles she once used in chemistry labs. She dropped the tray on the table by the bedside and watched Diane as she sat on the bed. She poured a dark liquid into the crucible and handed it to Diane, who looked at the contents with contempt. She almost puked.
It is one thing to look so dark and undrinkable, but why does it smell terrible, too? The physician gave Diane a pleading look, which made Diane finally bring the cup to her lips. She hesitated for seconds, and when the liquid finally passed her throat, she regretted it immediately. She dropped the cup back on the tray, but the knot that had now formed in her stomach she could not drop.
"You will be better soon, milady. It is only a temporary feeling".The older woman said after seeing how Diane was holding her stomach. She picked up the tray from the table and finally made her way out of the room. Diane lay down on the bed, still holding her stomach as if pleading with it. She thought about how best to convince Mira to go outside. It was getting late, and waiting for her stomach to calm down would be a waste of precious time. If she has to be stuck here, she might as well make very good use of her time. She had always wanted to travel the world, but her job never gave her the chance to.
Diane sprouts up from the bed, startling Mira, who had dozed off sitting beside her. She sleepily gave her that look that said, "What now?".
"We should be on our way now, Mira". "It's getting late already!".
"On our way to where, Athea?" she said with a tired look on her face. Mira could not believe all her words actually fell on deaf ears. Athea asked her for a change of clothes and Mira grudgingly went to the dressing room and came back with a lilac-colored gown. Diane took a liking to it instantly, especially the floral details, which were definitely hand-stitched.
"I had to smuggle it out of the dressing room. If I had asked the dressers to bring you clothes, you leaving the house won't be news anymore ".
Diane nodded approvingly with a smile as she slowly removed her pale-colored dress, which she guessed might have been their own definition of a nightgown. Mira helped her wear the new gown, and she laced the back tightly, immediately snatching her waist. Her features felt so defined that Diane wondered if she'd finally managed to lose all that weight?
She walked to the lone but magnificent mirror across the far end of the room.
Diane suddenly stood there, motionless for over half a minute and with confusion written all over her face.
The person on the other side of the mirror was not Diane!