Elinora opened the envelope sent by her father and took out a piece of paper with a note. She began to read it with apathy.
"Some of Edmond's things will be sent to you. Use them properly, and be careful not to be found out. This is the time to prove if you are worthy, at least now. If the Duke catches you, you're on your own. Don't even think of asking us for help."
Even when she stopped reading it her eyes were locked on the words: "you're on your own."
Her hands were shaking, not only out of fear for the future, but mostly out of anger. Her heart boiled with anger and hatred for the people she called her "parents" and her mind was filled with thoughts and inner screams she couldn't let out. She tore up the paper and envelope and threw it hatefully on the floor.
They dragged me here against my will just to abandon me? Not only do they not care about me but they want to get rid of their deceased child's belongings? I hate them! All of this almost makes me want to get caught, to end this nonsense here. This will do for my revenge.
She was lost in her thoughts and the atmosphere was beginning to grow dark and gloomy when the door to the room knocked and Ronnik's voice came from outside.
"Jaden, are you in there?"
Elinora ran straight over and unlocked the door. Opening it for Ronnik to enter, she noticed that he was holding a box.
"Is that for me?" Elinora asked.
"Oh, yes! This is where I was bringing it. It's from your house, your parents probably sent it."
She took the box and thanked him.
"Wait," Ronnik said, watching as Eleanor prepared to close the door, "Leave the box here and come back to the office with me. The Duke asked for you."
Elinora seemed startled. She had been so busy with the letter that she had forgotten her duties. She had told the Duke that she would return immediately, but it had been so long.
She left the box on the table in the room and followed him.
In the office, Alaric sat indifferently at his desk. When Ronnik and Elinora came in he didn't even bother to look up, so she went and stood beside him.
She wasn't feeling well because she couldn't get the note out of her head. She knew her parents had sent her there with the thought that she would never come back, but she hadn't expected them to abandon her so blatantly.
She couldn't wait to get back to her room to open the box of Edmund's things. For the rest of the time, she was distracted and Alaric had noticed.
"Jaden..."
Alaric called out to her but she didn't hear him.
"Jaden!"
"Yes! Tell me, Your Grace!" said Elinora when she finally heard the duke call out to her.
"You are very distracted today. Why?"
"It's nothing, Your Grace. Sorry. It won't happen again," she replied, lowering her gaze to avoid his.
"It's 'nothing' if it affects your work," he countered. "A distracted aide is a burden. If there's something bothering you, solve it. I don't tolerate inefficiency."
Elinora felt her pulse quicken.
"Yes, Your Grace," she said, her voice barely steady and deep.
Alaric's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, his expression unreadable.
"You may leave for now," he said abruptly, looking down at his papers and pushing a stack of papers across the desk. "But by tomorrow, I expect a full summary of these."
Elinora nodded, picked up the papers and left the office. But as she turned to leave, Alaric spoke again, his tone gentler than before.
"Jaden," he said, pausing and glancing back, "Whatever it is, don't let it consume you. Focus."
She went to her room quickly and, after locking the door as usual, took the box in her hands.
The box had some of her twin brother's clothes, his diary, the tie she had sewn for him, his pen and his favorite puppet doll, a boy with orange hair and brown clothes named Ed.
Seeing Edmund's things brought back memories, both sweet and unhappy, and her eyes filled with tears. Things they had lived through all those years and that ended all abruptly, in an instant.
She remembered the smell of his clothes.
She remembered the day of their birthday, when she gave him the tie she had sewn a design of a sun and he had made fun of her.
She remembered the games they played with their puppet dolls and the performances they put on in front of Nancy.
Elinora could no longer hold back her sobs and gave herself over to her sorrow. She could no longer bear the pain that was in her heart and was tearing her into a thousand pieces. With Edmund's death, a part of her was lost and now she felt half.
She opened the window and looked up at the sky. With her hands clasped together, she repeated over and over again: "I must get stronger. For Edmund."
Then, when she finished, she took the doll, Ed, in her arms and went to sleep.
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