A castle in the mountains

Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

- - -

~ Alps, Austria ~

From the helicopter, I stared blankly at the dense forest below us. The endless green was disturbed by an occasional crystal clear lake and some large rocks as the snow-covered mountain peaks were passing on our left and right.

The view was majestic, yet my mind was stuck on the letter I received. Or to be more precise, on the note that came with it, "We need to talk, Serina. Duke".

Oh, God! It's him!

That tiny note flipped my world upside down and destroyed more than two years of me convincing myself that it will pass.

I can't lie to myself.

I drowned in lessons and practice because that was the only way for me to clog my mind with information so that there is no space for Duke. And I believed that I'm doing fine. Until today.

I deceived myself that I'm ready to let go of the memory of Duke.