CHAPTER XIV

The cold morning breeze which was blowing gently carried the wonderful scent of winter. The surface of the East lake was dazzling, sparkling, and glittering to reflect the golden sunlight, and the sound of the chirping birds filled one's ears like a peaceful whisper.

Celestine slowly opened her eyes as the sun's rays slowly warmed her face. She yawned and stretched her body as she suddenly felt something that was draped over her body fall.

She glanced over her body and noticed that it was a white cloak. It was the one that was shielding her from the cold.

Her eyes widened in realization. After quickly rubbing her eyes, she squinted to closely inspect the fabric that was covering her body.

She scanned through its design. Aside from the small yet very intricate design of dragons, by the feel of the fabric itself, it seemed like one that was made for one in the upper class. Given the quality of design and the fabric itself.

Celestine swallowed as she looked around. She fell asleep in the forest near the East Lake. As she was still feeling a bit disoriented, she once again laid her back at the tree, gazing at the sun that seemed like it was rising from the waters.

She yawned, closing her eyes, and feeling the cold air, flow, and touch her skin.

"Wait-What?!" Celestine screamed in shock, realizing that she was doing something wrong. She shuffled, struggling to sit down.

"Heavens!" She shouted, gave herself a light smack in the forehead.

"What am I even doing?!" She asked herself as she quickly stood up before quickly fixing her attire and carefully folding the cloak that was draped around her.

She was in deep trouble. It was already morning, and she failed to go home yesterday like how she promised Meira. She's certain that her family members must have been mad as they looked for her.

She shook her head, and this time, she slapped herself by the cheek. "I swear, I'm getting so careless and irresponsible these days." She muttered, walking briskly out of the forest.

Since it was still morning, it was only a given that the merchants were much busier, as they were preparing to open up their shops by fixing their products on the racks.

Everything seemed chaotic.

"Celestine, where the hell have you been?!" A voice called out to her as she arrived just by the entrance of the market.

Slowly, she turned around, meeting a fuming Sandra whose face was red, her hair was ragged, and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her look made Celestine feel guilty. It was obvious that she was tired.

Bowing her head, she sighed, "I'm sorry, big sister." She apologized. "I parted ways with Meira last night, and in the end, I accidentally fell asleep in the forest." She explained, her voice low, as she bit her lip. "I'm so sorry." She repeated.

Celestine could hear Sandra clicking her tongue in which she flinched as a result. She was afraid of Sandra because of all of her sisters, she was the one who was the most short-tempered, and aside from that, she tends to use her own physical strength to resolve her problems.

"Are you even serious right now, Celestine?" Sandra asked as she massaged her forehead, "Do you even know how worried we were?!" She asked, her voice rising as she glared at her little sister who only looked down.

"I-I'm sorry..." Celestine answered, stuttering as she tried to keep her tears from falling. She understood where her sister was coming from. Indeed, if only she had listened to their oldest sister, Odette, and Meira, she wouldn't be such a nuisance to her sisters.

She understood, yet, her sister's actions pained her. She wouldn't mind if it was just anybody who was scolding her. In fact, she wouldn't even care. But because she has a soft spot for her sisters, her family in general, she was hurt.

But then again, if she was Sandra, she would most likely shout at herself too. She was clearly the one at fault, she was not in the position to feel hurt, and she's sure that Sandra did so because of worry. After all, what happened to them before was not one that can be played off as a joke.

The previous events made her family more wary and cautious.

"Don't cry." Sandra said as she patted Celestine's head. She knew her sister's behavior and seeing that she was already quiet, she knew that she was already on the verge of, and if not, already in tears.

Celestine looked up towards Sandra who proved herself to be right.

Softening her features, she hugged her little sister, "Come on... Don't cry." She repeated, hugging Celestine tightly. "I was just so worried about you, and not just me, but everybody!" She said as she created a distance, holding Celestine by her shoulders.

Celestine nodded in understanding. She rubbed her tear-stained cheeks, "I'm sorry." She once again apologized.

"Shhh. Don't say anymore. I'm sure you're hungry. Let's go home so we can all eat at peace, alright?" Sandra said as she smiled, earning a nod from her youngest sister.

Smiling, Sandra guided her as they both walked home.

As they finally arrived by the house, the other sisters who were left behind started making a ruckus as they saw Celestine with Sandra.

"Celestine, are you alright?"

"Where have you been?!"

"Did something bad happen?"

The high pitched voices of all the girls echoed around the house, making Sandra and Celestine flinch.

Celestine turned to her worried sisters, smiling as she nodded her head. "I'm fine, sisters." She said before bowing her head, "I'm so sorry for making all of you worried." She apologized, her voice low due to guilt.

"Don't be so sad, Celestine. It's fine." Matilda said as she approached her, guiding her inside the house.

All of the sisters shuffled towards their big dining table, each of them went to sit on their seats.

"Matilda's right. What's important is that you're okay." Annalise said smiling.

"Well, Meira's so worried though. She still hasn't come back from searching for you." Delancey remarked, shaking her head.

"And Mama too... I bet she'll get mad..." Lira said, shivering just as she thought about the face that their mother is going to make.

"Well, thanks to her, people here failed to get their quality sleep. Honestly, after all of the work that we did? I'm honestly not surprised. She's such a troublemaking bitch after all."

Their heads instinctively turned towards the voice that held such venom in her tone. It was Nesryn.

Celestine bowed her head, clenching her fist. Even though she was annoyed—greatly annoyed by her sister's way of talking, however, it's not like she can fight back. After all, what she said was true.

"Where were you anyway?" Nesryn continued as she walked to her seat, sitting down.

"I-I fell asleep at the forest." Celestine answered, stuttering as she looked down towards her clenched fists.

The people in the room went quiet.

Nesryn, however, smirked at her sister's revelation. "Bravo." She said with a smirk, shaking her head while clapping her hands. After that, she looked at Celestine with a fierce expression on her face, her eyebrows nearly meeting each other. "You fell asleep? Is that even a decent reason?!" She asked, her voice getting higher making everyone in the room flinch.

Just as she was about to talk, she was interrupted by Tanith and Meira who entered the room, both of them looked tired and ragged.

"Is Celestine back?" Tanith asked, not noticing her daughter in the room.

Celestine felt a pain in her heart as she glanced at both her mother and friend. They both looked sad and worried. She resisted the urge to just punch herself in the face.

'What did I even do last night?' Celestine questioned herself as she shook her head.

"Yes, Mama. Your favorite daughter has arrived; safe and sound." Nesryn answered sarcastically, her hand pointing towards Celestine who was seated among the others.

However, her rude behavior failed to get the attention of the two, instead, they followed her hand and smiled in evident joy and relief once they saw Celestine.

Tanith and Meira immediately ran towards Celestine, with Tanith immediately kneeling in front of her daughter.

"Are you okay, my child? Did something happen to you?" She asked with a soft voice, full of worry.

The sisters were stunned to see their mother's reaction. They expected her to at least be mad, yet, here she was, using her soft voice as if talking to a baby.

"Ugh, I'm gonna go and get some sleep." Nesryn said as she rolled her eyes upon the scene in front of her before storming out of the dining area.

Celestine nodded her head as an answer to her mother's question. "I'm sorry, Mama, Meira." She apologized as she looked at both of them.

Tanith held her daughter's hands by hers, "Are you sure that you're fine?" She asked again, as she looked closely to inspect her body.

Celestine smiled, "Yes, Mama. I'm sorry. I just fell asleep in the forest, that's all." She explained. "Nothing bad happened." She continued, smiling to give her mother and friend assurance.

Tanith nodded her head as she got up from the ground. "Well, I'm just glad that you're alright. You got me so worried." She said as she smiled.

Meira went near her and patted her by the shoulders, giving her a small smile before sitting down.

Bowing her head, Celestine once again apologized, "I'm really sorry, Mama, Meira, big sisters." She said, loud enough to let everyone in the room hear.

"It's fine, Celestine."

"Yeah! We're happy that nothing bad has happened to you."

Each of her sisters gave her words of comfort, making her smile. She felt grateful.

"I'm guessing that all of us are hungry that's why I'll be preparing our breakfast now." Odette said as she got up from her seat.

"I'm starving!" Lira screamed, making everyone in the room laugh.

Celestine got up from her seat and followed Odette into the kitchen.

"I'll help, big sister." She said as they met in which Odette answered with a nod, "Alright."

Both of them were quiet as they prepared their food which filled the room with a delicious aroma, making their stomach's rumble.

"I'll ask them to prepare the table." Odette said, chuckling as she left Celestine in the kitchen.

As soon as she left, Odette returned with Lira and Delancey.

"I'm so hungry, I think I'm gonna die." Lira said as she entered the kitchen.

"You won't die, Lira. It's only been, like, half a day." Delancey countered, rolling her eyes.

"Well, half a day is almost a day, right? I'm not used to not eating, you know. I was showered with gifts by our previous guests, after all." Lira said, smirking as she slightly hinted of her status before as a courtesan to her sister.

"Well, I guess your brain needs to have all the nutrition that it can get. If you can't even last for a day without food, I think you'll have to rethink your life." Delancey said while getting the plates. "Oh, wait." She muttered, earning the attention of all the people inside the kitchen.

Delancey smirked, "I highly doubt that you'll be able to think about your life, please, forget about what I have said for it was rude." Her tone was formal as she bowed before proceeding to return to her deeds, "I'm gonna go ahead. Bring the spoon and fork with you." She said before leaving the kitchen, leaving her dumbfounded sister behind.

"Wha-What-Huh?" Lira said, her mouth gaping in shock.

Celestine chuckled, "It's alright, Lira." She said, attempting to comfort her sister as she held back her laughter.

"We'll be done in a while, Lira. You'll be able to eat soon." Odette added, smiling.

Lira was pouting as she gathered all the spoon and fork for the family. "I'm hungry." She muttered before finally leaving the kitchen, carrying all of the utensils with her.

As they finished cooking, Celestine and Odette helped each other carry the casserole of beef stew towards the dining table.

"Let's eat!" Lira and Annalise screamed in unison, making all of the people in the room laugh.

"Both of you are older than Celestine, yet, you act as if you're younger than her." Delancey noted, clicking her tongue in irritation as she shook her head.

"Age doesn't matter." Lira answered, pouting.

"And besides, Celestine doesn't even act like a child." Annalise said, backing up Lira.

"We're the babies of the family!" Both Lira and Annalise shouted in unison.

"Yeah, right." Sandra countered, shaking her head. "You want me to swing both of you in a hammock?" She asked, her voice quite threatening.

"Hey, stop fighting." Odette said, trying to be serious, holding back her laughter.

"Let's eat." Tanith said curtly, smiling. She was glad to see her daughters getting along with each other.

"But what about Nesryn?" Corvina asked, concerned.

All of them went silent.

None of them dared to call out to their temperamental sister.

Seeing the change of atmosphere in the room, Tanith sighed. "I'll just bring her share later. It's better not to disturb those who are sleeping." She said, remembering what her daughter said before leaving.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Uhm... You know, Nesryn actually helped to look for you, Celestine." Matilda who was seated on her right side whispered.

That small piece of information made Celestine smile. She and Nesryn were still sisters. They just have their own differences but that doesn't make them less of a family.

"Her behavior is just irritating, as always." Celestine whispered in reply, making both her and Matilda laugh.

"Let's eat! Let's eat! Let's eat!" Lira and Annalise chanted, trying to lighten up the mood.

Everyone smiled as they started to eat. They talked about various things. Their main topic, however, was the next move that they were going to make to grow their new business.

"How about we learn how to sew?"

"No... That would take too long to implement."

"Then what should we do?"

"This is so hard, I wish we could just go back to the way we were before."

Hearing that one complaint made everyone in the room silent. As all of them were quietly thinking, Lira suddenly screamed.

"What is that?!" She asked, shouting as she pointed towards the neatly folded white cloak that was situated at the top of the table, at Celestine's portion.

Celestine's eyes widened. She has forgotten about the cloak that was placed just near her line of sight. She shook her head.

"That..." Celestine trailed off, as she thought about what to say.

Her family looked at her expectantly, their prying eyes made Celestine shrink back to her seat.

"Well..." She began, cringing, averting their eyes.

"Well?" All of them questioned simultaneously, their heads seemingly inching forward towards her.

"It's a cloak?" She answered in an unsure voice, in which her sisters rolled their eyes upon, "Obviously." They all said in chorus, earning a nervous chuckle from their youngest.

Biting her lip, Celestine answered, "You see... When I woke up, that cloak was covering me, protecting me from the cold..." She said, trailing off as she blushed.

Her sisters gasped in awe at what she said.

"Let me see!" Annalise shouted, pointing at the white cloak.

Celestine sheepishly handed over the cloak.

"Look at the details in this one." Lira said as she squints her eyes to look at the cloth.

"Even the fabric is high-quality." Annalise said, brushing her fingers through the cloth.

"Come on, hurry up. Let me see!"

One by one, her sisters inspected it, as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Their faces had a mixture of surprise and joy in them. As they finished, with the white cloak now in Celestine's hands, they looked at the youngest member of their family.

"What?" Celestine asked, blushing.

Her sisters were smirking at her, looking with malicious eyes.

"So... You have another suitor, huh?" One of her sisters said, smiling ear to ear.

"How nice it is to be young." Odette said, shaking her head, getting along with her little sisters.

"Sister!" Celestine shouted, clearly embarrassed.

"Now she's acting like a child." Delancey remarked, making the others laugh.

"Well, she's the youngest after all." Tanith said, smiling, however, her face soon turned serious as she faced Celestine, "You do know that you have to be careful, right?" She asked, her face, full of concern.

Seeing the look on her mother's eyes, Celestine nodded. She understood that she was only worried. After all, her interaction with Roux was not the best experience, and that man actually professed himself to be in love with her, doing various kinds of actions only to throw her away at the time where she really needed him.

She can only shake her head in disgust. She was glad that she did not fall for him, otherwise, she would have killed herself by now due to extreme disappointment.

"Yes, Mama." She answered, smiling.

Her sisters were still squabbling about the cloak, throwing Celestine an infinite amount of malicious questions and amusing speculations.

"Do you have a lover now?"

"Right! Was that the reason why you were not here last night?"

"Celestine has a lover now!"

"No! I'm older and I still don't have one. It's unfair!"

"We're not in a horse race, sister."

Celestine can only laugh, hearing her sisters' whimsical exchange of comments. It was entertaining to see them bickering about petty and trivial matters.

"But then, to whom does that cloak belong to, sister?" Corvina asked, making all the people in the room stay silent, looking at Celestine in anticipation.

Her sister's question almost made Celestine's heart stop. As she remained quiet, like her sisters, thinking about the answer to the question, she suddenly gasped.

All of the memories from last night came rushing towards her.