Conflicting Memories

Herena's pink, delicate complexion was warmed by the sun's beams as they passed over her. After that, she transferred her frail body from one area of the manger to another. However, as soon as she settled at the sides of the cradle, she immediately felt that something other than the small pillow on either side of her small body was soft. This sensation continued for as long as she remained in those positions.

Her eyes remained closed the entire time. She remained asleep until the beginning wrinkles appeared in her eyebrows. In her head, she questioned whether or not this was true.

Huh? What is this, exactly? As soon as she opened one of her eyes to have a look at the gentle object that was in the palm of her hand, the other eye quickly followed suit and widened.

It was the handkerchief in question that belonged to her brother. She started turning around the moment she stood up from her cradle despite the fact that she had just emerged from it. She was thrilled at the prospect of handing it down, but then she suddenly recalled that she is, in fact, still a child at this point in her life.

She was of such a petite stature. She has high hopes of maturing very soon. After her body had done a lot of twisting till the cradle finally stopped moving as she balanced her little weight, they were the thoughts that went through her head. By that time, Herena's eyes had already begun to wander due to the sudden dizziness she had begun to experience. At that moment, a pair of warm hands went to touch her cheeks. However, this one was not like the others.

The fact that warm hands were stroking her cheeks was enough to convince her that the heat they were producing was not the same as the heat that would be produced by her brother when he would gently squeeze her small plump cheeks. In addition to this, Herena saw that the hands that were holding her cheeks were much longer than the ones that her brother possessed. Despite the fact that hers was smaller due to the fact that she was a baby at the time.

What exactly is the matter with these hands? Despite the fact that it was warm enough to put her at ease, she continued to experience a great deal of stress. She experienced the sentimentality of familiarity despite the fact that those hands were foreign to her.

Herena became aware of what it was that she was doing at the time. After raising her head, her eyes eventually opened once more. At that precise moment, she was already aware that she was in jeopardy; at least, she believed that she was in danger due to the fact that the person who was stroking her cheeks was none other than the Duchess of the household. She was considered to be Herena's mother and the one who gave birth to her. In Herena's previous existence, the Duchess never paid any attention to Herena or her brother in any way, shape, or form, according to Herena's perspective. The Duchess paid neither her nor her brother any attention. The only way the woman would utter a single word to those individuals at some point in time is if she believed they would be of some service to both her and the Ferrer household.

This time around, the Duchess's voice had an entirely new quality.

The baby was staring fixedly at the Duchess the entire time. Herena was aware that there had been a shift in the environment. The Duchess gave her a friendly grin. It wasn't a terrifying grin at all. It was perfectly safe to do. It was a reassuring smile to see. The Duchess was comforting the infant, but it was unclear why she was doing so. Herena was under the impression that the woman in front of her would not shift her behavior in such a short amount of time. That is not how the Duchess acted toward her, in her opinion. In the past, the Duchess did everything in her power to disregard Herena and Ismael's existence. Even within the confines of the house, she used language that is insulting enough to provoke Ismael to argue with her.

During those times, Ismael never saw the Duchess as their mother; rather, he addressed her solely by her title as the Duchess. Because she was more powerful and greedy, she did not care for her children at any point in their lives. She acts as though she is taking care of them, but she isn't. In point of fact, she is only interested in them so long as she can benefit from their lives in some way.

The infant, however, had the distinct impression that she had seen a ghost when she saw the innocent expression on Herena's face. The Duchess's laughter caused the woman's tiny mouth to open.

"Why is it that you appear shocked? Do you not wish to have a visit from the person who carried you to term and delivered you?" The Duchess of Ferrer stated in a low voice. Herena was speechless and unable to reply. Was there anything she wanted to tell the Duchess despite the fact that she is still a baby, or did she mean anything to her in any way? She was at a complete loss for words. Instead, she gulp in the saliva that had accumulated in her mouth before listening to the elderly woman who was standing in front of her. This was the first time that she had been taken aback by the woman's unexpected transformations.

"So, it sounds like you're game for this, right? I have a clever suggestion..."

***

"Young master, how are you this fine morning?"

"Greetings in the morning, Harlene. Have you been keeping yourself busy today?"

"You are correct, young lord."

Ismael's excitement was through the roof when he learned that he will soon be reunited with his sister. He adored the way Herena wrapped her petite arms around him, especially when she seemed to giggle at every word he uttered. Especially when he said something funny. His sister would never fail to give him a positive response when he would ask her. At that point, he had built up the strength to be able to support her.

He was wandering about in the corridors. When he arrived, Harlene greeted him with a warm grin and sent him in the direction of Herena's room. The identical thing he had done before made the maid laugh once more. Ismael's eyes widened briefly as Harlene said a few words that caused them to continue talking about Herena and how well she had been doing over the past few days. During this time, Ismael's eyes were already wide open.

"Young man, I wouldn't even think that the Duchess would go to your sister's chamber if she said she was going to visit."

When Ismael's countenance abruptly changed, Harlene's remarks, which she should never have spoken aloud, came out of her mouth, which caused her to immediately widen her eyes. He was now giving Harlene a lot of serious consideration.

"Are you telling me that the Duchess was with my little sister? Has she been in the room where my younger sister is? Before she went into Herena's room, had she said anything to you earlier, Harlene, before she went there?"

"..."

Harlene stayed silent for some time. After he had finished sighing, Ismael would finish by shaking his head. In spite of the fact that he was going to go to his sister's room without any concerns, it looked as though he gained the complete reverse of that. When he heard Harlene use the word "Duchess" in place of his sister's name, it caused him to become apprehensive.

"I am sorry that I did not tell you this earlier, young master. Regardless of what happened, it seemed as though the D-Duchess was watching out for your younger sister, young master. She cautioned me to be quiet, yet here I am surprising you by uttering those very things to you..."

Harlene was never able to complete what she started. As soon as she noticed Ismael's eyes, she immediately clamped her lips together. She was well aware that she should not have greeted him with a smile if she intended to deceive him in any way. His eyes appeared to be capable of instantaneous and ruthless execution of anyone who disobeyed him, and they were incredibly terrifying.

"Forget it, Harlene, but the next time we interact I will not put up with you as much as I have in the past. I have complete faith that you will be able to look out for and direct my sister through this trying period."

"You are correct, young M-Master. But not this time, young master; I have nothing to worry about. Lady Herena will not be hurt by the Duchess."

"Harlene, if I had known the Duchess for a longer period of time, I never would have said it. I'm curious as to where you got that impression from."

Ismael had plenty of time to think about what Harlene had said because his eyebrows started to wiggle as he listened to her explanation. This gave him the opportunity to fully comprehend what she had said.

"I was aware that the Duchess would never put the Lady in danger, young master. When I peered into the Duchess's eyes, I noticed that the look that she had always given to everyone in the past had changed when she stared at the door to Lady Herena's room. After looking at me intently for a moment, she then gave me a grin before motioning for me to be silent."

"Harlene, if I'm not mistaken, I believe I was supposed to check something earlier. I am relieved that you were able to communicate this, but I ask that you watch out for my sister in the future."

"Yes, young master."

What he meant when he said that Harlene was safeguarding his sister was that she would provide her with adequate information about the threats that were there in the home. Even the Duke and Duchess were not immune to the words of caution that Ismael had given to Harlene earlier.

In the meantime, Harlene showed proper courtesy by bowing her head as Ismael made his way toward his sister's location. When that, she turned around to stare at the young man's back, only to look at him anxiously after she did so. Harlene is aware of the fact that the young master cannot even trust his parents to tell him the truth about his sister. Ismael was understandably upset when he found out that he had not been showered with love and affection by his parents while he was growing up. Even though he spent his formative years in the same home as the Duke and Duchess of Ferrer, he never got the sense that he was their son.

Therefore, it was imperative for him to safeguard the one thing that, despite the insanity that surrounded him on a daily basis, enabled him to maintain his sanity. Because Harlene understood everything there was to know about Ismael's history, she was unable to refute it. She had no choice but to argue against the emperor's orders to her.

The instant that she made the decision to get rid of the scrap of paper that she was clutching was the instant that she renounced her position as the Emperor's servant. Instead, she focused on making good on her obligations to the family. It's to witness the offspring of these two illustrious individuals carrying out their responsibilities as responsible members of the family.

She did not have any other option except to look for the children who lived in the residence. This is the only thing that she can do to appease both her conscience and her common sense.

***

What possible interest might the Duchess have in his sister? Is there something that Herena should not have done? She is only a few steps away from him and easily within his grasp, unless the Duchess considers being rescued by the crown prince to be a form of retribution...

Ismael's train of thinking was cut short as he opened the door of Herena's room and he never saw her within. It was impossible for him to conceal the fact that his mouth had expanded, as had also happened to his eyes. His heartbeat was racing, and his breathing was getting faster by the second. His eyes were darting all over the room.

He was well aware of the Duchess' merciless nature and her capacity to be cruel to anyone. Ismael's eyes started bleeding for the first time at that point, when she threatened to even kill a newborn. After he had closed the door to his sister's bedroom and felt veins begin to descend on either side of his forehead, he was unable to control the way in which he peered into the halls.

There was no way for him to locate her in that location. He roamed around aimlessly and didn't even bother paying attention to the maids because he was afraid that if he did, the Duchess and the Duke would find out. He was aware that the noble adults' ears and eyes in the house were already being taken care of by the servants.

Still exercising a minuscule amount of control over the situation, he was aware that the only thing he could do was move around once his eyes spotted a very recognizable figure in the garden. Even before he was aware of what he was doing, he had already placed both feet on the path.

He didn't stop until about an hour and a half into the time that he listened to the Duchess.

"If that's the case, then you're the baby I gave birth to. No wonder you're lightweight. If you want to be a nice wife, you need to make sure you eat well."

What became of that abominable Duchess? Who is this infant's supposed husband? She is still a little child!

***

"You need to have the ability to capture the crown prince's interest as the Lady of Themiore household. I wouldn't accept "no" as a valid response. Keep in mind that we need to strengthen our factions in order to move forward. Only by uniting our authority with that of the royal dynasty will we be able to bring those bureaucrats, who are hungry for power, under our control."

"I understand, Father. I'm going to carry out the instructions you've given me. This evening, the Crown Prince was kind enough to offer to serve as my escort, and I assure you that I will not withdraw on him."

"Arianne, it's wonderful that you carry Themiore's blood in your veins. Continue working toward your goal."

Following in the footsteps of Duke Ferrer, Gillian Themiore was widely regarded as one of the most powerful Dukes in the Empire. Only that he had a difference of opinion with the authorities. Despite this, he needed to bolster the portion of his faction that was working against them. Ivian was aware of this, and as a result, he was obligated to foil Gillian's schemes with Ismael. Ivian was well aware that Gillian's principles were not respected even within the confines of the Empire.