Heartbeat

That night Mariette woke up feeling uneasy.

Wait. Feeling? What am I feeling? thought Mariette.

She could sense something.

Something struggled inside her chest, wanting to get out and making Mariette uncomfortable. She changed her sleeping position many times to find a comfortable position, even though she had never cared about her sleeping position before. But even after trying various positions, something that was struggling inside her chest still didn't go away.

It was only then that Mariette realized that she was having trouble breathing.

Quickly she rang the bell, calling the maid to come over to her immediately.

"My Lady?! What is wrong with you?!"

"Call Emmanuele… Q-quickly," Mariette stammered at the maid approaching her.

The maid quickly came out, then Linda followed in.

"My Lady? What is wrong with you?!" asked Linda frantically. She swiftly corrected Mariette's messy sleeping position. Her hand touched her forehead. "My goodness, you have such a high fever!"

Mariette didn't know she had a fever. She couldn't feel it.

"No… That's not it," said Mariette with difficulty. "My chest… feels like there is… something."

"W-what?" Linda tentatively touched Mariette's neck. "Your pulse…!"

Emmanuele enters, interrupting Mariette and Linda. His breath seemed rushed as he ran from his study to Mariette's room.

"What's wrong with Her Ladyship?!" Emmanuele asked Linda frantically.

"Her Ladyship's heart beating!"

***

The sun had not yet risen, but from afar, Elroy could clearly see a group on their way. The troupe that caught his eye consisted of two horse carriages; one of their master's carriages and another of those carrying other necessities or servants.

Curious, Elroy took his binoculars. How shocked he was when he saw the Tierney family's flag on the two horse carriages.

"Why did they leave when it was still dark like this?" asked one of the knights on guard with Elroy. "Should I check it, chief?"

"Not. I'll go."

Elroy descended from the guard tower and caught up with possibly the Tierneys' stagecoach.

Winter was almost over, and considering there would be a debutante party for the Princess, it was only natural for Mariette to go to the Palace in a hurry. Only in the early hours of the morning like this? When the sky is still dark and the snow hasn't melted yet?

Could it be a chariot or a mugger, thought Elroy.

The horse galloped fast even though it was on a steep road with little snow. He had to hurry, lest Mariette was kidnapped or something. Traveling at this dark hour is very unnatural for a noble entourage.

"Wait, stop!" Elroy ordered the group. He immediately approached the lead carriage as soon as they stopped.

Unexpectedly Emmanuel came down later. His face wore a cold expression, utterly different from the Emmanuele that Elroy had met a while ago.

"Good morning, Master Emmanuele. Sorry for stopping your trip. I just wanted to do a check. It's still too early and dark to start your journey," said Elroy, following the procedures.

"Her Ladyship is sick. We want to immediately take her to the Capital for treatment. If you want to do an examination, please do it quickly," Emmanuele said firmly.

Elroy was about to ask if it was Mariette who was sick and how bad she was that she had to be brought to the Capital. But seeing how firm Emmanuele was, Elroy immediately made an inspection.

When Elroy finally checked the main carriage, he saw Mariette sleeping, leaning against Linda. Mariette looked in pain with slow, heavy breathing and a sweaty face. Linda beside her seemed to be holding back tears while stroking her mistress's body.

What happened? thought Elroy. Whereas yesterday when they rode with Mariette it was fine. The woman even had time to tease him.

"Sorry to interrupt your journey, Emmanuele. There's nothing suspicious about your group," Elroy reported to Emmanuele.

"Yes. We'll go first, then."

"I pray for Viscountess Tierney's recovery. Hopefully… she will be healthy soon."

Hearing Elroy's wish just now made Emmanuele furrow his brows in disgust. Elroy was taken by surprise. This was the first time he'd gotten a look like that.

"It's your own fault, right, for hindering their journey," muttered Elroy as he watched the Tierney family group leave.

But there was something different about Emmanuele's gaze just now.

Not only disgusted, but his gaze also radiated hatred and sadness.

***

"How?" Mariette asked weakly.

"My Lady needn't worry about it. You may go back to sleep," Emmanuele said. He tapped on the roof of the carriage and they started walking.

"Since it's still dark… It's natural to be intercepted," said Mariette. "We should have set off… when the sun had risen."

"How come! My Lady's safety comes first," Linda said quickly. "Because of me… Oh, I'm deeply sorry, My Lady. I should have realized that this curse is hard to break."

"Come on, Linda," Mariette said. She met eyes with Emmanuele for a moment. "It's also my fault for… not getting away from him right away."

"My Lady, I suggest that you go to sleep soon. The trip to the capital city took almost a week. I don't want your situation to get worse in that time," Emmanuele said.

"Yes, of course." Mariette blinked. "I'll try to sleep."

"Please have a beautiful dream…"

While trying to sleep, Mariette felt her mind drift between reality and dreams. She wasn't sure if she actually felt the carriage's sway, the warmth from the blanket Linda had given her, or the softness of the chair she was sitting in. Everything feels real and not at the same time, including something called a heartbeat in her chest.

Getting fainter, Mariette thought in between sober and unconscious. Her hands have constantly been feeling her own heartbeat.

Actually, this is not the first time Mariette's heartbeat has returned. In the past, a similar incident occurred several times. The effect is almost the same. But this rare event only happened for three days at most, after which Mariette's heart would freeze again and leave many questions.

Why?

It is said that Mariette's heartbeat will return when someone loves her. Once Mariette knows who loves her and meets that person, Mariette will be doomed to die. If for a long time no man loves her, then Mariette will lose her senses one by one.

Mariette's pulse now returned. Who is this man that loves her? Was this person going to forget about it in a moment and make Mariette's heart freeze again?

Or would this person be able to quickly forget Mariette when she died?

"Elroy… Gauthier," Mariette muttered absently.

Within her gaze, she saw the man waving his hand with a smile as warm as the rising sun on his lips.

Mariette's eyes finally closed completely.