Alaric handles the details when it comes to planning their trip to the capital for the emperor's birthday banquet, meaning Lenore's daily life remains relatively unchanged beyond being asked for her input on one topic or another.
She starts reading about the proper etiquette for events involving the imperial family, not feeling confident that she remembers all the lessons she took with Alina as well as she should when attending as a duchess. The problem is that reading about etiquette isn't any more interesting than lectures were as a child, and she finds herself falling asleep at her spot in the library, set up with books scattered around the table in front of her.
When she opens her eyes again, she finds an ache in her neck from her head resting in a half-open book like it's a pillow. She jerks up, wiping the spit from her cheek.
"You don't need to be this concerned about your etiquette."
Lenore finds Alaric sitting across from her, clearly amused.
"Alaric! When did you get here? Why didn't you wake me up?' Lenore stumbles over her words, embarrassed that he found her drooling on a book in her sleep.
"I heard you were still in the library after you didn't show up for dinner. When I came, I found you sleeping and couldn't bring myself to wake you."
"It's already that late?" Lenore asks. It doesn't feel like much time passed at all, but time seems to move faster in Barrowmere, where she has the freedom to learn and explore. "I had no idea."
Alaric stands and offers his hand, which she takes. "Dinner is still on the table. You must be hungry after spending the day reading."
"I just want to represent Barrowmere well." Lenore follows him through the halls, noticing how night has indeed fallen while she was in the library.
With a half-hearted shrug, Alaric says, "I appreciate the thought, but there's no need. You could be the best duchess or the worst duchess, and people will only think of a cursed land when they hear of Barrowmere. It's useless to put extra pressure on yourself, and if it's about proving yourself to your uncle, cousin, or whoever you might be thinking of, well, the best way to prove yourself is to live a good life."
Lenore's heart feels lighter at his words, but there's one matter that he hasn't accounted for. "I don't want to offend the emperor on accident."
"I have been the emperor's greatest ally for generations." The way he says it sounds tired, like he's ready to step away from his position, but something keeps him there. "Besides, he would be able to tell that you aren't the type of person who would offend him on purpose."
"There's one other thing."
With a questioning look, Alaric motions for her to continue.
"I get severe motion sickness on carriages."
Nodding, Alaric says, "I remember. The physician should be able to put together medicine for you to take before and during our trip to the capital. Since it's not as far as the journey from Rowanhart to here, it should be a bit easier on you."
"Even so, we should leave a few days early so I can recover if I need to." Lenore gasps when she realizes that she sounds demanding. "I'm sorry! If that doesn't work, we can just leave whenever you planned to in the first place. I'll be okay."
Alaric pauses to face Lenore, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry. You're allowed to make requests of me. We'll plan to arrive a week early. That way, we have the time to deal with any unexpected events."
He leaves the conversation at that, turning back around to keep walking, but Lenore feels heard. She feels acknowledged, and she wonders if she's allowed to hope that this won't be the last time she gets to be seen by somebody else. Somebody who cares for her, if only out of duty.
-:-
Perhaps it's because of the nap she took in the library, but Lenore finds herself unable to sleep that night. Every gust of wind sounds a bit louder than normal. The shuffle of servants' footsteps in the halls seems more frequent. Well, that's natural. Winter and its winds will be here soon, and the servants must be busy taking care of preparations for that and the trip to the capital.
With a sigh and the knowledge that she won't be falling asleep soon, Lenore lights the lantern left in her room—one she hasn't had a reason to use yet. It casts long shadows in the manor as she leaves her room to walk the hallways. If she walks for a bit, perhaps she'll be able to tire herself out enough to sleep before dawn arrives.
Since she has no destination in mind, she decides to explore areas she hasn't had a reason to visit before. But when she walks up the stairs to the third floor, her legs move on their own. She looks at closed doors, and a voice whispers in the back of her mind what lies in each room. Her imagination, she assumes. After all, there's no way for her to actually know such information.
Her vision blurs at the edges, and she feels like she's walking in a dream. There's something here she needs to see, but she doesn't know what it is. Her body, on the other hand, appears to know exactly where to go, weaving through hallways until she's standing in front of an old door. The dust on the handle tells her that nobody has entered this room for quite some time.
But she turns it and opens the door, its creaks echoing. It's dark inside, but her lantern gives her enough light to see without bumping into the many objects stored there. All of them have been covered by sheets, keeping them safe from the dust that coats any other surface in the room.
On a table by the windows on the opposite side of the door, there's a vase filled with wilted flowers. When she gets closer, she finds that the entire table looks like a memorial. There's jewelry, fabrics, a pair of worn gloves, a few books, and countless other small items that feel like treasures from a lost time. But what catches her attention is still the vase, where a simple piece of wood sits nearby with the name "Elyria" carved into it.
When she brushes the dust from it, there's a flash of light. It's intense enough to force her to bring her arm up to cover her eyes, but it fades away as quickly as it appeared.
And when she looks again, the vase is filled with roses in full bloom.