Conniveo

Chapter XX: Solace

I stood in front of the mirror, rolling the handle of the knife in my hands. I could feel my heart beating in my chest as my anger rose at my own reflection. Mother was likely to be crying in her room, modifying the story to gain Father's favour, as always. I was foolish to try to reason with her. She always was more interested in other things. But I wondered if there was anything I could have done differently, any contributions on my part which could have affected the eventual outcome or curtailed this disaster which became of the last hour.

At the end of the first day of the Silas Qualifiers, I was exhausted. Even more so thanks to the mental invasion I had received from Lady Diella, though I had grown accustomed to it by the end of the night. She had asked that I be present at a banquet to be held in another part of Central, to which Aris had been invited. I had wanted to refuse, as I would be in Aris's company without my parents, but I also knew that an audience with Lady Diella was a rare and near-impossible occurrence in my life. Besides my feelings of dread and anticipation, Eugene was constantly plaguing my mind. I needed to relieve my guilty conscience, and helping with his escape could provide just that. I had my doubts regarding the possibility of such a plan, but if Lady Diella - the most revered female Psychokine I knew - thought it possible, I had no place to provide argument. I turned to face Aris as we made our exit from the arena.

"Are you allowed to bring anyone to the banquet tonight?" I secretly hoped he would say it was by invitation only.

"It is only natural that you would come with me. I assumed you would know this."  

"I apologize. I do not fully understand the workings of high society."  

"In time you will. I have sent your dress to your hotel, along with a pre-marriage gift. I trust that they would be to your liking."

I smiled weakly and he ran his hand down the side of my face. We looked at each other for a brief moment. I wondered if it could be possible for Aris to change, if maybe at some point in the future he would become a more likable man. It was not a hope for the impossible, though the likelihood was slim. Personas were usually crystallized after the childhood years. But in that moment, looking at him, with his softened features in the low lights and the smile he had on his face rendering him with a child-like innocence, I wondered if there was any bit of him I would grow to love.

"You are one very fortunate girl. You don't know how many would kill for a man like me."

I maintained my smile and looked away. At that point, I knew there was no hope for anything between us.

I returned to the hotel room with my parents. I felt an inner tension, though I could not understand why. True to his word, Aris's gift was in my hotel room. Mother gushed excitedly over it and dragged Father over to see it. He looked too exhausted to feign any sort of excitement, and was more concerned about reading Professor Neshi's thesis.

"Open it!" Mother squealed. I looked at the box with the decorative wrapping and looked for the seal point, then pushed through the easy-folded seams and opened the box. I pulled out a Prussian blue floor-length dress with a lustrous sheen to it and a loshamier back and sleeves. I looked at the brand lapel. Frit Lassine. I could not resist the smile that formed on my face.

"I'm assuming you like it then," Father breathed, barely smiling.

"Who wouldn't? It's Lassine."

"There's something else in the box," Mother said, still excited. I looked in and found another box; it was sturdy and covered in some sort of black velvet material. Mother gasped and covered her mouth as I inspected the box briefly before opening it.

It was the necklace. From Central station.

"You asked him to buy this?"

"I merely hinted it to be something you would like," she said, smiling childishly.