I was a virtuous wife

Chapter 10: The surprise encounter

Kierra never felt so stressed at an event before. Of course, she had her fair share of gossiping women, flattering men, nagging elders and cunning snakes but tonight was especially tough for Kierra. 

The mood between Kierra and Jonathan was still unexplainably awkward but they did their part pretending  to be a happy couple and smiled at each other throughout the evening. 

Kierra had mixed reputation among the native nobles. Some admired her for her beauty and intelligence while others mocked her for her stoic personality. Another reason why she didn't get along with the young noble ladies was because of her unique upbringing. 

It was a common occurrence for women of noble birth to get betrothed at a young age and marry early. Usually they get engaged when they are at the young ages of twelve to fourteen and get married at the ages of sixteen to eighteen when they become of age. 

But Kierra Vonton was different. Instead of learning embroidery and childcare, she learnt literature and history. Instead of attending banquets and balls to find a suitable suitor, she attended political meetings and academic conferences. Unlike other ladies, she didn't actively pursue love and instead thirsted for more knowledge. 

Wherever Kierra went rumors followed her endlessly. From small gossip such as her becoming a nun to absurd rumors such as her being a lesbian. But Kierra never minded what others said about her and her family didn't particularly force her to get married. Her family actually delayed her marriage since Sierra couldn't go out and meet men so they thought that Kierra getting married early could distress Sierra.  

She only got engaged at the age of twenty and married at the age of twenty two. Most ladies would have one or two kids at her age. So even though the other ladies mocked her, many were envious that she took her own time to get married and they sort of admired her for that. 

As soon as Kierra and Jonathan finished their dance and went their separate ways, Kierra was bombarded with questions. Most of them were out of pure curiosity and envy and some even out of mockery but Kierra handled all of them calmly with poise. 

However she wasn't in the best mood that evening and the endless questions was starting to get on her nerves. She already felt stuffy because of the tightly fitted ball gown and standing for ages wearing high heels but the heavy diamond necklace only seemed to add to her burden. Whenever she looked down on her neck and felt the weight of the necklace, she somehow felt suffocated. 

So she excused herself and went to the balcony to get some fresh air. She let out a small sigh as the cold wind gently grazed against her and her body finally calmed down.

"I'm tired.....", was the only thought she had.

The days seemed longer to Kierra. Both her mind and heart were exhausted. She tried to brush it off and pretend like everything was fine but her muddled emotions started to take it's toll on her. She felt lifeless as if she her heart was being emptied every passing moment. Whenever she thought about her sister or Jonathan she felt a sharp pain in her chest. So she stopped thinking about it entirely. 

She took a sip of her wine and before she realized one sip turned into another and another and finally her glass was empty. Kierra didn't like drinking alcohol but lately she realized why people loved drinking this bitter liquid. She could no longer go to sleep without having some wine or warm milk. She felt as if the burn from the alcohol made her forget about the pain she felt from being betrayed. 

["I should go get another glass....."]

She stared listlessly at her empty glass that was once filled with the red bitter sweet alcohol. 

"May I share a drink with you, milady ?", said a voice from behind. 

Kierra sighed and thought it must be another one of those flirty men who invite women for drinks but she was sorely mistaken. 

"My apologies but I think you shou-"

When Kierra turned around, she was stunned in place. The man standing before her was tall and handsome with light silver hair and warm amber eyes. His voice was deep yet playful and he was looking at Kierra with a small grin on his face. 

It was a face that was strange to Kierra yet so familiar. 

"E-Ethan ?"

The man's smile grew wider in satisfaction. 

"I'm glad you still remember me."

Kiera felt a wave of inexplainable emotions swelling inside her. It wasn't good nor bad, it was just inexplainable. 

"You look well as always. How have you been ?", he asked her with a gentle smile.

"When did you return ?"

Kierra's heart was still beating hard and her mind started going blank from the shock.

"Hmm.... last month ?"

Kierra could feel tears welling up in her eyes and she tried to hold it back but a single tear escaped despite her efforts and rolled down her cheeks. 

The man chuckled and inched closer. He took a handkerchief out of his coat pocket and gently wiped her cheek. 

"Did you turn into a crybaby while I was gone ?", he asked in a soft tender voice. 

Kierra was irked. It'd been so long since they last met and here he was, just standing there and  joking as if nothing had happened. Her face started to turn into a frown. Their faces were close to each other and his eyes glistened under the moonlit sky. She turned her face from him with an annoyed look on her face. 

The man looked perplexed and gave an awkward smile. 

"It seems you haven't forgiven me yet."

"Forgive ? Why should I forgive you ? Forgiveness is for someone who did something wrong. You didn't do anything wrong, did you ?", she said with a pout.

The man let out a small laugh and grabbed her hand. Kierra was surprised by his sudden action. He gently covered her hands with his and looked straight at her. 

"Forgive me..... for leaving you like that."

Kierra turned to face him again and saw that he looked sad. He looked apologetic and squeezed her hands as if to affirm that he was sincere. He even looked a little desperate. 

"Alright..... I haven't forgiven you just yet but I'll accept your apology for now.", she said slowly.

Though she said that, she knew that her heart had already forgiven him. How could she not ? After all, he was the person she missed the most for more than ten years.

End of chapter 10. 

Thank you for reading this chapter and hope you guys have been enjoying the story so far. 

Who do you think Ethan is ? What could be Kierra's relationship with him ? Why do you think they separated ? 

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