By My Side | The Arcana: A mystic Romance

12:Butterflies

Five cups of tea after dressing up and she was ready to work, but breakfast was soon and she didn't want to miss that either. So she grabbed her notebook and jotted all the way to the dining room, for all of fifteen minutes at most.

The dining hall was open when she arrived, so she stepped in without a second thought.

"Ah. Haya, we were just talking about you.", Nadia said from her usual place. She had a glass of wine in hand, much to the young lady's dismay. However, another presence absolutely drew her attention from that. A tall, slender man stood beside Nadia, purple gaze brimming with mischief. She had to stop herself from burst into tears or hysterical laughter, or both. She was losing her mind recently, she'd have to work on that.

The book and quill in her hands were quickly discarded as she went to fix herself. She suddenly regretted not looking in the mirror when she left her room. Did she have twigs in her hair from the night before? She couldn't check, now could she.

"Are you quite alright, Haya, dear?"

She blushed, cleared her throat, and squared her shoulders.

"Yes, your grace.", she breathed out. Slowly, she raised her gaze to meet Nadia's, and was shocked to find a teasing smile playing along her lips. Reluctantly, she said, "I'm just a bit... Caught off guard."

"Good, we wouldn't want you getting sick on us.", Asra mused, his voice filled with that childlike mirth. Haya picked up her book and pen, and walked to her usual place at the countess side. Soon, she found herself sitting across from Asra, her gaze lowered as to keep her composure.

This was her own doing; she was the one who called for him.

At that moment, Portia walked in with a trail of servants following her. The immediately laid out all sorts of breakfast delicacies on the table.

"Wouldn't you like to greet your master? Do not let me stand in your way, dear.", Nadia said as she drank from her cup. Haya couldn't bring herself to lift her gaze, for some reason. She could feel them watching her. She picked up a fork and began picking food and placing it on her plate.

"I do enjoy a show of decency, milady.", she said softly. Asra chuckled softly, avaerting his gaze when Nadia looked between them. He and Haya were exceptionally close, he understood why she would rather wait until afterwards to address him.

Breakfast was delicious, as always, and enjoyed in something of a comfortable silence. Although, on Haya's end, it felt more like a stifling silence with Asra sitting across the table from her. He conversed with Nadia with great familiarity, a reminder that he once worked at the palace, and so lived there. Haya's mind travelled to the library, then the weeping willow outside in the garden. She blushed as Asra's flustered face flashed in her memory upon her confronting him. Then, she remembered that vision of him and the doctor, and she choked on her food.

She tried hard not to fall out of her seat as she coughed uncontrollably. All eyes were suddenly on her as she struggled to drink from her cup of water. A flustered Nadia placed a gand over her heart and worriedly asked, "Haya, dear, are you alright?"

She nodded quickly, not meeting anyone's gaze as she wiped away her tears. The heat in her face... She must have looked stupid with a blush in such a situation. How to save herself the embarrassment? Then Portia went to Nadia's side and poured her more wine, much to Haya's dismay. However, this could be to her advantage.

"I've been meaning to give you treatment for your headaches, Nadia.", she said meaningfully. The woman looked at her, curious. When she rased her face, her gaze locked with Asra's for a second. His eyes were bright with mirth and something else she couldn't quite place.

"Oh?", Nadia asked, blinking. Haya nodded, a small frown on her face. At this, Nadia lifted her brows.

"You look tired and upset. Is something the matter?", she asked, that motherly tone coming through once again. Haya couldn't help the way her heart fluttered at the warmth of her tone. She was starting to enjoy this, and it worried her.

"I'm only thinking, your grace, not upset. The most effective medicine I can make for you would require you to stop consuming alcohol.", she said, sitting up in her seat to try and not look tired like Nadia had pointed out.

"You don't mean— that, do you?", Asra asked, eyes wide as his gaze shot between the countess and Haya. Haya nodded sincerely, and Nadia blinked.

"What? What is it?", the woman asked, her expression not once betraying her. However, she slowly set her wine glass down and placed her hands in her laps.

"Nothing. May I have a moment with Haya, please?", Asra said, eyeing Haya curiously. Nadia's scrutinising gaze slowly moved between them in search of something, before she nodded with a smile.

"Of course."

Asra rose and offered her a slight bow before gesturing for Haya to exit the room. Only when she did so did he follow her out.

By now the corridors were bustling with life, but they were wide enough that they could have a conversation without being in the way of, or being interrupted by the busy servants. Haya looked at the floor, then the ceiling, before Asra waved a hand before her face. She blinked, her gaze fluttering in his direction. They locked gazes. He had a mischievous smile on his face. She pursed her lips and tried not to smile back, remembering how serious she had been when she asked for his help.

"You're fidgeting.", he said. Her hands dropped to her sides. She didn't even remember bringing her hands together.

"I'm stressed. The things happening around here are beyond my capacity.", she said softly. His smile widened as she mulled over the events of the past few weeks.

"That's why I'm here. Remember?", he said. She nodded, a small, relieved sigh escaping her lips. Satisfied, Asra let his gaze wander away from her as he asked,  "So you want to give Nadi that concoction of yours. Are you sure about it?"

"Of course. It'll do just the trick, dealing with her migraines. She has missing memories as well, you know.", Haya said. Asra nodded with a sigh.

"I realise. She didn't recognise me at all when I arrived. But your potion... We don't even know if it'll work. It didn't work on you, remember?", he responed. Haya sighed as frustration crept in. He was right, she couldn't deny that, but what choice did she have? Asra studied her, his gaze searching for something in her eyes. After a moment, he sighed, the mirth in his eyes immediately being replaced by something reminiscent of sorrow. However it was so brief that it seemed like it never happened, and he nodded at her.

"Alright, then, but it'll have to wait. We need to make visit to the shop, today."

After letting Nadia know, they left for the Shop. Apparently, Asra had things there that could be of use in the investigation. With the progress Haya had already made, Nadia supposed it wouldn't be much trouble to let them go for a few days.