Paper Hearts (Nozel x OC)

1. The farewell

Lady Luciana Drazel felt as if she was going a round in circles. She was rushing through the castle for fifteen minutes or so, looking for her eldest daughter Helena and she just could not find her. Helena had this amazing gift of being anywhere else than where she was needed. And this day was important, since she was about to leave her home and move to the Clover Kingdom.

Luciana knew her castle like a back of her hand. The stone walls, the lavish wooden staircases. There was no room in the estate that held a secret before her, except for where to find her children. She had seven of them, so it was quite a feat to know their whereabouts most of the time.

She passed the door opening to the gardens and was walking through the hallways in the direction of the east wing. She noticed a figure standing near a red curtain, covering a high wooden window. The young man was slim and had an athletic built. He had long dark brown hair, which he wore in a low ponytail. He had tan complexion. His eyes were light brown and deep-set. The full lips somehow softened a sharp angle of his straight nose and jawline. The man wore a simple yet sophisticated brown robe. He was her eldest son Gabriel.

"Have you seen Helena?" She asked, when she reached him.

"No, mama I haven't seen her. Have you checked her room?"

"Yes I started with it. Her bag was there. Even though it looked packed Helena was nowhere to be found."

"Maybe she decided she's staying at home" Gabriel commented.

"I don't think so, your sister is not the one to change her mind so easily. Help me look for her hijo."

Gabriel nodded and spun around, his long dark hair flowing from the motion. He was looking more and more regally with each day. With few long strides he passed his mother. He was going to look for her in the gardens, leaving the library and the east wing to Luciana.

She started walking and sighed. At least Gabriel was starting to fall into his royal duties and as the oldest son he had a lot of them.

She did not see any other of her children on her way to the library. When she reached it she noticed that the door was slightly opened. She pushed it and quietly went inside.

Two of her daughters were standing near a wooden library table, one of them going through a stack of books laying on top of it.

"Hermana Helena, why do you have to leave?" she heard cries of her youngest daughter Cecilia. She was only eight years old and was the sweetest little girl. Her light brown hair was put up into two pigtails and she had adorable brown scrunchies holding them up. Her fair, round face was beaming with energy. She wore a red puffy dress, that would spin beautifully, whenever she made a move. Helena on the other hand, had dark chocolate hair and a tan complexion similarly to Luciana.

" I don't have to hermanita, I want to" Helena answered.

"Whyyyy? Just stay here with the rest of us, it's not fair. Patricia or Camilla can go instead."

"Patricia and Camilla have no interest of getting to know the Clover culture, so it would be pointless to send them there. Would you mind holding this?" Helena passed her younger sister a medium sized notebook with a brown cover. It was heavily used and looked like it.

"Your sketchbook? You can buy yourself a new one once you get to Clover" said Cecilia.

"I know and I am going to. However this one I'm definitely taking with me."

"And I was wondering what was so important for you to suddenly disappear on the day of your departure" Luciana interrupted her girls' conversation "Gabriel thought that you were contemplating staying here."