Paper Hearts (Nozel x OC)

4. The family

Helena woke up much earlier than she thought she would. Actually Lidia was supposed to wake her up and help her get ready, but the nervousness did not let Helena sleep soundly. So she just lied in her very soft and comfortable bed, and stared at the ceiling.

Why was so she so nervous about meeting the Silvas? Probably because she had no idea what to expect. Besides the King and Wizard King's advisors, she did not meet any Clover Kingdom nobles. Furthermore her hosts were no ordinary nobles, but a Royal family. Additionally they were all mighty magic knights. The eldest brother was even a captain.

She wondered whether they would be anything like Finral and Vanessa, but then pushed that thought away. These two were definitely one of a kind.

Helena thought about her familia, she hadn't written them anything, except that she was already safe and taken care of in Clover. She wanted to give them a full story including the description of the family, she would be staying with.

Luciana would probably drill Helena on how to gracefully entertain nobles in a conversation. It was just that Helena knew all of that. She was not called silver tounged for no reason. She knew how to get people on her side, but usually did not have too. Just being her sunny and bubbly self was enough. 'This time should be no different.'

With that thought, she got up from the bed motivated. She was not going to sleep anyway, so Helena could be at least productive. She sat at her desk and reached for an anatomy book. She knew the basics of it, however to precisely heal broken bones she needed to recognise their shapes and sizes. Differentiate them from one another and how they were supposed to interact. So she opened the first chapter on human bone structure.

The time was passing by very quickly. Helena scribbled on the margins and underlined important passages. She used her pencils so that she could later, erase her notes and return the book. With her paper magic she could make it look as new. Helena had an enormous respect for books. She thought of the work, that the authors had put into their literature, and the messages they wanted to pass on. The prints assured that their memory would live on.

Just as she turned the page, she heard knocking on the door. Soon after that Lidia opened the door and was surprised to see Helena, out of bed. Especially reading a massive book in her soft pyjamas and with bed hair.

"You are already up, Helena-sama," Lidia noticed.

"I couldn't sleep," Helena explained.

"Everything alright, my lady?"

"Of course, I am just a bit nervous about meeting the Silvas, that's all."

"It is understandable my lady, they will be your new family for a while. I and the other maids will make sure you look the most presentable to meet them." When she said these words, a few more young women entered the bedchamber. Three went into the bathroom and started getting the bath ready, while the rest stayed in the room and were preparing her dress. Helena smiled at them and let them do their thing.

An hour later she was ready.

She looked at the vanity mirror. Her soft wavy hair was once again loosely tied in the back with the golden band, with the Drazel Tree symbol. Brown bangs were elegantly falling on the sides of her forehead and then blending in with the rest of the hair. She had soft make up on just to accentuate her dark eyes, a little blush and a red matte lipstick on. Her lips were always more red than other people's so it looked quite natural.

She wore a beautiful red dress similar to the one she had on, when presented to the king. But this one had a high collar and revealed her shoulders.

"Lady Helena, you can head downstairs. The Silvas made a quick stop by the Silver Eagle's base and soon they will come here."