Bellum Alíu Orbise

Chapter 3

"όταν χτυπήσει ο κεραυνός, θυμήσου με"

**

Tonk.... Tock

It's raining in Latila.

The raindrops splattered all over the windows, falling and colliding with other raindrops, before accelerating and hitting the ground, creating numerous pondles all along the now-muddy streets of the city. Light candles could be seen shining behind the curtains of many windows, some situated on a table, many more moving from one place to another, adding to that a gray color of gloomy weather, creating a city of ghost-like scenes right off the window.

The trees situated between the path to the palace are being tilted along the wind. Leaves are falling by the hundreds, landing on those small puddles of rainwater scattered all along the gravel-covered road. On the watch tower of Voyage Palace, a handful of lights could be seen moving from a distance. That's the Border Guard units changing their shift, from one to another. One could tell from a distance.

Bang!*

A thunder struck right close to the balcony of the palace. The rain gets heavier and doesn't seem to stop anytime soon. The wind becomes stronger and stronger, blowing away all the leaves on those bushes out of the balcony, leaving behind only those thin, lifeless branches.

"Ah...it's you..."

From a room inside the palace,where a fireplace is burning and filling the room with its warmth, Lily Sobieski Voyage-the only daughter of the Voyage family, or as people refer to: Archduchess of Voyage-watched through her right eye, as the Royal Servicers entered her residence from the front gate, along with her younger brother, who's riding on his horse, soaked wet by the rainfall, after a failed attempt to find the prince.

"Fool..."

When Klein's view gazes in her general direction, Lily closes the curtain and leaves to the other side of the room, where she sits down next to the fireplace and picks up her half-drinked tea cup from the table.

"Whatever....what's the matter, Alice?"

Lily said and glared up at the door of the room. Just behind it, the maid named Alice was just about to knock on the door-"Uhmm...Your Grace, your father has just called you for the annual family meeting. You haven't joined any lately-"

"Tell him that I won't give up my title as the Duchess of Voyage as long as I am alive. Do not waste my time any further."

"Madame..."-Alice finally opens the door and steps in-"...father noted to you that:"You must know your place-"

"Quite bold of him saying so in my house, my birth parents' house. I remember having said that clearly that I will not go, you are the one who must go if you don't want your lifeline to be shortened."

With a heavy and threatening tone from the person in the room, the maid steps back and closes the door. However, before leaving for good, Alice said into the keyhole:

"If you change your mind, please come to the meeting room on the third floor."

Then, the hall went into silence.

Bang!*

Another thunder struck down.

"Haizz."

Snap!* Frr*

Lily takes a deep breath, she stands up from her chair, picks up a piece of wood from the pile, snatches it into two halves utilizing the strength of her hands and throws it into the fire. The fire, fueled by dry wood, blew up with a white shade of orange, releasing a cloud of ashes and hot embers into the air, before it returned to its normal state. A warm feeling filled the rest of the room. A bit hot even, but Lily doesn't bother changing it back either, she just leaves it there, going to the other side of the room, and sitting down on the armchair.