The Secret in the Mist (Random Updates)

Chapter 10

"May I ask you a question?" Raine asked as he watched her cling to that well loved bear. She nodded without lifting her head. That was something they were going to have to work on now that she was the duchess. She needed some self confidence and a strong backbone or she will never become what she was truly meant to become. If the duke was right about his assumption anyway. Raine pulled himself out of his thoughts and cleared his throat, "Remember Duchess, you can tell us no or refuse to answer anytime we ask you a question. That being said, what do you think he meant when he told Duke to stop lying to you."

She frowned as she tried to think back. "Just that I'm not special," she shrugged. "Father didn't like how Duke treated me. Can...can...," she huffed as if she were angry with herself, "may I go to work now, please?" She started playing with the bear's shirt, "disrupting your routines," she mumbled under her breath but they still heard it loud and clear.

Raine cleared his throat as a warning to the others before nodding, "Of course, Duchess, it's your home. You can do as you please." She jumped up and rushed out of the room.

"Can I kill him?" Cirro asked as he picked up her nearly full plate and sat it infront of Wolf, who began eating it.

"There will be no killing of the father," Raine shook his head, "Unless stated otherwise by the Duchess. We may not approve of how he treats her but he is still her father."

"Fine," Cirro glared before he stormed off to the kitchen mumbling about needing to find her favorite food and being too skinny.

Raine shook his head about the man being such a health nut before he felt a vibration in the air which stilled Wolf as well. "I'll be back," Raine said once the air lifted its heaviness. Wolf nodded before leaving to check that the gate was still secure before he patrolled the land.

Just as Raine emerged in the rose garden, his phone vibrated. He looked down to see She's in the rose garden. He rolled his eyes at the late notification but remained still as his eyes scanned the area before spotting her sitting on the edge of the water fountain with her bear in her lap.

There was something different about her. She seemed more relaxed and he didn't want to disturb it, especially if it let him observe her.

"And over there used to be only pink roses," she said as she raised her hand and pointed over to a section that was further away. "I think anyway, Duke," she sighed as she shifted the stuffed bear from side to side. "I wish I could remember better, Duke. Something tells me that I was close to Duke, like a feeling in me says he was good to me and I was truly happy around him but then there's these like..." she trailed off before huffing in anger, "Like black spots when I try to think about him. It's so frustrating." She exhaled loudly before smiling, "Oh well, we'll just remember what we can, won't we, Duke? Yes, we will." She let out a soft giggle, which made Raine form a barely there smile. "It's a good thing Duke isn't here, I don't want to hurt his feelings by telling him that Raine's rainbow garden is prettier than what I remember of Duke's. Did you know you can have rainbow roses, Duke?" She asked the bear once she turned him to face her. "I didn't," she shook her head before whispering loudly, "It's like he has magic. It's okay to talk about magic with you because you won't tell anyone. You're the best secret keeper and best friend ever."

Raine frowned, the bear was her best friend? Did the duchess not have any human friends?

She sighed before turning back to the flowers. Hmmm, Raine thought as he frowned at the forlorn look on the duchess' face. I wonder...

Raine narrowed his eyes in concentration as a hazy mist started to form in front of him.

"You better keep your mouth shut when we get there," A furious man yelled at a smaller version of Evangeline. "I mean it. No touching anything and no taking anything if he tries to give you something. You are not special, do not believe his lies."

"Yes Father," the small child whispered as she looked out the window.

The haze thickened before it started to dissipate some more. "There's my darling Angel," Duke beamed excitedly as he picked up the girl and spun her around, laughing at her giggles. "I have a surprise for you at our thrones." She ran to the two chairs in the dining room and gasped at the bear that was sitting in his chair with a big bow around its neck.

She walked back towards Duke's office and stopped right outside the door. "Just because I don't have powers you've denied me my birth right! I have to be present when called yet denied a job or money from you!" That was her father screaming. "You have always made me out to be the black sheep of this family! And now you are trying to take my daughter away from me because she is–" a whooshing noise surrounded her, muffling the screaming as if she were under water. The image blurred as the noise got louder. Just as the image cleared the noise faded away. "You want to be this way? You want to cut me out as much as you can, fine! You're never going to be around my daughter again! You'll never see her again! Hear me? Never! You will never get my daughter without me! She is not special! She's as worthless as me and I'll make sure she knows it! She's nothing without me! Nothing! Mark my words! She will be just like me!"

Raine blinked and the haze was gone. Blinking one more time, there before him sat the duchess with her well loved bear in her lap and a book in her hand. He frowned, how could she have gone to the library and back without him noticing? Did she have a book beside her that he just didn't notice? What was going on with her memories? Something wasn't right, he needed to speak with Cirro and Wolf immediately.