Recollection | One Shots |

Unraveling Feelings

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Vi stood in front of the bustling marketplace, her clothes drenched from the heavy rain. Her heart ached more than her body, shivering from the cold. She glanced down at her watch again, willing time to slow down, willing Ria to arrive, even if just a little late. She had promised, after all. Their first real date.

But the truth weighed heavily in her chest: Ria wasn’t coming.

Vi sighed, brushing wet strands of hair away from her face. She had looked like a fool, waiting for hours, soaked to the bone, desperately hoping that Ria would appear with some kind of excuse, any reason to make this hurt less. She had believed, for just a moment, that maybe Ria would see her. Not just as the fiancée she was forced to marry, but as someone who cared deeply for her.

But Ria hadn’t shown up.

When Vi returned to the estate that night, shivering from the cold, she had found Ria laughing, seated comfortably by Jackson’s side, as though their plans had never existed. Vi had stood in the shadows for a moment, feeling the sharp sting of betrayal before slipping away quietly to her room.

That night, Vi's fever took hold, and her body succumbed to the cold and stress. The next morning, Ria was in a foul mood, her irritation building with every passing moment. Vi wasn’t there—she hadn’t been all morning. Ria had grown so accustomed to having Vi by her side, pampering her, attending to her every need, that Vi's absence gnawed at her in ways she couldn't quite understand.

By the time Ria learned that Vi was sick, a pang of guilt rushed through her, though she quickly shoved it aside. Sick or not, Ria’s day felt off, and it annoyed her endlessly.

But something shifted after Vi’s recovery.

Ria found herself spending more and more time with Jackson, as was their norm, but Vi no longer hovered nearby. She no longer sought out Ria’s company like she used to. Vi had always been there, lingering at the edges of Ria's life, offering her affection and devotion. But now, Vi was slipping away, and the shift unsettled Ria, though she wouldn’t admit it.

Vi, in her loneliness, found solace in someone unexpected. Sar, a stable worker with no noble status, had caught her eye. Sar was nothing like Ria. Where Ria was cold and distant, Sar was rough around the edges but genuine. At first, Sar had barely spared Vi a glance, treating her like any other noble. But as time passed, Sar softened. She opened up, offering Vi a quiet companionship that was both refreshing and calming.

The more time Vi spent with Sar, the more she realized how different her world felt now. Sar didn't demand anything from her, didn’t make her feel small or insignificant. With Sar, Vi could simply be herself—no expectations, no pretense. It felt good.

But Ria noticed. And with every passing day, her irritation grew. Vi’s absence left a void that Jackson’s presence couldn’t fill. The laughter they used to share now felt empty, as if something was missing. Vi had been a constant in Ria's life, and now that she was pulling away, Ria didn’t know how to handle it.

She began watching Vi from a distance, her eyes narrowing every time she saw her laughing with Sar. It grated on Ria's nerves. How dare a commoner like Sar take Vi's attention? What could Sar possibly offer that Ria couldn’t? The thought infuriated her.

The jealousy that bubbled up within her was new, foreign. Ria couldn’t understand why she felt so possessive over Vi, but the more time Vi spent with Sar, the more Ria felt like something precious was being stolen from her.

One afternoon, as Ria watched from the window, she spotted Vi laughing with Sar near the stables. Her stomach twisted in frustration, and she slammed her hand on the window frame.