In Another Lifetime ~ Hariana

Chapter 3 - A Frenemy

The amount of times Ariana had demanded for the stranger to put her down were more than she could count with her fingers, all attempts useless as he kept jumping from roof to roof like some kind of ninja. The pair was already far from the two suspicious men, one who apparently was the Duke, and the other one his puppy, so she didn't understand why her "hero" - whose face she hadn't seen yet due to the fact that he was carrying her on his shoulder - wasn't stopping.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, they came to a stop on an alley and she was strangely unafraid. The young man seemed to be in his twenties with raven hair and ocean blue eyes, and every thought that he could be trying to kidnap her were gone. Maybe it was his his tranquil gaze or the smile on his lips, but she felt like she could trust him.

"Uh-Thank you for saving me."

"Yeah, it's nothing. How did you get mixed up with them in the first place? Don't you have to be pretty idiotic to hit a Duke?" He snorted and his whole friendly aura was gone, just like that.

"Wha-"

"I'm just saying, don't expect someone to come and rescue everytime you're in trouble, idiotic girl." He shook his head and began walking away.

Now she was mad. "Well excuse me, it's not like I asked you to save me." She shouted angrily, but he was already gone.

"Oh my God." She was completely irate at the man's sudden personality change, that arrogant and phony act putting her over the edge. How dare he? Ugh. Ariana started the opposite way, stepping out of the shadowy alley when she noted the automobile was parked just a few feet away. Had that haughty man brought her this far on purpose..? She was bewildered, unsure of his intentions though the fury she felt for his callous words took over her and she didn't care anymore if he was actually nice or not.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A woman of dirty blonde hair and freckles all over her face walked along the exquisitely adorned hallways, carrying on her hands a pile of clothes she was to wash. Not a lot of people were around at the time, all occupied with preparing the arrangements for...Something that was probably going to cause quite a lot of gossip amongst the citizens, though nobody knew what yet.

A sweet melodic piano sound impeded her from continuing striding. She noticed it was coming from the room a few steps ahead, immediately relaxing as she knew who it was. This wasn't the first time the same melody was heard around this side of the mansion, the person who played it always keeping it the same, a fact nobody knew the reason behind.

Hearing footsteps not far, the maidservant quickly continued her journey, also aware of who the person, who walked inside the room where the piano was being played, was. It was like a routine, one which never had a happy ending.

~~

"Again with the piano?" A man said in a tone louder than normal, directing his voice at the young man sitting by the piano whose gaze didn't lift even as he finished playing the piece.

"Is there a problem, Abel?" His voice spoke, much softer than of the other man's.

The man, Abel, sighed, "Lord Harry, you mustn't waste your time with this meaningless hobby. Your father is furious that you didn't attend your lessons today. He'd be even more enraged if he ever found out that the reason behind that is that you spent the day outside with those commoners."

It was now Harry's turn to sigh, and finally his gaze met Abel's. He was characteristically calm and matter-of-fact, as he always heard the same things from his father's adviser, so by now he was used to it.

"And you're not going to tell him, are you Abel?" A smug grin grew on the young man's lips as he propped himself up and grabbed the small piece of bread sitting on the piano, heading towards the window where the white dove was already anxiously awaiting for its daily snack.

"What I'm saying, my Lord," He continued, observing Harry, "-is that you should focus your attention on your studies and duties as the Duke's son. Do you not wish to make your father proud?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, watching the dove eat the bread from his hand without making any comments regarding Abel's inquiry. In truth, no, he had no interest in making his father, who cared more about his title than his own offspring, proud. And sure, he could attend classes, meetings with the most prestigious people and whatnot, but he also had no intention of ever inheriting the title his father has always held so dear. Of course, his own personal choice mattered very little, even though he could reject it, Harry knew he never would, afraid to disappoint his mother who watched him everyday, from heaven.

With a room of silence, Abel figured he wouldn't get any response, so shaking his head slowly, he walked out of the room.

It wasn't until the white dove had finished the meal and was now enjoying the soothing sensation of Harry's finger petting its head, that the curly-haired young man spoke.

"Hey, what would you do if you were me? Because to be honest, being the son of a Duke already feels like a prison, so I don't even want to imagine what being a Duke is like. It's just..Ugh." The animal paid no attention as Harry kept stroking it, and he chuckled, "You are so lucky to have zero concerns."

He turned around and the white dove flew away, leaving Harry alone in the room with the piano in front of him. His mind went to the little girl he had seen perform years ago, reminding him of how free she looked and how jealous he has always been of her. Ever since that day, he's felt inspired to play the piano. To play the melody she had sung. Although he's written a few of his own songs, none of them ever gave him as much joy to play as the one she had once so beautifully sung. And now, as he sat down at the piano and his fingers began playing that familiar tune, he tried to imagine what it'd be like to perform in front of a large audience. To be able to feel like you're not trapped. To be able to escape everything and everyone, the solution to his problems an exceedingly simple one: Music.