gamblers debere

𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔬𝔫𝔢 : 𝔩𝔦𝔣𝔢 𝔟𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔣𝔦𝔬𝔯𝔢 (𝔭𝔯𝔢𝔮𝔲𝔢𝔩)

On the sparkling island of Stella, rustled in familiar warm sheets, Lucy nestled herself in the comfort of her own bed, refusing to open her eyes. She knew that this was the last time she could fall into slumber on her beloved bed, as later this afternoon she would have to follow her father to the Heartfilia Manor, located all the way in Fiore. She burrowed herself deeper into her bedding as the maid nudged her awake for the morning.

"Princess, wake up. It's morning already."
Lucy groaned. "Virgo, 5 more minutes! The sun hasn't risen yet. Give me a break."

The pink haired maid walked over to the covered french window in the bedroom and pulled the curtains, allowing faint morning sunlight to spill all over.

"Hngh, fine, I'm getting up now." The blonde sat up and stretched her stiff arms. "Happy now?"

The maid smiled at the mistress. "That's my girl," replied Virgo as she walked towards Lucy, getting her out of bed and promptly stripping the sheets. "I need to wash your silk sheets before we depart for Fiore later, so please do not take a nap on the bare mattress, my princess. I have also called your pilates instructor for your last class today, and he's coming in an hour."

"Thank you as always, Virgo. Can you iron the outfits that I choose yesterday? I want to wear them for today."
"Certainly, my princess. Your father asked me to inform you that we will all be departing at noon. We have packed up all off your belongings except for the last few items in your closet."

"Alright," Lucy acknowledged while rubbing her eyes and making her way towards the bathroom. She couldn't believe that she would have to return to her old life back in Fiore, when once upon a time she and her father ran away from that country to rid themselves of their painful past.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　 ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

When Lucy's father, Jude Heartfilia broke the news that they would have to move back to Fiore as he would have to monitor the intercontinental railway tracks that were built under his konzern, she threw a fit. The reason they moved to Stella was to move on from her mother's sudden death, and going back to Fiore meant reopening old wounds. She worried there would be a rift between her and her father again, like what happened 8 years ago.

Year X777. Layla Heartfilia, wife to Jude and mother to Lucy, passed away after succumbing to her illness. Lucy was just 8 years old. It was a rainy day when Layla was put to rest, and Lucy had never seen her father cry before until that day. This was the day when she knew grief was was just love persevering. It was love with no place to go.

Both father and daughter fought everyday. Layla wasn't there to be peacemaker anymore, so every little thing the other did managed to get on each other's nerves. There was always screaming in the manor, and after it ended the servants could hear them sobbing in their respective rooms. They pushed each other away when in reality, the both of them needed the other. Jude would keep his mind occupied with work, he had a railway business and casino investments to keep him busy from his grief. Lucy on the other hand would shut herself in her room, where she would spend most of her time reading classics and writing letters to her deceased mother. The hours of being immersed writing and reading was proof of her love for literature, and where her dream of becoming a novelist stemmed from.

Lucy was 12 when her father stepped back into her life again. On the 4th year anniversary of Layla's death, he went home and found Lucy crying in the library, holding onto a book that belonged to his wife once upon a time. It broke his heart knowing that he left Lucy on her own while he was busy with work and drinking away his grief. He sobered up after that and made a promise to himself to always be present in Lucy's life.