XX – Cauterize the wound
 
 
 
Jin still hasn’t come back.
 
And Aria… has never felt so exposed, added by the knife-like feeling of humiliation, of feeling less-than human in her infuriatingly short and miserable life before, during and even hours after the ‘examination’ (for a lack of a better term) and although the Princess was more than aware that Eden had only nothing but her best interests at heart, the experience was just as life-scarring as it is.
 
She knows Eden’s mother–is Mrs. or was it Doctor Brighton the proper name to refer to? –was not even at fault too and had been doing her job and moral duty to a patient and to her princess but Aria, no matter how irrational, how petty, and childish… she still couldn’t find it in her to quell the licks of fiery resentment bubbling up on her chest.
 
No.
 
It wasn’t the Brightons.
 
 
(It’s not their fault and it’s not your fault…)
 
 
Because deep down, Aria knows that the truth is… she was just still mad with herself, with the situation, with Ysabel and… with the dead men in her garden.
 
 
At least Eden had been the one to do the talking, had been the one to explain when she unceremoniously brought the Princess to her humble home, much to the shock of her mother and younger brother (it was the first time Aria was standing this close to someone who was literally her age… huh, no wonder Eden knows how to handle her so well) when it happened because for the life of her, had Aria been prompted to speak, she wouldn’t know what to say there and then with how numbed she feels. She still couldn’t find it in her to talk about it.
 
She feels like a spectator within her body.
 
 
(–a marionette with no strings…)
 
 
While Eden and her mother spoke in private (on account that the woman had to swear first on her children’s life not to tell anyone about what she was going to hear), Aria was half-tempted to run.
 
 
“Your highness, a-are you thirsty… hungry? Is there anything I can do to make you comfortable?” the boy–Adam, wasn’t it? –was asking, his voice cracking by the end, and she knows it was for the sake of being polite as he hovered on the other side of the room, looking both anxious and awkward to be alone in her presence because the adults were still talking in the other room.
 
Meanwhile, the Princess had practically frozen on the spot because she had been subtly creeping closer to the open doorway because she was just this close to bolting out of the house and never come back.
 
… but Aria figures that she would have look undignified in front of her handmaiden’s family who had been nothing but courteous to her at the very least. So, she forces herself to stay still, to grit her teeth and bear with it.
 
“No need,” she tells him amicably, smiling, and uncaring when he tried so hard not to recoil when he sees her eyes of red bearing on him for the first time, “…please don’t mind me.”
 
For a moment, he was quiet.
 
But he hasn’t left.
 
And for a second, Aria entertained actually saying that he was being dismissed… but thought better of it just as quick since this was his home and she was a guest here.
 
Now Aria… you mind your manners, a voice that unfairly sounds too much like her friend chides her in the back of her head. And Aria thinks that hearing voices may be due to her lack of sleep. Or lack of sanity. Go figure.
 
“I… my sister said you like sweets.”
 
She stares at him, face turning blank.
 
Well, this is… this is really awkward.
 
Under any normal circumstances, Aria wouldn’t have really bothered with making small talk but… but this was Eden’s brother, so she kept her face calm as she slowly nods at him, “Yes… although I was under the impression that all children does?”
 
He makes a face, “Uh… no, not really,”
 
…What.
 
“You are not fond of sweets, mister Brighton?”
 
“Eh. Just ‘Adam’ is fine,” his eyes immediately widened, and he hurriedly added, hands animatedly waving; “That’s my name. I mean, uh your highness, please just call me Adam–”
 
…Good gracious, he’s just as flustered as Eden had once been.
 
“Adam, you do not like sweets?”
 
“Well, n-no… not really,” his rosy skin flushed as he wrung his hands together and Aria almost raises an eyebrow at the familiar gesture, a habit she sees quite too often with her handmaiden–would you look at that, Eden and her brother looked and acted too much alike.
 
She clicks her tongue, “What about my sweet tooth?”
 
“Oh, right,” he cleared his throat, “Well, w-we have an activity at school to b-bake some cookies today. And I brought some home so… well, w-would you like to try some, your highness? Mother wasn’t as fond as sweets too.”
 
“Yes please,” Aria blinks, “…thank you, Adam.”
 
He grins, looking genuinely pleased, turning hurriedly away for a moment to rifle through his knapsack that was under… the table, for some reason, (again, Aria can feel the phantom pain of envy she always seemed to feel whenever she sees children her age that had gone to public school. To be free to socialize… she wanted that too–) as he produced a clumsily wrapped box of… fist-sized cookies?
 
 As Aria helped herself to some… which were half-burnt and far too sweet than what she was used to.
 
It doesn’t take a genius to know that the cookies were clumsily made, probably his first attempt at baking for sure, but at the same time… they seemed to be earnestly made while Adam watched her with bright, kind eyes.
 
“You made this?”
 
“O-of course,” he beams, “My first time at cooking!”
 
…Huh. No wonder.
 
So, her assumption was correct.
 
 When he looks at her like that, with his messy, dark brown hair and shining eyes (even though, Adam’s eyes weren’t a piercing gray but a bright, soft brown like Eden’s), this boy somehow, in some way… kind of reminds her of… Jin.
 
“So how was it?”
 
She smiles, far more genuine than the first.
 
 “Sweet,”
 
“You like it? Thank you–”
 
But her smile falls just as quickly when Eden and her mother came rushing into the room, both looking like they had been crying.
 
“What is it?” Adam asks, “Mother?”
 
But Mrs. Brighton doesn’t give her son a response and only turns to look at the Princess. And for a long a while, none of them spoke up.
 
“You,” the woman begins, voice sounding so impossibly soft and raw, lips quivering and Princess Aria hurriedly closes her eyes when they begin to hurt again, “…you are far too young.”
 
Her eyes felt like burning.
 
 
 
*
 
 
 
Aria was right to ask and let her handmaiden to do the talking because after everything was said and done… Mrs. (Doctor?) Brighton was very much concerned.
 
And the Princess silently commends the woman for acting so professional despite her reservations and far more obvious attempts to try to comfort her–as she began to tell her about what she found out from the… the examination but Aria was quick to shake her head at the older woman. She didn’t want to hear it.
 
 
She didn’t even want to know.
 
Eden should be the one to know about the… details since her handmaiden had been the one to insist. Aria was far too gone to care. She didn’t really care. She’s not the slightest bit of interested.
 
End of story.
 
…not.
 
Because Eden’s mother still looked so worried even after all was said and done and had prescribed her with… had given her daughter specific instructions but Aria tunes out of it for the most part until–
 
Until…
 
 
“…Aria?”
 
 
That… voice…
 
Her eyes snaps open.
 
The world was black, then white.
 
Everything blurs in.
 
Then out.
 
And Aria can faintly feel Eden’s gloved hands gripping her by the arms as her handmaiden gently aids her to stand up (had she been sitting?) while she found herself blinking at the silhouette not too far from where she was.
 
Strange…
 
Because the Princess briefly recalls that she was supposed to be in Eden’s home, she was so sure it was still nighttime when Mrs. Brighton was talking to her as she nibbled on poorly made cookies but now she was in her study…
 
And it seemed to be morning already because the curtains are still drawn and her gaze were still being speckled with black dots and she narrowed her eyes, willing them to focus.
 
…until all the Princess can see, can only look at the face of the one and only person she had been longing to see for the past few weeks. She hurriedly tries to blink back tears as a smile creep up to her lips.
 
Eden was saying something.
 
 
 
(But her voice sounds so far away.)
 
 
 
“Hi!” Jin Sanscroft chirps as he smiles with all the warmth of the shining sun when he runs up to her, eyes bright and kind, “…Did you miss me?”
 
“Yes,” she murmurs, “…very much.”
 
And it feels like waking up from a very, very long nap.