Chapter Three

Mariana.

This morning has been slow, but I took my time to spend the day in the garden. A smile graced my lips as I watered the flowers; this has become one of my favorite pastimes. My head snapped up when I heard a quiet giggle from the other side of the garden. My smile brightened as I saw my sister running around, trying to catch a butterfly.

I waved my hand to catch her attention before signing, “You know it won’t stay if you keep pursuing it.” She frowned and looked at the butterfly that kept flying away.

“But I want one,” she said, pouting her lips. She looked like a child—a cute one, to be precise.

“Then stay still and wait. It will perch on a flower soon,” I told her.

She stared at the flowers skeptically before walking over to me. She sat on the small bench beside me and rested her head on my shoulder.

“I hope I can catch it soon.”

“You will.” I went back to tending the flowers, and soon, I heard a low gasp from her.

“Look at it, Mari!” she happily tapped my shoulder. I looked over at her; she was pointing at a flower, and atop it sat the butterfly she had been chasing earlier.

I smiled, and when she looked at me with that beautiful smile and her eyes lit up, my heart swelled with happiness.

“I told you.” I dropped my hands beside me as she continued watching the butterfly.

Emilia has been the only light in my dark world, and I look forward to each new day because of her. I am very protective of her, even though she’s grown enough to take care of herself.

“When are you going to say something, Mari?” She asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.

Her green eyes connected with mine, reminding me of someone very important to me.

“Soon, Lia,” I replied.

“I hate when you do this. You know nobody is around to hear you speak, right?” She asked, lowering her voice so the maids and guards walking around wouldn’t hear her.

I know, but I just have to be careful with everything.

“I…” I stopped when I heard the loud sound of someone approaching.

Emilia and I immediately got up as we saw who it was.

“Maria,” my father called, a tender look in his eyes.

“Father,” I answered.

“I have something to discuss with you,” he said, clenching and unclenching his hands. His eyes looked unsettled, which is the one sign I recognize when my father is nervous.

“Go inside, Emilia,” he instructed my sister. She stared at me, and I nodded, agreeing with Father. Whatever he wanted to discuss must be serious if he didn’t want Emilia to know.

He waited until she was out of earshot before speaking.

“I will be gone for a short while. I don’t know when I will return, but I will be late. Eat dinner with your sister. Are you done here?” he said with a tight smile.

“Is everything okay?” I asked without directly answering his question. I already knew the answer—something was bothering him. My father is usually cool and unbothered, and even if he was bothered, you wouldn’t see it on his face. But today, he looked troubled.

“I believe you are done here. You will go inside and stay in your room without asking anything. Is that clear?” he asked harshly.

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. He’s always harsh when something must have gone wrong in his business dealings.

“Good. Go inside. Juan will be with you two tonight,” he said and turned to leave.

My heart sank when he didn’t kiss me on the forehead. Before he could get far, I held his hand and made him look at me.

“Please be safe.” I moved my hands, conveying my concern.

He stared at me for a moment before his eyes softened. He turned back and placed a kiss on my forehead.

“I will.”

I watched with a sickening feeling in my stomach as he walked into the mansion and barked orders at the guards. I bent down and quickly picked up the item I was using to tend to the flowers before going inside. Whatever was going on, Father did not want me to be involved, and I understood. It has always been that way since I was old enough to grasp the kind of ‘business’ he’s in.

My father is the head of the Bravta, and I fear for his life every single time he steps out of our mansion. I worry that it might be the last time he leaves and never comes back.

As I went inside, I caught sight of my father leaving with a fleet of guards closely behind him. They were all heavily armed, and the air was tinged with panic.

This wasn’t my business—a woman’s place wasn’t supposed to be involved in such matters—but I couldn’t help but feel curious. Just like always, Father wouldn’t disclose what he was doing because I'm a woman, and in our world, a woman is expected to fulfill three roles: marriage, sex, and bearing children. These are the attributes of a woman in this world, and while it irritates me, there’s little I can do about it.

My father has ensured that neither my sister nor I have had to face those situations. He hasn’t married me off at twenty, even though other girls are often married by eighteen or nineteen. Father has done everything to provide for us and shield us from the darker aspects of his life.

I went up the stairs after dropping the items in the storage room and stopped outside Emilia’s room to knock gently on the door. When I didn’t hear a reply, I opened the door, just as I thought—she already had her head buried in one of her books.

Emilia is in her last year of high school and is very serious about her studies.

She raised her head when she caught sight of me leaning against the door frame.

“What did Father say?” she asked, closing her book and staring directly at me.

She knows that this is the only way I can have a proper conversation with her.

“Nothing. He just asked us to eat dinner without him,” I replied.

I try to keep Emilia as far away from our father’s life as possible, but I’m sure she has an idea of what his “business” entails. I mean, what kind of businessman has a lot of guards armed with enough weaponry to start a war?

“Is he going to come back today?” she asked.

“He’ll be back, but late,” I told her.

“Okay, I should be done with my studying before dinner. In the meantime, you need to go have your bath,” she said while covering her nose.

I rolled my eyes and waved my hand at her. I walked to my room, stripped off my clothes, and felt my heart still racing.

He will be okay, Maria. Stop worrying about him. Everything will be fine.