Chapter 340: Going out
Rohan stepped out of the Dawson mansion and almost came face to face with Rav, who was standing outside in front of a carriage prepared for them, with Evenly holding Angel in her arms and Belle standing before the carriage that had just pulled to a stop at the front, the coachman stepping down to open it for them to enter.
They were going to take the duke on his words to see the land, with Belle offering to show them around Aragonia city. He had overheard them talking about it after breakfast this morning, and before he could be invited to come along, he had gotten up and was going back to his room to have some moments to think when he had passed the study.
Rohan realized now that they were indeed going, and as much as he was curious to see all the places Belle knew in the land and wanted to show them, he didn’t want to be around Rav just yet. Furthermore, he had to look for the location of the Dawsons’ old mansion before he could know peace.
Belle was no ordinary person, that had been obvious for a while now. She had something within her that set her apart not just from her family but from everyone he knew. And as much as he didn’t want to believe what everything kept pointing to and hinting at through the information he was gathering, he needed to make a sure confirmation.
She was no dead girl, as her mother had claimed either. He hadn’t seen her die that day, but he needed to prove that what Lady Louisiana had seen was not true, not only for his own peace of mind but also to make certain there was no threat to her future, especially with the dreams that came to her whenever she fell asleep.
Whatever must have happened to that Isabelle might be the key to his answers as to why Belle was like this, because that Isabelle had not only died in a fire, but more than once he had seen his wife’s skin burning and the smell of burnt flesh. That couldn’t have been a coincidence, especially when she could teleport into the land of the dead and could see death.
Rohan watched from a safe distance as they all got into the carriage, a smile playing on his wife’s sun-kissed face as she spoke to Lady Evenly and took off her wide-brim hat to step into the carriage after her friend.
Rav stood back to watch them settle inside the carriage, but he seemed to have sensed Rohan’s presence and turned to look in his direction with squinted eyes from beneath the hat he wore over his head because of the sun.
Rohan did not avoid his gaze and watched as the other man offered him a curt bow, despite the questions lingering in his eyes as to why Rohan had ignored him and sealed the link. Rav said nothing, only closed the carriage door after Belle and made his way to sit beside the coachman, who looked startled when he noticed the vampire climb up onto the roofed front seat.
"Don’t worry, I do not bite. I will only ride with you because I need fresh air," he told the terrified-looking human, who looked ready to flee but relaxed a bit at the vampire’s reassurance before hesitantly snapping the reins of the horses. The carriage jolted and began to move out of the grounds of the duke’s house.
Rav sighed in relief at the fact that he wouldn’t be riding inside with the ladies and the young master. He was more relaxed this way, nothing to trigger painful past memories, nothing to make him wish his anger and grief could be directed at something, when it was his fault as much as the rogues’ that his family had died.
If he had secured his house like he had planned to do, but never got around to because he always ended up tired after a long day of work in the woods, the creatures wouldn’t have been able to step so easily into their home. And if he hadn’t knocked over the lamp, the fire wouldn’t have started that burned his family down. He had lived with that self-blame for ages, as he had no one else to blame.
’...blaming only gives pain more power,’ Lady Evenly’s soft voice suddenly rang into his mind. ’It keeps us chained to the very thing we long to be free from...stop carrying your sorrow like a punishment. You’ve already carried enough.’
He couldn’t help but think how right the lady’s words were, yet how hard it was to put a stop to old habits of blaming oneself, despite the fact that he had already accepted his loss.
He had no right to look at someone else’s son and wish his own had lived. Yet he couldn’t stop himself from wondering. If his boy had lived, what would he have looked like now?
If they had lived and not been attacked that night, they would all have grown old by now. He never wanted to feel jealous, but Rav couldn’t help it whenever he saw the little boy with his parents, especially the way he bonded with his father. That sight pierced him in a place too deep to ignore.
It was why he thought it best to keep away from the baby as much as possible, to preserve his own fragile peace. He had already realized that Angel was no ordinary child just like his father; there was something in him, some kind of power, that seemed to stir up bitter memories and draw hidden grief to the surface, forcing Rav to feel what he had tried so hard to bury for years.
Rav dismissed the thoughts by looking at the scenery of Aragonia, the sky being sunny and yet cloudy at the same time, with fluffy white clouds moving against the bright sun. The atmosphere was warmer than anywhere he had lived before, and he appreciated the breeze that blew against his face that carried the scent of flowers.
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was far more lively, as Belle and Evenly chatted away while Angel entertained them with his delight at finally being in the arms of his mama.
The moment the carriage had begun to move along Aragonia’s stoned road, Angel, who was in Evenly’s arms, transitioned into his mother’s embrace and wrapped his arms around her neck in a tight hug. He wetly kissed her cheeks the way she always kissed his, causing her to laugh softly and kiss his cheeks back in return.
Since she had no reason to hide her good relationship with Evenly and Rav from her family, especially after setting things straight that morning, Belle saw no reason she shouldn’t go out with them or volunteer to take them around.
Eve, for some reason, had insisted that she wanted to come so she could shop for a dress for the ball, but Belle knew the girl was up to no good, especially with the way she had been glaring at her the whole time in the hall. Smilingly, Belle had told her to go alone in her own carriage because there was no place for her with them.
For reasons she didn’t fully understand, she could no longer stand any of her family members. The very sight of them upset something deep inside her. Leaving the house for some time was a good idea, though she wished she had gotten the chance to talk with Rohan before leaving, to hear about what had been bothering him that morning, and to have him come with them.
She would have loved to show him the wonderful places she had discovered during her years in Aragonia.