The streets of Granal, Gonteno, were bustling and lively, as any capital would be. It was a sunny day on the first day of the eleventh month. Spring was nearing its end, and many would miss the vibrant colorful flowers that decorated the city. If one had a serious problem with it, though, they could simply buy flowers at a reasonable price from a local florist or garden center, since there were many of those.
"Sister Lyrei, your flowers are finally here!" standing at the front desk was an older man, donning a beige apron over a white dress shirt. His face bared wrinkles, he was a person who tended to smile a lot, and he smiled as he looked at Lyrei.
In his hands, a bouquet of flowers. He handed it to the elf girl in front of him, and she returned a smile. Upon obtaining the bouquet, she inspected the flowers: wolfsbanes, clematis, and black dahlias, just as she had ordered. Her smile finally became real upon confirming the flowers, and she inhaled the flowery scent.
"Thank you, sir," she placed a pile of coins onto the desk, before leaving the building. Entering the street, it was just as active as ever. She received several "hi"s, and "hello"s, simple greetings. In the months she had spent here, she made quite the name for herself being incredibly kind and a symbol of an elf's youthful radiance. If you were to ask anyone, they would all believe she was the most fitting candidate for a saint.
I read of it in romances, and such books, but I've consistently been disappointed. Flowers are not fragrant at all! It smells like grass. Or, perhaps I'm choosing the wrong flowers. Lyrei sighed, holding the bouquet of flowers as she walked down the street.
"Sister. You have quite the unsatisfied look on your face."
Lyrei looked up, to locate the taller, sultry voice. It was coming from a fellow sister of the church, Faraine. A fellow elf woman, with shorter green hair .
"Huh? Oh, no, I was just thinking about a play I had recently watched."
Faraine eyed her carefully, glancing at her flowers. She was unconvinced, obviously. But she did not speak on it. Instead, she spoke on something else.
"Does the youngest sister have a secret admirer?" Faraine teased.
"N-no! This… It's — I got it for myself," she suddenly got flustered "my room is incredibly boring, you know?"
"I see. Well, I'll be off, sister. Don't miss prayer."
Lyrei nodded, and Faraine went on her way. Her hips swayed; Faraine had a natural attractive factor that made everything about her desirable to the opposite gender. Even things as simple as reading a book, or wearing glasses, or walking. It was something that Lyrei found herself a little jealous of.
Well, it doesn't matter. The life of a sister is a life of abstinence! Lyrei thought. She began her trip toward the Saint's castle.
"There's a letter for you," a woman told Lyrei, handing her the letters. Walking up to her room, she opened the letter up. She moved the curtains of her grandiose canopy bed to the side, taking a seat.
Dear Lyrei,
This is the long awaited letter, that you've probably been waiting to receive. How are you doing? I hope all is well in the capital. Knowing you, you've probably sought out all the luxurious foods and went to all the theaters. You always wanted to know more about the world, and now you have it. I imagine that the life of a sister is especially hard. You can't do drugs, you can't engage in relationships with the opposite sex… how terrible that must be for you.
All of us are finally attending a nice school up here in Venichian. Looks like we've finally left the rural life, and we're big city kids now! Though, I'll never be able to adjust to the accent. They sound all so pretentious.
Oh, right. Since the death of the eldest son of the Jolen Family, Frun van Jolen, and the disappearance of the eldest daughter, there has been quite the political unrest in the kingdom. I thought it would be good to tell you this, with your proximity to the Saint, and your ability to maybe even influence policy. Wow, I'm almost friends with a princess. Say, do you think that if I marry rich, I'll be able to become nobility? Ill stage a coup, became the ruler, and do great things.
As I am writing this, I realize it looks very bad on paper. But I trust you enough, haha.
There is not much left for me to say to you. I know you will do well, as you always have done. That's because your Lyrei.
Don't feel bad about what happened. You were thinking about us, Lyrei.
With love,
Silva.
Lyrei smiled softly at the paper. She lit a fire underneath it, allowing the dust to fall into a trashcan. She let out a loud sigh.
Me… a princess? Haa… Thank you, Silva, but I'm nothing like that. I sought out a better position, and I left you guys. That's why I became a sister. And I so happened to become one of the many possible candidates of a Saint.
. . .
. .
.
Oscar walked past the high steel fence. Past this fence, were large bushes trimmed into specific shapes, along with a marble fountain sprouting water high. Just ahead, in front of the stone path, was the giant mansion he was looking for.
What a display of wealth. Oscar thought to himself. He then looked back at the paper that was handed to him by the doctor, telling him to come to this location.
Knock Knock!
Oscar rapped his knuckles against the large wooden door of the Meino Manor.
A few seconds passed, and the door finally opened, while Oscar still stared at the paper.
"Are you Alize von Meino?" he asked.
"Yes," a soft feminine voice answered. Oscar's head lifted up.
The woman in front of him, put shortly, was beautiful. An older woman, with straight blonde hair, with long bangs that covered her right eye. Her skin was fair. Her green eye was slightly down turned, appearing tired at the same time. She held a calm expression with rosy cheeks. For some reason, everything about her screamed royalty.
At the moment, she was dressed very loosely; the woman was not expecting visitors.