Chapter 324: An Abrupt Departure
Chapter 323: An Abrupt Departure
Lyria’s POV
I frowned at his strange behaviour, my confusion deepening with every passing moment.
"B-but if t-there is n-nothing w-wrong," I said slowly, "then w-why are you n-not looking a-at me a-anymore?"
He cleared his throat, his gaze still fixed upon the far wall with unwavering determination.
"I... um..."
He paused, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"Perhaps we should bring the training to an end for today."
I blinked at him.
"W-why?" I asked. "Have I o-offended you i-in some way? Is t-that why you r-refuse to l-look at me?"
He shook his head, still refusing to meet my eyes.
"No, Your Highness. You have not offended me."
"Then w-why?"
I moved to stand directly in his line of sight, hoping to encourage him to look at me.
He immediately looked away, turning his head sharply in the opposite direction.
A pang of frustration settled within me, accompanied by a twinge of hurt.
"P-please l-look at m-me," I said, my voice softer now. "D-did I do s-something w-wrong? If I d-did, you s-should tell m-me. I a-apologise if I h-have offended y-you i-in any way."
He let out a slow breath.
"You have not offended me, Your Highness," he said, his voice strained. "If anything, I am the one who has offended you by entertaining improper thoughts."
I frowned.
"W-what do y-you mean?"
I took another step closer.
"S-surely we w-were having f-fun only m-moments ago. W-what improper t-thoughts could y-you possibly h-have? T-tell me, and I s-shall let y-you know if I a-am offended r-rather than y-you keeping i-it all inside."
I closed the distance between us, determined to understand what had caused such a sudden change in his demeanour.
He finally looked at me, but only for the briefest of moments.
Then he stepped back.
He put a considerable distance between us, his posture rigid and formal.
Then he bowed.
"I am terribly sorry, Your Highness," he said, genuine regret evident in his voice. "I am afraid I must take my leave."
Before I could respond, he turned and walked swiftly towards the doors.
His valet fell into step behind him without a word.
The doors swung shut behind them.
I stood there, frozen in place, staring at the empty space where he had been only moments before.
What had just happened?
One moment we had been laughing, training, and enjoying each other’s company. The next, he could not look at me, could scarcely speak to me, and then he had fled as though the very walls were closing in around him.
I had been enjoying the date.
I had been enjoying it immensely.
I had even forgotten about the five-minute rule the Queen had given me, which, honestly, was not the least bit surprising.
But that did not matter to me.
What mattered was that I had clearly done something to offend him.
I turned towards my guard and maids.
Phineas was looking at the floor, his expression carefully neutral.
My maids walked towards me, their faces a mixture of sympathy and something else I could not quite decipher.
"S-surely I d-did s-something to o-offend E-Earl Hawthorne," I said, my voice carrying a note of uncertainty. "T-there is n-no other r-reason h-he would leave s-so abruptly."
Elara bit back a smile.
Debbie coughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
Pippa stepped forward, her expression gentle.
"Your Highness," she said carefully, "perhaps we ought to return to your chambers. You are rather... warm from all that training. A change of clothes and a moment to rest might do you some good."
I nodded slowly, still in a daze.
They were right, of course. I could feel the dampness of my shirt against my skin and the lingering warmth from the exertion.
But my mind was elsewhere.
I would have to find an opportunity to apologise to Earl Hawthorne.
I did not want to offend him.
He was becoming something akin to a friend, and I valued his friendship far more than I had realised.
I enjoyed his honesty.
His warmth.
The way he made me feel as though I was worth listening to.
I had enjoyed being in his company.
Even though the date had ended so abruptly, it had been one of the best I had ever had.
---
Back in my chambers, I changed out of my training clothes and into something more comfortable. My maids helped me into a simple day dress, the fabric soft and familiar against my skin.
I decided to continue my reading.
I did not have to visit the library for my date with Baron Redwick because he had suggested we resume it after my date with Earl Hawthorne.
But now, with the date having ended far earlier than I had anticipated, I found myself with an unexpected amount of free time.
I had been almost compelled to write to the Baron to tell him there would be no need for our lesson to be postponed—that my date had ended early—but Elara had gently advised against it.
"Rest, Your Highness," she had said. "You have earned it."
And so I had.
I settled into my reading, losing myself in the words that had once been so difficult to understand but were now becoming gradually more familiar.
The day passed quietly.
The rain continued its steady rhythm against the windows, providing a soothing backdrop to the turning of pages.
Eventually, I grew tired.
I set my book aside and lay down upon my bed, allowing sleep to claim me.
---
When I woke, the rain had stopped.
The silence was almost startling after hours of steady rainfall. The world beyond my window had grown still, the clouds hanging low and dark in the sky.
I found myself drawn towards the window.
The weather was gloomy, yes.
The clouds were heavy and grey, and the light filtering through them was muted and soft.
But it was beautiful too.
There was something about the stillness.
The quiet.
The way the world seemed to hold its breath after a storm.
I was alone in my chambers now.
I drew a chair towards the window and sat down.
Then I reached for the coloured pencils Lucian had given me—the beautiful set that had become one of my most treasured possessions.
I began to draw.
I tried to capture the weather, to translate both the gloom and the beauty onto the page.
The dark clouds.
The soft light.
The way the world seemed to exist in shades of grey and silver.
I worked carefully, my hand moving across the page with deliberate strokes.
But, try as I might, I could not capture what I wanted.
The drawing was... adequate.
It was not terrible.
But it failed to capture the feeling of the moment, the strange peace that had settled over me as I watched the world through the window.
I sighed, setting down the pencil.
And then I heard a howl.