Leticia had remembered the Burton’s were an old family, made of old money and status. They were very social individuals that lived very humbly and modestly that they did not coat themselves with overly luxurious items like the royal palace did nor flaunt their wealth towards others. They always carried a sense of frivolity and ingenuity to themselves, and always maintained neutrality when there was conflict. A family that maintained great influence, but also loyalty.
Leticia could not deny that statement as she eyed the overly decorated dining hall covered in Braxton colors. Even if the rest of the estate looked destitute or dull, the halls must be colored with gold and blue at all cost. A family that had risked its everything for its country.
“Master, what shall we do?” The servants had finally spoken up to catch her eye.
Leticia placed the schedule onto the table once she had finished reading it. She really wanted some time for herself, as her eyes focused onto the open window. Her fingers tightly grasping a serviette to wipe away any crumbs that may have latched onto her mouth. “You are all excused.”
She made her way towards the inner halls that had not changed much since her last endeavors here when she had been a princess. The white walls and plain small pillars with vases of what looked to be dead flowers still occupying them. It looked as if none of them had been touched in a good duration of time, by the amount of dust accumulation on their sides. It was a strange phenomenon since it had always been kept clean, fresh, and pristine when she had made her visits here.
Further down the hall was the old library she used to frequent with her brother and Fredrick. She too wondered if it had been left abandoned and untouched. Her eyes peered fearlessly towards the door that slowly enlarged with her approach, while her heart felt a bit of reluctance.
A part of her childhood was here, as her fingers barely grazed the door. The intricate carvings of vines and leaves with the emblem of Braxton in the middle, made her feel a sense of deceit. She was not Fredrick, nor was she a princess. Her heart wavered as she was consumed by her emotions and doubt.
Was it her memories or Fredricks that brought her here?
She contemplated herself for a short while, as she placed both her hands upon that door and calmed herself. Once her heart gave a small thud, she put her whole weight into the door handle and slowly pushed the two doors open with all her strength. The door in turn as if to allow her passage, creaked open bit by bit.
Dust would be the first whiff she would take in, before she managed to close her eyes to allow that gust of air to pass through. Her eyes would gradually pry open, as she adjusted herself to any changes that may have happened during her death.
The first thing she would see were the lines and rows of books on shelves with the same old comfy wooden chairs that were spread sparsely throughout the library. She took those daunting steps inside, as she passed by the first few rows, which looked to carry older books of politics and history of the Braxton empire. The row over covered topics such as medicine, and then another over had some books of fiction. It was towards the back of the library did her heart move a little with her memories of how the three of them spent a good majority of their time here reading a children's book about a woman who ruled over dragons with Fredricks mother, the late duchess.
How wonderful it was back then, as she eyed the very corner that all three of them would huddle together by the late duchess's chair and listen in on her reading to them. Leticia stared for a good while at that old wooden chair and yearned to return to those times, but she already knew it would be impossible.
Why did she have to die?
Her anger igniting once more, as she decided it would be better to be more proactive, then allow herself to wallow in her sorrows.
Even her own damn heart would thump several times, as if it was urging her forward to confirm her death. Thud. Thud. Thud. It continued, as her chest would tighten when her memories needed to be clarified. They were all jumbled and confusing to a point where she questioned if it was her emotions and thoughts or Fredricks that was conflicting with her own. Her fingers touched the top of her forehead to check if it was warm and it was not. She was not sick.
Leticia made her way through the aisles of books as she had one hand on one book and her eyes on another. She would touch the edges of each binder and read the title, before pushing it back into place. She needed to find a particular book that would have information about herself. Yet, the more she searched, the more disappointed she became. She could not find anything, as if her name had been erased, meanwhile; the late queens name remained etched in history.
Leticia continued to flip through more books, and skim through several pages before she had noticed a good duration of time had passed, since anything new had been recorded or written in these books. It seemed Fredrick had not bought any books, since her passing.
Her hands scanned a few more titles of territories and parchments of old deeds, before she caught something just a tad bit off in the corner of the room. Several lines were deeply engraved and etched into that particular shelf towards the back. It was rarely noticeable by a distance, yet Leticia managed to catch it and took those few steps to take a closer look at it.
She leaned herself down and confirmed that they were deliberately placed there by someone. Her own fingertips trailing the etches and engravings that made her body deliberately pull back as if it was something malicious.
What was that? Why did she step away?
She stood still and scanned the etches a bit longer, before she confirmed the length and size were made from a child.
Did something happen here? She had thought, with her fingertips still resonating with the sensation of the etched in wood.
A knock on the door made her jump, before the servants announced. "Lady Natalia is here to see you, master.”
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