Santiago sat at his desk, reading over documents and signing papers here and there. He’d been busy the entire week after Marquis Félix had left, making sure all the payments for Elena’s debut had been made accordingly, and all the paperwork from his travels around the duchy were in order.  With Rocío’s health getting better, and the calm after the storm that was Elena’s debut, he was much more at ease than he’d been. 

However, the one thing on his mind that didn’t quite stop pestering him was his father’s fight about marriage. He’d been quick to defend Rocío, well, as quick as he could’ve been, but his father’s words held truth to them. Santiago was reaching the age of thirty quite soon and not being married was quite the issue. He’d been twenty when the war had wreaked havoc across Emer, and at first it had been a great excuse to distance himself from the home and his father, but it had quickly consumed his twenties and after nearly a decade of the dreaded war, he was far beyond repair. 

His relationship with Leticia had crumbled during that time, she’d been patient at first, waiting for him, sending him letters, but upon his return, and his inability to stand up for her, she’d settled on ending their relationship, at the behest of his father of course. He sighed. Seeing Leticia after such a long time away had caused him great anguish. His heart twisted upon seeing her solemn face. She’d always smile at him, she’d pull him into a corner and hug him as a greeting, telling him how much she’d missed him. 

Santiago rubbed his face and pushed himself up from his desk chair. He needed to take a break, maybe have some tea. He walked out of his office, opting to stretch his legs a bit. It was dark outside, he wondered how late it was. The estate was quiet and empty, the long shadows casted by the moonlight and occasional torch were haunting. 

Santiago stretched his arms as he yawned, leaning backwards. Although the exhaustion was threatening to shut his eyes closed, he knew better than to go to bed. There was still a pile of paperwork waiting to be done on his desk. He needed sleep, but he needed to finish those documents.

Santiago heard a clicking noise, he guessed it were the low heels of a woman. A maid must’ve been returning to her quarters. Around the corner of the hallway, the maid came into view and he stopped in his tracks. Leticia. His breath was caught in his throat, it was as if breathing would frighten her. She was fumbling with something in her hands, he couldn’t quite tell in the faint yellow glow of the torches. 

Finally, she looked up, and their eyes met. 

Santiago was still frozen in place.

Leticia blinked and continued walking. Upon reaching him, she bowed. “My Lord,” she greeted, her face stoic and voice void of emotion. 

He cleared his throat. “Good evening,” he managed, although embarrassingly low.

“I hope you rest well,” she replied and began to walk past him.

“Wait!” He cursed himself for calling out to her, but he just wanted to see her for a second longer.

She stopped, turning to him. “Yes, my Lord?” She asked.

Santiago’s eyes scanned her face, the warm light lit part of it, her brown eyes so dark in the night. She used to smile at him, once upon a time, now it seemed as if they were strangers. 

She raised an eyebrow. 

“H-how is Rocío?” He asked. His wavering voice probably made him seem pathetic. It'd been a year since she ended their relationship, why was he still hung up on her?

“Rocío is well,” she replied curtly. “If that is all, my Lord, I will retire.”

“Ah.” He clenched his fist and looked away. “Yes, of course.” The look in her eyes was enough to make his facade of indifference crumble even more. He heard as she walked away, leaving him in the silence of the empty corridor, standing still in the silver moonlight. She was married, what on earth was going through his mind? 

He groaned in frustration at himself. Had it been easy for her to forget him? Had her affection for him not run as deep as his had for her? Their last fight plagued his mind. Her words had burned him like frostbite then and they still did to this day. His inability to prioritize her over his duties had cost him their relationship, and it was something he had resolved to change after the relationship while he’d been tending to the duchy, but in the middle of his tour, he’d received the news of her marriage.

Santiago returned to his office, the flame in the oil lamp on his desk flickered. He stared at it as he stood at the door. The room was big, filled with books and documents, but much too big for him. Much too big for the flame to light it. His heart sank and he reached for his neck, sliding out a silver necklace with a ring. He stalked towards the balcony behind his desk, removing the necklace. 

He looked on into the blackened landscape. His hand tightened around the necklace and ring, his knuckles whitening. The urge to throw it out into the darkness was calling to him like a siren, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t ready to throw away the years of happiness she’d given him. He wasn’t ready to let go of her.