Three pearls

Next few days followed a haughty environment with the Master of the palace remaining aloof of his surroundings, including Ella. She should be glad, but she didn't feel the least bit happy with that. She reasoned herself that she needed the test to be challenging for her, which his actions weren't making it to be.

Until the time came for next general meeting to be held among the members of the corporation, where she was aware, he will have to speak on her behalf whenever needed. The discussions boomed from important areas to the less important ones until Ella realized he hardly spoke anything throughout the whole period. Not even an approval from his side to support her decisions. Afraid that she may make the fool of the both, she waited for the exercise to be over until it was the time to leave the hall.

Surprisingly Roy stood first, exceptionally in hurry, such that some of the observant ones gawked at the scene. None said anything further and Ella was left alone in the long, wide hall. Diverting her mind from there she visited the garden to check upon. The green color surrounding it soothed all tensions from her mind. Admiring them she was greeted from behind, "Good afternoon." She turned to Ty smiling at him, who had fully recovered from the attack, now appearing healthier than before. Both women's insistent affection for the boy was the result for his relaxed state of mind. Her mother felt bad to hear what had happened to Ty, to which she had ensured he be well fed and on his legs.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better." He smiled, then his face was trying to keep the smile forlorn.

"What is it?"

"I know I have been bothering you too much. I swear I'll be gone the moment I have found my sister." He offered an apology which Ella shook her head to. "I have told you I will find her. The Deputy has been informed about our suspicions of someone not wanting her to be found. It would be a matter of days before her location will be found."

Her assurance worked before but as time passed with still no signs of Cora, her words have started doubting herself. "I hope she is safe." His solemn whisper like a prayer, broke through her formidable persona she maintains. To remain strong to face anything.

Trying to make him feel better she asked with a soft smile, "Tell me about her. What is she like?" Hoping that it would divert to him thinking of good memories, she was right when his face changed into a memorable expression.

"She is the best sister of mine. I have cousins too, but she is the only one I trust with everything." The love showering in his face for his sibling, warmed Ella who started taking rounds around the garden with him alongside. "I am the one to make more mischiefs than her, but hers is always so unpredictable. And I end up always being caught." Ella laughed at that while he grinned continuing, "Once I had cut a strand of her hair and stuck it above her lips, the next morning she was running after my hair to snatch it out using her bare hands!" The both ended up laughing at that as if spending time like friends meeting after a long time. "And when she would get angry, she would rumble the house down with her temper. I don't know how she got so much temper, must be from her father."

"Have you met her father? Or has she? And did she tell you about it?"

"No, I didn't meet her father. She has met her father, as Mama told us. But she was too small to remember his face. And we weren't interested to know about the thing that makes us 'half'."

"Wasn't she angry when you cut her hair? I would have been!" Ella chipped in, waiting for his answer.

"Nah, she wasn't angry. It was a daily game for us to trick one another. When she gets angry, she is safer to be stayed away from," he said with an uneasy smile. As if reminded of a scenario he explained, "We were the proud producers of pearls. We would build our own boat to enter the sea and plant these oysters comfortable for making pearls. I had damaged one of the pearls once, to which she was furious because the effort put by the... shell was tremendous and brought food on our table. It was a trick I pulled, which she got angry for as it costed us a few dollars."

"And you were hoping to live off from the money you had sold the pearl here." Emma said talking about the day she had met the boy first time with an oyster shell in his pocket.

"Yes. I didn't know how long it would take me to find her. So I had pocketed a few to make money for stay."

"She is lucky to have you as her brother." He just shrugged glancing at the frontier of the palace. Climbing the stairs, Ella voiced, "I have something to show you." She led the way with Ty following her inside the palace. They ended up in a room bigger than where he was currently residing at. Judging by the way the lady moved around the closet, knowing where everything was located, he concluded it was her room. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed he waited. She turned to him with an antique looking box, the size made him think she was about to show some jewelry as he expected most ladies to possess.

Ella handed him the box with the latch unopened indicating him to go forward. He opened the box to find nothing close to jewelry. There were three pearls positioned in the oysters, not extracted from, but were ready to be used. He heard her saying, "It was a gift. I didn't have much use of it. I want you to keep it."

Ty hurriedly shook his head, "This belongs to you. There is a belief that when gifting someone three pearls, it is meant to belong to that person." Ty held the box up showing, "These belong to you now. No matter whom you give, it won't stay with that person for long."

"If you will keep having such beliefs, your business might get affected." She said as a matter of fact. In her clad of work, she had always remained true to strategy and logic, that beliefs never struck her mind. It was either profit or loss.

"I can't take it. But they are beautiful. They will look beautiful on you." He handed her the box back to which she sighed taking it. She had hoped to help him earn more by selling these but the boy turned it into a superstition, which she doubted she ever heard about.

"I don't wear jewelries." Ella stated while closing the closet door. Ty stood up to leave which Ella understood and went to her bed to have a small nap. Reaching the door, Ty opened it and paused calling, "My sister would say three pearls are gifted to women in general. One for the neck and two for the ears." The boy left the room leaving a stunned woman sitting on her knees in the middle of the bed hearing that.

Ty was long gone from her room to notice the effect of his words left in her brain. The sleep she was longing to have few moments earlier, was abandoned with cold water opening her senses. Such that her mind kept on repeating the last words, just like it happened with the Prince.

'One for the neck and two for the ears.'

Her own voice was replaced with another one. A childish one in comparison. As if it was the voice, she had heard from the first time. Placing her finger tips on the sides of her forehead, she pressed firmly to remember the memory. She saw a blurred face, blond hair, sunny day, water and the words ringing in her ears repeatedly.

Ella tried remembering further, not caring that it was hurting her equally, but she still searched further, panting and huffing from her outburst, she cried loudly in pain. Tears forming around the corner of her eyes, she started feeling weak, her body felt spent out and she collapsed from sitting on her knees to lying helpless. Gone under distress.