Samara Tenebris

Editing in Progress…

~Chapter 35~

"Well, it isn't any surprise after all Claire was extremely close with the Gods and also-" Gwen calmly stated, "Have you forgotten just how powerful Claire was? There is no doubt she would have done everything to keep her daughter and husband out of harm's way".

They both thought of the S. A. D war and all Claire had sacrificed for her family, friends, people, and even the gods. They would forever be in debited to her, even after their death.

"Shall we head to her house now?"

🌗

Sereia's eyes softly opened, as it tried to adjust to the sunlight. Once fully awake, she met Yeona sitting by the windowsill, being all quiet and serious looking. 

"Is something wrong?" She observed, sitting up. Yeona's eyes concentrated on the Journal she had in her hand. Yen loosely up to her voice. 

She had woken up with the sun despite the last hour at which she slept off the previous night.

She was seriously overwhelmed by the entire scenario from the previous night. 

"No, there is nothing wrong," She responded, closing the Journal. Sereia creased her brows, clearly not believing her lies.

"Something is going on in your mind."

"Tell me about the man that attacked you yester-night?"

"The man?"

"Yeah, well, what I could see in the dark were his dark brown eyes that were almost black, and short, spiky black hair that was always perfectly styled. He had a stocky, muscular build".

"Do you remember his clothes or tattoos, or marks?"

Sereia squinted his eyes. "Do you need something specific?" She asked.

"Yes. However, I just can't explain it." She retorted. She shoots up from the windowsill and promptly shoves the opened Journal to Sereia's face.

"You can read this, right?"

"Yes. This is Tajhaena Glyph," She answered, her voice acerbic and also candid.

"Exactly, but can you read it?" Yeona pressed on. 

"Well, just parts of it. I only speak Tajhaena. I don't know how to read it" Sereia noticed that her response was not what Yen liked.

Nonetheless, she breathed out and skimmed through the opened journal, trying to see what paragraph she could read. 

 "It is too early for this, Yeona," She mumbled incoherently. Meanwhile, Yeona looked rather anxious about whatever she expected from Sereia.

"Well, I think I could read this paragraph"

"Go ahead," she urged on.

"Lint and I stared at the elders that surrounded us. Lint, as always, stood courageous, with his sword outstretched, ready to protect me. These elders had intricate tattoos of two crescent moons that were designed to back each other. They were up to something, and we would find out at all costs, together." Sereia read out.

A familiar glint of curiosity was laced in Sereia's eyes.

"Yen, what's this?"

Yeona sighed, and took a space beside her on the bed, "It is the book my mother had and left for me"

"I have been reading it since the break of dawn. But when I got to this page, I remembered our brief chat before we both fell asleep, about the stranger that entered the house".

"I only wanted to know if he had a similar symbol like this on him."

"They are bad people?" Sereia asked.

Yeona nodded. "Judging from the journal entry, yes. They seem to be connected to something called the JINX?"

"JINX? You mean bad omen?"

Yen shrugged in ignorance, "I don't know, but its full name is JINX of AGONY"

Sereia kept silent, offering nothing after Yen's input. 

"So bad omen is real?"

"I don't know Sera," Yeona answered flatly, with an additional eye roll.

Closing the book, she buried it, occult, underneath her pillow. 

"I will tell Marina to get your bath prepared."

She walked towards the door and pulled it open. She paused for a while before turning to face Sereia.

"If you need me, I will be in the kitchen, preparing breakfast"

"If you haven't noticed, I will need someone to dress me up and get me ready for the day"

Yeona scrunched a brow at her statement.

"Are not serious, are you?" she inquired, looking perplexed.

"Of course not, I was only trying to lighten the mood"

Yen gave her a pointed look.

"Truthfully, I woke up this morning, and suddenly you look like you have seen death and come back"

Yen breathed a stressful sigh as she looked at Sereia with a small but reassuring smile. 

"Don't worry about it, I will be fine and also {pause} I will tell you more about it once I have a freer time"

"Alright," Sereia believed, with a nod of her head.

Closing the door ever so gently behind her, Yeona stepped downstairs with her mind in a haze. 

A man came into her house, not just any man but a stranger in her parent's house. A stranger who knew her and her parents.

She had unconsciously passed the living room where Lady Evangeline sat. She -Evangeline- had woken up at the crack of dawn to think.

It still bothered her.

It still bothered her at the fact that suddenly Yeona knew important and elite nobles and if she wasn't careful, all the plans she had made for her and her daughters would be for naught. 

She definitely would not let that happen.

"Yeona!!" She shouted the girl's name as though she was in a far distance. Yeona, with every right, flinched at the sudden shout of her name.

She mechanically turned her head and, with no hesitation, made a visible eye-roll once she realized who had called her.

"Good morning, Lady-" Yen paused as she discontinued her words. It wasn't as though Lady Evangeline was worthy of the title 'Lady', therefore she had no reason to call her A lady. 

Madam or Mrs. was more befitting of a woman with her standard.

Lady stared at her as she wondered why she stopped mid-sentence to greet her.

"Good Morning Madam Evangeline," She greeted slyly, knowing fully well it would tick her off.

"How dare you, lowly child," she uttered her vexation.

"How dare I? I should ask you." Yeona answered with all confidence steeping in her bones.

"Your bizarre and immature family dare to confidently walk into my parent's home, use their wealth, and turn me the heir into a slave in her very own house! And yet you ask me how dare I," She mockingly made an air quote around the 'How dare I'.

However, much to Lady Evangeline's satisfaction, "If you think about it, this entire thing… this entire minuscule wealth you have is all because you were fortunate to marry my father. And you three years, you burned it all down, and you think you are worth calling 'Lady'?"

It was as though every anger, frustration, as well as confusion she had pent-up since the previous night was unleashed on Lady Evangeline.

Lady Eva, having had enough of her sudden rudeness, slapped her across the face.

Her face flared and red with anger and also humiliation. After all, all Yeona had spoken was the truth she would never acknowledge. 

Yen's face stayed in that steady, painful position as she listened to her speak, "Regardless of how it looks, I am your mother"

Bringing up her head, Yen looked at her dead in the eye and said, "Daemarral shall freeze and the sky turn black before you would be acknowledged as my mother. Stick to what you can do {pause} {glare} There is a limit to my patience".

She turned around, continuing her journey to the kitchen, but she stopped mid-way, looking back at her. 

'I could easily threaten her, can't I?' she thought to herself. 

All that she had previously said to her were only mere warnings, but now she wanted to threaten her, to make her want to doubt herself. 

"I wonder what would happen if Lady Gwen got wind of your recent action. " Lady Eva's eyes widened in realization and the worry was obvious in her eyes.

"If you know what is good for you, you would do something about that swelling"

Stepping forward, getting toe to toe with her, Yen looked up at her. "I will do no such thing," she answered flatly without fear. 

Finally reaching her expected location, Marina placed a block of ice wrapped with a rag in front of her.

"It would be a lot more helpful if you didn't pick fights with her," The maid cautioned softly. Yeona stared at her, fully remembering she was an Aswinesian and not just any Aswinesian, but according to her mother, she was an Aswinesian who could be trusted.

"I derive pleasure from it. It makes my entire day," she said with a pleasant smile playing on her lips.

Lexicon

The terms Mrs./Miss/Madam are used for lowly rank noble females, either those with no wealth or fallen titles. They are also used to address a married or unmarried commoner. Addressing a high-ranked noble lady with such terms is seen as an insult, punishable by imprisonment.

*EDITED*