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๐“š๐“ป๐“ฒ๐“ผ๐“ฝ๐“ฒ๐“ท๐“ฎ

"I've got a few ideas for your castle", I told Sophia, who lay on the left side of my bed.ย 

"May I ask . . . how did you find out about the place?" Sophia narrowed her eyes at me.ย 

I sat up and brought my knees to my chest. "I saw a memory", I mumbled.ย 

Sophia sat up too.ย  "What did you see?"

"Just the house - a view of the entrance gate. It was . . . . . blurry. Somehow I remembered my way there", I answered.ย 

"Did you see anything else, Kristine?"

Yes. I did.

"No. Nothing", I said and she nodded slowly.ย 

She placed her hand on my shoulder before giving me a soft smile. "It's going to be okay Kristi", she whispered.

I gave a sad smile and leaned against her. I placed my head by the crook of her neck and she wrapped her arms around me before pecking my temple.ย 

"You'll be alright." She rubbed my arm soothingly and I wrapped my arms around her torso.ย 

"You're alright."'Luca.

I've been told I'm a stubborn person and the truth is - I was more aware of that than anyone. I say I don't care, but that's me denying that I do care. There are people, who see me as kind and loving, but there are people, who see me as heartless and selfish. I'm one of those people, who cares but tends to deny showing it. The more I try not to show it, the more I actually do care. I hate to admit it but I can't deny the fact that I care.ย 

I hate to admit that there was a part of me, that cared about Luca.

He said, "You're alright."

At that moment, my pain faded into the dark space keeping us apart.

"Kristine?" I heard Sophia call.ย 

"Hm?", I responded.ย 

She smiled. "It's a Sunday. Let's get ready for the day."ย 

"Shouldn't you be saying that to our sister?" I glanced at Tamara, who was still sleeping soundly on my right side.ย 

"She must be tired." Sophia sighed. "Wake her up."

"No . . . leave her sister. She must be exhausted from studying." I caressed the side of Tamara's head.ย 

"You're right." Sophia nodded and stood up. She walked to Tamara's side and started to lightly slap her cheek repeatedly.ย 

"Wake up, wake up, wake up. New day, new day, new day, a new day for god's sake." She started shaking Tamara.ย 

"Seriously?", I asked in a bored tone.

"Rรฉveille toi maintenant Tamara.ย (Wake up now Tamara.)" Tamara just groaned in response and turned to lay on her stomach.

"Fine then", Sophia exasperated. She grabbed Tamara's ankles and pulled her off the bed. Tamara landed on her backside and groaned.

"Fuck you, Sophia." She flipped Sophia off and I chuckled

"Good morning sleeping beauty. It's a lovely day, may as well start it early." Sophia smiled.

I shook my head in disbelief as I moved to sit by the edge of the bed. I grabbed my phone off the bedside table and checked my notifications.ย 

There was one from Charles.ย 

We exchanged numbers on the night of the deal. Ashton and I exchanged it on the day of our outing. I gave my number to Xavier in Math class. Nicholas took mine during our horse riding.ย 

Now all four of them had my phone number.ย 

I opened the text notification.ย 

โ‡โ‡โ‡

"A dress will be parfaite (perfect) for today." Sophia held out one of my dresses from the closet.ย 

"Parfaite.ย (perfect.)" I smiled and took the dress from her hand.

Kristine's Outfit

I took a seat by my vanity and applied light makeup. For my eyes, I applied a peachy eyeshadow. The shade suited my fair skin perfectly. After applying liquid glitter beneath my eyes, I curled my lashes and applied mascara. Then, I applied face powder, blush and lastly my 3CE KindMove lip gloss.ย  I reached out to grab a perfume bottle but Sophia stopped me.

"I went back to my room while you washed up", she said and stood behind me. I saw a perfume bottle in her hand through the mirror. "C'est le parfum parfait pour toi. Je l'ai mรฉlangรฉ moi mรชme.ย (This is the perfect scent for you. I mixed it myself.)"

I turned to face her and she sprayed the perfume on me. I took in the scent and made an approval sound.ย 

"It smells like strawberries and vanilla." I smiled.ย 

"The scent suits you, sweetie." She smiled.

"Here." Tamara passed me a pair of my nude strappy heels. While I was putting on my heels, Tamara picked up the hairbrush and brushed my hair, which I left cascading down my back.ย 

Kristine's Heels

"I already placed everything in." Sophia passed me my white sling bag.ย 

"Thank you." I smiled and hugged them both.

"Alright go and tell us everything later." Tamara started pushing me out of the room. I chuckled and gave a small wave before walking out of the door.ย 

While waking down the stairs, I couldn't help but smile. It would be a lie if I said I wasn't excited.ย 

The deal was made.ย 

Today, I'll spend my day with Charles.ย 

This was crazy, but there's no fun in life without a little craziness.ย 

"What's your colour? I wanna know", I sang Colors by Stella Jung, while waltzing down the hallway.ย 

"I could be red. Or I could be yellow. I could be blue. Or I could be purple. I could be green. Or pink or black or white. I could be every colour you like."ย I smiled.ย 

"Somebody's in a good mood."

My body froze on the spot.ย 

It's him.

Feels like forever since I last heard his voice.ย 

"Luca?", I whispered.ย 

I heard him chuckle.ย 

"Missed me?" He walked past me from behind and stood directly in front of me.ย 

A few seconds passed before I slowly looked up and met his sad blue eyes.ย 

"It's you", I breathed out.ย 

He gave a small smile.ย 

"It's me", he whispered.ย 

What was it about his eyes that captivated me? The sadness behind them? Or the beauty reflected from them?ย 

"I'm starting to believe you are a ghost . . . haunting me", I mumbled.ย 

He chuckled and glanced at the ground before meeting my eyes again. His eyes held me captive and in slow motion I watched his hand reach up to my face. Very lightly, he placed his hand on my cheek - more like hovered over my cheek. As if he was afraid to touch me. The second his thumb grazed my skin he retreated his hand back and placed it in his coat pocket.ย 

"I'm sorry", he whispered before turning around and walking away.

'If you know what's best Kristine, don't stop him.'ย That horrific voice rang in my head.

That monster

Made my head

Her home.ย 

โ‡โ‡โ‡

"Where are you taking me Charles?", I asked him, who sat next to me in the driver seat of his black Aston Martin DB11.ย 

"Somewhere."

"Ok cool." I smiled forcibly and he chuckled.ย 

"I thought we could practice our piece for Music class."

I almost forgot about that.

"Oh . . . . ok."

I turned to look outside the car window. My eyes widened - my lips stretched into a smile. Leaning my face a little closer to the window, I looked out at the beautiful green fields.ย 

All of a sudden, Charles turned off the car AC. I turned to look at him and he had a small smile on his face as he rolled down the car windows. I smiled and turned to look out at the view. The fresh breeze flew by and my hair blew with the wind.ย 

I placed my arms on the window ledge and laid my chin on top of it.ย 

A few minutes passed, and the view just got better and better.ย 

"This is breathtaking." I turned to look at Charles and smiled.ย 

He glanced at me and smiled to himself as he kept his eyes focused on the road ahead.

A few minutes later

Charles drove past the large black gates and it led down a forest road.ย 

The view here and driving up here was like a painting. The colour of the green trees blended nicely with the bright blue sky. I leaned my head out of the window a bit and my eyes widened at the building in the distance.ย 

It was an unbelievably huge mega-mansion.ย 

There was a large letter H on the gates earlier.ย 

"The Harrisons mansion?", I asked Charles.ย 

He grinned and glanced at me, whose mouth was slightly ajar and eyes widened.ย 

I actually get to see the Harrison's mansion.

Charles stopped the car right in front of the mansion and stepped out. I opened my car door and Charles now stood in front of me. He reached his hand out and I placed my hand in his. After stepping out of the car, he closed the door behind me and I gazed up at the mansion.ย 

"Wow, it's like a castle", I breathed out.ย 

"Didn't the princess grow up in a castle?"

I never like being called a princess but when he said it, with that pleasant strong British accent of his . . .

"I'm no princess."

He turned to look at me and I looked up at him. He just gave me a small smile while gazing at my face with a tender look.ย 

"To somebody else, you may be", he whispered so softly, that I almost couldn't hear.ย 

"Would you give me a tour of the place? Please?", I asked with a smile.

"Of course", he smiled, "Shall we go inside?"

I nodded repeatedly."We shall."

Charles softly took my hand in his and then led me past the grand doors. I was in awe. The mansion had a modern white victorian interior and I loved it. The floors were black and white checkered tiles. The stairs were brown wood and polished. There were a few gold antiques here and there.

"My dear son, you're home!"

The both of us looked up at the top of the staircase and there stood a tall beautiful woman, who had long light brown hair and was wearing an elegant dark blue dress. The moment I saw her, I knew who she was.

Charlotte Harrison.ย 

Charles mother.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming over?" She descended down the stairs gracefully with a smile on her face before walking up to the two of us with open arms.ย 

"Hello, mum." She hugged her son and Charles placed one hand around her since he was still holding my hand with his other.ย 

Once they broke the hug, his mother turned to look at me.

"And who is this beautiful - Oh wait!" Her eyes widened, "My apologies, I didn't realise it was you, Ms La Cartier."

"Oh, there's really no need for that. Please call me Kristine." I smiled. " It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Harrison." I reached my hand out for a handshake.ย 

She smiled and shook my hand gently. "Likewise . . .Kristine. You may call me Charlotte."ย 

I nodded with a subtle smile.

She turned to look at her son wide-eyed. "You didn't tell me you were friends with Kristine La Cartier, dear."ย 

"Mum, meet my . . . ", he hesitated, "Girlfriend", he announced firmly and unlocked our hands to slide his around my waist. Pulling me closer to him, the side of my body collided against his hard torso.ย 

I chuckled nervously. I've never been introduced as somebody's girlfriend. What's worst is that I'm already being introduced to his mother. It was a normal reaction to be nervous at times like this.ย 

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Oh my . . ." She smiled and looked at me, "Never knew my son would get so lucky."

What?

"Well, I would love to hear the entire story during tea time", she said hopefully with a bright smile.

It was currently, 2:00 pm. My sisters and I had our lunch with the girls in the dining hall earlier. When Charles texted, he said to meet him by the front doors after lunch.ย 

"Would you stay for tea dear?", she asked me.ย 

I glanced at Charles and he nodded.ย 

"I would love to", I said with a polite smile.ย 

"Perfect. And if you'd like, please stay for dinner."

I smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

"Excuse us now, mum, I will give Kristine a house tour, " Charles said and his mother nodded.ย 

"Of course, I'll see you two later."

โ‡โ‡โ‡

"What piece should we perform?", I asked Charles.ย 

"It's up to you", he answered, leaning against the piano and looking down at me.ย 

A mansion this big has everything. Including a music room.ย 

"Um - any suggestions though?", I asked him.ย 

"No."

"Ok then . . . . hmmm," I thought about what song we could perform.ย 

I heard Charle's chuckle.

"What?", I asked him.ย 

He just shook his head and turned to look the other way. I noticed he was smiling. Like actually, smiling.ย 

"Nothing. You're adorable when you pout", he mumbled.

"Pout? I was pouting?"

He turned his head and looked back down at me. He gave me a small smile and nodded.ย 

I bit my bottom lip. "We could um . . . maybe we could . . . .perform . . ." Then, I got it. "How about a familiar piece?. . A quite popular one . ."

I placed a hand on the piano keys and began trying out a few notes as a start. When I was confident, my other hand joined in and I played the one piece I've learned to love very much.ย 

River Flows In You

Charles's eyes were on me and I didn't need to look to know. His gaze was soft and light, a feather over my shoulder that carried me up instead of down. A wind of a gaze that blew away the weight of the world off my shoulders.ย 

My fingers danced across the keys, finding a rhythm of their as they lost themselves in the tune. I lost myself in the harmonious melody and couldn't help but smile as I played without an error. The power of this piece never ceases to amaze me. It calms my soul and takes me away to a peaceful place.ย 

It's wonderful, isn't it? How music takes away the pain but at the same place it is there in the first place. Melody heals us. Lyrics give us the chance to heal. Anything, everything, with music of its own is capable of healing and has the ability to heal.

"Forever play from your heart."

I played the last chord.

The piece came to an end. I sighed with a content smile following after. My fingers lingered on the piano keys and my gaze remained on the keys.ย 

Charles sat down beside me. His hand came up to tuck back a few strands of my hair behind my ear, the tip of his fingers brushed down my helix so feathery soft and my eyes closed for a momentary second at the sensation.

ย He continued to gaze at my side profile, while I started playing trills on the piano.ย 

2 hours later

"Do you know how to play the violin too?", Charles asked me, who was holding his violin.

I rested the violin on my collarbone and placed my chin on top of it. I held the bow in my right hand and began to play an atrocious melody.ย  The sound of my poor violin skills made me visibly cringe.

"Obviously not."

Charles chuckled inaudibly before walking toward me. He stood behind me and I felt his hard chest pressed against my back. His body warmth spread across my back. He reached his right hand out and held mine, which was holding the bow. He placed his left hand on top of mine, which held the neck of the violin.ย 

"I'll teach you", he whispered.ย 

I turned my face to the left and looked up at him."Bowed instruments are difficult to learn."

"You can do anything can't you?", he asked softly before grinning.

I chuckled. "I'm not that perfect."

His smirk faded and he replaced it with a soft smile. "That's just your point of view", he mumbled while looking into my eyes.ย 

While the eye contact lasted for a few seconds, Charles leaned his face down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. When he pulled back, he gave me a smile which I returned. He glanced at his wristwatch before looking back at me.ย 

"There's something I'd like to show you", he said.ย 

"What is it?"

A few minutes later

"It better be a unicorn if ruining my eye makeup is necessary", I mumbled.ย 

I heard him chuckle."Forgive me, princess, it's not a unicorn", he whispered in my ear.ย 

After a few more steps, Charles stopped walking and I did too.ย 

"I thought you might like this place."

He removed his hands and I peeled my eyes open.ย 

I gasped.ย 

It was a Victorian Greenhouse. The mansion had its own indoor greenhouse. But this greenhouse was really something like it came out of a storybook. There was a pond in the centre of the large greenhouse, ceiling-high glass windows,full-bloomed flowers and an aesthetically pleasing kind of feeling. The glass doors were opened and they led out into the garden. There were sunbirds flying in here and numerous butterflies.ย 

"Oh . . . . .This . .", I smiled, "It's so . . . beautiful, Charles."

I made my way towards the pond and hovering over were lily pads with their flowers in bloom. Their beauty was mesmerising.ย 

I started to explore the greenhouse and Charles followed me from behind. There were full-bloomed roses everywhere, tulips, irises, poppies and orchids. The butterflies made it even more lovely. I saw a light blue-winged butterfly on one of the irises. Slowly, I kneeled down by it and reached out my index finger.ย 

I did this once before and it worked. If I'm lucky, the butterfly won't fly away.ย 

I placed my finger by the iris the butterfly laid on and waited to see what'll happen. After a while, I moved my finger closer to its legs. I smiled when one of its legs stepped on my finger. My smile broadened when all of its legs stepped onto my finger.ย 

I did it!

"Mama, I did it! Look!"

My heart felt a little heavy but I gulped down and took a second before standing up. I studied the beautiful little thing that rested on my finger.

"A chalk hill blue butterfly." I smiled.ย 

I looked at Charles to find him smiling too. I've realised the only look Charles has ever given me after our meeting in New York, was always tender and soft. That was the look he was giving me now. He gazed at me with so much fascination in his hazel eyes like I was the most interesting piece he's ever seen in his life.ย 

The knowledge of that made butterflies fills my stomach.

A few seconds passed before I set the butterfly back onto the iris flower.ย 

"It's so pretty", I mumbled while keeping my eyes on the winged creature.

"It really is", Charles said behind me.ย 

I turned to face him and noticed

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