*E/N: The forward slashes in Scene Two “ / … / ” denote a flashback (either Roxana thinking about a previous occurrence, or a direct excerpt from an earlier chapter).
After a while, Cassis quietly shut the curtains and left the room.
Sylvia appeared to have been waiting for him. “Has she woken up? Can I go in to see her?” Her eyes were shining and curious- she had been desperate to meet Roxana since Cassis told her about his stay at House Agriche three years ago.
“In a while. She’s still sleeping.”
Sylvia looked disappointed, but soon smiled and stepped forward. “Then I’ll go prepare some flowers for when she awakens. It would be a nice welcome present!”
Cassis regarded his sister with warmth, and hoped that in time, Roxana would be able to smile with that much brightness.
“Sigh…” Roxana let out a breath. The warm water both relaxed and invigorated her body, releasing all the exhaustion she had accumulated from sleeping for so long.
It was the first time she had rested so much, and she wondered if it had made up for all those years of missing sleep.
Roxana looked around- the bathroom was as spacious and tidy as the bedroom she was in, and subtle, floral scent of Sylvia’s flowers had permeated the entire space. Roxana remembered the face that Sylvia had made when they’d met just a while ago- those innocent eyes, that wide smile.
‘Flowers seem to brighten my mood,’ Sylvia had said. She had been so friendly, in fact, that Roxana felt as though they had been friends for a long time.
‘I wanted to pick the prettiest flower in the garden, but their beauty seems to have faded in the face of yours!’ She laughed, bright and cute, and Roxana was rendered speechless.
Suddenly, Sylvia stopped. ‘Oh! I’m sorry!’ She sounded embarrassed. ‘I was in such a hurry that I forgot to introduce myself. But I was at the reunion meeting this time-!’
‘Sylvia.’ The name had slipped out of Roxana’s mouth.
Sylvia’s smile grew brighter.
In the original novel, Sylvia was not a girl who harboured such unspoilt joy and youthfulness- or at least not at this point in the novel. After all, it was a tragic novel, and as it progressed, her purity and brightness depleted dramatically- from the time she heard the news of Cassis’ death, up until the time she executed her revenge.
However, seeing Sylvia’s lively person made Roxana feel… strange. It felt similar to watching a more mature Cassis after three years of no contact. Still, it brought her slight relief.
She thought about Sylvia age- the same as Jeremy’s- before sinking her entire body into the water to stop her thoughts from drifting.
The sun had already set by the time Roxana finished bathing. She covered herself in a robe and sat on the sofa, falling asleep almost immediately.
Soon after, the feeling of someone moving her body woke her up. “What are you doing?” She said in unconscious defence.
“You should rest on the bed,” Cassis said as his face entered Roxana’s vision. How long have I been sleeping?
“Are we at House Pedelian?”
Eventually, the two ended up having late dinner as Cassis requested. However, Roxana still didn’t have an appetite, so she opened her mouth haphazardly at intervals and fiddled with the spoon in her hand.
“Your sister seemed happy to see me.”
“I’m not surprised.” Roxana couldn’t glean anything from Cassis’ lukewarm response, but she could see his eyes soften.
She had been surprised by how welcoming Sylvia was, and began wondering about what Cassis had told her about Roxana. Should I thank Cassis for speaking well of me?
But it didn’t matter, anyway- she was more concerned with where she was currently. I’ve just followed Cassis to House Pedelian for now, but I don’t think it’s going to be my residence for long.
“It’s quiet here. Is there no one living in this house?”
“It’s an annex for guest accommodation. We don’t really use it.”
There were probably two reasons for Roxana’s placement in the annex. Firstly, because she held a substantial and borderline uncontrollable amount of poison within her, and secondly, because she was an Agriche.
Of course, while Cassis brought her back to house Pedelian without hesitation, there was obviously a need for him to be careful about his behaviour now.
With that thought, Roxana glanced over at Cassis. In turn, he hardened his eyes.
