The Atrocious Duke'S Wife
{Season 2} Tree of Hope

Our heart rhythm collides with the warmth that surrounds and spreads throughout the nerves.

I want time to stop right now, I want time to understand myself right now.

Without a gap, he kept holding me tighter. But before long, a sentence he uttered seemed to take my whole breath away.

"What if now I say, that I love you?"

...~ The Atrocious Duke's Wife...

...Chapters...

...(24)...

"It's weird. How can we just negotiate having to stay for a few days in the Marquess' residence?" muttered the girl with her round and green eyes.

For a long time he spoke with a figure who currently he still does not know his identity. But the figure always gives advice and always faithfully listen to the story he told.

The figure always comes at night, in the same place and at the same time. In the back garden and around midnight.

At this moment the girl and the figure were in a conversation. The golden-legged girl told about her confusion and uneasiness.

"Hey, what do you think? Is Arlen hiding something from me right now?" ask the girl.

The figure was just silent, looking to think about something while looking straight ahead even though the black hood still covered half of his face.

The girl breathed a rough breath. "Even Cassandra hasn't been seen lately. Daisy was also away from me. I'm really bored, '" he grumbled.

In silence, a slanted indentation is created on one of the lips between them. Quickly, a reply.

"I heard in the Marquess Thrones region, there are a pair of men and women who are rumored to be helping the process of water purification," said the cloaked figure.

"The Marquess Thrones? Isn't that the territory of the Marquess that will negotiate with Arlen?" the girl said confusedly making the figure smile again.

It turned out that the girl was very easily provoked.

"I heard from rumors that they were lovers. The man had blond hair and blue eyes, while the woman had brown hair. Do you know them?" Again the figure spoke trying to lure a very confused girl.

"Blonde le-men and brown-haired women?" repeat the girl a little surprised.

"Why? Do you know him?" ask the cloaked figure.

The girl hesitated a little. "Y-yeah, I know one of the brown-haired girls."

"What do you mean your best friend Cassandra?"

Only a nod came from the girl. Shortly after that, he opened his voice again. "Do you know who those two rumored lovers are? At least their last names, do you know that?"

"I don't know for sure, but what I heard was that woman was the daughter of a Viscount."

Increasingly, the characteristics mentioned by the figure are similar to someone who is being thought of by the doll-faced girl.

"Is it possible that the two rumored lovers are your two best friends?" terka the hooded figure managed to eliminate the calm and common sense of the girl earlier.

The girl gasped, she tried to argue back. But the words of his interlocutor can always make him silence the truth and into will.

"Cannot be. Arlen and Cassandra are just friends, it's definitely not them" the daughter of the Counts and Countess argued.

"Alright if you say that," replied the interlocutor. "But you should always be careful. There is no such thing as friendship between man and woman. Because most likely if you just keep quiet and think things are trivial, the man you like will be anchored in the hearts of other women."

The girl was silent, speechless. He just sat down and bowed on the surface of the garden chair.

The figure was then standing so that his robe fluttered in the wind. Shortly after, he said his last words that day.

"Oh, and I just remembered. The girl's last name was la Devoline. I hope it's not the best friend you mean. Then I'll see you again."

In an instant, the figure disappeared as it was engulfed by the moonlight and cold night wind then blending in with the star-studded darkness of the night.

Leaving the girl who was now gritting her teeth and clenching her palms tightly.

The girl could not remain silent anymore.

...~•~...

Cassandra stared, as if her pulse had stopped at that moment. A few pieces of spoken word made him react thus.

The sound of fire that he heard could not hear, covered by all the warmth that surrounded.

The girl did not move, only remaining in the close arms of the man before her.

Then the brightly decomposed man let go of his embrace and looked inside the girl before him.

Her garnet brown bead was patterned with her lips that were like a middle red rose clenched.

Arlen approached his lips to the girl's ears, exhaled his roar of breath and smiled ignorantly.

"Ber. can, da," he said then turned around leaving Cassandra still faithfully frozen.

Wait... kidding? Was that guy playing him? Instantly the girl regained her senses, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"Basic!"

Out of annoyance, the girl immediately chased after Arlen who was already far ahead of him.

Even the man was now running because Cassandra was chasing him from behind.

In the end, instead of silently observing and admiring the beauty of the sparks, the two men ended up chasing under the noise of powder-piercing fire that rained down on the sky.

Because they were both exhausted, because Cassandra was exhausted, their pursuit had to stop because the girl was no longer able to move her legs.

Although the girl was fast, but the man in front of her was no less fast.

"Why stop?" the man asked, even sounding mocking.

"Whispering, give me the water," the long-spirited girl pointed towards the water bottle that was in Arlen's grasp.

The man seemed silent to think of something, making Cassandra who was resting on her feet immediately snatch the water bottle.

Quickly, the girl gulped down the water through and relieved her thirst.

But ill-fated, when he was engrossed in drinking it, a statement made him spurt the water out and choke.

Prufft!!

"You okay?" ask Arlen calmly.

Cassandra rubbed her lips using the back of her hand and tried to relieve the itching in her throat that made her cough.

Why didn't the man say that from the beginning?! Of course he was surprised when the man suddenly said that way now!

But because he did not want to be embarrassed and wanted to behave like an adult, the girl also acted calm.

"Oh, so. Sorry, because I'm running out of water," he said calmly. He tried desperately to close his embarrassment.

"It's okay" the man replied no less calmly.

In an instant, the atmosphere returned silent. From now on what should they do?

Unfortunately, the fireworks show ended a while ago, so there was no reason to stay.

Did they just go home?

"Hey, should we go home sa-"

"You going there? I hear we can make a wish there," Arlen cut pointed towards a temple.

Cassandra's gaze was drawn toward the man's index finger. Before long, a smile formed on his lips. "All right."

They also walked toward a small temple that contained a statue of a goddess who was graceful and charming.

Cassandra folded her hands while closing her eyes, the girl seemed to really want the plea she was chanting in her heart to come true.

While Arlen was just staring flat at the goddess statue before him, in fact the man was not very confident in the superstition that said that if you ask something to the goddess then your request was sooner or later granted.

Although he did not believe it, he still invited the girl beside him here for some unspoken reason.

After finishing chanting the request, the girl opened her eyes and took off her hands that fell in front of her chest and looked at the man beside her who had just daydreamed.

"You didn't make a wish?" ask Cassandra.

"No," Arlen answered briefly leaving Cassandra confused. His aquamarine blue bead kept staring straight ahead.

"Then why did you bring me here? You're really weird," the girl's pissed off feeling funny.

Suddenly, there was someone who disturbed their interaction so that made the two turn their head towards the figure that emitted the sound.

"Do you want to write your request on this paper? I'll hang it on the tree of hope that's there" point the stranger who comes to them towards the big, tall tree that stands firm enough away from them.

Although it was dark and far away, they could still see it because the tree was very large and tall.

Cassandra and Arlen seemed silent and looked at each other, of course they did not directly give their trust to strangers.

It was possible that the person wanted to cheat them and extort their money for useless things.

The person immediately laughed at the reaction of the two of them. "Just calm down, it's free. I'm not gonna fool you."

Because it looks like he is not lying, Arlen can only sigh and look away when Cassandra looks at him as if asking if they should trust the person.

"Whatever," said the man.

Cassandra smiled, then accepted the stranger's free offer. After all, they are only told to write wishes, what can be done with a writing containing wishes?

The girl grabbed a piece of paper and a quill pen that the stranger had proffered and started writing something on its surface. When he finished, he gave it to the man.

He glanced at the man beside him who was still faithfully silent, before long he again grabbed a small piece of paper and thrust it at the man.

"Write your request. No problem, right?" ask Cassandra.

Arlen will inevitably have to accept it, because of course the girl next to him will force him.

His finger moved to write a few words on it, then handed the paper back.

"Uhm, what is a tree of hope?" ask Cassandra curiously.

"Trees of hope are trees that can grant the request of someone who really wants the request granted. That said, the tree can even grant a request to reincarnate and repeat life even though," explained the person.

Cassandra nodded in understanding and smiled. "Alright, thanks for the information."

"Thank you for taking the time. Have a good day" said the man then passed.

The girl was silent. His heart was a little troubled at the stranger's explanation.

Reborn, are you? his inner.

His iris also stared at the figure next to her, there was actually something that had been in his heart about the man. But he doubted. Does he have to ask now?

"Hey. What... do you believe in reincarnation and rebirth?" tanyanya while folding lips.

He hoped that what he was thinking was true. The man who changed positions before him was silent until he spoke again.

"No," he answered able to make a deep sense of disappointment crack a heart.

"Why?" Again the girl was not satisfied to ask.

"Humans are only given a once chance to live. Being reborn and reincarnating is just a myth" the man continued with a flat gaze.

"Okay," Cassandra replied. "Then why did you call me 'orange'?" continued.

"Because when we practiced a few months ago, you always ate oranges. Looks like it's your favorite. Because it fits, I call you that, too" Arlen said.

"Like that." Again, just an uninspired reply that only Cassandra can make. Not long after that, he also returned to carve a smile.

"Well, since it's night, we'd better go home" the girl then walked ahead of Arlen.

The man with the blue sky can only stare with a mysterious and calm view as usual seeing Cassandra's strange behavior.

But he did not know, that at this time the girl was desperately holding back tears that somehow suddenly wanted to slide.

Whether because of sadness or longing, or disappointment, the girl did not know at all.

...13.02.2021...