THEY departed early the next day, arriving at the Central Church during the morning hours. The abbey’s chapel was located away from the Central Church. When Sonia lived at the Royal Abbey, she had prayed daily at the nearby chapel. She only went to pray before the altar at the Central Church for a handful of major rites held each year.
The sound of the double doors heaving open was majestic. Illuminated in an array of colors by the stained glass, the statue of the Holy Mother before the cross lying ahead of Sonia seemed to be extending a welcoming hand filled with compassion. The refreshing sound of the pipe organ tickled her ears.
She proceeded to head toward the end of the red carpet, where the Pope was waiting. But Sonia was shocked to find that the closer she got, the heavier her feet grew.
“Princess?” Chris asked, noticing something was amiss when Sonia stopped short.
“M-My feet...! They’re getting heavier with each step I take...!”
They felt heavy, as if they were being weighted down. Eventually, she reached the point where she couldn’t take another step forward and crumbled onto the ground.
“My, you poor dear...” the Pope said. He had been informed of her plight beforehand and tried to rush to her aide. But he abruptly came to a stop.
“Your Holiness!”
“M-My feet are stuck to the floor...!” he cried. He grunted and groaned as he tried to lift his feet up, but they were bound fast, as if the floor was a vacuum sucking them down.
“What’s happening...?” Sonia breathed.
“Hmm. I believe a lost sheep is trying to prevent you from approaching me,” the Pope said. He looked as if he were trying to harvest turnips the way he yanked at his legs, to no avail.
Meanwhile, not only had Sonia’s feet become lead, now the weight was bearing down on her whole body, pressing her against the floor.
“I hate to say it, but let’s leave the church for now!” Chris decided. With a, “Pardon me,” he scooped Sonia into his arms and raced out of the church.
The exact same thing happened each time they gave it another shot. In the end, they surrendered themselves to the fact that some mountains couldn’t be crossed and chose to rest their weary bodies at the Royal Abbey.
The sight of Sonia glaring while deep in contemplation as she held the teacup between her hands was pitiful. The Abbess furrowed her brow, recognizing a dark shadow in the young lady trying to hold back the tears that had been absent during her days at the abbey, when she had acted so bright and cheerful.
“Sonia,” the Abbess said sympathetically. She sat next to Sonia and rubbed her shoulders with the same, familiar warmth in her hands, bringing a smile to Sonia’s lips. Then the Abbess removed the rosary dangling from her own neck and put it around Sonia’s neck.
“Reverend Mother! Isn’t this...?”
“I’ve heard that rosaries filled with the devotion of daily prayer are more effective than new ones. I hope you don’t mind a hand-me-down from me, though,” the Abbess said.
“Thank you so much.” Sonia replied in such a weak voice that the Abbess drew her into an embrace. “...What is going on? I’m so lost.”
Hearing this, the Abbess burst out in surprise, “Haven’t you heard?”
“What do you mean by that?” Sonia demanded. The Abbess knew what was happening? Not only that, but judging by her surprise, so did everyone else.
Am I the only one in the dark? Sonia felt like she’d just been hit on the head with a mallet. The surge of strong emotions following the jolting shock were just that great.
“After my parents died, it was decided I’d live here in the Royal Abbey... Then sickness and accidents took my brothers one after the next...! I always thought it was strange—that something was going on—whenever I thought about home...! But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure out why misfortune kept striking!”
“Sonia...” the Abbess’ voice sounded pitiful. It was a heartbreaking mix of compassion and regret for her slip of the tongue.
“If you know, please tell me! What is happening to me—to the Clares?!” Sonia begged, clutching the Abbess’ sleeve as if to keep her from escaping.
“...I’m sorry, but it’s not my place to say...”
“Reverend Mother!”
Please!
Undaunted by Sonia’s pleading eyes, the Abbess continued to gaze upon her with concern etched across her face. Nonetheless, she was continuously stroking Sonia’s hair and cheeks in an attempt to soothe the young lady. Although Sonia always found her affection comforting, she couldn’t help but feel the Abbess was doing so to gloss over the issue at hand.
“Why? Why won’t you tell me?” Sonia questioned.
“...King Patrice has strictly forbidden me to speak of it,” the Abbess answered.
“King Patrice forbade you?”
The Abbess gave a slight nod. “Sonia, your family, the Clares, have been deeply involved with the royal family for a long, long time. The family lines are far closer entwined than we can imagine. So much so, that once an incident that could have overturned the regime occurred.”
“That was a long time ago. I’m just another one of His Majesty’s subjects now,” Sonia protested.
“Nevertheless, the Clares are still wealthier than the monarchy. Simply existing as a member of the family line ‘close to the royals’ that ‘once plotted to steal the throne,’ will earn you the ire, envy, jealousy and other such negativity of those around you.”
“......”
“If His Majesty has not personally explained to you how this all began, he may feel that you are not ready yet. Or perhaps, he means to tell you at his upcoming birthday celebration. Whatever the case, I cannot tell you.” The Abbess pulled Sonia into a hug.
In her ear, Sonia heard the Abbess’ raspy apology. “I’m sorry.” She was left with no choice but to accept it with a silent nod.
“Excuse me!”
At the sound of knocking at the door, the two quietly pulled apart.
“Come in,” prompted the Abbess in her usual, gentle voice, and the door swung open.
“Thank you. Sorry for the interruption,” said Chris as he entered the room.
After he had dropped Sonia off at the abbey, he had returned to the church to rescue the Pope.
“His Holiness is just fine. He was able to lift his feet up afterward; he’s acting as if nothing ever happened,” he reported to Sonia, as if he could see what was weighing heavily on her mind.
“Thank goodness...” Sonia said. That had been such a scary experience for her; she was certain the Pope must have been terrified. It was a relief to know he was all right.
“Let’s head over to the Central Church again after the birthday celebration,” Chris suggested.
After Sonia agreed, “Good idea...” she noticed Chris was holding a bottle. The lidded bottle was beautifully crafted, carved out of a single, large crystal. Holding some sort of liquid, the crystal reflected against the light to create an array of prisms.
“Sir Chris, what is that?” Sonia asked.
“Oh, here!” Chris handed it to her. “Supposedly it’s body oil that has been turned into a form of holy water.” His gaze shifted to the Abbess. “I heard you had this specially made, insisting that simple holy water is too plain, so you made some body oil she can wear at all times by having it turned into holy water.”
“So it’s holy water à la body oil...” Sonia mused, and opened the lid. It felt wonderful, how the fragrance of a variety of flowers seemed to embrace her. “It’s lovely... This fragrance is so soothing...” She sighed.
“Isn’t this birthday celebration your social debut? I thought you might like something nice for the occasion,” the Abbess said. When she added, “Or would you have preferred perfume?” with a faint smile, Sonia shook her head with a “no.”
“I’m tickled pink! Thank you so much!” Sonia replied. She had completely forgotten this would be her entrance into the social scene, but the Abbess had been thoughtful enough to prepare a present for her. She was truly happy, and yet...
I can’t honestly bring myself to enjoy the moment from the bottom of my heart... Sonia was afraid there was an ulterior motive. The Abbess wouldn’t reveal everything because she still didn’t view Sonia as a full-fledged adult, but she surely must’ve been bursting with unbridled joy while preparing the gift for Sonia’s social debut, which would signify her entry into the world of adults. Yet, it even crossed Sonia’s mind that the body oil could contain something dangerous.
“Actually, Pamela is the one who made the fragrance for the body oil,” the Abbess confessed.
“Pamela did?”
“She made this blend by carefully selecting flowers from among your favorites. We mixed it with the body oil I made.”
How could I forget about Pamela? Where is she now?
“Where is Pamela? I’d love to see her. Besides, I’d like to thank her,” Sonia said.
The Abbess’ face dropped at Sonia’s request. “I’m afraid Pamela’s family came for her.”
“When did that happen?”
“About three days ago.”
That was the day after Sonia had gotten in that accident. When she had spent the day in bed with a fever. If that hadn’t happened, I could have seen Pamela...
Seeing Sonia’s spirits visibly drop, Chris pointed out with a smile, “Isn’t there a chance you’ll run into her at the birthday celebration? If Lady Pamela is becoming a debutante this year, she should have received an invitation as well.”
It was the norm for girls to become debs between 15 to 18 years of age. Pamela was the same age as Sonia.
Considering that a member of Pamela’s family had come to get her before the birthday celebration, it was plausible they intended to introduce her to adult society through the event while hunting for her future husband. Any noble would consider that the ultimate shortcut.
I hope I see her at the celebration! Simply imagining their reunion filled Sonia with such excitement she couldn’t help but crack a smile.
Observing her reaction, Chris remarked, “I see you still prefer friendly girl-talk over dressing up and dancing with noblemen or other knights,” and laughed vivaciously.
Sonia retorted, “That isn’t true,” and puffed out her cheeks.
I might be more simple-minded than I realized. Simply the thought “I could see Pamela at the birthday celebration,” had put her in high spirits. Her wild suspicions blew right out the window, and she hummed while checking over the clothes and jewelry she was going to wear.
I’d be thrilled if we could see each other. No, we will see each other! I just know she’s coming! In Sonia’s mind’s eye, Pamela was thinking something similar while also picking out what to wear.