It was just for a second, but the silence in the room was palpable. And in that moment, Adria was like a deer in headlights.
'Does this world have witches?'
"...Kath."
'Well, I've always dreamt of getting burned alive at the stake.' Adria sighed
"What brings you here, brother?" She asked, an awkward smile being forced out of her lips.
"...Your birthday is close." Charles hesitated for a second, "I was wondering if there was anything you wanted me to get for you."
"Right now, nothing comes to mind, but I'll think about it. Thank you, brot-" before she could finish her sentence, Charles interrupted her.
"Since when could you do that?"
"Do what?" Adria said, tilting her head slightly — trying to feign ignorance.
"Since when did you have enough strength to do a pushup? You couldn't even walk before, Kath." Charles ran his fingers through his short hair, eyes focused on the floor as if to hide the confusion on his face.
"I've... slowly been getting better these past couple of days, brother."
"And why didn't you tell us about it?"
"What if my improvement was only temporary? I didn't want to cause disappointment."
"So you could have told me at least!" He retorted, his voice slightly higher than usual.
"...What?" She asked, wondering if she had heard him correctly
"Sigh, never mind." His thumb and index finger rubbed his nose bridge. "I'll put in a request for the physician to have a look at you tomorrow."
"...Alright."
"And by the way, I knocked before I came in. You didn't answer, so I thought something happened to you." Charles avoided meeting her eyes. "...So please don't get mad at me."
She looked up at him as he left the room, his footsteps quickly getting fainter.
'...I should ask Lucie to get the bath ready.'
***
"Here's the bell, my lady. Call me if you need anything."
"Thank you, Lucie."
The warm water of the tub quickly relaxed Adria's tense muscles.
'Should I ask Lucie for a massage too?'
Her back slid deeper into the water as she stared at the ceiling.
'Nah, that would be asking for too much.'
'...What do I do now? Did I manage to convince him?'
'But that's weird, how didn't I hear him knocking? Are my senses duller because this isn't my body?'
'That's odd, I'm... getting sleepy.'
'I should get out of here and go to...bed-'
Before she could finish her thought, the exhaustion took over her.
"My lady. My lady!" Lucie pleaded, her face pale with worry.
"...Judy?" Adria's eyes were still heavy; the exhaustion hadn't worn off.
"My lady, we should get you to bed."
Her head whipped towards the window; the sun was already lower on the horizon.
"How long have I been here for?"
"...Two hours, my lady. I'm sorry for not coming to check on you sooner." Lucie's worried face now also had another emotion on it — something akin to guilt.
'Damn it. It's already that late?'
"It's not your fault, Lucie. Could you please bring me a change of clothes?"
"Of course, my lady."
Adria got dressed up and walked to her room, cane in hand, and Lucie walking steadily behind her.
'I didn't notice this before, but even the dresses Katherine uses to go to bed look expensive.'
The distance between herself and the room was getting shorter, but something stopped her in her tracks — a painting
The painting looked like it could crawl out of the wall at any moment. Hollow, branchless trees. A scorching red sun that was uncomfortably close to the earth. Rivers that seemed as if they hadn't felt a drop of water in centuries. The painting gave Adria a deep sense of foreboding.
Footsteps were slowly approaching her, but she didn't turn to check who it was.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Charles noted as he stood beside her.
"...Yeah."
Charles glanced at Adria, the top of her head stopping him from properly seeing her eyes in the dim light of the hallway.
"Mother decided to put it here recently. She probably felt like the one downstairs wasn't enough." A sigh escaped his mouth. "...Does the painting still bother you?"
Adria's heart dropped as soon as the question reached her ears.
'What do I even answer to that?'
She looked up at Charles in search of any clues.
'Maybe not answering the question is the best option.'
Charles met her eyes for a moment before looking back at the painting.
"...I'll ask her if she can put it a bit further down the hall."
He looked back at her as he spoke, his eyes searching for any semblance of a reaction on her face.
"Mother said she's doing this because the end of times is near," said Charles, his eyes glued to her face. "So she wants to be on the good side of the goddess of rain and fertility when that happens.
'Goddess of rain and fertility? What's this guy talking about now?'
"Hey, Kath, have I done something wrong?" A sad look now enveloped Charles' face.
"Pardon?"
"You haven't responded to anything I was saying. Are you mad at me?"
"No, I'm just feeling a bit tired, that's all. Why would I be mad at you?"
She tapped her index finger on the front part of the cane. Each of her taps matched the rhythm of her heart, almost as if she were subconsciously trying to conceal them.
"...I know I'm not as close to you as Armand is, but I wish you would put your trust in me, even if it is only a little bit more."
'Ugh, what do I even respond to that?'
"You don't need to say anything."
'Is he a mind reader?'
"Good night, Kath," Charles said, a warm smile rising from his lips.
"...Good night, brother."
Adria turned away. The tapping of her cane grew fainter, but Charles' eyes lingered on her every footstep. And when she was no longer in view, his eyes seemed to be stuck on her after-image for a moment or so.
A sigh left his mouth. His middle finger and thumb went up to rub his temples, and his head turned back once more towards the painting.