~ Everyone wants to be the sun to brighten up someone's life, but why not be the moon, to shine on someone's darkest hour? ~

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Important note: The chapter which was previously marked as Chapter 6 is CHAPTER 3 now. The current Chapter 6 was previously marked as Chapter 11. If you still have any confusion while reading, feel free to PM and ask away:)

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I stood there until his back disappeared into the dark passageway. I kept clenching and unclenching my fist, a habit which developed whenever I felt nervous. I am not sure how to respond. I was raging beyond imagination.

This isn't fair.

Why do I have to sacrifice again and again? I stormed off in the direction of my mother's chamber.
I need answers and I want them now!

I pushed the door so hard without even bothering to knock, that it collided with the wall. Due to the sudden loud bang, two figures jumped apart.

"How dare-"my mother's voice boomed at the unwelcome intrusion, but when she saw me standing in front of her room breathing heavily, she looked surprised.

"Cathy? What is it, sweetheart?" she asked softening her voice.

My attention diverts to the neighbouring figure. He resembles a deer caught in headlights. Right now, he was probably afraid for his life. Getting caught in a compromising position with the Queen can mean only one thing. Death. Still, mother dearest has been doing this for years now. She made it without being caught this entire time. I wonder what father is going to say if he only discovered her true colours.

"You may want to be careful about that." I point to the near-naked man standing next to her.

She dismisses her boy toy for the night and he leaves instantly without a word but I don't miss how his eyes scan my body for a few seconds from top to bottom before disappearing from sight completely.

Look all you want, darling. Low lives like you can only admire people like me from afar.

[Catherina knew how astonishing she was. Her beauty and charm were well known throughout the Kingdom. With does like eyes and an angelic smile, no man could have defied her. They'd fall in her clutches at the end of the day. How could one deny such an enchanting woman? Only Alexander would because he's an ignorant fool.]

The voice of my mother talking breaks my thoughts.
"Will you keep standing there all night? Move over here, Cathy. Tell me what is bothering you?"

At first, I almost forgot why I came here. Feeling some of the rage coming back from earlier, I declined to sit next to my mother. Then I asked her, without wasting yet another moment.

"Mother, why did you not say that Autumn was back?" It was so hard to keep my frustration back that my body shook with indignation and my voice boomed across the corridor. Tears of frustration were threatening to fall but I stood my ground.

"Catherina does not cry. Catherina is strong. Catherina is loved by all... " I kept repeating these in my mind.

My mother opened her mouth, then shut it up again. Looking at the expression on her face, she obviously already knew about it.

She took off slowly. "Darling, just listen. I didn't mean to keep you out of this. Just last night after supper, your father informed me about this too. I really didn't believe him. Cathy, this is unlikely." She concludes.

"But it's not, Mother. Alex told me she's back again," I protested. "Mother, he said he's going to bring her back here," I couldn't hold it anymore, breaking into sobs.

Immediately my mother's arms came around and held me in her embrace. I loved the comfort of a caring embrace from my mother.

"Cathy," she started. "I think it's time you bury the hatchet with Autumn."

I pushed her away from me and looked at her in disbelief.

"Of all people, how could you say this, Mother?" With a bewildered voice, I shout at her. "It is always her. No one noticed how she was hogging the limelight. She always came first, whilst I was the second option for everyone forever. Including Alex!" I'm yelling at her right now.

"To hold bitterness against the dead, Catherina, isn't good." My mother said calmly.

"No, she isn't dead!" I retort back instantly.

"Perhaps you are delusional but I am not. I'm not going to let Alex turn me down for another time. If that whore really wants to turn up here, I know exactly how to deal with her this time." I said and walked out of the room with a clenched jaw.

                            ****

Later that night after supper, I found myself moving into one of the rooms that I haven't been to for ages.

Before I even had the chance to knock on it, the door flew straight open and the infamous smirk greeted me.

"Well, well...well ... , what could Miss Catherina need to come personally to my rooms tonight?"

"Where is Archer?" I instead ask him.

For a second, his smirk falters and I can't decipher the look in his eyes. He then goes back to smirking and pretends that nothing has happened.

"I do not know anything regarding his whereabouts, Catherina," he directly states. "It was more than a century ago, so why now? "

"Autumn is back," I say it to him and I know that he knows exactly what my heart is going through now. He was in my shoes, after all. Perhaps, he still is.

"What are you going on about?" He asks me, but I'm sure he's intelligent enough to figure it out. He shakes his head from side to side and aggressively tugs at the ends of his hair.

The next few minutes, there is utter silence. His face was a whirlwind of emotions and although I could not decipher each of them, I did not miss how distastefully his eyes shone.

Holding my gaze, then, he is voicing my worst fear.

"If there is Autumn, Archer will be here soon too."

        Adelaide Kane as Catherina

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~XOXO

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