Published on:- 21/12/24 [Saturday]
...

The library was silent again, but it no longer felt empty.

Something was waiting.

And now it was up to Rose to decide whether she would step into the darkness... or walk away.

Rose's heart raced as she stared at the hidden passageway. The darkness beyond it seemed to call her, pulling her closer with a strange, invisible force.

She took a hesitant step forward, clutching the mysterious book tightly in her hands.

But before she could take another step, the sound of the library door creaking open startled her. Rose froze and spun around as her eyes were darted to the entrance.

Standing in the doorway was Edmund. He looked as composed as ever and his dark eyes were locked onto hers immediately.

For a moment, neither of them spoke and the weight of the silence pressed between them.

"My Lady! I didn't expect to find you here", Edmund said as his deep voice was calm but curious.

His gaze shifted briefly to the book in her hands before returning to her face.

Rose tightened her grip on the book, suddenly feeling as though she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't.

She glanced back at the passageway, but the bookshelf was already sliding back into place, sealing the hidden entrance.

It was as if it had never moved at all. This caused her heart to pound more frantically.

Edmund stepped into the library as his presence was filling the space. He didn't speak immediately while his sharp eyes were scanning the shelves and then settling on her again.

He took a step closer, while his gaze was flicking once more to the book in her hands.

Rose hesitated as she was unsure whether to tell him or not about her strange discovery. She glanced at the cover and the mirrored image glinting faintly in the light.

The air between them grew heavy, for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Rose gave him a polite smile, though her heart fluttered unexpectedly. "My lord," she greeted him as her voice was steady despite the sudden rush of emotions she couldn't control.

Edmund nodded and It was the first time he had given her strange calmness with such familiarity, and it made her heart skip a beat.

"The roses are beautiful after the rain.", Edmund suddenly said while looking out of the library window.

Rose nodded while glancing at the flowers that seemed to have bloomed even more brightly in the wake of the storm.

"Yes, they are. The rain always makes them shine like jewels.", Rose spoke while her mind was racing and thinking about that secret, mysterious passageway.

Suddenly, there was a pause and a quiet tension settled between them, and for a moment, Rose wondered if she had said something wrong or Edmund would retreat into his usual silence.

But instead, he stepped closer while his gaze was still fixed on her.

"True, They remind me of something," Edmund said quietly.

His words were cryptic, but his voice had a different tone, as if he was sharing a private thought, one that he had kept hidden for a long time.

"Of what?" Rose asked as he was unable to stop herself from being drawn into his words.

He seemed to hesitate as his eyes were flickering with an emotion she couldn't quite decipher.

Then, with a slight shrug, he answered. "Of resilience. Of how something fragile can survive even the harshest storms."

Rose looked at him while her brow were furrowing slightly. There was something in his words that stirred something within her, something that resonated deeply, though she couldn't quite explain why.

"Are you saying... you think I'm fragile?" she asked as she did not know why she asked him.

Her voice sounded teasing despite the uncertainty in her heart.

Edmund turned his gaze to her while his eyes were narrowing slightly and responded, "I think you are far stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Rose felt a warm flush rise to her cheeks at his unexpected compliment.

It wasn't grand or overblown, but it was genuine, something she hadn't expected from a man so reserved, so seemingly indifferent.

"Perhaps we all have our strength. Even the things that seem delicate." she replied softly and her voice was a little quieter now.

For a brief moment, their gazes locked and the distance between them suddenly felt much smaller than it had before.

Rose felt a strange, unspoken connection stir in her chest, a feeling that was both foreign and familiar at the same time.

'Was it the closeness of their words? Or was it the way his presence seemed to fill the space between them?'

Edmund stepped back, breaking the moment, though his gaze lingered on her for a fraction longer.

"I should let you be. I didn't mean to intrude", He said and his tone was returning to its usual calm.

Rose nodded, though she felt a little reluctant to see him go, "It's no intrusion, my lord."

But Edmund did not reply as he turned to leave and walked out of the library.

she watched him go as she stood there and there was an uneasiness in her chest that turned into something more complicated.

There was an unspoken bond in between them that Rose could feel it but couldn't pinpoint it.

Her heart was still fluttering, and for reasons she didn't fully understand. Edmund's presence seemed to stir something inside her. It was a mix of curiosity, apprehension, and something deeper that she wasn't ready to name.

'What's wrong with me? Why did Edmund's presence confused me and played with my brain?'.

After this, Rose left the library and took book with herself. She didn't dare to think to explore that secret, mysterious passageway again.

Later that evening, as Rose sat by the fire in the drawing room, her mind kept drifting back to their conversation.

The Marquess Edmund Sinclair's words echoed in her thoughts, and for the first time, she wondered if there was more to him than she had initially thought.

'Beneath his stoic exterior, was there a man capable of feeling? Capable of wanting something beyond duty and obligation?'

The soft crackle of the fire filled the silence of the room, but Rose's thoughts were louder than the flames.

There was a quiet storm brewing within her, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the Marquess was the eye of it. No matter how cold or distant he appeared, there was a complexity in his silence that called to her.

'I have to clear my mind and share my thoughts with Edmund before the wedding happens', Rose said while looking at the mirror mysterious book that was shining because of the flames of fire.

...

The next morning, as Rose walked through the corridors of the Duke estate, she was surprised to find herself crossing paths with the Marquess Edmund once more.

This time, however, his expression was different, slightly less guarded, though still as stoic as ever.

"My lady," Edmund greeted her with a brief nod.

Rose's heart fluttered unexpectedly. "My lord," she returned with a polite curtsy and was still unsure of what to make of their growing interactions.

"How are you this morning?", Rose blurted out and He glanced at her as his gaze lingering a little longer than usual.

"Better than I was before," he said, though his words felt as if they were meant for her alone.

She swallowed hard and felt the weight of his words despite their simplicity.

Something had shifted, something unspoken and it left Rose feeling more uncertain than ever.

'Was it possible that their marriage, their union, could become something more than the duty it was meant to be? Was there a chance for them to discover something real, something not born of obligation but of choice?'

As they continued to walk side by side, neither of them spoke, but the silence between them was different now.

Less heavy. More... expectant.

It was a small step, but for Rose, it felt like the first sign of something new, something she wasn't sure she was ready for but couldn't ignore.

The Marquess, though distant, had begun to reveal glimpses of a man she could hardly begin to understand.

And in that, Rose found herself drawn deeper into his quiet storm.

"My Lord, I want to ask you something", She said and he glanced at her while giving a small nod.

"What will happen if your bride runs away from the wedding?", She asked and something heavy pressed on her chest as if she was not willing to run away from the wedding.

But only Rose knew how much comfused, trapped and unsure she was feeling.

A modern woman from the modern time was stuck in the ancient era where she was about to get married at the age seventeen, when she was not even an adult in this timeline. But according to the modern time, She was much older than Edmund and only two three years younger than her father.

Rose wanted to laugh loudly but Edmund's cold eyes sent chills to her. Without replying, he turned and went to meet her father, The Duke.

....

The weeks that followed were filled with moments that left Rose torn between confusion and wonder.

The Marquess, as stoic and composed as ever, seemed to become more of an enigma with every passing day.

Though he maintained his distance but his presence in her life grew more pronounced. There was a subtle shift as his gaze lingered just a fraction longer but his gestures were just a touch more deliberate, as though he were testing the boundaries between them.

Rose, for her part, couldn't help but be drawn into the mystery of him.

She had known nothing but formality and duty from him, yet there were moments that were undeniable, when she sensed something else.

A vulnerability, perhaps.

A quiet longing, buried deep beneath the surface of his cold demeanor.

"What are you hiding, Edmund Sinclair?", Rose thought and then went to open the mirror cover book and she frowned deeply.

The book was blank and not a single letter or any kind of pattern was visible on it.

"What the hell is going on with this book now?, Rose shouted as her head thumped badly.

...

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