Chapter Text
"Remember, Lady Sonetto. The family of Count Bouanich is very powerful. It is a great honor for a daughter of a poor Baron like you to be chosen as the consort to their sole successor. You must do well to not offend them."
Sonetto listlessly watched the passing scenery outside the carriage as her assigned maid droned on and on about the importance of Bouanich family: the very family that she was sold to.
The world outside is dull.
She had spent all her life within the high wall of her family's mansion, isolated from the sweetness and bitterness of outside world. And yet, when she was finally allowed out of those accursed walls, the only path she had just led to another golden cage.
A political token, not a human. A mean of payment worth no different to a bucket of gold or a patch of soil.
Oh! had she longed of the infinite blue skies! Not one framed by marble and expensive wood, but true boundless cerulean that touched the green grass in the distance.
Oh! Had she dreamed of jagged mountains! Their heights challenged the skies, their oppressive peaks imposed solemn serenity upon the mere humans that stood insignificant upon their foot.
Oh! Had she wished to know the scent of fresh grass and wildflowers! Not the curated bouquet sent by those accursed nobles or the perfectly trimmed garden her father had spent countless amount of tax money on.
Sonetto swallowed a sigh. This journey would be a long one, and another lecture from her maid was the last thing she needed.
***
To Sonetto's mild surprise, her spouse-to-be was a girl slightly younger than herself. A little shorter, too, but the girl's ego more than made up for their height difference.
"You are standing before the great Matilda Bouanich! Bow your head!"
Sonetto had expected to be married to an old man double her age, but considering the life expectancy of the era, it really shouldn't be surprising that Count Bouanich was barely pushing 40 himself.
Not that Sonetto would know that kind of things.
Either way, this was preferable. Matilda was an arrogant girl, but for some reason, Sonetto felt a sense of camaraderie with her.
"Greetings, Lady Matilda Bouanich, I am Sonetto of house—" Sonetto curtsied, but her introduction was cut short.
"Non non! You will address me as Lord Bouanich! And I do not need to know your house, since you will belong to mine starting from today!"
"Yes La—Lord Bouanich." Sonetto mentally sighed.
I'm getting tired of this already...
The road of friendship was long by the days and short by the nights.
***
Sempre caro mi fu quest’ermo colle,
e questa siepe, che da tanta parte
dell’ultimo orizzonte il guardo esclude.
(Excerpt from L'infinito by Giacomo Leopardi)
***
The Bouanich County was a diverse region, with mountains and lakes and plains. Gradually, Sonetto had grown used to her newfound freedom—at least, relative to her nigh-imprisonment at her own family's mansion. It helped that the proud Matilda was eager to show off the territory to her, dragging her to every beautiful corners of the County.
Sonetto had grown used to Matilda, and even somewhat fond of the heir of Bouanich family. She felt like Matilda was a little sister that she never had, and while the younger girl was arrogant, competitive, and attention-seeking...all her rowdiness was better than the silent scorn of Sonetto's family.
For a moment, Sonetto dared to hope that colors would stay on her sky.
Matilda was only 14, so they would have to wait quite a while before the promised marriage would take place: it would have to be after Matilda's coming of age. And two years was a whole expanse of time for teenagers.
There were much that could happen.
***
"Sonetto!"
Sonetto was taking a stroll in the garden, a much-needed break from bridal education, when Matilda suddenly grabbed her arm from behind. She smiled.
"Please be careful, my Lord." Sonetto gently held Matilda's hand.
"Humph, I know you would catch me!" Matilda returned Sonetto's smile. "Or else!"
The mansion was brimming with people going around; unsurprising, given that Matilda's 15th birthday was mere weeks away. Surely, the activity would only ramp up from now on.
Sonetto felt a pinprick stinging her heart. Only about one year left, and then they would be bound by matrimonial oath.
Of course, she loved Matilda. More than anyone in the world; the heir of the Bouanich family brought the first spark of warmth into Sonetto's life. But she doubted that her affection would translate well into the form needed for a marriage to work.
The weight once again dawned upon Sonetto.
Would I really be able to...
"Sonetto?"
Sonetto looked into Matilda's worried eyes, and found passionate flames. She was raised inside a prison-like mansion, yet even her would recognize the color of those flames.
Matilda was head over heels for her. And yet...
If the sound of a snapped piano string have a color, it would surely be akin to these skies.
***
"What do you think of Matilda?"
Sonetto was standing in Count Bouanich's office, alone with the patriarch. Apparently her own parents had been there earlier in the day, but they didn't stay to greet Sonetto.
Sonetto wasn't even surprised.
"I treasure Lord Matilda Bouanich more than anything in the world."
Sonetto's reply wasn't a lie. This entire world, that dull, colorless skies. None of them held a candle to Matilda's warmth. Matilda was her first true family...
...and soon, it would be officially recognized by law.
"That child..." Count Bouanich sighed. "She loves you too much."
Count Bouanich stood from his seat and walked to face the large glass window behind him. "I cannot bear to think about the pain she would feel when she discovers that you don't feel the same as she does."
...what?
"B-but my Lord," Sonetto stumbled on her words, "she could not discover something that is not true!"
"Ho?" Count Bouanich's tone betrayed his bemusement. "I must admit, I did not expect such a brazen lie from you."
The Count turned around and returned to his seat.
"Regardless, I ultimately cannot do anything about it. Feelings cannot be bent through authority alone, and you will become her wife no matter what, so the point is moot." Count Bouanich rang a bell on his desk twice. "Bring the knight in."
"Excuse me, my Lord."
Responding to Count Bouanich's summon was a female knight clad in deep navy coat, her hair and eyes bearing the color of impending storm in the skies.
Transient, ephemeral, and yet powerful enough to sweep everything away.
"This is Vertin. A knight sent by your house. Vertin, introduce yourself."
Since when did our house have a knight?
"As you command, my Lord. Greetings, Lady Sonetto. I am Vertin. From now on, I will be assigned as your private knight." The knight—Vertin bowed her head.
"My private knight?"
Sonetto was rightfully confused. This was quite unusual. Her family wouldn't have spared her an extra fabric if they could afford it, much less an entire personal knight, unless...
Ah, so that's how it is.
She's their eyes and ears.
"Indeed, Lady Sonetto." Vertin knelt on the floor and presented her sword. "I do hereby swear that I will serve you with my life."
I'm so sick of this.
It would be so easy to...
Sonetto picked up the sword and tapped its blade to Vertin's shoulders.
"Your blade shall carry my honor, and your life shall conduct my will. My words is your law, and so it be declared. My sword, my shield, my knight. Rise."
Vertin stood up and smiled to Sonetto.
Sonetto ignored Vertin's smile and returned her attention to the Count. "Will that be all, my Lord?"
"Yes. You are dismissed." The Count was already busy with a stack of documents: it didn't seem like he cared to watch Sonetto and Vertin's little ceremony.
Sonetto didn't mind. It was better to be ignored than to be excessively scrutinized. She bowed at Count Bouanich and left the room, with Vertin tailing behind her.
***
Matilda frowned when she saw Vertin behind Sonetto.
"Who is this?"
"She is my new knight, my Lord. My family had sent her to keep watch over me."
"Is that so?" Matilda looked up and down Vertin's body, her eyes skeptical. "She does not seem very strong."
"You may introduce yourself," Sonetto said to Vertin.
"Greetings, Lord Matilda Bouanich. I am Vertin, Lady Sonetto's personal knight." Vertin bowed.
"She's well mannered, at least." Matilda was still skeptical, but there wasn't much that she could realistically do, so she simply clicked her tongue.
"Worry not, my Lord. I shall not interfere in my Lord's and my Lady's affair unless absolutely necessary."
"Very well. I will allow it." Matilda proceeded to grab Sonetto's arm. "Now, let's go to the town!"
***
The moonlight shone through the gardens of the Bouanich estate, its silver glow dulled the torturous scream of colors that the flowers emanated. The early summer wind bit Sonetto's skins, but she was used to cold. It was preferable to the rambunctious malice of Matilda's birthday party.
She did feel a little guilty for abandoning Matilda amidst those vixen and wolves, but if the young lady was to become a Lord...
...No, I'm just justifying myself.
Sonetto took a deep breath. She then noticed Vertin's shadow from the corner of her eyes, the silent knight almost colorless under the full moon.
Well, silent might not be the right word for her.
True to her promise, Vertin had not meddled in Sonetto and Matilda's affair. The knight had kept her distance, keeping one eye at the pair as they went through their days. But she had not been idle either. Vertin had taken notice to the rocks upon the streets, the tiny flowers that sprouted amidst the cracks of the old walls, and the people that filled every shadows and corners.
She was akin to a storm of energy, bringing light and colors to everything that she touched.
Would she also...
Sonetto perished the thought before words could give it form.
"My Lady," Vertin's voice suddenly broke the silence. Sonetto turned around.
"Yes?"
"Would you like to have a drink?" Vertin presented a glass of dark liquid. Through the dim moonlight, Sonetto could barely make out that it was deep crimson.
Wine?
"When did you even..."
The corner of Vertin's lips rose ever so slightly into a thin smirk. "It is my duty to know what my master needs."
"Nevermind, then. I can only imagine what you did." Sonetto sighed, but ultimately received the glass. She took a sip, feeling the alcohol slowly flows down her throat, before returning her attention to Vertin. "Tell me about yourself, Vertin. Where were you from?"
Vertin's eye widened for a second, not expecting the sudden question. "I...do not know, my Lady. I grew up in an orphanage, in an archipelago far north of here, but my ancestry cannot be traced."
Vertin gauged Sonetto's response, but there was no change in Sonetto's expression.
"Indeed, it is often hard for commoners to track their ancestors." Sonetto turned to the Moon—it would be long yet for it to reach the zenith of its journey. "Where did you learn swordmanship, Vertin?"
"It was an Academy built by the Church, a relic of the Inquisition..."
Vertin paused. Sonetto, confused by the sudden pause, turned her heads to Vertin.
"What's wrong?"
"How dare you leave me alone!" A beautiful girl in a stunning dress stomped her way towards the Lady and the Knight. "I spent almost an hour looking for you!"
Vertin dutifully offered a pocket-watch to her master. Indeed, it was almost two hours since Sonetto had left the party.
"I am sorry, my Lord, I simply wanted to take a breath and lost track of time..."
Sonetto's excuse only served to further enrage Matilda.
"Is it because of her? You preferred to be out here with her than inside with me? You want to be with her so much?"
"My Lord—" Vertin tried to interject, but Matilda gave her no chance to say anything.
"Silence, you insolent cretin!"
"Matilda!" Sonetto grabbed Matilda's shoulder. "It was not her fault."
Matilda's eyes widened at Sonetto's sudden action. She then averted her eyes, her voice trembling, "Is it me that you dislike, then?"
Matilda could feel pressure building behind her throat, droplets of tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.
And what if she said yes?
Sonetto gently grasped Matilda's hands. "I'm sorry, Matilda. It's my fault."
But was it really?
"Come. Let us return inside; the night winds grow cold." Sonetto smiled warmly.
For some reason, the gentle smile became a sharp pain in Matilda's heart.
"...No. I no longer wish to return to the party."
"I shall bring you to your room, then. I will accompany you for as long as you wish."
I see. Matilda bit her lip. Even if that knight isn't here...
Our eyes had never met at the same height.
In the end, everything that the Bouanich County owns, everything that Sonetto saw and tasted and smelled and—
It was all a cage at the terminus of her preordained fate.
It was merely out of duty that she held these hands.
But even so...please, let me live in this dream for just a while longer