same room as me.”
“You know, it’s probably to do with the fact he thinks he’s a monster.”
Morgana quickly covered her mouth with her hand as Vanessa shot up straight and stared at her with flames burning in her
eyes. Obviously, Morgana once again had said the wrong thing but it of course, piqued my interest.
“How can he think he’s a monster?” I asked, hoping one of them would tell me.
They both looked at each other then, communicating via their minds no doubt. As the ticking of the clock above the
fireplace continued, I waited patiently for them to answer.
“He has always blamed himself for our parents' death. It happened,” Vanessa paused, biting her lip, “Ornella, he was with
you, when they died.”
I wanted the Goddess to swallow me whole as the words hit my ears. He was with me.He was with me.
“He’d come to say goodbye to you. Our father found out about Nic’s visits. Mother tried to convince Father it was fine and
safe. But he forbade him to see you again.”
Vanessa was starting to have a hard time sharing this information with me as the sky behind her turned a greyer colour and
light rain began to fall. It was as if her tears were the rain itself. Sensing her upset, Morgana sat up and went to her sister
holding her hand tightly.
“He doesn’t blame you before you start thinking that, even if he says he does. We know the truth.”
Morgana stepped in and looked at me with sorrow and kindness in her eyes.
“He didn’t see you for a while after that, and then he managed to slip away one afternoon while Father was entertaining
guests. We all guessed it was so he could come and say goodbye to you. None of us said a word. When Father asked where he
was—we all, including mother—said he was out riding and meeting Percy.”
It hit me then, that memory of when we almost had our first kiss. How I’d been waiting for his return and when he didn’t
show up, I took it as a sign. I later found him wandering in the woods looking for me.
“Only you and him know what happened, but when he returned it was morning. Unbeknown to us, whilst we slept, one of
our father’s guests had snuck into our parent’s room and murdered them.”
The walls around me began to close in as I listened to their story. Did Nicholas really not blame me for his parents death?
He must have in some small way, if he’d come to say goodbye to me. It meant he wasn’t home to protect his family.
“Nicholas thinks if he was home that night, he’d have been able to sense something. Been able to protect Mother and
Father. But, even the guards didn’t hear anything. It was done very secretively. We all found out what happened when Nicholas
went into their rooms to tell them he was sorry, and that he’d let you go.”
So, itwasmy fault.
