It was very early the next morning; the dawn wasn't there yet, but Aurora didn't feel like spending another minute in bed.
She had not been able to fall asleep; the idea that her mother might be in danger and is keeping her in the dark kept her awake all night.
She had spent a little time with Brynn, and from what she observed, he wasn't one to inflict suffering on workers like her mother, but she couldn't say the same about his wife and son.
After much tossing around, she decided to head to the mansion's kitchen. She could order the servants, but she was one to get things done herself.
She got to the kitchen, the dim lights lighting her way there.
She checked the large cabinets and saw a variety of rare kinds of packaged chocolates, cookies, biscuits, and sweets.
She was awestruck at the cabinet of sweet wonder, opened in front of her, not wanting to overstep, she took a pack of what she felt was the least expensive chocolate chip cookies.
She closed the large door of the cabinet and jumped in fright when she saw a figure right behind the cabinet's door.
It was Theodore, looking her dead in the eyes.
He had followed her to the kitchen, seemingly tracking her moves.
"Stealing again?" He asked, with a dead stare.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came to get something to keep my mouth busy." She answered, looking away, uninterested.
"On whose permission?"
"Your father's." She answered nonchalantly.
"Enjoy these little privileges while you still can," He said, with an unchanged face, "It won't last long."
"Relax," She rolled her eyes, "It's just cookies."
'Wait a minute, why am I being nice?' She thought to herself.
She was going to be leaving the mansion that morning anyway, so why be nice when all hell could break loose?
Her mother was the only answer she came up with.
Though her mother had told her that it was alright, she had a flicker of doubt and believed that there was something underneath.
She sighed, "I could drop it if you want." She looked at him, pushing both lips in an uninterested manner.
"You know what?" He said, "Keep it. The least I could do for a hungry peasant like you is spare you a pack of cookies." He glared at her and left.
Aurora opened her lips and used her tongue to rub against her teeth, as she tried to hold back the temptation of talking back.
"Calm down now, Aurora, in less than three hours, it will all be over." She said to herself and walked out of the kitchen.
Somehow, Aurora couldn't find her way back to her room; she missed her way.
But how was that possible? Didn't she find her way to the kitchen from her room? Why then was it that she couldn't find her way back?
She tried to retrace her steps but ended up in a room that had a single light on the table.
"Aurora?" A deep voice echoed through the room.
"Oh my gosh!" She screamed, "What was that? Who is there?" She asked, taking a fighting stance, with the pack of cookies still in her hand.
"You want to fight, but can't let go of the pack of cookies?" The voice echoed out.
Her eyes looked at the pack of cookies in her hand, her head unmoved.
She quickly put the pack in her mouth, holding it with her teeth, and returned to her fighting stance.
"Show yourself." She muffled out, as she couldn't talk properly with the pack in her mouth.
The voice laughed out hard, "Still can't let go of the cookies, I see." A figure emerged from the darkness. It was Brynn. "Well, I hope you can share at least?"
Seeing who it was, she gradually comported herself, "Father?" She walked to him, "I'm sorry about that, I didn't know it was you."
"It's alright," Brynn said. "What are you doing here in my study room? Looking for something to read?"
She lifted the pack of cookies, "More like eat." She dropped her hand, "I lost my way back to my room, how stupid could I be?"
Brynn's lips twitched.
"You?"
"I came here to meditate."
"Care if I join you?" Her brows lifted.
"Why not?" Brynn said, "Then you would have to share the cookies with me."
"Not a problem." She smiled.
"Come over here," Brynn said, signaling for her to come to him, and she did.
He took her to the library in the study room.
The little light didn't do justice to the room; she could see it clearly now.
"How is this a study room?" She asked, awed by the massiveness of the library.
The high-stacked books on the shelves looked like the Stairway to Heaven; there were ladders because obviously, no one was that tall.
The chandeliers hung beautifully in the center of the hall, and she couldn't get enough of the historic paintings that decorated the walls elegantly.
"Where I come from, this study room can be used to organize a wedding."
"Really?" Brynn asked, "Well, I hope to introduce you to where I come from during your time here." He stared at the library.
"I have got plans for us, before your month's stay runs out." He added.
Aurora's demeanor died down.
"Child," He called, "Is everything okay?"
Aurora stayed quiet for a bit. Not wanting to raise suspicion, she faked a smile,
"I'm okay," She said.
"You should know better than to lie to me," He said calmly, "As my child, I demand you tell me. What bothers you, my princess?"
Aurora felt fatherly love and acceptance.
"I would be leaving the mansion this morning." She said.
It became so quiet that a drop of pin could be heard.
"Why?" Came the cold question.
"My grandmother is quite elderly," She said, and twisted her lips as she tried to cover up her lies. "And I can't leave her for that long."
Another moment of silence came upon them,
"Who threatened you?"
Aurora's eyes widened, "N…no one, father."
"I have stayed in this house longer than you, child," He said, looking at her, "You can't convince me otherwise of what I already know."
Aurora bit her lips; she was caught before she even lied fully. Does this mean that her mother was going to be in trouble?
She panicked.
"Don't be afraid, princess," He said, "You have done nothing wrong."
Aurora marveled at how he was on point about her worries.
She stared and wondered at the master of the house.
"Come with me, let me escort you to your room. A princess needs her beauty sleep." He said, bringing out his elbow, and Aurora slowly interlocked her elbow with his, her eyes focused on him.
"And don't beat yourself up, you are not leaving this house, Aurora, not unless you choose to.