CHAPTER 45

The days passed and I devoted myself entirely to gardening. I was completely alone while planting, but I was never bored because seeing them grow healthy made me happy.

“Do you believe my plants will survive, manang?” I asked in hushed tones as I waited for the vehicle to approach us. We had been waiting outside the manor for a while, awaiting the arrival of Auntie Nena. This would be the first time in years that I would see her.

“Of course. You can’t even leave them behind, the ones you planted are really healthy.” I exhaled a sigh of relief as I heard what she said. It was fortunate that was what she replied, because I occasionally became afraid that it might die rapidly. Youtube was my sole source of information for each planting. I never asked for help from the gardeners here, they were always busy doing something.

I cast another glance at the oncoming van, and excitement welled up in my chest as it came to a stop in front of us. It opened seconds later, and Auntie Nena came out.

“Auntie!” I exclaimed joyfully as I ran toward her. When I hugged her, her disbelief was clear; she still couldn’t seem to believe that I was her only niece.

“Oh, my god. You look amazing, Aurie,” she exclaimed as she kissed me on the cheek. I looked at her in awe; she resembled the elder version of me perfectly. If a stranger looked at us, he or she would believe auntie Nena was my mother.

“I’ve missed you so much; where are your mother and Seven?” Auntie also greeted manang Lydia when she saw her. We entered the manor simultaneously while she conversed with manang, inquiring about our business and everything else.

When she entered, she was greeted by mama and Seven. It was good to see Auntie was close with Sev; her bond with him appeared to be rather solid.

Our chat was also brief, as she required rest. She was undoubtedly exhausted after sitting on the plane for several hours.

“Mommy, where is manang?” I asked after nearly walking around the entire manor and still being unable to find where she was. I needed an additional pot for the new flower I intended to plant, but I had no idea where to obtain one due to my lack of familiarity with the ins and outs of the house.

“She’s on the other manor, darling. She’s looking after the visitors she’s talking about three days ago. All of the rooms of the manor will be used, and she’s ensuring there will be no difficulties. Do you need something?” I bit my lip and shook my head.

Nevermind. I could do it later or tomorrow. I’d like not to disturb her.

“Oh, nothing. It can wait, I’ll just tell her later.”

“Are you sure?” she asked reassuringly. I smiled and gave a slight nod. My mother did not enjoy gardening, and I didn’t wish to disturb her with other thing she was doing only because I needed something.

“Yes. I’ll just walk to my garden, mmy,” I said as I kissed her cheek and turned away from her. I walked out of the manor without saying a word and went to my garden. It looked like manang had a lot of customers. Our staffs were scattered around and they all looked busy.

“Hello, everyone,” I greeted the plants in a childlike tone. I did this every day, even if it was impossible for them to talk back. I frequently conversed with them as if they were all humans.

I tied my hair and got to work. I’d planted a lot, but I was not pleased; I wanted the place manang had given me to be completely covered in plants and flowers.

I spent the entire afternoon gardening. I only stopped when mommy called me to go back inside the manor.

“What about the other mansion, manang?” mommy asked. We were complete at the table: me, Seven, mommy, and auntie Nena. Manang Lydia had recently returned from the other manor; it was only lunchtime, yet she was already exhausted.

“The guests are well; they are eating lunch as well. The first batch will begin studying the numerous exotic plants that we have later.” Seven and I were eating quietly and just listening to them. I was not sure who were our guests were, but they appeared to be wealthy. We had a really strict policy, particularly when it comes to exotic flowers and plants. We also had some dangerous plants, so we must use extreme caution. I overheard one of our staff members discussing about those guests earlier; they stated that they would do tests on some of our rare plants, so I was guessing they paid a premium for the privilege.

“If only the first batch does the tests today, what will the other batches do?” auntie asked.

“Ah, a teacher advised me to just let her other students enjoy the surroundings; she said she assigns too many projects; this is meant to be her reward for being a harsh teacher.” Manang laughed at the thought.

Oh, so they were just students? I hoped that all professors were like her, allowing their students to unwind.

“Aurie, do you want to ride a horse today? You promised me three days ago that you would wait for your aunt before attempting to ride a horse again. Now that she is here, why don’t you go ahead and try?” I raised my eyes as I heard mommy’s voice. I wasn’t expecting her to bring up that subject now; in fact, I had almost forgotten about it.

“Sure. Let’s ride together after lunch.” Auntie Nena taught me to ride a horse. I was a child when she began educating me, but not a single bit of her counsel has escaped my memory. The details she had previously stated were still fresh in my mind.

We ate for a while longer. We rested for a little while before proceeding to the stable. It was next to the land with full of different kind of flowers. Only a modest fence separated the two fields, allowing me to enjoy the sight. I could even see my garden between the two glasshouses.

Surely, when Auntie Nena and I began riding the horses, we would attract a large number of tourists.

We didn’t bother changing our clothes; instead, we wore safety gear to protect ourselves in the event of an accident.

Mom was watching us from afar; she was the only one present and was not with Seven. She sat on a white Adirondack chair, wearing sunglasses. She was holding a digital camera, it looked like she was going to film us while racing.

“Are you ready?” I smiled and nodded as I turned to Auntie Nena. A gardener counted before we preceded. My face was welcomed by the cold wind, and my well-groomed hair exploded as a result of my horse’s speed. My white dress was being blown by the wind, exposing my legs. Fortunately, I had previously considered wearing cycling shorts.

When I saw my auntie was ahead of me, I increased the horse’s speed. I was not even nervous, even if the horse was running faster and faster; all I wanted was to win.

My lips curved into a smile as I passed her. While riding, I cast a glimpse across the other land, where the different kinds of flower and plants were planted. There were numerous people around, most of them were clearly teenagers. Almost all of them were dressed in civilian clothes, with the exception of a few. Those wearing PE uniforms were certainly the first batch.

I couldn’t read what was written on their uniforms. A couple of them stood there and watched us, while the members of the first batch sat up and paid attention to what the teacher was saying. I couldn’t see their faces clearly, and I needed to get a little closer before I could see it.

My horse moved closer to the fence that separated the two fields, and I could immediately make out the expressions on their faces as they got closer and closer. When I realized what was printed on their uniforms, the smile that had been on my face vanished.

University of EastWood Suddenly, I found myself pulling hard on the horse’s rein, making the horse moan and lose its equilibrium.

When I fell from the horse, I heard a slew of yells from the other field, as well as the shouts of Auntie Nena and mommy, which I could hear from a distance.

Ouch I wanted to cry because of the force of the fall, but I couldn’t because I was overcome with physical pain. I was sure a lot of students from my former school were laughing at me.

Did they see my face?

The gardeners were the first to reach me, followed by Mommy, who rushed across the vast expanse of land simply to get close to me.

“Oh my goodness, Aurie! What were you thinking pulling the rein so hard?” mom exclaimed as she helped me sit. I couldn’t answer her and simply looked at the people on the other side of the fence, almost all of them were looking at us.

The gardeners assisted me in getting to the stable. I was immediately seated close to my mother’s chair.

“Can you tell me where it hurts the most?” Auntie Nena asked. Without saying anything, I pointed out my sore hip, which had been the first to fall earlier, and was therefore the most painful for me.

“Oh no, we need Lydia to massage it, I don’t know a thing about this.” Mommy had the gardeners carry me back to the manor, which was fortunately not too far from the stable.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Seven asked as the gardeners gently put me down onto the living room couch. He stared at me with a frown on his face, as if he were wondering what I had done again.

“She fell on the horse. Her hips are sore.”

Seven looked at me in disbelief.

“Be thankful that I am a doctor, Aurie. I can do it better even if I am not skilled at massaging. Let’s go to your room.”

“It aches, and I can’t walk.” I bit my lip and rested my back on the couch. Sighing, he rolled his eyes before lifting me up. I almost screamed when I was on the verge of falling because of his abrupt hoist.

“Are you going to break my bones?!” I exclaimed, feeling a little nervous.

“You tumbled from the horse, which is why you’re hurt right now; you just almost fell from my grip so I know you’re not that hurt. Stop over reacting.” I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes. His tone was like a father, scolding his child. From behind us, I heard mommy and auntie laughing, as if they were both pleased that Seven and I were fighting.

Crazy people.

When we entered my room, Sev carefully lowered me to the bed. He went out for a bit to gather the items he needed, leaving the three of us here, mom, Auntie Nena, and me.

“What brought you to a halt, Aurie? You didn’t even slow your horse down.” I bit my lip as I recalled what I had seen earlier. I was not certain if Pierre and Iris were there, but I was certain I spotted a few EastWood students.

“Uh, I instantly felt the urge to pee.”

“Oh, why don’t you pee right now?”

“My urine receded because of the pain I felt.” I suddenly wanted to laugh. What a liar. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were both aware that I was lying. They were both lawyers, they were not that easy to fool.

Auntie Nena was about to speak when Seven entered my room. He was already carrying something which I was unfamiliar.

When Seven approached me, Mommy took a step back. He directed me to lie on my stomach prior to lifting my dress up.

I didn’t mind being naked here; Seven saw me naked during my general check up before. This was also normal for a doctor like him.

Seven began massaging my hip. Every time he was touching the most painful spot, I closed my eyes. I was not sure what oil he used, but it felt amazing.

“I’m done,” he said, fixing my cycling and making me go back to my normal position. Mommy immediately wrapped me in a blanket and would not let me move.

“Rest all day; it will be gone tomorrow, as it is not serious.” He gave me some advices before he left the room. Mommy and Auntie Nena also departed after a few minutes, leaving me alone so I could rest.

I clutched my pillow and fixed my gaze on the ceiling. I recalled what happened earlier; was I hallucinating or not? If they were with Iris, I hoped I wasn’t. If they were with Pierre, I hoped I was. My heart yearned to see him, but my head resisted. This was the second time I’d listened to my mind, and I wouldn’t hesitate to do it over and over again.

Time passed and Iris and Pierre were the only things in my mind. I couldn’t sleep due to excessive thinking. When nightfall came, mom refused to let me go downstairs; instead, Jo brought my dinner to my room so I wouldn’t have to get up.

As if I wouldn’t stand up to wash my body later.

“I’ll feed you, ma’am.”

“No, thank you; I am capable of doing it.” I was going to take the spoon from her hand when she yanked it away. My brows immediately raised.

“Madame Aliana firmly prohibits you from eating on your own; she stated that I should feed you, and you are not permitted to walk until your condition improves.”

Really? It was not as if my hands were also in pain.

“Give me that spoon; I can eat alone. What do you think of me? A cripple?”

“I truly cannot—”

“Give me that spoon or I’ll tell Seven that you like him and are surreptitiously photographing him?” I threatened. She was taken aback, her eyes somewhat enlarged. She did not appear to anticipate what I said.

“I saw you earlier; you were secretly photographing him; only someone who likes someone would do that. Now, hand me the spoon before I tell him what you did.” Despite her hesitations, she handed me the spoon.

Was she seriously supposing that I was unaware that she likes Seven? It was quite evident, much more so when Sev was around her. Her face was the color of a tomato whenever that doctor was saying something. I even overheard her discussing about that man with the other maids.

“Oh, why are you still here?” I asked as I ate the rice.

“I ought to be here; Madame Aliana may be startled to see me helping downstairs; all she knows is that I’m feeding you.”

Oh, she had a point. I remained silent and continued to eat. This was better than treating me like a cripple.