9. NINE
NINE
QUESTIONING FATE
I rose and walked past the French doors, stepping into a palatial room that resembled a spa.
Tiered spillways fed into a vast circular marble tub, which was flanked by candles and an exotic array of salts and toiletries.
To the side, I noticed a frosted cubicle reminiscent of a steam room.
Wonderful fragrances drifted from perfume bottles displayed on a large marble counter, which held three basins fed by swan-shaped taps.
My eyes drifted to the oval, gilt-edged mirror above the basins. I couldn’t help feel the mirror was off.
As I eased myself into the steaming bath, surrounded by the opulent luxury of the marble-clad room, a wave of unease rippled through me, subtle at first, then insistent.
The steam from the bath thickened, curling upward in slow, deliberate coils.
The mirror blurred, then sharpened, then blurred again, like it was trying to decide whether I was real or just a memory struggling to take shape .
I stared, horrified, at the dirt-smudged face that looked back at me.
My swollen, mascara-smeared eyes seemed unfamiliar, as if they belonged to someone else.
My auburn hair hung in a tangled mess past my shoulders, partially veiling the scars I always tried to forget.
But it wasn’t just the reflection, it was the shimmer at the edge of the glass.
A flicker, then a shadow shifted behind me.
I turned quickly. It was nothing, just steam, I told myself. But I knew what I saw. Or thought I saw. I need to get a grip and stop being paranoid, I reassured myself. It’s my imagination. It must be. But it felt like a hot breath exhaled on my face,
The steam curled upward in delicate tendrils, cloaking my reflection as if trying to erase me or maybe protect me from something I wasn’t ready to see. I blinked hard trying to straighten my thoughts.
“Am I losing touch with reality?” I whispered, my voice barely audible over the gentle trickle of water. I sank deeper into the fragrant bubbles, the warmth of the water enveloping me like a cocoon. But cocoons aren’t safe, they’re transitional. They signify change. They mean something is coming.
Instead of offering solace, the feeling only intensified my sense of disquiet.
“These thoughts… they’re like fragments of a dream,” I murmured quietly, my thoughts drifting aimlessly through the haze of steam.
“But dreams aren’t supposed to feel alive.
What if I’ve crossed some invisible boundary and slipped into a world of my own making? ”
I reached for the edge of the tub, fingers slick with oil and traced the marble grain like it was a map. I needed to remember this room. Its layout. Its exits. I needed to remember every detail about this manor.
The silence of the room was deafening, broken only by the rhythmic beat of my own heart. I closed my eyes, willing myself to find some semblance of clarity amidst the chaos of my thoughts. But the harder I tried to grasp onto reality, the further it seemed to slip from my grasp.
Perhaps I am starting to become like my real dad. Maybe I’ve always been this way and just hadn’t noticed until now. A flicker of self-doubt crept in. I’ve been pretending for months that this is normal, acting like everyone else sees shadows in mirrors and hears whispers in the walls.
With a heavy sigh, I leaned back against the porcelain tub, the weight of my own uncertainty pressing down on me like a leaden blanket. "If this is madness," I whispered to the empty room, "then why does it feel so... blooming real?"
I let myself sink into the warmth, but it didn’t soothe me. It only made me more aware of how fragile and exposed I was.
For an awful moment, I thought I would have to put my dirty clothes back on, but I spotted a fluffy white robe and slipped into it.
I brushed the tangles from my hair. An image of Donte suddenly filled my mind, ushering a wave of sorrow.
I could almost hear his laugh. It felt like a memory trying to reach me through the steam.
What would he be thinking now? Was he as afraid as I was?
I had nothing to remind me of him beyond the photos in my phone that I knew I'd never see again.
Fresh tears blurred my vision, but I stopped myself.
If I was going to return home, I had to be strong.
I had to be smarter than whatever this was.
***
I returned to the bedroom to find Seraphina standing by the French doors. She looked at me with a gentle smile and indicated the fresh clothes on the bed. I knew by looking at them that they would be the perfect fit, and when I hurried back to the bathroom and slipped them on, I was right.
I returned to the main room. Seraphina was still standing by the French doors, looking out at the view before her.
"Would it make you feel better if I told you there was a way to see your family again?" she asked.
She didn’t turn around, and I was relieved by that as I stood there, numb and completely unprepared for her words. I wanted to see my family again, but what if that brought them into this mess? There had to be a condition attached to this.
"If your family was reassured that you were alive and no harm would come to you, would you feel less afraid?
Don't worry, no harm would come to them either. Of that, you have my word," Seraphina said, finally turning to face me.
Her eyes were calm. Too calm. Like she’d already said these one hundred times before. And yet, a trickle of hope.
"And Donte, Could I see him again, too?" I asked hopefully.
Seraphina paused for a moment before shaking her head. The slight movement felt like a sharp stab, a reminder that I was, indeed, a prisoner.
"I must be honest with you, Tilly. Don't set your heart on Donte. You'll learn that he was born for another."
Why did she care about who I loved? Itdidn’tmake sense. What would she gain by trying to steer me away from him?
"That's not possible. I was going to see him this morning. He’ll be frantic with worry by now."
"Trust me, Tilly. Donte isn’t for you."
I stared at her, trying to read past the calm in her voice. She said it like it was fact. Like it had already been decided. "Why would you say that?" My voice cracked.
"How could you know?"
Shedidn’trespond. Instead, she just looked at me, and something about that silence made my chest tighten. Itwasn’tpitynorcruelty. It was certainty. And that was even more unsettling. Certainty meant she knew something that Ididn’t.
"You believe his heart is yours, but it’s not. There’s another he seeks."
She stepped closer, guiding me toward the daybed.
I sat down, but I didn’t relax. My body remained tense, still on high alert.
I gazed at the floor, but my mind was racing.
If this was manipulation, it was skilfully done.
If it was the truth, it was devastating.
Either way, knowledge was power, and I could see that she was choosing each word with precision.
"Tilly," she said softly, brushing a strand of hair from my cheek. "You think you’ve found love. But it’s fleeting. In the end, you’ll understand.”
Her touch was gentle. Her words weren’t.
"In the universe, there’s an order to everything.
Don’t dwell on the complexities. It will only drive you mad.
Just know this reality has existed since the dawn of time.
Everything has its place. Every problem has a solution.
This world is only beginning to grasp that truth. "
I wanted to laugh and scream. Or run. Instead, I said, "I’ve found my other half in Donte. Isn’t that enough?"
But even as I said it, I felt the fracture. I wasn’t whole. I hadn’t been for a long time. Donte didn’t fix me. He just helped me forget.
Seraphina’s gaze didn’t waver. "I’m glad you see the world’s beauty. And that you want to love. But Donte isn’t your destined one."
She took my hand, her fingers brushing the scars I never showed. "In life, we’re shown kindness. But kindness isn’t love. Don’t mistake the two."
Her voice was soft. But it cut deep. Kindness or pity? Is there a difference in their eyes ?
I wondered silently, keeping my doubts hidden behind a composed exterior.
"You think he was kind because of my scars? That it was pity?" I blurted out, my voice revealing more emotion than I intended.
Seraphina's eyes dimmed. "Your feelings for him will fade," she said gently, her tone reflecting the fleeting nature of her affection.
"He's probably frantic with worry by now," I muttered, my gaze drifting away. But even as I said it, I realised I was holding onto a version of Donte that might no longer exist. Seraphina cut through my uncertainty.
"Tilly, there's something crucial I must tell you." Her voice grew grave, the weight of her words heavy. "What would you do if an entire world depended on your decisions?"
I blinked as the enormity of her words sank in. An entire world?
This can’t be real. They must be mad. All of them were. But the urgency in her voice was impossible to ignore.
As the weight of her revelation settled over me, it took time to truly comprehend what she was saying. “I wouldn’t want that kind of responsibility. That’s what governments are for. Why are you asking me this?”
"Because you must make a decision, Tilly. A decision that could change all our fates. You know what I’m, talking about.”
She paused, letting the silence stretch between us before continuing.
"You must choose one of the brothers.
After everything that happened today. I don’t think so, but this wasn’t the moment to react. Be quiet and nod. That’s all I could do.
That is your true destiny. They cannot make the decision themselves—their desire for you blinds them. You’ve already seen what’s happened after only a day in your company .
They can hardly be blamed, of course. You’re beautiful. You have a pure soul. But only one can be with you, the one you bind to."
Her voice softened. The Elysium Bloodline will not wait forever, Tilly.
A chill crept through me. Elysium Bloodline.
Seraphina’s voice told me the bloodline had everything to do with the brothers, but the way she said the name felt bigger than just them.
Here on Earth, bloodline phrases were usually reserved for political elites.
The kind conspiracy theorists swore were pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Hearing it here, in Sternwacht Manor, made those fantasies feel uncomfortably real.
I blinked, trying to process the weight of Seraphina’s words.
I thought of Cillian and how his gaze made me feel like I was already his. Then there was Torin, a whirlwind of rage and chaos. And Fionn, who gave me an unsettling feeling and would snap my neck at the blink of an eye. How could any choice in a situation like this be anything but forced?
Seraphina looked into my eyes.
"Have you decided?”
I felt a blush rise on my face. Had my expression given me away somehow?
“Of course, I haven’t decided. How could I?
You say it will change everything, yet you expect me to know what to choose.
You claim I chose wrongly with Donte, but now you want me to make the right choice just like that.
That’s not how I operate. That’s not how people work.
You find your other half when the time is right. And right now?”
I let out a nervous laugh.
“This is a lot to ask of someone who arrived here only hours ago.”
"Tilly, the time is right, but it's not with the one you thought. "
Her calm demeanour, once soothing, now sparked a flicker of anger within me. It didn’t comfort me anymore it grated on my nerves, as if she were trying to lull me into compliance.
"Why are you and the brothers so desperate for me to make a choice? What’s so important about me that I must be with one of them? You’re an older woman. Why would you approve of what they’ve done? They kidnapped me. They stole me from my home. Is this what you consider acceptable behaviour?"
My voice rose, filled with a mix of anger and desperation. "I don’t understand. Why would they choose me? Isn’t there someone more suitable from their world?"
"Tilly, it doesn’t work that way in Elora,” Seraphina said softly. “Some bonds are written long before we are born. The brothers were not free to choose you, they were summoned to find you.” She stepped closer, her expression almost pitying.
“And now that they have, you must bind with one of them. That is the law of the Elysium Bloodline.”
“Let’s assume for a minute that I don’t think this is insane.” I did. “I believe it’s my destiny to choose one of the Elysium brothers. That still doesn’t tell me how I’m meant to make the decision and bind to them.”
“You’ll know the right decision in your heart, Tilly. You must trust yourself. But be careful. A wrong choice carries consequences for you, and for them.”
My head throbbed, not just from fatigue but from the weight of everything I wasn’t ready to handle.
"This is overwhelming," I said tiredly. I’m being asked to choose someone I don’t know for reasons I don’t understand, in a world that doesn’t feel real. "How would you feel if you were in my position?"
"But I do know how you feel," Seraphina replied with an understanding smile. "When I first came to Sternwacht Manor, this was my room. I was like you, young, beautiful, and very frightened. I know exactly what you’re feeling because I’ve stood where you stand."
Surprised, I looked carefully at her. She looked like she could be in her fifties yet moved and spoke like someone younger.
"How are you connected to the brothers? I don’t understand your relationship with them. Are you bound to them to?”
Seraphina sighed and gazed at me with searching eyes. "Some truths must come in their own time. You’re exhausted. You must rest now. You’ll learn more once you’ve settled here."
The door clicked shut as she left. Alone again. Just me, the shadows and the silence.