Arabella walked through the dark corridors of the gothic-styled mansion as she was on night shift, her slippers brushing lightly against the cold marble floor. The air inside was heavy, almost damp with silence. The walls, tall and vast, swallowed the faint echoes of her steps. There were no candles lit, no lanterns lit hanging from their usual places, and the few chandeliers above looked like lifeless ornaments, their crystals catching no light, no candle lit in them, the only illumination came from the dim silver rays of the crescent moon seeping through the long window at the far end of the hallway soft and distant, yet enough to make the darkness shimmer faintly.
She wondered, as she often did, why no one ever lit the lanterns at night. Even the curtains were always drawn closed, as though the mansion feared the intrusion of moonlight. Darkness always seemed to reign here thick, solemn, and uninviting, which was unsettling.
She moved carefully, her hand brushing against the wall for guidance, until she reached the front of the mansion. There stood a massive floor-to-ceiling window near the grand doors, its glass tinted faintly black. She paused, gazing out. The night outside was breathtaking. The moon hung low and sharp, crescent and pale, while the stars scattered loosely across the vast heavens, not clustered but delicately spaced, like flecks of silver dust on ink.
Even so, the beauty was dulled by the tinted glass that separated her from it. Arabella sighed softly. She wanted to see the sky as it truly was unfiltered, real, her gaze flicked around the hall. No one was in sight, no footsteps echoed, no sound of movement came from upstairs. The mansion slept under its darkness.
She hesitated, thinking, would it be wrong for a maid to step outside at this hour? The thought made her frown faintly, but she dismissed it, It wasn't like she was escaping, she only wanted to breathe the night air and look at the moon without glass between them.
With careful hands, she pushed open the large double doors, and thankfully, they didn't creaked loudly, not enough to wake anyone, and a cool breath of night wind swept against her face as she stepped out, she lowered herself sitting on the dark floors, which was still a part of the mansion.
The change struck her immediately the crisp air, the faint hum of crickets, the scent of wet soil and pine. She realized with quiet surprise that she hadn't stepped outside since she arrived at this mansion. Her eyes widened as she took in the vastness around her, the mansion was surrounded by nothing but forest a sea of shadowy trees stretching endlessly into the horizon, there were no other buildings, no lanterns flickering in the distance. Just darkness and the quiet companionship of nature.
A pang of loneliness pressed against her chest. "How could someone live here?" she murmured softly, her voice blending into the whispering wind. Her auburn hair bright even under the faint moonlight fluttered around her shoulders. She tucked a few loose strands behind her ear, revealing the tiny lunar earring that glimmered faintly there.
The stillness brought her thoughts inward. How long have the others lived here? Would this become my permanent home too? The heaviness that came with the thought sat in her chest like a weight. Slowly, she lowered herself to the black marble steps that led from the doorway. The floor beneath her still felt cold, even though it belonged to the mansion.
Her eyes drifted back to the sky.
I hope you're both doing well, she prayed silently, and not missing me too much. I hope you're eating well, but olease don't forget me also. The thought of her parents tightened her throat, and though the memories hurt, she didn't hold them to blame for anything that had happened.
She sat there for a long while until a sound shattered the quietness, a sudden rustle of leaves, faint but sharp, came from somewhere near the side of the mansion. Making Arabella freeze in place .
Her heart skipped a beat as she rose to her feet, her long skirt sweeping softly against the ground. The sound came again a light but distinct movement through the trees. She hesitated, torn between fear and curiosity. But curiosity won, as it always did. Carefully, she walked toward the source, her hands clasping the edge of her skirt to keep it from brushing too loudly against the floor.
The closer she got, the clearer the sounds became crunching leaves, snapping twigs, but too heavy, too forceful to be from a small animal. Could it be a bear? she wondered, heart thudding. But that didn't seem right either.
The forest loomed darker ahead, the trees twisting like black pillars against the dim sky. She took a deep breath and stepped past the last stone boundary that marked the mansion's grounds.
Minutes passed, each step slower than the last. The noise had stopped. The forest was silent again eerily so. Just when she thought she had imagined everything, she caught another sound the faint ripple of water.
She blinked, unsure. Water? Here? She hadn't seen any river near the mansion when she'd arrived. Yet the sound was unmistakable, and it wasn't too far away. She followed it, parting branches carefully until her path opened into a small clearing.
And there her mouth fell open in awe.
Before her stretched a wide, glimmering lake. Its waters were crystal clear, mirroring the crescent moon and scattered stars like a piece of heaven laid upon earth. The surface rippled softly under the night wind. Around it were smooth, stepped rocks that curved naturally, forming a beautiful, secluded basin.
It was mesmerizing, wild, untouched, yet calm.
Arabella walked closer, stopping where the first rock jutted out near the water's edge. She crouched slowly, her skirt pooling around her feet, and dipped her right hand into the lake. The water was cool, fresh, and startlingly clear. Droplets streamed down her fingers, and she smiled faintly, her face glowing in the moonlight.
She was so entranced she didn't notice the presence behind her not until a deep, familiar voice broke the silence.
"What are you doing?"
The voice came like a sharp echo across the lake, and it startled her so badly she lost her balance. With a small yelp, she toppled forward straight into the water.
The cold shock made her gasp. Her bright auburn hair spread like silk across the surface, glistening under the moonlight. She quickly sat up in the shallow part of the lake, the water rising up to her chest. Her soaked dress clung to her skin, heavy and cold.
She turned and froze.
There he stood.
Dorian.
The moonlight fell over him like a crown of silver, highlighting every detail his tall, imposing frame, the dark fall of his hair brushing the nape of his neck, and his bare torso glistening faintly with droplets of water that traced down the lines of his sculpted abdomen. His trousers hung low enough to show the defined taper of his waist. His eyes deep, dark, unreadable were fixed on her.
She forgot to breathe. She forgot to speak. Every thought in her head vanished as she stared up at him, utterly dumbstruck.
When he spoke again, his voice was deep and even, reverberating through the still air. "What are you doing?"
Her cheeks burned crimson. She stammered, "I… I just— um…" Her voice faltered, the words scattering like fallen leaves. The realization of how she must look soaked, clothes clinging to every curve made her heart pound louder.
Desperate to regain composure, she grasped the nearest rock and pulled herself out of the lake. Her skirt and blouse stuck provocatively to her form as she straightened, her wet hair clinging to her neck and shoulders. His gaze narrowed, but it stayed fixed on her face nowhere else.
"Um… Master Dorian," she murmured, bowing awkwardly, only worsening her embarrassment. "I—I thought I heard something." Her voice trembled faintly.
He didn't respond immediately. His silence was heavier than words. Then, his voice came low and steady. "How does that explain you falling into the lake?"
"I… I didn't mean—" she began, but he cut her off.
"Why are you out here?"
His eyes, dark and unreadable, bore into hers.
"I just wanted to look at the moonlight," she said truthfully, her voice soft, her expression delicate under the pale sky.
"Leave," he said simply.
She blinked, startled. She had expected a punishment perhaps even to be thrown in the dungeon again but instead, he dismissed her. Relief washed through her chest.
"Thank you, Master Dorian," she said, bowing again, though he clearly didn't want her to. Especially not in her drenched state.
He turned as if to head toward the lake, his steps smooth, deliberate. But then—
Her soft gasp broke the quiet.
He stopped mid-step and turned his head slightly. Arabella's eyes were wide, her hand instinctively covering her mouth. She hadn't meant to make a sound, but she couldn't help it.
For there, across his bare back, the moonlight revealed a deep, long slash still red, raw, half open and half closed as it was still healing.The sight of it made her heart twist and her blood run cold.