The warm spring breeze weather was growing warmer each day. Spring was slowly coming to an end. Seasonal flowers were slowly withering away and new ones were about to bloom soon.

Summer was coming.

Elenor decided that she was tired of staying in the manor and around the capital. Her body was spread out on her bed lazily. She sighed before turning to Alec who was comfortably sitting on a stool beside her bed, reading a book. She told Alec that he could relax or do whatever he wanted when it was only two of them in a room.

"Hey Alec,"

"What is it?"

"Let's go somewhere."

"Like where?"

"I don't know. You can pick, I'll just agree to anything."

Alec raised an eyebrow at her, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yeah. I had enough of staying inside or just walking around the capital. I have been there so many times it's starting to get boring. Plus it's getting hot in the manor so we might as well head outside."

Alec nodded. He shut his book close and got up from his stool. Elenor only watched, never once moving from her position. He turned to her and held a small smile.

"Would you like to visit my hometown?"

-

The two set off the same day to Alec's hometown. Elenor never expected him to ask such a question. Bringing her to his hometown. It also meant the first time Elenor ever met Alec and took him back with her. If Alec was bringing her to his hometown, that means he trusts her a lot right? He was bringing someone who did make him suffer all his life in dirt and poverty.

"Alec do you trust me that much?" asked Elenor.

He turned to her and kept his eyes on her for a couple of moments before replying back to her,

"Yes."

Elenor pursed her lips together into a thin line, unable to say anything else. At the back of her mind, she reminds herself to find more evidence in order for him to gain back everything that was rightfully his.

She noticed the scenery slowly changing. Less buildings around them and more nature. They rode into a forest which brought an uneasy feeling inside of her but it dispersed once they got out of the forest not long later.

However, Elenor noticed the area looked less bright and more...sullen. As if life around there was being sucked away. It felt dull and gray. She decided to observe outside more until the carriage finally stopped.

"We have arrived." Alec softly spoke, opening the carriage door.

He got down first before extending his hand out to Elenor. She accepted it and also got down from the carriage. She looked around the area, taking in everything. It was a decent size town but it looked more like a village due to how old the buildings were and looked.

The people were wearing worn out clothes, some were even ragged and torn. Without needing to put two and two together, Elenor already knew this place was in a terrible condition.

Regardless of how run down this town was, it was still quite lively. The children were running around, laughing and having fun. The townspeople were chatting and still trying their best to make a small living to get through life.

"This is where I used to live," Alec spoke up, looking straight ahead with an indifferent look on his face.

"And where Elenor took me in." he muttered the last sentence but Elenor could hear it clearly.

She didn't say anything and stood there in silence before Alec finally turned to her and gave a small smile.

"Shall we go to a special place?"

Alec was in front while she was at the back following him. It slowly grew softer, she couldn't really hear the voices of the people trying to call for them to sell their things. When Alec stopped walking, she did as well.

"Cemetery..?" she whispered to herself, baffled. It didn't take her long to realise where he had brought her.

Alec walked into the cemetery without glancing at her. Not knowing what else to do, she followed behind him until he stopped at two specific graves. Of all the graves in the cemetery, these two were kept well maintained but it had many weeds growing around it.

Alec kneeled down and began cleaning up the weeds. Seeing him clean up the weeds, Elenor wanted to help as well, not caring if the dirt stained her dress. She bent down and helped Alec clean the weeds as well.

Yet, a hand stopped her from touching the weeds. She lifted up her gaze at Alec who stopped her.

"Milady doesn't need to dirty her hands."

She shook her hand and offered him a smile, "Alec brought me here. We're paying a visit to your parents aren't we? So it's alright, let me help you out."

Alec wanted to disagree further but when he saw how she looked, he couldn't. She really looked like she wanted to help him. So, the two finished cleaning the weeds around Alec's parents grave.

"If I knew we were paying a visit I would have prepared flowers." Elenor lightly laughed.

"Flowers wilt fast so it was better we didn't." Alec responded.

Elenor nodded, agreeing with his reasoning before turning to his parents grave. She took a step back and politely bowed.

"Good afternoon, Baron and Baroness Cullingford. My name is Elenor Berry Hester," she introduced herself.

"Father, mother today I brought my lady this time. She helped me when I was on the brink of death, I am grateful for her." Alec softly spoke to his parents grave.

Elenor fiddled with her fingers as she didn't know what else to say. Alec didn't speak as well, both of them standing in silence. Usually she wouldn't mind it but being in a cemetery in front of his parent's especially just did not sit right with her.

"Uh...you have raised an amazing child!" Elenor blurted out, hoping the silence would go away.

"Alec always helps me and the household everyday. He's good at what he does, maybe even better than most people. Even if I didn't pick him up, he would have turned into a fine man who would be striving in his life!" At this point, she didn't know what she was even saying.

"But I'm glad Alec is by my side, I wouldn't know what I would do without him." she finally ended her rambling once she noticed Alec's eyes on her.

'Why does this feel like I'm his girlfriend meeting his parents..?'

Alec's eyes were still on her even after she stopped talking. Elenor couldn't take it anymore and turned to him, gazing back at his eyes. His eyes were the same shade as almost every person Elenor had seen in her world yet something about them drew her in. An endless void sucking all light into it.

Elenor's eyes slowly gazed down at his lips. They were a nice shade of pink and looked soft. She realised they were coming closer to her, just a few inches away from her. She took in a sharp breath before her eyes shot back up at his.

"Milady I-"

---

see what i did there 😌