Page 54 of Mountains of Mist and Magic

Triston stood up, his eyes darting around the room, and then he stormed out, with Julietta chasing after him.

Esmeralda gave Phillippe a sharp glare.

“What the hell did I do wrong?”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Esmeralda's irritation with Phillippe was now twofold. She was deeply hurt by his earlier confession to Sion, and incredibly annoyed at his lack of sensitivity towards her own brother and their parents' tragic demise.

“Phillippe!” Esmeralda scolded, her voice sharp with anger. “You can't imagine how horrible that story is, and how hard it is for Triston to talk about. You need to have some sensitivity.”

Phillippe reached for her arm, but she jerked away, marching out of the room in search of her brother. She wasn't sure why Julietta had followed him out, and she didn't understand why they appeared here together, but she was sure Triston would fill her in as soon as he could.

The door she exited from led directly to two different corridors, and she didn't see him down either one. She went to the left, which led to a large music room, but he wasn't there. She pivoted and went down the other hallway. At the end of the corridor, there was a parlor, and she guessed that was where he had gone since he didn't have a room yet. The door was slightly ajar, so she approached. Peering through the opening, she moved to open the door farther, but instead paused as she took in the scene before her.

Triston was being held by Julietta. He was kneeling on the floor, and she had her arms wrapped around his middle, half on his lap. Julietta was whispering soft words of encouragement in his ear in a low voice, so quietly that Esmeralda could barely make them out.

“Shhhhhhhh...it's okay,” Julietta murmured. “I'm here.”

Esmeralda hid behind the door, shocked by what she was seeing. Why was Julietta comforting her brother? And why was Triston letting her? Esmeralda knew her brother rarely let anyone penetrate the barriers he erected. But here he was with Julietta, who was barely an acquaintance, letting her hold him like...a lover?

She knew she should give them privacy, but she felt rooted to the spot. And if truth be told, she was a little...hurt. Her brother never confided in her and kept her at the same cold distance he kept everyone. Yet here he was, with Julietta. Displaying emotions she never thought him capable of.

“Sweetheart...” Triston murmured, running a finger through Julietta's curls. Julietta leaned into his touch, closing her eyes. The pair shared the intimacy as if it was natural, a motion that had been done many times before. “I—you make me feel—less alone than I've ever felt.”

Esmeralda didn't want to hear anymore. Obviously, there was something going on between the two, and it had been going on for a while, without her knowledge. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't confide in her if he had such an important relationship. She knew her brother had been with women before, even a few of her friends, but she ignored it. From what she heard, he was never with the same woman twice and took what he wanted and left as soon as possible. Esmeralda knew that he never wanted to marry, never wanted a family. She knew that duty would fall to her. This was just so uncharacteristic of him. And Julietta? She wasn't Triston's type. She was so soft, and full of emotion. Esmeralda always imagined her brother with someone strong and as emotionless as he was. Someone to put duty above all others. Someone he saw as a strategic match.

It didn't make sense. Something here was...odd.

She continued down the hall, heading towards her bedroom. She wanted to lie down and think about what happened and try to make sense of it in her head. Esmeralda went up the spiraling staircase, back up to her room. She opened the door, took off her shoes and then sat on the bed.

“There you are.”

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Phillippe stood in the corner, a coy smile playing on his lips.

“You ran off.”

She ignored him, heading to the bathroom. His comment to her brother annoyed her, but then what she saw downstairs...she was angry about that, too. But anger wasn't a normal emotion for her, and she didn't quite know how to process it. She shut the door behind her loudly and then sank against it.

“Esmeralda?” Phillippe called softly through the bathroom door.

“Go away, Phillippe.”

“Not until you tell me what's wrong.”

“Please, just leave me be.” Esmeralda felt a tear start in her eye, and before she could stop it, it trailed down her cheek. She knew Phillippe cared about her, but seeing her brother being so tender with Julietta made her see that her own relationship with Phillippe was lacking that vulnerability. Everything with him was surface level, and she still wasn't sure if his intentions and feelings towards her were real.

“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong.”

Esmeralda opened the door, her anger getting the better of her. “What's wrong? What's wrong? How can you ask me that? Do you even care how I feel? You say you want to court me, but you never tell me anything personal. We've been playing this game for over a month now, and I feel like I still know nothing about you. Yet my brother is with Julietta apparently, and he seems closer to her than you've ever been with me.”

Phillippe looked at her, stunned. “What do you mean? I've made my intentions towards you clear—”

“Have you, though? Besides a pretty word here and there, and a trinket you've placed in my palm, you haven't made any attempt to open up to me.”

“Esmeralda, listen—”

“No. You listen to me, now. I've heard the rumors. You've slept with almost every girl in the Snow Lands, yet you do nothing but give me chaste kisses. Why aren't you serious about me? Why did you tell Sion you hate your feelings for me?”

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