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Just exactly who is paying a visit in this gloomy saturday?
On a break after the past week, the Duchess stayed alone in her home. She's been constantly in and out for business reasons, but she doesn't spend time for leisure anymore. Not like it hasn't been that way the moment she took over the business, but she barely got to do even her favourite hobby, which is reading in her library. Just staring into nothingness is what she does.
But then... A knock on her door was heard. What could anyone possibly want from her at this hour?
Discarding her haggard looks, she dusted her dress and took a moment to reach the doorway. As she opened it, a woman was in front. She had a long emerald-colored dress, a fur boa, and a sleek ebony bun for a hairstyle. Just as the Duchess has approached her door, her eyes lit up in surprise.
"You..... you must be Bella's sister.... are you not?" She asked, as the Duchess quietly scoffed. Of course, she's here for Bella....
"Why have you asked? You have heard of the news, haven't you?"
The woman nodded deeply as she bowed down her head. "I have... and I am terribly sorry for your loss."
"Then what brings you here? I have no interest with entertaining visitors at all, not even any 'fan' of my sister's is permitted to come close." the Duchess scoffed, and it was then and there that the startled woman spoke up again.
"Ah! Forgive me for the impolite gesture, Your Grace.... But my name is Lady 13, and I am....." The woman hesitated for a second before answering.
"..... A close acquaintance of Bella...."
The Duchess' eyes widen.
"You couldn't mean that...." She slowly pieces it together as Lady 13 nodded solemnly, leaving the Duchess in a state of shock.
"Can you.... Take me to her resting place? If you're alright with it, that is. I won't force you." Lady 13 asked, and the Duchess regained her composure to reply with a pitiful sigh.
===
At the back of the Duchess' manor was a private graveyard reserved to the family members of the estate. Its recent addition was the young Lady Bella, who had tragically passed away shortly after her budding success as a theatrical songstress. Even after her death, she was still flocked by fans all across the city, so the Duchess had requested to arrange the funeral through closed doors and bury her remains in their home. In that way, she can have the peaceful eternal slumber she deserves.
Lady 13 stared in disbelief at the sight, but couldn't bring herself to shed one single tear. She knows better than that.
"So tell me.... How did you and Bella meet?" Asked the Duchess in a monotone voice, as Lady 13 softly chuckles, as she's taken back to that day.
"It was at a gala, if my memory serves correctly. The entire theater was there to promote their newest play. And Bella.... Let's just say she stole the show."
"She always does so, but I really don't mind it because she looked good while doing so." A smile appeared on the Duchess.
"I take it that you love your sister." The woman in green turned to the Duchess.
"Of course, I do! How could I not? She was the only one I had left with me. Every other relative of mine had feared me for my judgements, but Bella had always looked up to me." She sighed, as Lady 13 nodded casually and mumbled. "I really see the resemblance."
"Bella then approached me. She said that it was out of curiosity, but we really enjoyed each other's company, therefore our friendship had begun." She laughed out before spiraling back into the somber atmosphere, for it is visible in the Duchess' eyes that the pain of Bella's passing has never left her.
"Her cause of death was a conspiracy spread amongst the townsfolk. Many newspapers have said she died of the accidental stage fall, and yet.... I heavily doubt it at the same time. Especially because of how they sent in a detective to solve her case, revealing her death to be..... overdose..." She looked away, as Lady 13 started thinking.
"Would anyone even think of harming her?"
The Duchess was hesitant to either nod or shake her head. "Not that I'm aware of. Bella may have been famous, yes.... But what would people gain from her? Not unless...." She paused for a moment before mumbling to herself "That count.... And his wretched gifts..."
Lady 13 just watched the Duchess being lost in her thoughts, as she was also lost in hers. Being a woman with control over the whole town's lifeline and has a bodyguard hired to assassinate anyone who crosses paths with her, such actions shouldn't be of her concern.
But Bella.... Bella captivated her the moment they have met. Her elegance, her beauty, and her passion for perfection was what made Lady 13 lose grip of her demeanor as a boss with hidden intentions.
"I was out abroad when her death happened. I returned briefly after the news and... I cannot believe this would be our first and last encounter after years. A pitiful reunion." the Duchess sighed as she took off her hat and placed it in front of her chest.
Lady 13 was away too in a business meeting when the news of the actress' death spread like wildfire. It wasn't just yesterday when the two women have been sharing their feelings to one another through letter, and now, it's all for nothing.
"Your friendship with her is more than a friendship, I assume. It was.... Something deeper." said the Duchess out of curiosity, a question that Lady 13 couldn't answer. Was she really more than friends with Bella? Is their mutual trust for one another a romantic desire? Lady 13 couldn't tell for herself, and neither can Bella anymore....
"How'd you guess that, Your Grace?" She asked, as Duchess handed her out a letter that was unfinished.
"Her maid found this while clearing out her belongings in the theater. I haven't the slightest idea on who could she be writing this for until you appeared." The woman in purple looked away. She already knew what that letter contains.
As Lady 13 recieved the contents of the letter, she read it out to herself.
"I wish I could write out to you at my earliest convenience. But I'm afraid that my time is up. I couldn't take it anymore, but I must stay in the spotlight, even if my destiny is to die. If my sister is reading this, please take care, Ame. I'm so sorry that we won't get to see each other again..."
She then found the last paragraph not long after.
"And to my dear Lady 13..... It was lovely to know you. You've been an amazing friend to me, and I what I want to say before I go is that I...."
The letter remains unfinished, and the two women sat in silence.
The Duchess then stood up, as she was on the grip of losing her composure to cry, but Lady 13 made sure to stay by her side.
"Hey now, don't cry. You know that Bella wouldn't want this." She spoke out to her with a genuine smile.
"You're right. She's always been there for me... Now, I don't seem to know what to do now that I've lost her. Nothing can bring her back, no matter how many choices had there been to stop her." the woman in purple sighed, slowly kneeling down the ground, as Lady 13 rushed to her with one back on the Duchess' shoulder, and the other at the palm of her hand.
"Bella told me all about how wonderful of an older sister you are. She would have wanted us to meet, so that we can cherish her memory together. Even if difficult for both of us to let go, here's one thing I can promise to you. You've done your part protecting Bella, so I shall do mine by protecting you, no matter what." Said Lady 13.
"We've only met at this very moment, what on Earth's nonsense are you talking about?" the Duchess raised a brow. Lady 13 placed another hand on her gloved palm.
"Still. I won't let harm come to you either, and that's a promise, your grace." She gave a smile, and the Duchess felt something rather different. Nothing can ever make this arrogant jeweler ever so flustered. In fact, prioritizing such silly thoughts as romance was never an ideal of hers. Perhaps this strangely endearing lady can change it.
It doesn't feel right either way. She was once the woman that her sister loved. And maybe she still holds Bella dear to her heart, no matter if she reciprocated the affection or not. Why must fate be so cruel to make such pitiful decisions?
After the visit, it was time for Lady 13 to return to China Town, but it wasn't till she left a little gift to keep the Duchess company, which is a butterfly hairpin. One so sharp and elegant, much like the woman who had gifted it. When Lady 13 had left, the Duchess felt a bit relieved with the conversation she had with her. She could never bring herself to let the grief of her loss get to anyone else but herself, and yet someone was there to confide with her and feel sympathy with her.
And as for Lady 13, she saw her meeting with the Duchess as a second chance. A second chance that Bella wouldn't have mind, for it was what was better for the both of them. And she's sure to keep her promise to the Duchess, to keep her safe from any harm, and hopes to meet her again at a circumstance that isn't so somber.
Maybe it would have been that way…..
If she wasn't lying down on the cold ground with a bullet shot on her head.