Felix observed the dignified paintings of who he assumed to be his ancestors from the comfort of Isabella’s arms, as she steadily made her way through the Manor’s hallway, while the clear sound of footsteps reverberating against the wooden floorboards could be heard distinctly as she walked.

Isabella tried to keep the mood light-hearted by speaking about trivialities such as what she had for breakfast, how her knitwork was going, and things of that nature, but Felix could feel how tense Isabella was from her stiff embrace. As they reached the entrance to the front courtyard, Felix thought it would be for the best if he helped her to loosen up a bit, so he called for her attention before flashing her a bright smile, which seemed to work as he watched her shoulders sag slightly as she returned his smile with a grateful one of her own.

As Isabella stepped out into the early afternoon sun, Felix looked around to find a small group of soldiers standing at attention as the manor’s servants curiously observed them. Feeling pain in his chest, Felix unconsciously turned in the direction of a beautiful woman smiling through tears as she spoke to two other women, one that was noticeably older than the other but looked almost identical to the woman that Felix was staring at. At almost the same moment, the woman felt a similar pain and turned to see her former maid carrying a small boy by the entrance to the manor, before all signs of mirth left her face.

Just as Felix was entranced by the lady’s ethereal features, the lady was stunned by his looks. Probably since she hadn’t seen Felix so up close since his birth. The duo noticed each other’s raven black hair as they observed one another, a clear symbol of their Northern heritage, but the lady’s face morphed into disgust as they made eye contact. Felix assumed that the lady wasn’t too taken with the blue eyes he had inherited from his father.

This interaction didn’t go unnoticed by the others present, and an awkward atmosphere settled over the courtyard. Felix noticed the uncomfortable expressions on the faces of everyone present from the corner of his eye but decided to feign ignorance, giving the lady an innocent smile and wave. An unnerving amount of time seemed to pass where the lady showed no sign of responding to the greeting, however, the older woman to her side gently grasped the lady’s clenched fist, receiving a grateful smile in return. The lady once again donned a serious expression, before slightly bowing to Felix in acknowledgment.

Isabella sagely understood that the atmosphere wouldn’t improve if the young master were present, so she bowed to the group of three before swiftly making her exit, Felix in tow. Fortunately, he didn’t kick up a fuss as they left. As Isabella had her back turned to the congregation, only Felix could see her irritated expression as they made their way back inside the manor. He somewhat understood why she would feel that way.

There was no doubt in his mind that the lady he just met was his birth mother in this life, the pain that he felt in his chest made that all too clear. Felix assumed that as a mother herself, Isabella could not understand how any mother could treat their child with such coldness, even if she hated the father.

Logically, Felix was of the same opinion, as a child should never have to bear the sins of the father, however, he understood that you can never negate the emotional aspect of the argument. In Felix’s previous world, people would often advocate for abortion if the child were conceived out of certain immoral acts, and some children would find themselves isolated or mistreated in society if their parents were heinous criminals.

Felix felt blessed by the fact that the love he received from three different mothers had heavily outweighed the indifference he received from the fourth. Judging from the sad expression on Isabella’s face, Felix knew she couldn’t understand his current feelings, so he whispered “mama” to catch her attention, before giving her a bright smile to assuage her worries. Naturally, she replied in kind, and the previously gloomy hallway started to seem a tad brighter.

*

Giselle stood staring at the night sky from the comfort of her private balcony, finding the moonlight to be more dazzling than the night before. The midnight breeze was a minor help in clearing the wine-induced fog that clouded her mind after a hearty meal with her mother and closest confidante. “Were Lunae and Celeste always this beautiful?” asked Giselle to nobody in particular. A quiet, almost brittle baritone voice seemed to respond out of thin air, “Not since they took you from me.”

Giselle spun around in shock to stare into the moist brown eyes that she had dreamed about over many a night. “Hi, Zell” their owner uttered whilst trying to fight back tears. Before the wide-eyed Giselle could even respond she was pulled into the intruder’s strong arms. The man’s broad chest that elicited such feelings of security was more than enough proof that Giselle was not dreaming.

“Michael, is that really you? I thought Father had you imprisoned?” “I was until your mother helped sneak me out and bring me along.” Giselle looked up from the embrace to stare worriedly at her former lover’s face. Aside from the freshly trimmed facial hair and the worry lines adorning his forehead, fortunately, nothing seemed too out of place from her memories. If anything, there was a bit more maturity visible in his dark brown eyes.

Giselle ran her shaking fingers through Michael’s short brown hair before bringing them to rest on his stubbly cheeks, as Michael’s large hands helped catch her by the small of her back before her wobbly legs gave in from shock. Teary purple eyes gazed lovingly into brown ones as Giselle whispered, “I missed you, my love”, to which Michael responded, “I missed you too, my heart, more than words can say.”

As the twin moons shone down upon the duo, their two silhouettes became one as they relished each other’s presence after such a long separation. Little did they know, a pair of brown eyes were covertly observing the two from under the cover of darkness.