The Duke's Imposter Sister

Chapter 27 – Deeper into the Web (1)

“…Yes.”

Gris stuttered as she felt her throat clogging up. She tried to compose herself as the butler brought in the walnut pie. Paola smiled when she saw the pie, still piping hot. Her eyes had a childlike glow in them as she stared back at Gris.

“The pie reminds me of the old days. I used to like apple pies more than walnut pies but because you loved them so much. I always had walnut pies. Even on the day we lost you. Do you remember?”

Smelling the buttery scent of the pie, Gris shook her head gloomily.

“…No.”

Paola didn’t seem to mind her granddaughter’s memory loss and continued her story as the pie was being served before them by the butler.

“That day was when I brought the duchesses to the Byrenhag woods. To promote amity, I held a hunting competition with a white foal as the prize. ” Paola told her, her eyes were slowly filled with melancholy and Gris found herself being interested in the tale the old woman was telling her of.

The butler began to divide the pie into 8 slices. The scent of cinnamon that filled the air with each cut put a smile on Paola’s lips.

“Back then, I felt myself growing older day by day. So, I wanted to prove to the duchesses that I was still healthy and well, and that nothing was able to stop me, not even my age.” she explained.

After the butler poured more black tea into the tea cups, he left the room along with the plates they no longer needed. Paola wiped her hand on a linen cloth and let out a long sigh as her finger tips stroked the teacup handle.

“The thought of competing with the young duchesses made me want to win. I was too excited and did not consider the fact that you might come after me. I left you with a nanny as we journey for the woods.” Paola seemed to be lost in thought, and Gris couldn’t say anything and instead continued to listen to the older woman as she told the latter of her regrets.

“When I came back from the hunt with two deers, you were already gone and the servants were wailing, running wild around the woods in bare feet, looking for you. That was when I realized I had made a mistake, an irrevocable one. My pride has cost me my granddaughter.” Paola’s eyes began to pool with unshed tears and Gris wondered if she should catch her teardrops if they were to fall.

Gris tried to picture the day that must have been hell for Paola. She imagined Paola’s feelings the moment she realized she had lost her precious granddaughter in exchange for two deers.

Never having lost any children of her own, Gris thought of a similar pain that may have felt the same way. The day she witnessed her mother and father being decapitated, one by one, was also a very painful memory for her. Gris supposes like Paola, she too lost loved ones.

On that day, Gris saw her mother still fervently searching the crowd and was trying to find Gris even after she was beheaded, her determined eyes still seemed to speak to Gris. Her eyes told her she had to put things to the past and live a long life.

Her mother, even up to her last breath had thought of her.

Gris remembers the way her mother had looked at her with worry, wanting to give her mother peace before she leaves this hellish world and finally be in heaven, Gris courageously nodded her head towards her. Then, she watched her mother’s soul slowly leave her eyes, fervently hoping she died peacefully knowing her daughter was determined to live.

To a nine-year-old girl, a mother is her world. Tears were about to fill her eyes too when she recalled the day she lost that world.

“Do you believe in God?” Paola suddenly asked her. Her question seemed to pull Gris back from her thoughts to reality and she swallowed the cry that was about to fall from her lips to cast her attention back to the older lady, she was about to answer but her words didn’t seem to want to come out.

“I…”

Gris’ faith in God was lost when her mother died. She was certain no child should be made to witness her parent’s death with her own eyes, as well as receive the news of her sibling’s deaths. It was a pain she did not wish on anybody.

As she made her way back to her own prison, waiting for her turn to be beheaded, she even had to endure the torture of having to see their skinny corpses lying around behind bars. To this day, the memory still made her want to vomit.

She spent a long-time resenting God for not taking her with them. But she couldn’t completely lose her faith in God because she wanted to believe that her parents and siblings were in heaven and were living under His blessing. Gris slowly nodded her head as she replied to Paola. If He did not exist, where were her loved ones to go after death?

“Yes…” Gris answered simply as she reached out to take a sip of her black tea, her hands slightly quickered against the China and she hoped Paola didn’t notice her slightly trembling.

Paola faintly smiled when she heard her answer.

“That is good news to hear. I believe in God as well. I like to think that everything we go through is under God’s intention.”

God’s intention…. If she was right, then what intention was behind letting a girl, devoted to God, experience hell at such a young age?

The moment she was about to let out a long sigh of disgust, she felt Paola’s eyes on her and so she bit her resentment down.

“You appearing here must carry God’s intention as well…”

Paola smiled as she announced the realization she made after having spent the whole week in her room, thanking God for bringing her granddaughter back.

“Well, now I have a reason to live, so I accept it as a blessing from God.”

Seeing her selfless smile, Gris felt her throat tighten. She was so close to blurting out that Stephan was tricking her the entire time. This poor old woman was being fooled.

Paola watched Gris tense up and looked out the window.

“When I was younger, I struggled to understand God and the hardships he gave me. I wanted to know why he took my husband, and why I was pregnant with Stephan when I lost him.”

Gris remained silent and allowed her to continue talking.

“But now I learned to simply wait. I believe I’ll understand why he has brought you back to me once I calmly wait for his message.” Paola then gave her a smile. Gris supposes that the old woman was just happy to have her granddaughter back.

Reflecting now on Paola’s words, Gris realized something rather odd. Paola didn’t take in her granddaughter’s reappearance as a blessing. It was as if she wanted to know the purpose of why she had come back.

Gris took a sip of her tea as she thought of this odd feeling at the bottom of her stomach. While watching her, Paola handed her a piece of walnut pie on a plate as the older woman attempted to change the topic.

“Did you hear you will be receiving lessons starting today?” she asked.

Today Gris had scheduled for a plethora of lessons carefully planned in order to shape her into a flawless noblewoman, that was needed by their household.