Ersia: Raven Dawn

[16.00 PM - House of Arbona, Living Room]

Viena is cleaning the kitchen and counting the spices as per Eleanor's request. If anything was in low stock, she would take notes in her head, and if it was some kind of spice that she didn't have any clue about, she would run back to Eleanor to ask questions. She never thought that there would be so many kinds of herbs that can be used for cooking, and most of them are aromatics. She found her hands smelled weirdly good after all the rummaging through the spice box.

Suddenly, Viena heard heavy footsteps on the door. She immediately runs to the vestibule, putting off everything else she's doing aside. There, she found Randia unwrapping the bandage on his face.

"Papa! How was it?! What will happen to Lily?!"

"Is the madam resting properly in her room?"

"No, I'm fine."

Eleanor answered as she walked slowly from the other room. She appeared so limp and fragile like she had aged twenty years in time. As a great mental burden will take its toll on one's physical health, elders like Eleanor are even more prone to such a strain.

"Granny! Don't push yourself too hard!"

Viena darted to Eleanor's side and led her to the sofa in the living room. Randia followed soon after and the three of them sat quietly for a moment. They just looked at the flower case on the table voiceless as each is letting the others take time for themselves.

"Should I brew some tea?" Randia asked Eleanor.

". . . Yes."

Randia calls for Viena to help him prepare the tea set. Meanwhile, Eleanor just keeps staring at the classic veneered wooden furniture of her house, thinking about what is becoming of her granddaughter. She prayed like she never did. She prayed that Randia would be a bringer of relief and good news.

"Lisabelle will be returned to you the day after tomorrow. She is fine," Randia abruptly broke the silence as he poured the tea into the cups.

Eleanor burst into tears. She asked Randia nothing else. All that is important to her has been answered with that simple sentence. Every word that came out of her mouth after that was nothing but praise and gratitude to Aine. Viena is cheering with her as she carries the tea set to the table, almost spilling some over her clothes.

"But, is she really getting off the hook, Papa? Won't she get punished? After all . . . she did hurt someone."

"That is her punishment," Randia replied shortly.

After calming herself and wiping the tears off her face, Eleanor rests her arms on the sofa. Then, she stared at Randia rather intensely right into his eyes. She must know what is going on and what will happen to her only family.

"I beg you, please share everything with us."

.

.

.

Randia took out a copy of the court ruling that issued the unanimous decision regarding Case Number 432; Lisabelle Arbona's Flea Market Incident, and handed it over to Eleanor. All the facts of the trial were there for her to see. As for Viena, she moves to sit on Randia's lap instead, since she can't read all the difficult sentences on the paper.

"Your granddaughter was having a hard time at the academy since her fourth semester. Certain students - who are feeling envious of her achievement conspire together to put her into a certain kind of social isolation."

"What does that mean?" Viena asked.

"That means, certain people are working together to deprive Lisabelle of her friends or allies, and perhaps also sabotaging her belongings and assignments so she will fail her grade."

"That's so cheap! Who are these guys?!"

"Both the private and official investigators conducted a few sudden inspections and inquiries. They interviewed almost 500 students in the academy. 400 of them testified that the social isolation is true, and some of them even insisted that Lisabelle was actually a model student who is kind in nature despite her choice of words and gestures. She apparently always helps people whenever she gets the chance."

Eleanor smiled a little when she heard it.

"However, regarding the people who schemed the pernicious plan was never revealed. No matter how many further investigations are performed, none of the students dared to speak any name."

"T-That is just unfair! How could the bullies get away with it?!"

". . . In the end, the harassment got out of control recently. I'm sorry for hiding this from you, Madam Eleanor, but truthfully, when your granddaughter was missing, I found her getting into a big fight with a dozen adults."

Eleanor gasped, "D-Don't tell me! The wound I found on her shoulder-?!"

"Yes . . . It was not a scratch from a graze with a passing carriage. Her medial deltoid was inflicted with a knife wound which I treated with a healing spell as a first aid."

Eleanor begins to cry again, while Viena looks at Randia in confusion.

"Why would you do that?" Viena asked.

"I thought that was a one-time thing, and I think Lisabelle wouldn't want you to know. Because if she wanted, she would've told you everything since the first time the bullying started."

After that, Randia asked Viena to continue doing the house chores. He told her to collect the dried clothes outside and put them in the basket since it seemed like it was going to rain soon. The little girl complied without a single complaint like usual. Randia himself wanted to wash his face. However, when he was about to get up, Eleanor begged him to stay for a while.

"The past is in the past. But now, I need you to not hide anything anymore. What has actually happened in the market? Why were you there with Viena? And . . . A-And did my Lisabelle actually harm someone?"

Randia took a cup of tea for himself and held it in his hand. He keeps holding it until Eleanor gets his intention and does the same. She accepts his invitation to take a sip and calm herself down.

"I was roaming around the town, looking for specific ingredients and tools for my medical necessities. There were several other medevists at the cathedral, and they were about to make the same trip. Since they are quite fond of Viena, they invited us for a walk with them - which I agreed to."

"Then, at one point, we arrived at the flea market near the edge of the fourth district. At that moment, one of them suggests that we look deeper into the alleys, saying that he knows a hidden gem of a shop that people rarely notice. It was on our way there, that Lisabelle suddenly came out from a passageway holding a broken wooden broom with a sharpened end."

"She went after Lady Diene, who turned out to be a military paramedic of the 6th Southern Garrison. She was on duty to do some retraining in the Great Cathedral after never having the chance to go home for almost 3 years. Hence, explained the presence of some military officers during the trial this morning."

*Clink*

Eleanor puts the ceramic cup back on the coaster.

"Was the lady alright?" she asked in a low voice.

"She suffered a femoral artery injury, jawbone dislocation, and mild concussion. In other words - Yes, her injury could lead to be fatal if it was a free-for-all situation such as war."

"I see . . . Then, I suppose the decision of the judges is quite hard on her."

This time Randia paused and put his cup back on the table.

"Take a look at the final page of the document."

With a little bit of clumsiness, Eleanor rummages through the pages of the document. She then read carefully from line to line and was surprised by the sentence in the third paragraph, in the middle of the page.

"6 months home detention? B-But that's . . .!"

"I'm sorry, but it was the best that the counsels can do."

"N-No, that's not what I mean . . . On the contrary, this was far less than what I had expected. And there were lots of exceptions on top of that! Thank goodness!"

Eleanor held the paper tight and covered her face. The pages are wet with her tears, but it doesn't bother her. Now that she truly knows for sure that Lisabelle is going to be okay, she faints. The accumulated exhaustion and anxiety from the past few days are now released, relieving her from the pressure of the mind all at once.

"Viena!"

"Yes, Papaa . . .!" Viena came running from the other room.

"Make her bed and boil some more water!"

"Okay!"