Chapter Nine
- The Note -
"Ridley?"
Jasne knocked the door for the third time, but no one answered. He grew worried. Maybe Ridley was very upset that she didn't want to talk to anybody. It occured to him earlier that Ridley was bound to know. He knocked again.
"Ridley?"
There wasn't any answer. Jasne stuck his ear to the door, trying to hear any sound. But there wasn't. Jasne opened the door gently, peeking in the room. No one was there.
"Ridley! Where's my Ridley?!" he cried, barging in the room, passing by the mirror and sitting on the bed. A note lied down on the sheets, written in Ridley's all-too-familiar neat writing. He bit back tears and thoughts of Ridley gone yet again. And Lucian wasn't here to help him. There wasn't anyone to help him. He lifted the note gingerly and read the message. Inside, he felt a stream of emotions. He felt angry that Ridley had gone, sad that she escaped, but ultimately, confused. He set the note on the sheets.
"Ridley..." he whimpered. All Ridley said was, as hard as it was to say, true. He gave her things. Things she didn't like. He can't admit it to himself, but he wasn't a good father. He deprived her from her right to see Jack. He made sure that someone always kept an eye on her, ultimately destroying her independence. And now that he banished Jack from Radiata, Ridley was sure to go looking for him. He crumpled the satin bedsheets, crying in shame. He wept loudly, bawling, and yet, no one came to his side.
The door creaked open, and Natalie's head popped into view. She looked a bit shocked at the sight of the grown, red-nosed man crying. Politely, she bowed into the room. Jasne continued weeping.
"W-what's wrong, Lord Jasne?"
"Ridley's gone..." the Lord Chamberlain of Radiata replied, tears streaming down his fat, chubby cheeks. She nodded. Of course. Ridley's leaving had something to do about it. But she kept her word to herself.
"I-I'm so sorry to hear that, my lord." she said, trying to sound as compassionate as she possibly could without sounding like she was hiding something.
"What should I do, Natalie? Tell me, what should I do? Everything she wrote on the note was the truth!" he bawled. Natalie scanned the room, trying to scour enough words to answer the question.
"I... Don't you want to order the knights to look for her?" It wasn't what she had in mind, which shocked her even more. Usually, she would side with Jasne. But after discovering that Ridley was saying the truth, and Jack did, too, she was torn between her mind and her heart.
