Lily closed her eyes, waiting for the noise to cease. Sure enough, after a few minutes, the manor was quiet again. She relaxed in her chair. Sebastian took care of it. He always did. No matter what disaster befell, he would always remedy the situation.

The girl was left alone in her study, and she enjoyed the peace that accompanied her. Her calmness, however, was short-lived, for soon, her mind began thinking dark thoughts, and memories that she normally kept buried were surfacing.

It had been one year since her parents had disappeared. They had left without a trace. The police could not find them, and the case went cold. Everyone believed they had died. Lily held on to hope for the longest time that her mother and father were still living, but every day, that hope diminished. However, she hadn't given up yet. For the time being, she was left in charge of the Athelward home.

Lily was an only child, born into nobility, and she had the responsibilities of running her father's shipping company. Many people were shocked that such a young lady was handling the affairs of a business, and many tried to take advantage of the situation. Every attempt to pull Lily away from the company failed miserably. She was intelligent beyond her years, and she was well-protected.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the study door. "Come in," she said, trying not to sound annoyed.

Sebastian entered and bowed. "Forgive me, my lady. Lord Dellmore is here."

Lily groaned. Walter Dellmore was another noble who was betrothed to her. They were both the same age, but had nothing in common. "Send him away," she told the butler.

Ordinarily, Lily would be polite and hide her annoyance for her fiance, but she couldn't put on a ruse today.

Before Sebastian could reply, a teenage boy dressed in fine garb came in. "Lily! It's good to see you."

"And you as well, though I am not in the mood for socializing today."

"Nonsense! You're always in the mood to see your fiance!"

Walter grabbed Lily by the hands and cheerfully pulled her out of her chair. "My, you look lovely today! Come! Let me take you shopping!"

"Water, no."

"But you love going shopping."

Lily walked away from him and looked out the window. "I don't want to go anywhere or do anything today."

"Don't be silly!"

"I said no!"

Lily had whirled around and looked Walter straight in the eye. Her sudden harshness made him frown. "I was just trying to be nice. You don't have to be so ungrateful."

Sebastian, who had stayed in the room this whole time, said, "Lord Walter, today is a particularly difficult day for Lady Lillith. This is the one year anniversary of her parents' disappearance."

Walter immediately looked remorseful. "Oh. I had not realized….I am sorry, Lily. Truly, I am."

Lily replied, quietly, "It's alright. I should not be so upset. I apologize for lashing out at you."

"I forgive you. I'll leave you alone today. Perhaps tomorrow I can take you shopping?"

Lily nodded.

"I will see you off, Lord Walter," Sebastian said.

"Thank you, Sebastian. Farewell, Lily."

Finally, Walter left, and Lily was again left in silence.