Authors Note: Hello everyone and thank you for patiently waiting for an update! I know it's been a long time since I posted the first chapter and the only excuse I have is lack of time. I hope you all understand and I hope you enjoy the second chapter!
Time. It waited for no one. It never slowed down. It never stopped. It would beat on as it always did. It never noticed when life faded away. To time, it didn't matter. It would go on as it always did and it always would go on. Time favored no one. Not the young. Not the beautiful. Not the smart or the dumb. It was an unbiased judge who let death reap everything that it could. The only thing time did seem to do was go on and on and on.
For Feliciana, time was a concept she thought she knew well. After all, observing the seasons showed how time functioned. It would bring life into the world and take it out just as easily. It would make the young grow old and the old bring young to the world. Time was an endless cycle. Yet, today, time seemed to be dragging on. The day had just begun and the young Italian woman was growing impatient. She wanted to see her old friend, her morning devoted to finding the perfect outfit; a pale yellow dress that went down to her feet, puffing out at her waist, a light pink flower pattern adorning around the boarders of her dress, and the beginning of her sleeves puffed up, the bottoms, where her hands came out, had lace puffed around it in the same pink shade as the flowers. Feliciana had thought that the colors looked wonderful together and could not wait to show off her outfit to her old friend and all of his other guests.
Then the thought crossed the Italian woman's head. Who exactly did Lovino invite to his party? Of course, there would be many of the other wealthy members of the elite. So Feliciana would know quite a few. Of course, Lovino also invited many other strangers that Feliciana did not know. And of course, Ludwig would be attending. He would have to, of course. The very thought brightened the Italian woman up and made time seem to drag on even longer.
In attempt to waste time, Feliciana would read a book. The subject of the book hardly mattered and it only failed Feliciana in her attempt to let time slip by faster. Eventually, the Italian woman would read three whole chapters, wash her dirty dresses in the wash bin and hang them out to dry, straighten up her house, and even clean her yard. Time had moved forward some and the woman was readying herself for the party. She would wash and scrub her less than clean skin, making it shine as well as rinsing out her hair and squeezing all the water out before pulling it up into an elaborate bun with a braid. Her face was shining brightly and the dress was now against her skin, the light pink bringing out the blush in her cheeks. It was almost time and the woman stood at her window, waiting for the carriage to arrive. This seemed to take longer than the previous wait but the carriage would arrive and the woman rushed out the door, shutting it behind her as she hurried over to the carriage. A young man held the door open for her as she stepped inside.
"Thank you, kind sir." Feliciana spoke in her soft voice, taking a seat as the man nodded and shut the door once she sat safely inside. The ride seemed to take time, the road bumpy as the horses trotted along. Feliciana let her mind wander, thoughts of her close friends floating across her mind. These thoughts seemed to make time hasten by because, before she knew it, the carriage had stopped and the door was opened by the same young man. He offered his hand up to her and she took it, allowing the young male to escort her to the door of Lovino's estate.
Greeted by Lovino's butler, Feliciana was delighted to finally see her friend as she walked inside, familiar and unfamiliar faces in her view. But none were as inviting as his.
"Lovino!" The young woman called out, her face lighting up as the man turned to her, returning his own pleasant smile as he strode over to take her hand, gingerly lifting it and placing a kiss on her hand.
"Feliciana…" He said after his lips parted from her hand and his eyes gazing upon her face. "How pleasant it is to see you here."
"The pleasure is mine, Lovino. After all, you invited me." Her words flowed out like honey and she gave a small curtsy to her friend before the other had finally released her hand and then invited her over to introduce her to some of his… newer friends.
"Feliciana, this is, as I am sure you have heard of him, Lord Kirkland. He is from a wealthy family in England and is here on a business trip. Arthur, this is Lady Vargas. Her grandfather, whom raised her, was a well-respected general and leader."
Arthur, the man whom was just introduced, gave a smile as he took the hand and gave it a gentle kiss as well. Used to these formalities, Feliciana would curtsy before retaining her previous pose as they began to indulge in light conversation about the local area and the differences from where Arthur lived. The afternoon carried on much like this, Lovino introducing his longtime friends to some of his other friends, making sure everyone was acquainted before they were all told that the first course of the meal was to be served in less than twenty minutes.
Feliciana, going to look for a seat, spotting a familiar blond haired male, her face glowing more than it had all night. It was Ludwig and quickly, the brunette female would make her way over to the blond solider.
"Sir Beilscmidt!" The woman called out, curtsying. Ludwig would offer his kind smile.
"It's always a pleasure to see your bright face, Lady Vargas." The man said, giving her hand a gentle kiss as he scooped it up into his own. This action made the woman feel faint as she blushed and regained her poise.
"Oh, nonsense, kind sir. You and I both know that it was not chance that brought us both here." She would smile at the other but before Ludwig could respond; Lovino arrived, offering her to take a seat next to him. Obliged, because this was his party, Feliciana would accept this offer and sit next to the man she called her friend. As the wines were brought out by the servants and each cup filled to the brim, Lovino would hoist his cup into the air, proposing a toast. Everyone followed in suit.
"To our prosperity and longevity!" Lovino began, his voice clear and loud enough for everyone to hear. "I wish this among every single guest I have invited here tonight. After all, without our prosperous lives, how many of us would be enjoying this food? How many of us would even have the time to gather like this and celebrate with good food and good company. For tonight, my fellow companions, is the night that I must confess a secret." He paused.
The room was silent, many eager to hear what this secret was. Collectively, everyone was gathering their breath, the pause in his toast maddening to them all. What was this secret?
"Tonight is the night that I tell all of you that I am searching for a bride to be." There were many bright smiles, the news relieving to them all. It was good news rather than bad. "Tonight is the night that I must confess my loneliness in this rather large home has grown unbearable. Many of you might be asking yourselves why I have invited you all hear tonight and I am sorry to say that I cannot answer you this. Yet." His eyes were resting directly upon the young Italian woman, her own cheeks growing brighter by the second. The contact lingered before the two eyes tore from hers. "But, I can say that I am glad all of you had agreed to join me with dinner tonight and I am glad that we are having this social gathering. And to this, I wish that you all enjoy the meal! To our prosperity and longevity!" He repeated once more, signifying his toast was over, everyone repeating the last line of his speech before they all took the first sip of their wine and the first course was served.
Authors Note: Thanks everyone for reading! If you like what you read, post a positive comment! If you didn't, well then, either refrain from commenting or post feedback of why you did not enjoy the story! R&R F&F and have a nice day!