Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 184: Her Dilemma.

Chapter 184: Her Dilemma.

Evening.

Bedroom Chambers, Statham Estate.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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The grand, yet somber Statham estate stood amidst the rolling kingdomside, its once vibrant halls now filled with an oppressive silence. Shi’Enz, the youngest of four sisters, found herself trapped in this once lively home, but now it was a prison of her father’s making.

Her sisters had all married and moved away, leaving her as the sole focus of their father’s overbearing attention, well Liza wasn’t exactly married but she was no longer in the estate and Shi’Enz felt frustrated being here alone. Georgina was always knitting or waiting for her husband.

Shi’Enz sat in the drawing room, the weight of her isolation pressing down on her.

Her father had become increasingly protective, forbidding her from leaving the estate without his company and the places she wanted to go to were places he would never willingly go to, even when the lord had invited the nobles and men of the city, he had refused to attend and instead sent a reply of him claiming he wasn’t in the city, she assumed Theodore didn’t want him there too because they weren’t any punishment or a call afterwards.

Today, the gilded cage felt particularly suffocating, and Shi’Enz found herself seeking her mother’s counsel, hoping for an ally so she left her room and went to the drawing-room where she merely sat keeping her mother company as she didn’t know how to start.

"Mother," Shi’Enz began, her voice tinged with desperation, "Why must Father keep me so confined? I am of age, and yet he treats me like a child." she waited then.

Georgina, a stern yet so soft woman who had long since accepted her husband’s authoritarian ways, looked up from her embroidery with a weary expression. "Shi’Enz, your father only wants what is best for you. He is wholly protecting you from the dangers of the world." These dangers Georgina knew about but would prefer to pretend everything was fine and the marquis could do it all.

"But Mother," Shi’Enz’s voice grew more insistent, "I am suffocating here!"

"You got yourself mixed with that killer and then the muckraker, You brought this upon yourself, Shi’Enz" her mother responded.

Shi’Enz’s eyes widened but she wouldn’t talk about the muckraker and "I cannot breathe under his watchful eye. I want to live, to explore, to be free!" she wailed.

Her mother’s eyes hardened. "Shi’Enz, that is enough. Your father knows best. You must respect his wishes."

Shi’Enz gulped, feeling a surge of frustration and hopelessness she stormed out of the room, her skirts swishing angrily against the polished floor.

"Shi’Enz!" Georgina called after her but she wouldn’t respond as she needed to put someplace between them before she blurted out some things she felt or held dear.

She ascended the grand staircase, her heart pounding with a mix of anger and sorrow.

Reaching her chambers, she flung the door open and collapsed onto her bed, tears streaming down her face, she might never see him again.

Moments later, the door creaked open, and her maid and closest confidante, Mathilda, slipped into the room. She had been with Isabella since childhood, but their bond started to grow after Lydia left to be a lady and now they shared one true friendship Mathilda genuinely cared for her like a senior sister.

"My lady," Mathilda said softly, closing the door behind her, "What’s wrong?"

Shi’Enz looked up, her eyes red and filled with tears. "Oh, Mathilda, it’s unbearable. Father will not let me leave the estate. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. And Mother...she sides with him no matter what." even the maids have days they can go out but never her.

Mathilda approached the bed, sitting beside Isabella and taking her hand. "I know this is hard, my lady. I see how much you’re struggling. But surely, there must be a way to make him understand." Mathilda knew there wasn’t but she needed to console Shi’Enz.

Shi’Enz shook her head, her despair deepening. "He is just so stubborn, Mathildaa." She then sat up to continue. "He thinks he is protecting me, but he fails to see how it is hurting me. I just want to be free, to experience life beyond these walls," she complained.

Mathilda squeezed her hand gently. "Perhaps there is a way we can find a compromise." she glanced towards the door before she continued. "Maybe if you show him how responsible and mature you are, he might loosen his grip." her advice.

A bitter laugh escaped Shi’Enz’s lips, as she shook her head. "I have tried, Mathilda. The muckraker made things worse, He refuses to see me as anything other than his little girl."

Her chin quivered. "I feel so alone, especially with my sisters gone, i know we weren’t that close but their presence reassured me. They are out in the world, living their lives, and I, stuck here, wasting away." she pouted.

Mathilda’s eyes softened with empathy. "You are not alone, miss Shi’Enz. I am here with you. And we will find a way to make him understand, I promise."

Or sneak out, Shi’Enz mused before she sighed, feeling a flicker of hope. "Thank you, Mathilda. I do not know what I would do without you here."

Mathilda smiled warmly. "We’ll get through this together. Perhaps we can start small, maybe a walk in the gardens or a visit to the village. If we take it step by step, he might start to see that you are capable of handling yourself and not going after boys."

But I want to go after one man, Shi’Enz thought miserably, but instead, she nodded slowly, a glimmer of determination in her eyes. "Yes, you are right. We will take it one step at a time. I can not give up now. I have to find a way to make him see that I am not a child anymore and if I am to be sent out for marriage someday I need to know a little about the world." she thought about this a lot and she didn’t want to be an innocent naive and completely useless wife because she never learned the outside world enough yet there was a lingering part of her that knew she was thinking and becoming this sad because she misses Hound. Her Zachary.

Mathilda shifted and hugged Shi’Enx gently. "We shall do it together, Shi’Enz. And who knows? Maybe one day soon, you’ll be out in the world, living the life you’ve always dreamed of falling in love and sleeping." she said with a soft laugh.

Shi’Enz returned the hug, feeling a surge of gratitude and resolve. With Mathilda by her side, she felt stronger, ready to face the challenges ahead. She knew she could always count on Lydia too. Together, they would find a way to break free from the chains of her father’s overprotection and carve out a future where Shi’Enz could truly live.

Somewhere she would love and be loved.

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Night.

Library, Theodore Mansion.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

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The grand Theodore mansion stood silent under the soft, silver moonlight, its intricate architecture casting long shadows across the manicured lawns. As the lady of the house, Lydia was not in the building since she had departed along with her husband for the castle several days prior, leaving the sprawling estate in the care of its dedicated staff.

Joyous and Dorothy, the remaining young maids adored their mistress and the slowly becoming warm, and inviting environment she cultivated within the mansion.

Joyous, with her brown hair neatly tied back, glanced nervously at Dorothy as they stood before the large oak doors of the mansion’s library. The library was Lydia’s sanctuary, filled with rows of books that held countless adventures, romances, and mysteries within their pages. It was a room imbued with her presence, and entering it without her permission felt almost sacrilegious.

"Are you sure about this, Dorothy?" Joyous whispered, her eyes wide with apprehension.

Dorothy, a bit taller and with a mischievous glint in her honey eyes, nodded firmly. "She is away at the citadel. We have got a few hours before Hound notices we’re not in our quarters. Besides, she would not mind, would she? She’s always telling us how much she loves sharing her books."

Joyous hesitated, then sighed, her curiosity and longing to feel close to their lady once more overcoming her fear. "Alright then, but we need to be quick. And quiet."

Lydia never said she loved sharing her books, in fact, she cherished them too much to share them.

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