The Forest of Glass — Chapter 14

ME...

COULD YOU WAIT FOR ME JUST A LITTLE LONGER?

ALEX...?

ALICIA, I...!

I LOVE YOU...!

I KNOW THAT ALL TOO WELL.

I LOVE YOU, TOO.

I KNOW YOUR FEELINGS FOR ME ARE STILL JUST FRIENDSHIP.

BUT...

IF THAT MAN ENDS UP HURTING YOU...

IF YOU'RE STILL UNSURE OF YOUR OWN FEELINGS...!

COULD YOU COME TO ME ANYTIME?

I'LL KEEP WAITING FOR YOU, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES, ALICIA.

ALEX, YOU...

SINCE WHEN...!

WHY HADN'T I NOTICED BEFORE?

SUCH UNMISTAKABLE FEELINGS.

ACCEPTING ALEX'S FEELINGS

WOULD MEAN BREAKING OFF MY ENGAGEMENT TO THE ESTRISEN FAMILY.

THEY SAY THAT THESE DAYS, IT'S BECOMING HARDER TO TELL SOMEONE'S STATUS AND RANK JUST BY THE WAY THEY DRESS.

WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT RATES HAVE ALSO BEEN RISING, LITTLE BY LITTLE,

AND EVEN THE STATUS OF ACTORS AND SINGERS, ONCE LOOKED DOWN UPON, HAS BEGUN TO CHANGE.

THE WORLD WAS CHANGING.

MORE PEOPLE WERE SMILING, AND LIFE WAS BECOMING MORE CONVENIENT.

THAT MUST MEAN THE WORLD WAS BECOMING A BETTER PLACE.

BUT....

THE WORLD I KNEW...

WAS CHANGING INTO SOMETHING I NO LONGER RECOGNIZED.

IT MUST BE A WORLD FULL OF TERRIBLE BURDENS AND DARKNESS...

...ALICIA?

ALEX.

CAN'T YOU STOP TAKING THOSE ASSIGNMENTS?

...WHY?

I ONLY REALIZED IT AFTER EXPERIENCING IT FIRSTHAND A FEW DAYS AGO.

IF YOU KEEP DOING THIS WORK, YOU COULD BE PUTTING YOURSELF IN DANGER.

...I KNEW THAT WHEN I STARTED.

AS LONG AS I CAN HELP CREATE A WORLD WHERE I CAN BE WITH YOU,

I CAN ENDURE ANYTHING AND SEE THIS THROUGH TO THE END, ALICIA.

WITH ME...?

ALEX, DON'T TELL ME THE REASON YOU'RE DOING THIS IS...!

I STILL...

I STILL DON'T KNOW, ALEX.

NOT HOW YOU FEEL, OR WHAT TO MAKE OF OUR SITUATION.

WOULD THINGS HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF I COULD SEE?

NO... THAT'S JUST AN EXCUSE, TOO.

I'M SIMPLY AFRAID.

AFRAID OF EVERYTHING CHANGING LIKE THIS...

I'M SORRY, ALEX...

I SHOULD GET GOING FOR TODAY.

A FEW DAYS LATER...

TO HOLD SUCH A LAVISH POLO MATCH TO CELEBRATE THEIR ENGAGEMENT PARTY...

THE ESTRISEN FAMILY'S INFLUENCE IS AS STRONG AS EVER.

I HEARD THEY PLANNED IT TOGETHER WITH HOUSE SAWYER.

HOUSE SAWYER?

I HEARD THEY'VE BEEN RAKING IN MONEY FROM THE MINES LATELY...

YOU COULD SAY THEY'VE CERTAINLY CHOSEN THE RIGHT SIDE.

ANYWAY, THE PERSON WHO'S SURE TO BE NAMED THE BEST PLAYER IN TODAY'S MATCH IS...

SIR LEHAN ESTRISEN, OF COURSE, RIGHT?

He's so handsome!

BUT...

WHY DOES HE LOOK SO UNHAPPY?

COULD HE BE FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER?

A COIN AND A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER?

WHO DID YOU SAY GAVE THESE TO YOU, LEHAN?

AN ELDERLY WOMAN LEANING ON A MAHOGANY CANE.

THE COIN MUST BE A TICKET TO ENTER THE AUCTION HOUSE,

AND THIS NOTE SEEMS TO CONTAIN THE TIME AND LOCATION.

BUT THERE'S NOTHING WRITTEN ON IT...

IT'S BRAILLE.

GABBY...!

CAN YOU READ IT?

GIVE ME A MOMENT...

Xx Days Later, 10 Pm, Xxx Harbor 4r.

SORRY... I ONLY LEARNED A LITTLE BY WATCHING THE SOLDIERS, SO THIS IS AS MUCH AS I CAN MAKE OUT.

NO, GABBY. EVEN THIS IS IMPRESSIVE.

LEARNING BRAILLE COSTS AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY.

ONLY A FAMILY OF CONSIDERABLE MEANS COULD AFFORD IT...

LEHAN...

NO.

BUT, LEHAN...!

THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN DECIPHER BRAILLE RIGHT NOW IS MISS EMILHEIM.

WHY TAKE THE LONG WAY AROUND WHEN THERE'S AN EASY SOLUTION?

WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!

THEO, CAN YOU TRUST THAT WOMAN?

SHE'S A HIGH-RANKING NOBLE.

UNLIKE RENEE AND ME, WHO ROSE FROM COMMONER BACKGROUNDS TO BECOME NOBLES,

OR SEAN, WHO'S FROM A POWERLESS NOBLE FAMILY...

THEY'RE NOTHING BUT ARROGANT PEOPLE TRAPPED IN THE RIGID SYSTEMS THEY'VE CREATED, OBSESSED WITH APPEARANCES.

CAN WE REALLY TRUST PEOPLE LIKE THAT?

WE'LL HAVE TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN DECIPHER BRAILLE SOMEHOW.

I'LL ASK MY FRIENDS TO INTRODUCE ME TO ANYONE WHO MIGHT KNOW IT.

ALL RIGHT. I'M COUNTING ON YOU, GABBY.

EVEN AMONG NOBLES, VERY FEW KNOW BRAILLE.

AND EVEN FEWER ARE CAPABLE OF TEACHING IT.

THE BEST OPTION IS STILL...

TO GET AN INTRODUCTION TO MISS EMILHEIM'S TUTOR.

VISCOUNTESS CLINS.

THE ELDEST DAUGHTER OF A HUMBLE FAMILY,

SHE TAKES NO PART IN HIGH SOCIETY

AND DEVOTES HERSELF TO BUSINESS AND EDUCATION ALONGSIDE HER HUSBAND, THE VISCOUNT.

I CAN ONLY HOPE SHE'S SOMEONE I CAN REASON WITH...

IT'S BEEN A WHILE, CAPTAIN ESTRISEN.

CAPTAIN WHITAKER.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE.