章 45: Conflicting desires

It does not look very different in daylight, does it? The statue of the maiden at the center of the rose hedges, I mean. 

Everything around her has changed, in one way or another. The colors are more vibrant, the air is softer and warmer… The only thing that comes to interrupt nature's voice is the rattling sound from the rebuilding of the ballroom wall behind me.

Not the statue, she looks just as sad as she did that night. In fact, sunlight does nothing but underline how depressed she appears to be.

The sight of her does not make me feel better. Standing in this spot doesn't hit the same when I am on my own. 

Memories of us here together flare up in my mind like neon lights. The taste of his lips, the warmth of his embrace… I shouldn't feel this way, should I? 

No, I believe it's natural to feel this way, this desire that I have in me to run into his arms and kiss him again…