Eternity With You

26. Accompanying

Irene rushed down the stairs, completely forgetting about her etiquette and dignified behavior. All she wanted was to greet her father and warmly welcome him back home, which his daughter, Sylvaine, had never done before. Though Irene was yet to develop compassion towards the man, she had more or less accepted him as a father figure. To her, until her time in Vlei, he was her father, and she wanted to treasure this beautiful moment.

Reyna followed her, requesting her to slow down and begging her to mind her manners. Her heart had almost leaped out of her chest when she had seen Irene lift her dress until her knees before she took off. It was completely unladylike, and she was sure her mistress would be getting a good hearing from the governess if she were to find out about it. And not only her mistress, even she too would be reprimanded for not reminding her of manners.

"Milady, please slow down and lower your dress." She pleaded from behind only to fall on deaf. Irene had been quick on her foot, and Reyna had a hard time keeping up with her. She had almost tumbled on her dress when she had taken a step down the stairs in a hurry to catch up with her mistress.

Irene was too excited to heed any of Reyna's words. All she cared about was to see her father and know if he was alright. She was worried about him, for he too had been out in the rain, and unlike her, who had had a hot comfortable bath to warm herself, he had been outside all this time, bearing the harsh weather.

Irene was gasping as she reached the end of the staircase. 'Why didn't I realize before that this mansion has a lot of steps?' She wondered with a frown and looked behind her to see the stairs she had covered. But before she could even take a good look at the large number of steps, her father's surprised voice fell on her ears, making her look in the direction from where she had heard his voice.

"Sylvaine, why are you awake at this time, dear?" Seymour was pleasantly surprised to see his daughter standing in front of the staircase, and he turned towards the grandfather clock placed near the wall to see the time. It was somewhere close to one. His surprise eventually turned to fear when his gaze fell on his daughter again.

"Is something wrong, dear? Are you in pain? Do you feel uncomfortable somewhere?" Seymour's mind started to conjure the worst possible scenario. Why else would his daughter be awake at this time of the night?

"Father," Irene stopped him before he could go on with his concern filled questions." She walked towards him until she was standing just a step away from him. "I am fine, Father. I wanted to welcome you back home. So, I asked Reyna to wake me up the moment you returned home."

As soon as Seymour heard his daughter's intentions, his heart was filled with warmth. All the coldness and fear he had felt due to the harsh weather and in the King's presence vanished just by listening to his daughter's sweet words, and unknowingly, his lips arched up in happiness.

But the next moment, his smile slipped and he glared at Reyna, making the girl lower her head in guilt. She was now apprehensive about what she had done, and she clutched her dress tight in worry.

"Father, don't blame Reyna. I was the one who ordered her to inform me. It is not her fault." Irene tried to pacify and coax the old man, and it worked brilliantly on him. His anger vanished and he smiled at her again.

"Why did you get up at this time of the night, dear? You are still weak and you need lots of rest." Though it seemed as though the man was scolding her, one could see the joy radiating off his face. He was extremely jubilant to find his daughter waking up just to welcome him back. He had never felt this happy before, and his eyes teared up a little, which he managed to hide. He forced his tears from escaping his eyes, lest his daughter should notice it.

But Irene had not missed it. Yet, she did not point it out or ask about it, for she knew the reason why the old Duke was crying. She realized he was being emotional.

"It is fine, Father. I wanted to do it for you." Irene said, keeping her next words to herself. 'I don't know how long I will stay here. Let me cherish the moments and experience the love of a father before I become fatherless again.'

Some of the servants had come out of their rooms to welcome the Duke when they heard their mistress's words. They too were touched and immensely happy. How long had it been since their Grace returned to a lively and happy home? How long had it been when their mistress had welcomed him this warmly?

Irene noticed her father's slightly wet robes, and she wanted to smack her head for completely ignoring his condition. "You must be cold, Father. Take a good bath and come down. I will accompany you while you eat."

"But..."

Irene tilted her head, giving her father a stern gaze, and the old man eventually closed his mouth, swallowing all his protests. "Did you eat your food?"

"Yes, I did."

"Did you take your medicine?"

Irene nodded again, and Seymour turned to Reyna for confirmation. It was only when she too confirmed them, that he sighed in relief.

"Good. Wait for me, dear. I will come down soon." Seymour chirped. His face could not conceal his emotions, his joy radiating off clearly. He rushed to finish his bath quickly and came down only to find his daughter waiting for him at the dining table just as she had promised.

That night, Seymour had the best dinner of his life. Even though it was the same kind of food prepared by the same cook every day, that night it tasted extraordinarily delicious. He even ate more than he usually did as he watched his daughter accompany him the entire time. He had never felt this blissful before, and just as the King had advised him, he wished for his daughter to never regain her memories again. He wanted his daughter to be this way forever.