In His Presence

Locked up in an old, cranky underground cellar, Daphne lay on the cold floor, sleeping. She has been locked in there for over a year by her father. Hearing the cellar door suddenly crack open, she stood up immediately and approached the door to collect her meal as she normally did. It was a routine to be served food once a day, and in her unlucky times, not at all. But today was different; she walked to the door, but the maid who usually served her food wasn't the one standing there. It was one of her dad's men. "Good day, Miss," the man said. "What's the matter?" Daphne subtly replied with a question. "After you, please," the man said with a gesture. This singular act wasn't what Daphne expected, not to say the least that she was being let out. "Do you care to tell me what's going on?" "Your dad said I should let you out of the cellar," the man said, simply and shortly. This aroused a mixed feeling within Daphne. She didn't know if she should be angry, happy, or even worried. Happy that she was leaving the cellar after a year, angry that she was about to meet her worst nightmare again—her father. At the same time, worried that he might have other intentions behind letting her out. Whatever the case may be, Daphne decided to compose herself. As long as she was leaving the cellar, she should be relieved. Yet, her curiosity couldn't let her keep to herself. "Excuse me, but why?" she asked. "He says you have a guest." "What guest?" "I'm sorry, but I can't say more. If you don't mind, follow me," the man said without minding that Daphne was his master's daughter. Meanwhile, in her weak state, Daphne could barely walk on her own. So, she supported herself with the walls, staggering while climbing down the stairs that led out of the cellar. Her condition was not left unnoticed by the man, but he didn't even budge to assist her. Instead, he offered an apology that was helpless against the situation. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't assist you. I'm following strict orders from your father. He says I can't have close contact with you; you'll have to manage on your own. We're almost getting to your room." "Of course, that's more like my father, very ruthless," she muttered with a furrow, not surprised at all. Once she stepped into her room, the expression from her weakened state turned dazed. 'Wow.' It felt like she had just walked into an entirely different world. Was it that so much changed while she was locked away in the stupid cellar, or that… She didn't let the second thought linger. After all, it's not a surprise for changes to occur when one is not used to a surrounding for a long period. Two maids approached her and ushered her from the doorway where she stood into her room. "You can leave now," one of them said to the man. She was still swimming confused when the maid shut the door, and two of them began to undress her. This Daphne was against, so she opted out almost immediately. "Whoa… relax, girls, I can do this on my own." A lady who was in their midst stood out and protested. "As much as I can see, you can't even stand without assistance. So… just let the girls do their job; that's why we're here." The lady looked very young, in her early 30's. But Daphne would swear that she is a mother. After much hesitation, she reluctantly let them undress her. After getting undressed, she was ushered into her bathroom by the corner of the room. There, they soaked her in a hot bath, which lasted for an hour, simply because Daphne felt it surreal and didn't want to leave immediately. When she was ready to leave the bath, the maids were no longer available. Unknown to her, they had left to respond to an urgent call. "I'm ready to leave the bath now," Daphne screamed, hoping someone would attend to her soon. After a few minutes of no answer, she stepped out of the baths, naked. Water was dripping steadily onto the tile floor. Daphne didn't care, however, as she searched for a towel to dry up her body. "Anyone there?" she asked, advancing menacingly toward her bedroom. The doorknob squeaked, and a creaking sound followed, hinting that the door was opened. "What the…" Daphne hitched midway in her words. A man had come inside just at the moment she stepped out of the bathroom. She couldn't fathom how this person was strikingly beautiful, and… f*ck. She was standing naked in front of him. Instinctively, she moved her hands and covered her boobs with them. "I… I'm really, deeply sorry. I didn't mean to intrude on your privacy," the man said, looking away immediately, startled. "I'll leave… at once," he added. "No, wait," Daphne halted him. "It's on the table… yeah, the table." It was really an awkward moment for her. "What? What's on the table?" "My bathing robe, it's on the table by the corner of the bedroom." He quickly rushed, grabbed the dressing robe, and handed it over to her. Daphne quickly covered herself up. "I was passing by and I heard your scream, so I just came to check what the situation is. I don't…" The man didn't finish his speech and was interrupted. "It's ok. I understand. My maids suddenly left while I was still in the bath. I thought they were still close by; that's why I screamed," Daphne said with a fragile smile that she managed to light. "Who are you, by the way? I've not seen you since I got to this place." The man asked. "I'm Daphne. It's only natural that you don't know me. Maybe, just because some things are better left concealed, and…" "Well it was a pleasure meeting you, Daphne," he cut in. "I should be on my way out. I can hear some footsteps approaching; they should be your maid." The man said and left hurriedly. Not wanting to think of what the situation might turn out to if he ended up being caught inside Daphne's room. Just as he left, Daphne realized she hadn't inquired to know his name and extended her hands to stop him. "Wait…" she muttered, but he was gone. Just as proposed, it was the maids. "Where have you all been?" she asked. "We had something urgent to attend to," the lady from earlier replied. Daphne nodded and moved to sit on her bedside. Then, she asked, *May I know your name?" "It's Alice. Mrs. Alice… Alice Benjamin," the lady replied as if unsure of her name. After a short while she decided to kill her curiosity. "Who was that young man I saw leaving here hurriedly?" Daphne could almost not speak again; she couldn't tell them what actually transpired, and she was unable to let them know that she was seen naked by someone she barely knows. If her guess was right, he should be one of her dad's men. But if that's the case, Alice should know him. Notwithstanding, if she told them what happened, they may even think very low of her. "Ehmm….he ehmm…he lost his way and ended up here," Daphne replied, shaking. "That's hardly possible; no matter how big this place is, no one ever misses their way." One of the maids suggested. "You can never be too sure," Daphne defended. Mrs. Alice stepped closer to her, glanced at her for a while, then proceeded to her ears and whispered. "You know who your father is and the kind of man he is. You have to keep yourself delicate and free from men if you don't want to go back to being locked up." "You are a tool used by him, and the earlier you abide by the rules and play the cards well, the better for you and all of us. Now finish dressing up, let's go and meet your father," Alice concluded and pulled away from her ear. "Let's wrap this up," she added with a smile.