Chapter 9

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I slowly let go of the curtain while letting go of multiple deep breaths before turning around with a shaky smile to face the one permanent residence of the mansion.

"Elias." I smiled.

"Good evening, young Miss. I did not expect to see you here again." He softly smiled before gesturing towards the room.

"Oh," I responded in realisation," Come in. I'm sorry." I cleared my throat.

He smiled and stepped into the room, immediately making my muscles tense.

"I will keep my distance, Little One. Please relax." He reassuringly smiled at me.

"I'll try," I gave him a tight-lipped smile," So, to what do I owe this visit?" I awkwardly asked as I moved towards the nearest wall and leaned against it.

"I just wanted to wish you well, I would guess." He nervously chuckled, but that didn't confuse me. What confused me were his choice of words that made him sound quite confused as well or perhaps unsure.

"You would guess?" I lightly laughed," That's an interesting choice of words."

"My apologies," He sighed," It's just that, I saw you packing your things last night and leave this morning, so I assumed you would not be coming back so I feared that I would never get the chance to apologise." He awkwardly smiled.

"To apologise?" I asked confusedly," What for, if I may ask."

"For scaring you into leaving, last night. If it were not for me, I'm sure you would have not been as distraught as you were last night and you would not be leaving." He weakly smiled.

I immediately shook my head and pushed my back away from the cold wall," No," I sighed," It's not your fault that I'm leaving, Elias. Please, don't blame yourself, really. It's all really just my genuine decision. I don't think I can live in this house. I would like to, but I can't."

He quietly nodded and hummed," But I'm sure, I'm part of the reason. I do not believe that anyone in this world would willingly and happily live in a house where they are aware that a ghost is inhibiting. I know I would not if I were a human." He weakly chuckled without looking up at me as his eyes stubbornly looked at everything around the room, but me. Almost as though he did not want me to see something....as though he was hiding something.

"Elias," I softly called," Are you alright?"

He slowly nodded without looking up at me.

"Have never felt better, my Lady." He chuckled.

"Is that the reason, you can't look at me?" I softly smiled.

"No," He immediately declined as his head shot up, his eyes connecting with mine and taking me aback as I gasped. The pain, the vulnerability, the loneliness....all the emotions that swirled in his eyes had my chest squeezing but what connected with me the most, was the familiar feeling of loneliness that swirled in his eyes. It felt like it was sucking me in and rendered me breathless. "I'm just..." He trailed off to look at everything else but me.

"You're just what?" I almost whispered as I looked at him.

"You need not worry about me, young Lady. I assure you." He sighed.

"That's a bit too late now, Elias," I sighed, biting the inside of my cheek as I took a small step towards him, and then another and another, until I was standing less that five feet in front of him,"You can tell me." I whispered.

I don't know why, but him looking so defeated, so hurt, so in pain and at a loss had my heart painfully clenching and I wanted nothing but to take all his pain away. Even a little bit.

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