The Lady's Butler

The Proposal Arc {Part 9}

(Part 9)

The bed was made.

It was empty.

The two statements burned their way into Louise's mind as she stared at the made, empty bed that Kyrano had been sleeping on for the past week. No, he hadn't been 'sleeping' there. Kyrano had been unconscious.

And now he was gone.

"Louise?" Brandon's tight voice betrayed his shock and trepidation behind her. He had undoubtedly come to the same conclusion as his fiancée, and it was now clear to the both of them that Kyrano was gone.

Dead. Gone. Passed on. Six feet under. Lifeless.

The words flew through Louise's head, but she could not believe it. A few months ago, Louise had been to visit the Reyes House with Kyrano, and they had been talking easily and smiling. Just a little over a week ago, she still had Kyrano attending to her every needs. Even though he had been weak and emotionally unstable, Louise still had Kyrano beside her a week ago.

Now, she would never...

"I'd like to be alone for now." Louise heard herself say from afar, and her body moved as if controlled by a robot.

Stiffly, Louise turned her back onto the clean, perfect room. A room so clean and welcoming never disgusted Louise more than it did now. A neat, made bed had never made her sick before, but now she could feel her nausea roiling in her stomach. The men, as if sensing the deep denial and disbelief that she was in, parted to allow her a path back to the hallway, watching her progress but not bearing to call for her.

Maiko considered following after his mistress, but Keyron's hand on his arm grabbed his attention, and he turned to find Kyrano's twin brother shaking his head subtly. What shocked Maiko was the fact that there was no sorrow in Keyron's eyes. None at all. A complete lack of grief, or even sadness, shone in Keyron's black eyes.

But Louise could see none of it, as her legs mechanically brought her walking away from the room numbly. She wasn't sure where she was walking to, but all she knew was that she was walking away from the room that had been Kyrano's ward. Louise managed to reach the end of the hallway, where it opened up to another path towards the other wards and the elevator that would bring her down the building and out of the hospital.

But her legs could not manage more.

Louise's legs finally gave way underneath the pressure of her emotions, and for the briefest of moments, she felt weightless.

Warm arms closed around her and she found herself pressed to a comfortable warm body. A coldness that ran along the back of her shins told her that she was still on the floor, but her upper body was being propped up by something hot –by someone.

"Miss Louise!" The voice was so familiar that it hurt. "Miss Louise, are you fine? Do you need a seat?"

"Don't." Louise wiped the tears that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. Kyrano wouldn't want her to cry, no matter what. "Keyron, just don't. I'm sorry, but you look too much like him now."

"I don't understand, Miss Louise." He replied, looking down with concern and confusion glittering in his black eyes.

"I am sorry that I have to do this, but please. Leave me be."

"I cannot, Miss Louise. You are obviously in some form of emotional pain that I cannot conceive. Even if you cannot tell me the cause of it, let me be your strength."

"My strength was Kyrano, but now that he is gone... I have no strength." Louise held back another wave of emotions, wiping once more at her eyes.

"But why would you say that? I am not gone. You must be strong, Miss Louise." The arms around her tightened and wrapped her in a warmth that she had been needing since a week ago.