Capítulo 35: Scolded but happy
"This, dear, is Lucian McCoy. He was the one who carried you back to your room after you fainted." Seymour introduced the man to his daughter as she stared at him in confusion. She did not recall seeing him anywhere near her when she was on the lawn, nor did he look like any of the guards in their mansion.
Seymour perceived what his daughter was thinking and he smiled softly. "He is a guest, Sylvaine. You do not know about him."
"Ohh, I see." Irene smiled at the man before she fixed her gaze on her father.
"Yes, dear. He is the son of a friend and he is here to take the examination for the Council of Ministry that will be held in a few days. He will be staying with us until then." Seymour stated with pride and Irene finally observed him, welcoming him with a nod.
"Please forgive me that you had to see me this way, Sir. You must have been stressed too to see me faint." Irene apologized sincerely and took a look at the man who was taller than her by almost a foot. His brown hair had fallen over his face, and she was again reminded of James Dean. His handsome face was glowing and the moment he smiled at her in return, Irene felt her heart thump madly. But it was just an attraction she felt for him and his charming face, nothing more. His forest green eyes gleamed in delight before he too nodded at her.
"No, no, Lady Sylvaine. Although I was worried when I saw you lose consciousness, I am relieved to see you well and happy. The Lady did scare me at that moment, though." His words made Irene grin sheepishly.
"I apologize for putting you through such agony. Hello, nice to meet you." Irene held out her hand as she usually did. "I am Ire...I mean, I am Sylvaine."
Not only Lucian, even Seymour and Reyna looked at her, baffled. Her behavior was completely abnormal. Lucian stared at her stretched hand before he glanced at her and gave her a puzzled look.
It was only when she saw the confusion in his eyes that Irene realized what she had done and looked at her father, who was also addled by her actions.
Irene retrieved her hand and pushed her hair behind her ear, embarrassed by what she had done. She had completely forgotten where she was and what era she was in. Her instincts came out naturally and she held her hand like she usually did back in her world.
"Please forgive me. That was rude of me." Irene giggled awkwardly and lowered her head, not knowing what to do. Fortunately for her, Reyna came to her rescue right on time.
"Milady, you must be hungry. You have been asleep for an entire day now. Shall I get your food here?" Reyna queried and the next instant, everyone forgot her strange actions. Instead, they now focused on her health and her well-being.
"Father, did you eat your food?" Instead of answering Reyna, Irene focused her attention on her father and his silence gave her the answer she needed. "Father, how could you ignore your health worrying about me? You need to take care of yourself. I have told you this before." Irene did not hesitate to reprimand her father in front of her guest.
While Reyna was frightened to see her Lady scolding her father in front of their guest, worrying if the Duke would lash out at her, the Duke thought otherwise.
Duke Seymour was jubilant to listen to his daughter scold him. It only showed how much his daughter loved and cared for him. He smiled at her happily and Irene frowned at his sudden shift in expression.
"Father, why are you smiling?"
"I am just happy today, dear. I realized how much my daughter cares about me." Seymour was too ecstatic to even care about the guest or his daughter's behavior in front of his guest. All he had in mind was his daughter's concern-filled words. He had not missed her worry for him in her tone.
Only then did Irene remember Lucian and she snuck out her tongue, flustered. She glanced at him and was stunned to see amusement and intrigue dancing in his eyes and she lowered her head in shame. But soon, she stared at him again when a notion hit her mind.
"Father, did our guest have his food?" She looked back and forth between the two men and almost glared at her father when she did not get any answer. "Father, how could you allow our guest to starve?"
"Lady Sylvaine," Lucian interrupted before she continued. "Please do not blame His Grace. It was I who was unwilling to have food without him. So please do not blame him."
Lucian requested, his tone filled with a weird interest and excitement which Irene could not decipher. She stared at him for a few moments before she averted her gaze.
"Father, this will not do. You should not ignore your food from now on. Otherwise, I will be angry at you."
"I will do as you say, dear. I will not ignore my food and health from now on." Seymour relented happily. "Now, shall we go down and eat our dinner? We have prepared a feast in honor of our guest."
"Sure, Father." Irene pulled the shawl over her. Even though she had stopped shivering, she still felt cold. The temperature had suddenly decreased, and she was sure she could not bear it.
Seymour walked in the middle while Irene and Lucian walked on either side, with Reyna following them closely.
Seymour and Lucian were lost in their conversation. But that did not stop the young man from glancing at the completely oblivious girl.
Irene's thoughts were filled with the man she had seen at noon to sense the curious gaze on her. She could not discern how he had vanished even before she got him and why nobody on the lawn had seen him.
Only Reyna noticed the man's eyes on her Lady and she understood what was happening immediately. She stifled a smile but kept the matter a secret, leaving it to fate to decide for them.
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