Another day passed, another day of mistreatment from the maids.
"Monster."
"Cursed child."
"She brings nothing but a burden"
Ayana had begun to wonder if maybe… maybe they were right. Maybe she really was cursed. Liana was gone because of her. her mother was also gone because of her.
After finishing her chores, she quietly sneaked out to the small garden, the only place where she felt free.
Ayana crouched down. Her heavy tears fell, one by one, soaking her tattered dress. "Maybe if I were gone," she whispered, "nobody would get hurt anymore…"
But then she felt a presence in infront of her. She froze.
She looked up to see it was him. Her father. Duke Caelum Vale.
His expression was unreadable, cold, and distant. His eyes landed on her, and she immediately looked down, her heart beated fast.
"U-uhm…" Ayana's voice trembled. She didn't know what to do or say. They were both silent.
"You're crying again?" his voice broke the silence, His cold voice startled her. She wiped her face quickly with her sleeve. trying to hide the fact she was crying.
"N-no, I-"
"Why is it," he interrupted and paused as he continued "that every time I see you, you're crying?"
Ayana couldn't answer. She wanted to say, Because you never see me. Because no one likes me, everyone i met hates me. the only person who was kind to me passed. But she didn't. She simply put down her head lower.
For a moment, they just… stood there. Silent, Two broken souls who didn't know how to bond or reach out to each other. And then he turned and left.
Ayana flinched, thinking she'd done something wrong again. "He must hate me even more now, he's probably furious," she muttered quietly.
The truth was the Duke hadn't walked away because he was angry at her or hated her. He had left to get her something. he thought of buying sweets for her because he just realized his assistant was right and wanted to get her sweets.
(Earlier that day…)
"Your Grace," Jacob looked at the duke cautiously, as the Duke's pen wrote across a stack of documents. "Don't you think you're being too harsh on the young miss?"
The Duke didn't even look up. "Shut up, Jacob." he said dismissively.
"You say that every time, i bring this up" Jacob sighed. "But she's still your daughter. Don't you think… she might feel lonely? Youré her Father"
The pen stopped. Caelum's eyes darkened.
"Lonely?" he muttered silently. "What right do I have to comfort her? im not worthy of even breathing the same air as her. I left her as soon as she was born. What difference would it make if I become a father to her now?"
Jacob stepped closer. "And yet… you still think about her every night, don't you? You still have a chance… to become a better father"
The Duke didn't reply. His gaze drifted toward the small portrait of Eveline. He rubbed it gently between his fingers.
"She looks just like her," he said finally, his voice low and rough. "Her eyes… her hair… everything about that child reminds me of that woman."
Jacob looked at him with pity. "Then why avoid her, Your Grace? She's all that's left of Madam Eveline."
Caelum clenched his jaw. "That's exactly why. Every time I see her, it feels like my sins are staring back at me. I shouldnt have abandoned her, She probably wonders what have she done wrong for me to leave her"
Jacob smiled, he's finally slowly convincing the duke after many tries. "And yet she still waits for you, and you would go to her, Even though you left her just like that."
The Duke sighed after a long pause. His eyes wandered until he looked out the window.
and saw the garden, that garden used to be Eveline's Garden, He would usually take walks there frequently while remembering his late wife.
but then he caught a glimpse of someone, in the middle of that garden, a cute small figure.
Ayana.
She was crouched down near the rose bushes again, just like before. Even from this distance, he could tell she was crying again.
He remembered that same scene from years ago, when he had stood by that window, watching Eveline hum softly as she tended to the same flowers. She had always been gentle with everyone, even flowers, she spoke to the flowers as if they could hear or understand her. "They'll grow better if you're gentle," she once said as she giggled. ev
Now, the same garden felt lifeless and gloomy. The roses no longer bloomed the way they used to. The laughter was gone, replaced by the sound of a child's quiet cries.
He clenched his hands tightly. "Jacob," he murmured under his breath, "you were right."
All these years, he thought avoiding Ayana was a way to protect himself from the guilt he felt, from memories, and from the pain. But maybe all he had done was abandon the one person who needed him the most. His Daughter.
He suddenly stood up as he grabbed his coat.
(Present..)
the Duke arrived back at the garden with a small basket of pastries and sweets in his hand. He had wanted to give this to his daughter since he always heard kids loves sweets and maybe this could be the first step toward bridging the distance between him and his daughter.
But what he saw when he arrived made his blood boil.
Ayana's struggling against the tight grip of the head maid. Her hair was being pulled hard, tears fell as she tried to break free. Her expression was full of fear, as she trembled.
"Stop… please...i beg you...please stop… I'm sorry" Ayana cried, but her voice was quiet down by the maid's scolding.
The Duke's eyes widened. he was so furious, how could that maid hurt his daughter..No. how could a mere maid even lay a hand on her! Without thinking, he went forward fast, the basket of sweets fell on the grass, as he shoved the maid down violently to the ground.
"How dare you touch my daughter! A mere Maid like you has no right." His voice echoed across the garden. For the first time in years, it wasn't the cold tone he usually carried, it wasfilled with digust, annoyance, anger, and guilt of a man who had just realized what his neglect had done.
The maid trembled as she saw the duke, fear suddenly replacing her arrogance. She hadn't expected the Duke to intervene, not like this. The duke always ignored ayana so this surprised her.
Ayana froze, unsure if she should hide behind him or run away. But when she saw his face that was filled with anger, those eyes that were dark. For the first time in her life she felt… protected.
The Duke's gaze softened slightly as he saw his daughter trembling, but guilt washed over him as he saw bruises and scars. He looked back at the maid and glared at her and quickly looked back at his daughter as knelt down infront of ayana.
"A...Ayaba....i didn't know" he whispered with hoarse voice. "I..im so sorry..im sorry ayana"
Ayana stared at him, her eyes filled with sadness, she didnt know what to say.
"I'm so sorry," Caelum murmured, his voice slightly breaking. "For the times i neglected you, for leaving you all alone, I'm sorry for being a failure of a father."
He suddenly stood up and motioned toward the maids who were with the head maid and had witnessed the scene, his presence making them shrink in fear. "Drag her away," he commanded, pointing to the head maid.
"And if anyone else dares to lay a hand against my daughter again… ill make sure they will regret it."
Caelum picked her gently and awkwardly into his arms and whispered, "From now on… you'll be staying with me so no one will hurt you again."