Chapter Four: Anguish

The youngish man, who arrived at the Rolands' Mansion didn't expect what he heard, and it was evident he was shocked. His sullen face expressed how sad he was, but he still continued his movements and finally got to the late Mrs. Roland's room.

He knocked gently and called out, " Louvre, are you there?" Then, he patiently waited for Louvre to answer him.

Louvre, who was still grieving the death of her beloved mother hissed, when she heard the knock on the door. She thought it was her father again, but she already told him she was fine and wanted to be alone.

Just what the heck does he want again? She weakly asked herself inwardly and was really annoyed.

She was still mulling over her mother's death and trying to fight the agony, but it was all futile. She was too weak to let go of her precious mother and too frail to face reality. But when she heard the voice that came after the knock, her eyes widened a bit, and she narrowed her eye brows.

It couldn't be him, she thought and convinced herself. Perhaps, she was just too hurt, and she ended up hallucinating.

" Louvre, can you hear me? Are you okay in there?" The very young man outside the door uttered again, and his tone carried some touch of nervousness.

When Louvre heard the young man voice again, she couldn't believe it, and she struggled to stand up, but her body was too numb, and Louvre fell back to the floor.

She yelped a little and hissed in pain, but soon she answered the young man calling her weakily, her voice was now hoarse, " Yes Daniel."

" Then, open the door." The young man named Daniel, replied to her, but what he heard from the lady inside the room was, " I can't stand up, so I can't open it."

From the tone of Louvre's voice, Daniel could sense she was really weak emotionally and physically. Then, he quickly racked his brain to think of something, before he remembered something, " Hold on Louvre, let me get the spare key from Mr. Roland. I will be right back." He let her know and went to David's room instantly. The lady on the floor meekly nodded and waited for him to come back.

" Good day Mr. Roland, am really sorry for what happened, and my condolences sir." Daniel bowed his head a little and greeted David, his words full of sincerity and care.

He wasn't also expecting what happened, and it pained him to the core, because Mrs. Roland was really a woman full of goodness and kindness. She treated him like a son, and he also treated her like a mother he never had.

" It okay, thank you for coming, and am sorry I startled you. You must be very busy, and I disrupted your plans", came David's genuine apology, but Daniel only shook his head, " No, you didn't disturb me or ruined my plans. I actually appreciate you for telling me, and Mrs. Roland worth more than all my plans and meetings."

He assured David and thanked him. How could he know what happened, if David didn't tell him, and it will be considered unfair if he didn't pay his condolence.

" Humm, thank you for been here for Louvre. Am sure she needs someone like you right now." David said to Daniel, but his tone contained a tinge of pain, and Daniel didn't fail to catch it. But there was nothing he could do about that.

" This is my duty as her friend, and it a must for me to be there for her."

He looked at David's exhausted eyes and responded back to him before asking the widower in front of him, " Can you give me the spare key please? Louvre was unable to open the door and that's why I need it."

David nodded and opened the wardrobe beside him. Taking out the keys, he handed the young man the key to Selena's room which made the young man to thank him, and he hummed.

" Please take care of her..." David whispered, he was still in woe and was only trying to act strong.

Daniel paused to looked at the man in his forties, but still appeared somehow young like he was in his late twenties and that's because of him being a werewolf. " Don't worry Mr. Roland, I will try my best and make sure to comfort her." He assured the man, and he left David's room immediately, rushing to the late Mrs. Roland room whilst praying for Louvre to be okay.

He inserted the key into the key hole of the door, when he got to the late woman's room, and the door clicked opened. His eyes immediately widened when he saw Louvre's state, and he crouched down to her level.

" Hey Louvre, are you good?" He questioned her worriedly with his gentle tone, and when he saw the young lady shook her head, he sighed, then carried her from the floor in a bridal style. He placed her gently on the bed and brushed some strands of her hair covering her face to the back of her ear.

The room still carried the scent of the late woman, and Daniel had to fought the urge to not cry. It wasn't easy, but he did his best and took a deep breath.

Louvre was happy to see Daniel beside her, and she weakily mustered up a smile, her blank look was gone now, but her face was dry.

" Am sorry for what happened, but you shouldn't hurt yourself this way. I know it hard, very hard, but there is nothing you can do, and you just have to let go." Daniel started nicely and held Louvre's right hand. He stared straight at her emerald green eyes and hoped for her to be fine again, cause he wasn't satisfied to view her in this state.

" You....know...it... hard...for me to take in", Louvre's dry voice sounded in his ears, and it made his chest hurt. He was well aware of that, Mrs. Roland was an irreplaceable woman, who was hard to forget, and she left a great impact in people that were very close to her.

How could he forget?

No! He couldn't.

But there was no aim in brooding about it as it won't change anything.

" I know, but you need to be strong. If not for yourself but for your late mother......." David replied the lady in misery, but Louvre didn't allow him to complete his sentence, as she cut his words short and clamoured unexpectedly at him, " I am tired of acting strong! I don't want to anymore! I am weary and tired, get that!"

She expressed how she felt and how exhausted she was, but what followed her words next was a loud dry cough.

Louvre started coughing, squeezing her face, and holding her chest lightly. It seems her body was really too weak, and when she reacted loudly to Daniel's words, it resulted into a dry cough that made her spat out blood.

Daniel moved closer to her swiftly and patted her back, whilst rubbing it also to relieve her. But when he saw her spat out blood, he immediately panicked and decided to carry her downstairs.

" Mrs. Sophia, please come here and send someone to call Mr. Roland."

He was now damn agitated with lots of fears gripping his whole body.

Mrs. Sophia, the head maid, saw Daniel carrying Louvre downstairs and looking all worried. She went to his side and saw some blood stains on Louvre's shirt, her eyes widened, and she inquired curiously, " What happened to the young master?"

Daniel had nothing to say to her, he also didn't understand what happened, and soon Mr. Roland came downstairs. He also wondered what happened, and why Daniel requested to see him, but when he got closer and saw Louvre's state.

He frowned and called out,

" Louvre...."

But Louvre didn't reply him, she was mentally and physically stressed out, to the extent she couldn't say anything.

" Bring a cup of water!" Daniel shouted, and Mrs. Sophia hurriedly went to the kitchen to fetch Daniel a cup of water.

Daniel was still carrying Louvre, though she already stopped coughing, but he couldn't bring himself to put her down.

" Mr. Roland, please call the doctor now." He faced the man and told him.

David heard what Daniel said, but he was still confused on what happened, nonetheless he proceed to call the doctor.

Mrs. Sophia was back with a warm water on her hand, and she passed the water to Daniel.

Daniel dropped Louvre gently on the couch and took the water from the head maid standing beside him. Then, he gave it to Louvre, but she only drank a little from the cup.

" Please drink more Louvre..." He urged her, and she obliged.

Mr. Roland and Mrs. Sophia stood behind Daniel and Louvre, watching the scene in front of them, but they were each in their different thoughts.

David now believed his family was in a really big misfortune. He just lost his wife, and now his daughter was acting like she was about to die.

What kind of misfortune is this? He questioned himself internally, frustrated and agitated about the current situation, he slowly slumped down to the tiled floor.

" Are you okay sir?" Mrs. Sophia worriedly asked David, but he didn't say anything, rather his mind drifted away.

Daniel shifted his gaze to look at David, but he didn't take long as his main focus was on Louvre.