Chapter 54
They peacefully continued their journey to the Sylfinnier’s Castle. From time to time the Duke would show interesting places to Marianne, things that would pick her interest and made her pay attention to what was outside.
Orland felt delighted to see how her eyes blinked as they took in the sights. Innocent and pure, the eyes would stare intently at every little thing.
The closer the got to the Duchy the less energetic she became. Seeing how It ended in her fighting against sleepiness, the way she began to doze off, invoked those memories from a far past. The clear image of her small body trying to stay awake, seated on the couch of his office, waiting for the time when he would ask Thomas for the vanilla cookies she liked was displayed in his head, causing loneliness to arise as the precious memory faded.
As a reflex action the words he would always say to her... came out.
"Sweet child, you may go to sleep...."
Surprised at how the sentence came out without warning, his voice started to fade even though the sentence was said softly... Just as he used to do before. Looking at the girl, whose eyelids refused to meet, he watched in nervousness how she slowly shook her head.
The same scene he used to see a long time ago... was replaying itself in front of him, with a grown-up child.
’... She... I thought she had forgotten... She was very young then... yet... She’s still the same...’
He felt melancholic at the little memories she had left in him. All lovely and happy, those memories were what kept him hopeful through the years.
’Even now... when she still hasn’t completely come back. She keeps giving me precious memories... my child... my baby... you are the greatest source of my happiness... my lovely aching bird....’
He kept his eyes on her, dearly watching her fight the persistent closing of her eyelids.
Marianne did not lose to the drowsiness, and once they arrived at the Duchy, they separated at the main Hall.