Bambi and the Duke

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Close to seventy years later...The Year 1847

During the time of noon, a woman walked in the corridors of the Rune mansion bored as there was nothing else to do. Her feet were light on the ground where the carpet had been laid, she saw the maids bow at her and she returned it with a nod. Her hair was inky black in colour, the little fringe had been parted from the middle to be pushed to her sides. She looked at the portraits of the Lord and some of his family which hanged on the walls.

When the window started to pass her eyes, the colour of brown which looked outside the windows squinting when she caught sight of the mansion's butler out in the apple orchard. As usual, the man spent a good amount of time in the orchard, his love for apples grew by every single day so much that it made her chuckle. People were strange here and as she made a turn around the corridor she caught sight of the strangest creature which belonged to the Lord himself.

The creature was tall and dark, its ragged appearance and the peeking boney hands adding a haunted appearance to it. She gulped softly. Having always maintained distance from it, she didn't go too close to it, not that it had tried to ever come close to her.

But that wasn't what was peculiar about it. Most of the times she had caught sight of it, it was always at this side of the mansion. And she doubted that it was because not many maids entered here as it was quiet but it stood in front of a portrait of a young couple.

"What are you doing here, Heidi?" she heard a voice right next to her ear which was of Lord Nicholas.

"I was taking a walk," she murmured to look at the handsome man.

"Hmm," he gave her a charming smile.

The woman named Heidi turned to look back at the ghoul who continued to stay still staring at the portrait, "Why does he keep looking at just that one?"

Nicholas' eyes fell on his ghoul that had been quieter than Narcissus since a few years, "He misses them or rather her, I believe," the woman noticed the sadness that flickered and went away in a blink of his eyes. Heidi could tell that the people in the portrait meant a lot to him and in Nicholas' life, there were only a few who meant something to him. When he started to walk forward, Heidi followed him while the ghoul turned its head at the presence of its master who suddenly disappeared in thin air.

If there was one thing she had come to know, the ghouls were part of Nicholas, "You must miss them too."

"I do," the Lord answered her with a small sigh escaping from his lips. Years had passed yet that night was something he couldn't forget. He could only hope that wherever they were now, they were happy together.

Heidi stood in front of the portrait of the young couple. The woman had an infectious smile that spilt the happiness from her eyes and around her, making the picture that much brighter. The man held her by her waist, his features sharp and almost polished. His smile barely reached his lips but one could say from his eyes that he looked happy as if he had everything in the world right in his arms. They looked happy and in love which even made Heidi smile.

Below the portrait was the name etched 'Duke Leonard Carmichael and Vivian Carmichael'. Dated Year 1778.