Chapter 5 – Warmth and Compassion

Not knowing what to say, she looks around in panic and flinches as the large hand reaches towards her face. He lowered his hand and with a serious expression, said, “They tell me you remember nothing. Do you remember me?”

“No.”

“You do not remember your accident then.”

“An accident?”

She realizes this must be the reason why they had been taken aback by her awakening. Something was definitely amiss. Had Tiana gotten into an accident? She tried to figure out the timeline. Being called ‘my lady’ would suggest this was sometime before Tiana got married.

The tall man, her father, carefully puts her hands in hers, “It was a horse accident. You fell off a running horse. You collapsed and have been unconscious for two weeks since then.”

“Two weeks?”

“Yes. Does it hurt anywhere?”

“Oh, that’s…”

She sees him looking anxiously at her so her mouth opens slightly. Truly, her body was throbbing in certain places. Looking closely, there are a lot of scratches on her arms, legs, and her shoulders. There are scars on her body but they did not hurt. The treatment had gone well, and though her body ached, it wasn’t so bad that it rendered her immobile.

She wants to let him know she doesn’t hurt anywhere when their eyes meet, and his eyes travel down the length of her body, eyeing the visible scars. He looked like he had been more hurt than she had been.

“Of course, it’s going to hurt. There is no way it wouldn’t hurt falling from a running horse like that.”

His hands hold her weak trembling ones. As he looks at her silently, he pulls her towards himself and embraces her. She is surprised by this sudden action but surrenders into the warmth of the embrace.

This man seems genuinely concerned. It is natural and ordinary for a parent to worry, but she had to know, is this man always so concerned about his daughter?

Edwin Quinn Celeste is Tiana’s father and one of only three dukes in the Empire. Nothing much was said about him in the main novel.

Because the beginning of the novel was a year after Lucius and Tiana’s marriage, he did not appear too many times. Details about him are blurry, but he sounds like someone with strong character. His relationship with Tiana doesn’t look very good in the main and supplemental story, but his present actions clearly show that he cares about Tiana more than anyone else.

Is this the difference between fiction and reality? It was very different when she was the one reading about them.

“I’m so glad you are okay. I thought I was going to lose you again.”

“Oh…”

“I know you can’t remember anything and that’s okay. We can start all over on a clean slate. You are always going to be my daughter anyway, memories, or no memories. You are my precious daughter.”

The tremors have stopped and held in a tight embrace; she is unable to speak a word. She wants to escape this strange feeling, but she cannot push him away. It would feel wrong to do that. She knew just little about this man but knew that she could not bear to break his heart.

She hadn’t felt such warmth in a long while, and she feels a tinge of envy seeing how much he seemed to love his daughter.

Shortly after, Edwin slowly pulls away. She feels awkward looking at him. “You must still be confused about all this,” he says, “I am sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“Get some rest for now. All of this must be a lot to take in so suddenly, so getting some sleep should help. I’ll call the doctor when you wake up.” He meticulously pulls the blanket up to her neck and strokes her hair tenderly. The feeling is unfamiliar, yet pleasant.

“Don’t think too much. Just close your eyes and have a good dream.”

“Yes.”

“Good night, Tiana.”

His hands are gentle and reassuring, but his slightly shaky voice sounds like he is nervous. Her heart sinks when she sees the worry in his eyes. She knows he is thinking of the possibility of her never waking again. It must be exhausting.

She sees Roena and Inabelle crying. Next to them, the butler stands silently looking at Edwin and her with soft eyes. No one in the room, including those outside the room, blamed her for losing her memories.

These are things she never knew by just reading the novel; the compassion and love. She can tell that Tiana was very loved growing up.

How did their relationships turn sour? As soon as she realized that she was reborn, she felt like she just got more questions than answers.

This was a lot to think about, but feeling sleepy, she slowly closed her eyes.