"Young master!"
"Sob Sob"
"Please, don't leave me!"
In the hallway, just outside the living room, a woman was weeping loudly.
Her face appeared worn and pale, indicating the prolonged duration of her crying.
"Don't forsake me."
"I implore you."
"Please, don't leave me!" Mira, the woman, persisted in her desperate pleas, clutching her garments tightly against her chest.
Suddenly,
"Mira, why are you crying?!" A concerned male voice pierced through the air, instantly jolting Mira from her tearful state.
"Young master?!" Mira raised her head abruptly, her eyes fixating on the figure of the man she had longed for.
With a slight frown, the man reached out and helped Mira to her feet.
"Why are you crying like this?"
"What's the matter?"
"Who dared to bring you to tears?!" Zayn, the man, inquired once more, his voice tinged with anger.
However, Mira remained frozen in shock, her body paralyzed by the sudden appearance of Zayn, rendering her incapable of offering a response to his question.
"Young master?"
"You—You're alive?" Mira's voice quivered as if she couldn't fathom the reality of Zayn's presence before her.
Hearing her words, Zayn's expression turned perplexed, and he responded in a peculiar tone, "Dead?"
"Me? Dead?"
"How could I possibly be dead?"
"Mira, are you feeling unwell?" Zayn gently touched Mira's forehead, his face filled with concern.
Upon hearing his question, Mira's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Y-You... Are you truly alive, my young master?" Mira's disbelief lingered, and she cautiously caressed Zayn's cheek, seeking confirmation that the man before her was not a figment of her imagination.
Before long, tears streamed down her face once more.
"You... You're truly alive!"
"You've really returned, my young master!" Overwhelmed by emotion, Mira instinctively embraced Zayn tightly, unwilling to let go.
Tears of happiness continued to flow down her cheeks.
However, unlike before, these tears were born out of joy.
"Please don't ever leave me!"
"Please! I beg of you!" Mira cried and pleaded with Zayn, holding him tightly and seeking reassurance and promises.
Upon hearing Mira's words, Zayn embraced her, providing a comforting hold to calm her down.
"Alright, I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't worry." He continued to stroke Mira's back gently, his voice filled with reassurance.
Yet Mira clung to Zayn as if unwilling to let him go, maintaining her tight embrace.
"Don't leave me alone."
"I can't imagine life without you," Mira repeated, her voice filled with desperation.
Soon, a tender voice reached her ears, "Don't worry, my dear Mira."
"Did you have a nightmare?"
Mira snapped out of her daze upon hearing the voice, and she gazed at Zayn while tenderly touching his face.
"Yes, young master."
"I had a nightmare where you left me forever."
"Do you know how agonizing it was to witness that?" Mira's voice trembled, unable to contain the overwhelming pain she experienced.
Zayn gently ran his fingers through her hair and spoke softly, "Take a deep breath."
"It was only a nightmare, and I am right here with you, you know?"
"So, can you try to calm yourself?"
"I am genuinely concerned to see you in such distress."
Mira gradually found some solace upon hearing his words and nodded slightly, her emotions starting to settle.
"However, may I continue to hold you like this for now?"
"Please~" Mira pleaded, gently pressing her face against Zayn's chest.
"Of course," Zayn responded softly.
In no time, Mira inhaled Zayn's scent, finding solace in the familiar aroma, and her mind gradually settled.
'The young master is still alive,' she reassured herself.
'It was all just a dream.'
'My young master is alive and embracing me.' Mira repeated these thoughts in her heart, and a faint smile unconsciously graced her lips.
Emerging from her reverie, Mira smiled and held Zayn tightly in her arms.
"Young master."
"You're right!"
"You're still alive, and it was just a nightmare that you died and left me."
"I'm absolutely certain!" Mira exclaimed with excitement.
However, her words received no response from Zayn, except for a single droplet, which turned out to be blood, streaming down her cheek.
"Eh?" Mira instinctively looked up and witnessed Zayn's smiling face instantly contort in pain.
"Young master!" Mira snapped back to reality and cried out.
But Zayn's pained expression remained unresponsive.
"M-Mira, my chest... it hurts so much."
"Help me, Mira." Zayn's voice trembled with pain, causing Mira to freeze in utter disbelief.
In an instant, Zayn released his grip on her, his body collapsing to the floor, his face drained of color.
"Young master!" Mira screamed, unable to comprehend the scene unfolding before her.
Her gaze fixed on a puncture wound in Zayn's chest, from which blood flowed incessantly.
"Ahhh!"
"No!!!"
"Don't!"
Filled with desperation, Mira swiftly moved to staunch the bleeding from Zayn's chest.
But before she could take action, her hand was grasped by Zayn, who had turned pale and was coughing.
"Mira, don't concern yourself with me, cough!"
"Please, focus on your own well-being and forget about me."
"I'm sorry I can't remain by your side any longer, Mira." Zayn struggled to convey these words to Mira, who continued to weep.
"No! No!"
"Don't!"
"Please!"
"It's just a nightmare! It's just a nightmare!" Mira screamed frantically.
But then Zayn, on the brink of death, managed to offer a gentle smile as he caressed her cheek.
He uttered, "Don't cry like this."
"It doesn't suit you."
"Cough!"
"I love you, Mira."
"Goodbye." Zayn slowly closed his eyes, and in the presence of Mira, who vehemently shook her head, his form began to fracture and fade away.
"No!!!" Mira's piercing scream reverberated through the air as darkness seemed to engulf her vision, casting an ominous shadow over everything around her.
...
"Young master!" Mira cried out, and in an instant, the scenery around her shifted, revealing her own bedroom.
"Bedroom?" Mira questioned herself, her confusion evident as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
"So, it was all just a dream?" She clutched her head, feeling disoriented, until a female voice sounded from beside her.
"Miss Mira? You've finally awakened!" The young maid exclaimed with excitement, her face filled with relief.
"You?" Mira asked with a perplexed tone, her gaze fixed on the maid standing beside her.
In response, the maid promptly introduced herself, saying, "I'm Zoe, one of the maids from the Welston family's main mansion."
Mira nodded slightly, as if starting to comprehend the situation, and inquired, "What are you doing in my room?"
Zoe let out a sigh of relief and began to explain.
"You were unconscious for over two days, and it had everyone in the mansion extremely worried."
"I've been taking care of you ever since you fainted."
Mira was taken aback, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"I was unconscious for more than two days?!"
"No!"
"I must have kept young master Zayn waiting!"
"I need to return to my duties immediately and attend to him!" Mira spoke hastily, intending to get out of bed.
However, lacking strength, she ended up falling from the bed, causing her to furrow her brow.
She turned to Zoe, who continued to gaze at her with a puzzled expression.
"What are you doing?"
"Help me go see the young master!" Mira exclaimed, her voice tinged with urgency, as she sought assistance from Zoe, who still looked at her with a somber expression.
"Miss Mira..." Zoe spoke, her face contorted with pain, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Young master..."
"The young master...is no longer with us."
"I'm sorry." Zoe's voice quivered as she finally revealed the truth, her tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably.
Upon hearing this, Mira's face became the epicenter of attention, with a look of disbelief etched across her features.
"Y-Young master, are y-you truly gone?" She asked in a dazed and trembling tone.
*Boom!
Simultaneously, thunder roared and a fierce windstorm erupted outside, amplifying the already somber atmosphere within the room and throughout the entire mansion.
