A Little Longer.. Louis' Thoughts

"Master, the snow has started to slow down at the start of last night," the head butler, Ronan, reports early in the morning in his study. "I reckon that it won't be long until we are able to use the road again."

"I see," was all the response he could get from Louis who sat at his desk, seeming to be thinking hard about something. Ronan wishes to add something else but was unable to find the courage to speak about the topic involving the girl. He sees how his master has grown to be a lot chipper these days since the arrival of the child but he knows that Louis was conflicted about allowing her stay. He also knows that that was what made Louis' brows furrow as he was immersed in his thoughts.

After that particular day of chess- which had been 2 days ago to be exact- Louis did all he could do to keep the girl company although he was busy with personal matters. He tried to spend every hour trying to keep the girl company, though it was much harder than he'd anticipated, and much awkward. He was still fairly young and an only child. He had little to no experience with children.

-

Walking down the hall after leaving his study, Louis was still in his own world with thoughts that needn't concern others around him. When he abruptly stopped and looked out the window to the look at the morning scenery, he sees that the head butler's words were correct-- the snow was beginning to stop. The streets were still vacant of people but he bets that it won't be long until he would begin to see life.

This leads to the return of thoughts of the girl. After knowing that she willingly left orphanages to find her parents that she can no longer recall the faces of, he isn't sure that she won't do the same again. That begs the question, what should he do to ensure that she wouldn't do it again?

Their bonds are not as strong as expected when Louis only helped her out of the snow out of the goodwill in his heart. It didn't mean that he was obligated to care for her any longer than necessary.

He didn't stress the thought any longer than he already had and continued to walk the halls with a silent mind. He didn't know where he was walking to until he stopped in front of a door that lead into a sitting room. That was when he realize that he had walked to where the girl was at, just on the other side of the door.

Taking a moment to relax himself, he opens the door quietly as he possibly could. Peeking inside, he sees that she was eating snacks with a bright expression on her face. The maid assigned to take care of her was dismissed to do her other tasks before he had arrived there.

He opens the door a little more wider and knocked gently on it, signaling that he had come in. "Apologies, did I startle you?" he asks, noticing that she had jumped in her skins at the sudden noise. She, still too shy to speak, shake her head instead. Louis smiles and walks over to where she was and sat at the extra chair across hers. Once he had taken a better look at her, he sees that the biscuits were nearly finished. "Do you like the biscuits?" he asks for starters.

She nods her head, playing with her fingers in nervousness. "I'm glad," he smiles. "And please, don't be shy to ask if you want more. The manor also serves other snacks that I hope you would get the chance to try." Louis wasn't fond of sweets and were intended for guests, should he ever receive a visit from someone, so there were a lot stored.

He sees that she was a lot chubbier than when she first arrived not too long ago which was good news to him. How long has she been out there to be so thin, he doesn't know nor did she. She also seems to lack knowledge of certain things.

There was a challenging silence afterwards and Louis was once again stuck of things to say. He wasn't a talkative person but he tried his best to talk to her, although she thought that he talks quite a lot.

"Uh, so, how do you like it here?" he asks and hope that he would get a response back. The girl shies away, hesitant to use her voice. "It's alright. No one here will eat you," he smiles in hopes that it would relax her enough to answer, which worked since she opens her mouth to speak. "It's warm."

Those words, although may sound like nothing to somebody else, means the world to Louis and his next thoughts was what would change both of their lives. 'I suppose it wouldn't hurt to keep her a little longer..'

~♡~