Father's embrace

Could this be her chance to prevent the tragedy from happening...

Annabelle just stood there listening to the chit-chat of the maid Mary. It took her some time to analyze what was happening. Annabelle was deeply immersed in thinking. It was Mary who reminded her that her father and brothers would join her for the breakfast. Mary : " Anna sama, Duke Edward and your brothers would join you breakfast today. You should hurry."

When she heard Mary mentioning her father Duke Edward, her face lit up.

If Annabelle was now eight years old physically, then it meant that her father was still alive. Annabelle : " Oh my god! It means ...yes, he is alive. I can see him now. I can spend all my time with him. I... I can be loved my father. Father is... he is ALIVE."

She mumbled to herself.

The Spark of immense Joy could be seen into her eyes. How could she forget the love her father had shown her in the last moments of her life. The embrace in which she had cried all her heart.... how could she even forget that?

Her eyes became wet.

She once again wanted that fatherly embrace. She asked Mary about his father.

Annabelle : " Mary, Is.... is... is my father here?"She had been never so eager to see her father in her past life.

Mary: " Yes, Anna sama! Lord Duke is in his study."

Upon hearing those words, she could not stop her feet running towards his father's study.

As soon as she entered the study, her little eyes started searching for his father in the room.

Then finally she heard a voice she was craving to hear coming from her left.

" Anna !"

She turned. Oh God! The face she was so anxious to see, was now right in front of her. She didn't even realize when tears started falling down her chubby cheeks.

A lovely cute little daughter entered her father's study and started crying on seeing him. She ran towards him and held his leg as if she had seen him after a very long time. She called him many times as she was weeping.

" Papa.....hu hu hu.....Papa....(weeping)....Papa...hic...."

Duke Edward became stunned. He had not expected his daughter to come running towards him and hug him while crying. But he tried to understand that little child.

With a warm look in his eyes, he squatted down and cuddled her till she calmed down.

Anna threw her arm around her father's neck and cried for long time. She didn't even realise that a father's heart had tightened on seeing her tears. Duke Edward puzzled in his thoughts.

' What in the world happened to make this little child cry like this? Why is my heart paining so much on seeing her tears?'

He squeezed a little bit to make her realise that she is not alone. When she had come down a bit, Duke Edward asked her the reason for crying. He wiped her tears and said " What happened Anna? Why are you crying, child? "

Upon hearing those loving words coming from her father, she felt like crying once again. But she didn't want to make him worried. So, she held up the tears in her eyes.

She told him in a cute pitiful tone,

" Father, just a Nightmare. I had got scared."

Of course she couldn't tell him the reason, the real reason.

With which heart she would tell him that she regretted because she could not do anything when her father died saving her. With which heart she could tell him that the person who killed him was none other than the person she love the most even more than her own father. She did not have that heart.

But now that she had got another chance, she can now enjoy her father's love. Now she can love the ones who loves her back. Now she won't waste her love on the that prince who never once valued her. But, she has a lot of time in her hands. Therefore, she would take only a single step at a time. Step by step and with patience, she will love others and will be loved by them.