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After their invigoratingly, exhausting yet passionate dance that night in the Golden Clover, Alfred and his lady exited the ballroom and proceeded to leave. Deciding to walk back to the mansion this time around, Lady Arthingham and her dearest dapper butler both walked hand in hand, exchanging loving words and affectionate stares. As they entered the shopping district, a slightly lit flower shop full of beautiful blossoms and bouquets caught the butler’s eyes. He thought that it would make the night more so romantic than ever.
Stopping his gorgeously divine lady, he turned to her and spoke in hushed words, “My lady, do excuse me for one moment and wait for me here. I shall return very shortly.” He proceeded to let go of his love’s hand. And with that, Alfred sprinted towards the flower shop with such gusto he nearly stumbled on his own feet as he crossed the street.
When he entered the shop, he marched straight towards the florist who was sorting bouquets for one of the displays. Wasting no time at all, he greeted her jubilantly, “Good evening madam, may I know your recommendation on a flower bouquet for my darling beloved?” His tone was urgent, yet eager.
“Good evening. Yes, we do!” The florist beamed. Then she inquired, “How would you describe this beloved of yours?”
He took a moment to ponder the question, his thoughts flitting to his memories of his wonderful lady. “My dearly beloved is such a heavenly mesmerizing angel,” he began. “She is the true definition of beauty, very much innocent and kind. Behind her, seemingly gentle and delicate visage hides a romantic, passionate soul and a loyal heart that never holds back from giving her love and affection to everyone she meets, including myself. Ever so charming, one thing for certain is that she is simply unforgettable.”
The florist had already begun skirting through her shop, picking up flowers from the stands scattered throughout the place. “What about... classic red and white roses, red and pink carnations, scorpion grasses, violet blues, red camelia, and peonies with a hint of baby breaths sound? And for the leaves, we can use fern. They are befitting your lovely lady.”
“That would be perfect!” he replied with a bright grin upon his face.
The florist placed the flowers neatly on the wrapping paper and made the bouquet swiftly, years of experience evident in her craft. In no time, the bouquet was presented to him. Alfred took in the sight of the captivating creation. “This is simply exquisite. Thank you,” he exclaimed as he paid for the flowers and immediately exited the shop in a rush to get back.
Lady Arthingham saw her beloved holding a big beautiful bouquet from across the street. A smile crept upon her face. The bird on top of her head chirped merrily. He was so captivated by his graceful lady and the bouquet in his hands he didn’t pay much attention to where he was walking—nor the car that was coming straight for him.
The woman witnessed the tragic scene unfolding before her very eyes, unable to move nor scream out a warning, a sound, anything. Within seconds a painfully loud screech resounded, lights flashed, petals flew scattered in the air, as a figure fell in slow motion, seemingly unnoticed by the world.
He moved not an inch on the cold pavement as she rushed to his side. Her face fell, her lip quivered, her eyes burned until she could no longer hold her tears at bay.
“MY SWEET LAVISH BUTLER, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR EXTRAORDINARY SOUL! OH SOMEONE PLEASE HELP HIM! AH! IS THAT… BLOOD? OH PLEASE, PLEASE HELP MY BUTLER! SOMEONE, PLEASE! ANYONE! ” she wailed as she clutched his unmoving body for what felt like an eternity.
Her cries grew in hysteria, an endless cacophony erupting from the mouth of a single, mourning lady. In time, people began to crowd the disastrous scene to view it with their own eyes.
From the crowd, a man’s voice bellowed, “I can help! I have a car.” He pushed through the crowd which parted around him as he made his way to the distraught woman.
“OH, THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOUNG MAN! I SHALL NEVER FORGET YOUR KIND SUCCOR!” she cried.
He and a few others helped lift the unconscious butler from the pavement and carry him to the kind man’s car. Once he was loaded in they left immediately heading towards the hospital. Lady Arthingham tried to stay calm for her butler, yet she failed miserably, anxiety eventually getting the best of her.
In the hospital, Lady Arthingham staggered in fear at what might become of her one and only love of her life. She was not ready to face the news of his condition as he was rushed through doors she could not follow through. However, she must be as brave, and strong.
I will be his savior. I need to be strong for my strong handsome butler!
Still, she could not help but wander the waiting room pacing with fright. As the clock ticked on, each turn resounded into the empty silence until her breathing slowed enough she was afraid it might stop completely.
-----
Minutes turned into hours and no one, not a doctor, not a nurse, had come out to alert her to his condition. Lady Arthingham’s arms had encircled her body as she rocked herself in distress not wanting to pass another moment without him. Only watching him from afar was not enough for the paranoid lady, even if he slept shrouded in a peaceful halo that graced his otherworldly pristine bald head. With fierce determination, she charged the doors to go to where they had brought her beloved.
If only she didn’t get stopped by the nurses, she’d be with her soulmate once again.
If only she could see him again, she would be the most jubilant person on earth.
Alas, she needed to patiently wait even more for her prince to wake up.
-----
The tiniest ray of hope rose for Lady Arthingham when she saw that her one and only had finally opened his eyes, revealing his dark brown irises that had always managed to soothe her.
“OH GOODNESS GRACIOUS, MY DARLING MR. BUTLER. I AM MOST GLAD YOU ARE AWAKE, DEAREST. IT HAS BEEN DAYS SINCE I LAST HEARD YOUR MAGNIFICENT VOICE. OH MR. BUTLER, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I THOUGHT ABOUT YOU ALL THIS TIME.” Her voice cracked in joy as she enveloped the man in the stiff bed tightly in her arms.
Her excitement was greeted by distant eyes, almost questioning her— everything. Sensing something different about her shining knight, her eyes became a reservoir once again.
“Pardon me but, do I… Do I know you?”
Her heart fell and began to burn in her chest. “M-Mr. Butler, don’t you remember me? You promised you would never forget me,” she whimpered as her worry and sorrow leaked out her eyes.
“My apologies, Miss, but I don’t recall ever knowing you before.”
“ H-HOW COULD YOU, MR. BUTLER? I WAITED FOR DAYS–AND NOW YOU’RE SAYING YOU DON’T–YOU DON’T REMEMBER ME? YOU’VE THROWN OUT MY HEART ON THE FLOOR, AND NOW IT IS SHATTERED, RIPPED, AND UTTERLY BRUISED.” The lady bawled her hearts out. “MR. BUTLER, LOOK AT ME. I AM YOUR ONE AND ONLY LOVE. YOU ONCE TOLD ME YOU WOULD NEVER EVER FORGET ME. HOW CAN YOU NOT REMEMBER ME?”
The doctor and nurses had to come in to stop the woman from causing an even bigger commotion. After she calmed down, she was informed that there was a high chance that he had lost his memories. She could not contain her tears.
And yet, she couldn’t do anything about it.
-----
She struggled to hold herself together as she entered the mansion alongside her butler. She passed their belongings to the maid beside the door before pulling him in lurching as she did.
Get yourself together, me! We are doing this for our undying love for our breathtaking butler.
“So this incredibly sweet home is ours,” she started carefully. Shooting a glance at her dear darling she continued, “A lovely and cozy place where we started.” A pained smile rose on her face as she reminisced about the sweet memory.
His eyes examined the place, noting every odd decoration in the room. One picture frame piqued his interest. His legs started to bring him closer without him realizing it.
The lady noticed his sudden interest and a joyful smile started to rise, “Oh my! I remember that day when we danced our hearts away on the deck of the cruise. You were so dazzling and oh so charming with your brussel sprouts cream, the smell of it so sweet a-”
“Pardon my intrusion but may I see my room?” Alfred cut her off, clearly losing interest.
Completely startled, she blinked repeatedly at him. When he stared back at her blankly, she could only gesture to one maid to show the way. Then the reality hit her, and with that, she left the room with a hint of tears, yet again, in her eyes.
The maid only shot him an apologetic look before proceeding to send him to his old room. The man wandered around a bit before turning to the maid and asked, “Is she always like… that—overly dramatic?”
The maid only glanced at how blunt Alfred was in talking about his love, yet she didn’t seem to mind it at all. “So you did lose your memory,” The maid muttered then answered, “Yes, she has always been like that.”
Alfred nods in understanding. “And may I know your name?” he asked, trying to not make the situation more awkward than what it already is.
The maid shot him a small smile and replied, “There is no need to remember my name, sir.”
“Oh but I must insist.”
“My name is Helen, sir.”
“Well then Helen, mind showing me around the mansion?”
“As you wish, sir.”
While the two roam around the mansion, Lady Arthingham had finished her crying and started to plan on how to make her knight in shining armor regain his memory and be with her again.
-----
“Rise and shine, my dazzling butler,” The woman greeted, a big smile plastered on her face as she let the gentle rays of sunlight flow into Alfred’s room.
A puzzled look rose upon his face when he realized that Lady Arthingham was in his room. “Excuse me, my lady but what are you doing?” he asked.
A slightly pained look crept in yet she shrugged it off before the man in bed noticed. “I am going to take you for a fancy breakfast in town!” she grinned. Although he found the manner in which she greeted him slightly peculiar, he didn’t really mind it, so he just nodded. The lady made her way out the door to let him get ready. Then again, he had to rethink whatever just happened a few seconds ago.
The next thing he knew, they were at a luxurious restaurant ready to eat, they then went shopping, and then they had lunch. As the day went by Alfred, much to his own chagrin, continued to ponder and grieve within the depths of his mind. Time had truly been unkind to him as singular moments in time spent with his lady felt like a torturous endless loop that went on forever. Never-ending, slowly pacing and steadily moving forward, his internal clock continued to tick as he counted down every minute and every second, bracing himself for what would be next to come.
One could only last for so long before becoming mad from the mundane pleasantries and pointless folly when one did not feel any inclination to partake in any. And so Alfred cursed time. Why must this very moment, this one day.... felt like forever? The butler felt dragged around by the lady's whims, all of his suggestions on what he wanted to do falling on deaf ears, yet he endured it.
“Wasn’t today fun, my darling?” she chirped, glancing at her prince.
Alfred was tired. Very tired, in fact. Regardless, he decided to just nod in agreement, not wanting to make the jubilant lady in front of him sad.
“Great! I have something prepared.” Again, she dragged the poor man, this time to the garden. “A TEA PARTY! We always had a tea party the way I love it,” she chimed as she made the man sit on one of the seats.
It would’ve been perfectly fine, if only…
“GRACIOUS ME! WHAT IS THIS TASTE IN MY TONGUE. IT IS UNDENIABLY UNPLEASANT. WHO MADE THIS AWFULLY DREADFUL CAKE,” she shrieked seconds after she took a bite of the beautifully plated slice of cake.
“OH MR. BUTLER, SAVE ME FROM MY AGONY OF THIS VULGAR TASTE.” She sobbed as she ran to his side, clinging to his arm before pursing her lips towards Alfred’s.
Being greatly exasperated, Alfred forcefully freed himself from the woman’s grasp, “My apologies, my lady. I think it’s quite inappropriate of you to osculate me this way.”
The broken-hearted lady gave him a look of disbelief before she ran away sobbing, leaving the man behind. He could only sigh heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked up to see Helen the maid from the other day started to clean the mess the lady of the house made.
Feeling bad, he made his way to Helen. “Care if I join in the fun?” he asked sarcastically.
Completely startled, Helen flashed him a look but decided to play along anyway. “Why thank you for the thought. However, considering the lady’s feelings, why don’t you go chase after her?”
“I’d rather help here. I suppose you always cleaned up after every mess she made?”
“Well,” she began. “It’s always been like this since before the…” she trailed off rethinking her words. “Before your accident happened.”
They continued talking about everything from her experience dealing with Lady Arthingham, which had not been too great, to what used to be their activities, routines, and whatnot until recently.
One thing Alfred had noticed was that every second spent with Helen was the most enjoyable time. He could be relaxed and more like himself, not worrying whether he hurt someone’s feelings when things didn’t go according to plan, the way he did to Lady Arthingham.
This was the life he wanted to live.
-----
Lady Arthingham frantically searched the house. One room after another, into the hallways, down the stairs, she searched in hopes of finding her love, her soulmate, her butler, to fall into his embrace once more. A minute without him felt like hell, and she couldn’t stand it. As if she were a fish out of the water she peeked in every room desperate to find him.
Nothing.
Nothing.
A faint noise came from the front door. She surged to the source and found him standing before the grand door. A smile returned to her face.
“OH, MY DEAREST BEAUTIFUL BUTLER. WHY MUST YOU LEAVE ME SO... EVEN IF IT HAS ONLY BEEN 15 MINUTES, IT FELT LIKE FOREVER AND MY HEART WAS BROKEN IN PIECES AS YOU GALLO-” Her words trailed off the moment she noticed bags of her butler’s belongings tidy beside his feet and one of the maids beside him holding his hand. “You are not leaving, are you?” Her lips trembled yet again.
“My deepest apologies, my lady. I can no longer stay by your side. It has been quite the journey all this time,” he stated bitterly. “However, I couldn’t stand your personality anymore. I have been holding back. Now, I have found someone I truly love.”
“Oh my— h-how has this slipped my attention?” Lady Arthingham’s voice fell drastically as her confidence diminished, barely audible, on the brink of tears. “Gracious me, how can you do this to me, my dearest Mr. Butler? Why must you leave me? After all that we have been through. I don’t understand.”
The butler didn’t share quite the sentiment. After all, he was no longer the same butler as he was before.
“My apologies, my lady.”
Without another word, he left the mansion the maid in tow. The mansion that had felt large before now felt simply too enormous. He had filled up her life. And now?
Now, she was alone once more