Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 114: The Bungalow That Felt Like Home.

Chapter 114: The Bungalow That Felt Like Home.

Dusk.

Conan’s Bungalow.

Critic Arley, Critic-Ishire.

*************

As the morning sun painted the sky with hues of gold and pink, the weary knight, Conan, returned to his bungalow after a night of horror, he would say.

The turn of events had been so dramatic he chastised himself for wanting to leaving Theodore at the gates to go back to his bungalow.

With each step closer to his home, anticipation mingled with exhaustion, his mind brimming with curiosity about what awaited him inside.

Home, he mused.

He thought of he had never considered this place as home but as his bungalow, as a place he could rest and cook.

But now this place felt like home because Helena was in it. He frowned at that thought ehile his heart smiled in delight and sighed in contentment.

As he pushed open the door, a wave of surprise washed over him. The bungalow appeared different somehow, as if touched by a gentle hand, by Helena’s hand, and, that had transformed the house into a haven of tranquility and warmth.

He was puzzled.

The air was scented with the delicate fragrance of lavender and roses, and the furnishings seemed to gleam with newfound luster.

Conan ventured further into the bungalow with furrowed brows, his footsteps echoing softly against the polished wooden floor.

He glanced around, searching for any sign of Helena, his heart fluttering with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

Where was she?

When did she all of this? And why was the house still so quiet?

He moved swiftly after reducing his clothing because he couldn’t stay calm long enough to remove all of it or enjoy the process.

Conan then walked into the room, his mind rigid, and then he saw her. She was nestled amidst a sea of pillows and blankets he didn’t know he owned.

Her form is bathed in the soft morning light that filtered through the lace curtains. She lay sleeping, her chest rising and falling in a gentle rhythm, her face serene and peaceful in repose.

He was hypnotized.

In that moment, the knight couldn’t help but marvel at the sight before him. Her beauty was ethereal, her features are softened by the glow of the dawn, her hair a cascade of black curls that framed her face like a halo.

She appeared as if she belonged to another world, a vision of grace and innocence amidst the chaos of their reality.

A world he would let her take him into.

With a sense of reverence, he moved toward her, his gaze lingering on her sleeping form.

He reached out a hand to brush a stray lock of her black hair from her forehead, his touch was light and tender as he marveled at the depth of his feelings for her.

He was truly sinking.

In that quiet moment, surrounded by the beauty of their shared sanctuary, Conan knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, he would always want to return home to her, he would always return home to her, to the bungalow that held perhaps her dreams, her hopes, and their love while it held his heart.

Helena, his mind mused.

He decided to give her an hour to sleep while he prepared breakfast for them, he stood up, freshened up and walked into the kitchen.

The impeccable arrangement in the kitchen astounded him too and it appeared as though she didn’t cook since he left.

He decided to make something light so they can go to the mansion early, he knew he should probably wake her up to get ready but the whipped part of his brain doesn’t have the heart to wake her up.

*************

Morning.

Bedroom, Conan’s Mansion.

*************

Helena found herself in the woods under a haunting moonlight, her heart was already spiked and she felt a weight on her arms, she glanced down at it and was surprised to find that it was a baby wrapped in a cloth that she was gripping.

Where had she gotten it from? A chill ran down her spine making her grip the baby closer to her chest. Someone was in the vicinity.

A shadowy figure emerged from the depths of the unknown, its ominous presence casting a chilling spell over the dreamlike landscape.

Helena glanced left and right before she sprinted still without thinking, her heart raced as she navigated through the area trying to escape the figure.

Each hurried step echoed in the silent corridors of her mind, of the woods, and the air itself seemed thick with an intangible tension.

The dark figure, an enigmatic silhouette cloaked in mystery, pursued her and the child she held relentlessly, its movements synchronized with Helena’s every desperate stride.

It was as if the figure knew where she was going to follow next.

Her escalating fear made the vicinity appear to be a maze, she felt she couldn’t get out of it.

Her chest rose and fell in complaint.

The child clutched her palm tighter and with quivering lips the child asked ’what shall happen now?’

Helena’s eyes widened. How had the child become so grown?

But she couldn’t dwell on that, she was supposed to be running.

Wisps of darkness seemed to reach out, threatening to entangle Helena and the child in its trap.

But, Helena felt it in her veins, she wanted to save this child but she felt helpless.

She didn’t understand what was happening, who the figure was and when she had began running anymore, eye turned and with the height of the figure, she could tell it was female. Perhaps she could fight her and win?

Helena’s breaths quickened, and beads of sweat materialized on her forehead, a testament to the palpable fear gripping her.

She tripped on a branch and along with the child she fell.

The figure was suddenly in front of them and the child no longer with Helena. She panicked and stood up quickly but the figure was gone.

She started to run again but tripped again and as she started to fall to the ground.

**************

Noon.

Bedroom, Conan’s Bungalow.

**************

Conan had been done with cooking and decided to wake up Helena who could sleep a whole day if allowed. But as he entered the room he heard her mumbling something, while lying so still yet painfully, she was having a nightmare.

"Stop! Please stop!" he shook her shoulders.

"Let it go! What..." he raised her back off the bed a bit.

"Hey hey, you are okay" he whispered into her hair, her face in his neck.

"Conan!" she gasped.

"You are fine, my dear" he whispered placing a kiss in her hair.

"Something bad has happened Conan, I can feel it" she mumbled hugging him back, her dress bunching up.

Conan merely hummed too intoxicated by her scent to speak, and as though just recalling he was not at home before she came out of the hug with her eyes wide.

She gripped his biceps. "When did you come back?"

He watched her as face dropped. "Why did you not wake me up?"

At his silence she continued, "How are you?" warmth from her palm seeped down past the fabric to his skin.

Without missing a beat she added. "Did you eat yet?" her hand flew to his face before she dropped them. "How was the weather over there?"

He finally made reply with a puzzled look on his charming face. "You have never been to Critic-Citadel?"

Her cheeks tinged red as she mumbled. "No"

"Do you wish to go?"

She held his black orbs contemplating her reply.

"Do you wish to take me?" she countered, shifting uncomfortably.

He shrugged, tracing some of her locks and playing with them. "I could take you" he said barely above

"Take me with you then" she agreed with a small smile.

He gulped as he watched her face, features by features. "Helena?"

"Yes, Sir Conan" she said breathlessly.

He blinked. "Let us go and eat, then you bathe and I need to talk to you"

As she stood up he asked. "What happened?"

She gathered her hair, his eyes glanced at it before he watched her mouth respond. "I was having a nightmare just now, did something happen?"

"Lady Theodore" he said simply and she blanched.

"No." she whispered.

The dream flashed in her mind and she stuttered to ask. "Did... did she lose her baby?"

Conan frowned. "Yes, she..."

"There is a culprit, Conan, someone did this" she said holding his gaze.

"Yes, We know she uhh..." he trailed off.

Her eyes danced from his left to right eye. "You think it is a she too? Have you caught her?"

"No we have not, Theodore asked for you" he relayed.

She paused with a frown. Had she been found out? "Why? Did..."

"Helena he... we..."

She raised her hand indicating he cut it off. It doesn’t matter what the lord knows, she was going to Lydia. "Not to worry, I am going to my sister anyway" she said.

She rushed out of bed, the contour of her body flashing before his eyes before he quickly dropped his gaze. He gulped before leaving to the kitchen to wait for her.

They got ready and before noon they were on their way to dooms mansion.