Music Recommendation: Strength and Hope- Gregor F. N
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Noah spent a good one hour in the cemetery, which was peaceful next to his coachman's grave. He would have never thought that Kieran would be murdered along with him, and if he could, he would be more than happy to switch places with Kieran.
When he returned to the Sullivan mansion with the glass case in his arms, his father sat in the living room and saw him with it. The man asked,
"Is that a bouquet?"
Noah paused his footsteps and met his father's eyes, "It is. It is a gift for someone in the future."
Jeffry pursed his lips, and before his son walked away from there, he invited him, "Would you like to come sit with me, Noah? For a drink?"
Noah noticed the bottle of opened liquor sitting on the small glass table, which was half empty. He gave the nod and said, "I could use a drink." He entered the living room and picked up a glass before sitting beside his father on the long couch.
"Let me get that," Noah said, picking up the liquor bottle and pouring it into his glass. He didn't enjoy drinking alcohol but didn't want to leave his father alone.
He then refilled his father's glass, and they took a sip each from their glasses, before the fireplace that burned brightly. Jeffry said,
"I was thinking of refurbishing the mansion that's there in the East. I am growing old and a little change in the scenery would do me good. You too, if you want to join me, Noah."
Shifting from Woodlock?
Noah smiled at his father and replied, "I think I would like to stay here, father."
Jeffry nodded, not wanting to interfere in Noah's life anymore as he was a grown man who could choose what he wanted to do. He then confessed, "This mansion has so many memories. But it is the one that is tainted that now haunts me along with the people whom I cared about gone. Your mother was everything to me, Noah, and I loved her very much. I don't know why she chose to walk the other path."
Noah tried not to think about his mother because the more he thought about it, the angrier he turned, and hate-filled his mind. But at the same time, the person whom he was all these years tried to conflict with his new feelings.
"It wasn't your fault, father," Noah told the man because he had never seen his parents fight or argue about anything. They had always been agreeable; he had seen his father love and dote on his mother very much. He said, "You did everything a husband could do and give."
"Thank you, Noah. I know all of us have caused you unhappiness, but I would like to tell you that you have grown into a truly commendable man. I would always want you as my son, and if not son, my father, so that I could be guided and not be as hard on you as I was in the past."
As sweet and heartwarming these conversations were, Noah's childhood was lost, and his innocence never bloomed as he was forced to grow up to everyone's expectations. There was no point complaining; he could only fix what was in front of him. He heard his father say,
"There is something I do want to talk to you about, Noah. Only if you want that is."
"You don't have to ask me permission, father," Noah responded with a polite smile on his face, while he stared at his father.
Jeffry then asked, "Hilda once said that she had a feeling that you loved a woman. Why didn't you pursue her?"
A bitter chuckle expanded from Noah's lips, and he said, "She was the daughter of the woman James killed. The one you helped James cover the body at the grounds of the Council."
An awkward silence filled the living room, and Jeffry drank the entire glass in his hand before clearing his throat. He said, "It looks like we have been hurting you for a long time. I am sorry, son."
"It is in the past, and what matters is that she is happy now," Noah replied with bitterness leaving his lips. He was happy that Eve had found her peace.
Jeffry stared at Noah for two seconds before he asked, "You know, life is lonely to live by yourself. You might think you will be able to make it through with it, but at one point, it turns dark and empty and you have no one to share what you want. I don't want mine and your mother's marriage to disappoint you, or our family to base your future. If and when you are willing, I would be more than happy to ask for prospects, unless you have someone on your mind."
"I think I do have someone in mind," Noah replied, smiling and took a sip from his glass. He said, "But I am unsure if she will have me."
"I supposed there's no harm in trying, yes? And if you need any help, I would be more than happy to help," Jeffry placed his glass on the little glass table and placed his hand on Noah's back. "For the pain that you have endured, I hope you will find happiness, Noah, and I mean it."
"Thank you, father," Noah offered him a brief smile. He finished the content of his glass and then placed it on the table. When he stood up, his father stopped him,
"There was also something that I wanted to clear my mind off from. Our butler… was it your doing?" Jeffry asked with curiosity in his eyes as if the question had been chewing his mind.
"It was me," Noah replied, offering a slight bow before he stepped out of the room.
"How strange that no one caught him in the act," Jeffry murmured, slightly drunk as the alcohol was strong. But someone did notice Noah's kill and had only kept it a secret even after he died.
Noah made his way up the stairs, walking towards his room. This mansion held mostly melancholic memories. When his footsteps stopped in front of a closed window, he opened it with one of his hands, letting light pass through, and it felt as if, for the first time after several years, that the air in here wasn't suffocating anymore.
Hours passed, and Noah sat in his armchair with his legs stretched before him. He stared at the fireplace, watching the flame burn brightly, and after an hour, he finally placed the book that he hadn't turned the page to the side. He picked up his coat and carried the glass case with him, making his way through the hallways of the Sullivan mansion.
Noah ordered the servant, "Prepare the carriage, I will be leaving to the West."
"Yes, Sire!" The servant replied and hurried. Once the carriage was brought in front of the mansion, Noah ordered,
"Tell my father I will be returning after a week."
Noah got inside the carriage and left the Sullivan mansion and Woodlock, hoping to meet the woman who had tolerated the real him.
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