Richard suddenly paused.
A sharp, strained breath escaped his throat. He touched his chest, and his expression showed he was in pain.
"Richard?" Eleanor finally spoke, her calm breaking.
Richard's brows furrowed as he coughed once—short and dry.
Then again, harder.
Then violently.
Ella pushed her chair back, alarmed at what was happening. "Papa?"
Eleanor hurriedly poured Richard a glass of water and gave it to him, which he immediately drank, but it only worsened his condition.
Richard leaned forward, elbow hitting the table. His fork clattered to the floor, and then he coughed again. That time, a dark splatter of blood mixed with water he drank struck the white tablecloth.
Everyone was shocked as everything went into slow motion, and panic crept in.
"AHHHH!!!" Anna screamed, grabbing her hair.
Cindy recoiled so hard her chair scraped loudly against the marble.
"RICHARD!" Eleanor rushed to his side, catching his shoulder as he began to sag down.
Ella remained seated. Her heart froze in her chest, eyes wide in horror as she stared at the blood covering the dishes. She didn't know how to process her emotions as everything went crashing down.
Richard stared down at the blood staining his hand, his expression twisting—not in pain, but in disbelief. Then another cough shook him, and more blood dripped onto his lap, onto Eleanor's trembling hands.
"Somebody—!" Cindy cried.
But the servants were already bursting into the room, panic replacing their earlier silence. They all ran to Richard's side to see what they could do to help.
Candles flickered at all the motions.
Cindy sobbed.
Anna hid her face.
And amidst the chaos, Ella stared at her father. The man who moments ago was tearing her mother apart word by word, but now, he was coughing blood, collapsing, and vulnerable to death.
'Maybe he deserves this,' Ella thought as a small smile formed on her lips. Even though Richard was her biological father, she only saw him as a sperm donor to her mother.
Richard's body lurched forward again, another brutal cough ripping through his chest. The sound was so sharp and desperate that it echoed off the cold walls.
"Hold on, Richard. Look at me," Eleanor pleaded, her voice trembling yet steady enough to anchor him. Her hands shook violently as she supported Richard, blood quickly staining her sleeves.
Ella stood frozen at first. Breath trapped in her throat.
The metallic smell of blood drifted through the air, thick and suffocating. Ella's heart pounded so loudly that she could barely hear anything, as it was like a drum-like panic.
"Papa!" Ella finally cried, moving toward him, her chair toppling behind.
Richard's eyes flickered up to Ella. There was something in there—fear.
Real fear.
A look Ella had never seen on Richard before, a man who always stood like a pillar, cold and unbreakable, but now cracking.
Cindy clung to Anna, and both were sobbing uncontrollably. Their faces were pale, and they feared they would lose their father.
"Get the physician—NOW!" Eleanor barked, her voice ringing across the hall with a force that surprised even the servants. They scrambled out so quickly that one nearly slipped on the polished floor.
Richard tried to speak but choked. Blood bubbled at the corner of his lips.
"Y-You…" Richard coughed violently before he could finish, and another spray of blood came out as his chest heaved in uneven, panicked gasps.
Ella felt her eyes burn. Even though she felt no connection to Richard, it was still traumatizing to see someone dying.
"Don't talk anymore. The doctor will be here soon," Eleanor whispered as her throat tightened painfully.
Richard's breathing hitched. His trembling hand reached weakly toward Eleanor, but fell halfway; she caught it.
"Richard," Eleanor whispered, her voice cracking.
Cindy's sobs grew louder. Anna covered her ears as if blocking the sound would make it untrue.
Richard opened his mouth again, trying to speak, but his breath wheezed like his lungs were drowning him inside. "E…Eleanor," he rasped.
Eleanor leaned close, her hand cradling Richard's cheek with a tenderness he had not earned, yet she offered it anyway.
"I'm here," Eleanor whispered.
Richard coughed again, and this time, more blood poured out. Thick, dark, and horrifying.
Eleanor flinched, tears finally slipping free as she held Richard tighter, supporting him as his strength drained rapidly.
Richard's eyes fluttered. The fire in them dimmed into a weak, fading ember. He tried once more, one final time, to speak.
"F-forgive—" Richard couldn't continue when his body shuddered, followed by a jerk as though fighting an invisible force crushing his lungs from the inside.
"Richard!" Eleanor screamed, shaking his body as if it would help him to stay alive.
But Richard didn't seem to hear anyone anymore.
Cindy and Anna rushed to Richard's side as well. Only Ella remained standing nearby as she watched the whole scene happen.
Richard's breaths came in short, trembling gasps, each one weaker than the last. His fingers clawed at the fabric over his chest, desperate and terrified. Blood streamed down past his chin, pooling darkly on the floor.
The room felt suffocating.
Everyone's screams blurred into a single ringing sound in Ella's ears.
"Father! Father! Look at me, please!" Cindy sobbed, collapsing to her knees.
However, Richard's eyes rolled upward for a moment, then locked on Eleanor.
And Eleanor was crying loudly, but something in her expression splintered. Under the streaks of tears, beneath the frantic facade was something else.
A glimmer, a tight, upward pull at the edge of Eleanor's lips. A knowing smirk, but it was quickly swallowed down and was replaced by a trembling whimper.
But Ella saw it.
'Mama… smirked,' Ella thought as a frown appeared on her face. 'Why? Why did she do that?'
Richard's body convulsed again, a rattling, wet sound leaving him. He sagged harder into Eleanor's arms, the life draining from his face faster than anyone could comprehend.
"The physician! Where is he!?" Cindy screamed with desperation/
"H-he is on his way, my Lady. Just a few minutes—" the servant replied.
"A few minutes!?" Cindy shrieked.
But those few minutes were minutes Richard did not have. His breathing hitched once more, slow agonizing breath. His fingers twitched limply before falling to his side.
A hollow sound escaped Richard's throat.
Then nothing.