Kieran closed his eyes, plunging himself into darkness. "Irene," He mumbled softly, the faint voice sending warmth through his cold heart. "Irene," He mumbled again before he smiled gently. The next moment he opened his eyes, staring straight ahead into darkness before he vanished from the room.

Kieran gazed at the girl in the portrait in front of him as he lifted his hand to caress her cheek. His red eyes were filled with tenderness and intense longing for the girl in the painting. After admiring her for some time, he let out a sad smile as he looked at the girl smiling back at him.

"How long has it been, darling?" He murmured as though he was scolding her. But his tone was filled with indulgence for her. Even in the darkness of the room, he could see her clearly.

"Why did you keep me waiting all these years, Irene?" He complained before he sighed lightly. "Were you so angry all these years that you did not wish to see me at all? Did you loathe me for what I did, for what happened to us?" Kieran's smile slipped, and his face was filled with grief. A myriad of emotions flooded over him. There was love, pain, anguish, regret and, above all, yearning.

Kieran was yearning for the girl he had missed the most all these years. He wanted to hold her, hug her and love her the way he had done in the past. He wanted to kiss her and beg her for forgiveness for what he had done. But it had all been his wishful thinking, his desire alone, for the girl had left him long ago. The girl he loved had left him forever, leaving him alone to bear the pain.

"Are you done being angry at me now? Are you finally pacified and willing to forgive me for my mistakes? Will you let go of what happened in the past and accept me again?" Kieran questioned, his smile widening as moments passed. "You must have. Otherwise, why would you return to me? Am I right, darling? You must finally be willing to accept me. Otherwise, I would not have met you today."

Kieran took a step closer to the portrait and caressed her face again. "Thank you, darling. Thank you so much for coming back into my life. Thank you for forgiving everything I did. Thank you for giving me another chance."

"I promise you, dear, I will not hurt you again. I will not leave you alone as I did in the past. I will not allow you to leave me again now that I have finally found you. Irene," Kieran stepped back and dropped his hand. "You must be waiting for me, darling. I apologize for not speaking to you today. I was too shocked to see you after a long time. I never expected you to forgive me this quickly. Please forgive me, darling. Please forgive me."

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Kieran recalled the stunned look he had seen on the girl, and he grinned in joy. "You too must have been surprised to see me after a long time. I never expected to meet my Queen, my darling girl, my Irene, this way after years of separation."

Kieran closed his eyes and tried remembering his girl's face when he saw her at the ceremony. To him, she looked just as alluring and beautiful as ever, and he was glad she was his.

Kieran was a possessive man and incredibly so towards the girl he loved more than his life. The selfish beast in him wanted to take his girl away from everyone and imprison her with him forever. But the rational him stopped him, fearing that his action would make her furious again.

Kieran's eyes snapped open as soon as the thought occurred to him. "I cannot allow you to be furious again. You cannot leave me again, Irene. I will do anything to get your forgiveness and love back. Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting for you? And do you know how happy I was to see you today?"

Kieran stopped speaking, relishing the beautiful silence after a long time. For the first time in years, his heart was at peace and he wanted to enjoy it more. He wanted to savor the serenity and happiness he was presented with finally.

After a long time, Kieran let out a deep sigh. "Irene, darling, I have much to tell and ask you. But before that, I need to apologize to you. We have lost a lot of years due to my foolishness. I will not repeat my mistake this time. I will not break your trust again. I will mend things right, and we will return to how we were before the mishap happened."

"I promise you, darling. I will exact my revenge this time. I will end all those people who plotted against us and separated us. I promise." Kieran's eyes flashed with conviction as he gazed at the smiling girl in the portrait. "Wait for me a little longer, dear. I will find you soon. I will come to you soon, darling."

Kieran promised the girl in the portrait before he apparated from the place, ready to start with his work for the later half of the night.

Meanwhile, Irene had no idea what was happening and how someone out there desperately awaited and longed for her. She was lost in her dreams, the ones that haunted her regularly. Just like always, she found herself in front of the man who had been waiting for her since she stepped inside the castle. However, this time, he hugged and called her by her name and even kissed her.

The Irene in her dreams was too mortified to move while the man kept kissing her lips. From his kiss, she could feel his emotions....love being the most prominent of all. Every touch, every kiss, every bite sent tremors down her body.

Before the situation escalated and anything else could happen, Irene woke up with a start. The dream felt so real yet surreal that Irene was in a daze for some time. She touched her lips, recalling the feel of his lips on hers.

But a sticky liquid on her lips brought her out of her daze and she lowered her hand in confusion. The moment she looked at her fingers, her eyes widened in shock. There were traces of blood on them.

"It was not my dream, the kiss was real."