The butler walked ahead of them, leading them through a corridor and into a room.
Before stepping into the room, Diva got the minute details of the corridor as it ended just a few meters from where they stood at the entrance of the room. Florescent bulbs in cases fixed on the ceiling lighted the corridor. A side table with flower vases, and an oval mirror just above the table in the dimmer part of the corridor, which was the end of it, complimented the interior decor of the narrow space which was little compared to the ones they had back in the Kingdom, talk less of the hallways.
The door of this room looked shorter in comparison to the double heavy doors on entry into the corridor.
The furnishing style of the room dumbstruck Diva as she stood at the tail of the four treads staircase.
Painted in white, chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. Couches and sofas dressed with expansive materials yet in a simple style. Marble flooring reflected the light from the ceiling, giving the room a kind of wet ground illusion with diamonds in it. Sculptured lions ready to jump as if they have seen prey, stood in two corners of the rooms.
Before she could get into any more detail, the butler had started moving again. Earlier he had stopped to speak with a man with a chef cap and apron around his waist.
As they proceeded, the man spoke. 'Your trip must have been very tiring and you need to rest. Would you like to have dinner first or after you've changed?'. His right hand stretched at a spacious table with cutleries and plates arranged on it. The food was yet to be served.
Wait.... why did she not notice they had left the white-painted room to the dining room. Could it be because the dining room had no door but a curved entrance with pillars on the sides?
The dining room was beautiful and charming to the eyes. A long glass table that could accommodate eight people at a stretch. Dining chairs of exorbitant quality. Maids and the man she had seen earlier, must be the head cook, standing clustered at the far end of one of the white-painted walls. Her dad loved the color white so dearly.
'..... so let her dinner be brought to her room'. She had heard Dawin speak on her behalf and saw the maids and head cook bow to leave the dining room into another room with glass sliding doors. Must be the kitchen. She guessed.
Drawing close to Dawin when the butler led the way again, she engulfed him in a conversation.
'What did you tell them?'. Her head almost bumped into his face when she questioned in a low tone.
Picking out his forefinger, he placed it on her forehead and poked her gently. 'That you will be changing first before dinner. And that the dinner should be brought to your room. If you keep up with this pace, you servants will think you are...'. He turned to look into her eyes that held intense curiosity for his next words. Smirking, he poked her nose. '...dumb!'. Anger replaced the curiosity in her eyes and her fists clenched tightly when he let out a chuckle and wore a smile that she felt like pulling down immediately after it appeared.
They were greeted with a spiral staircase with many treads and from Diva's calculation where she could not see the end of the stairs, but she was tired and in no mood to refute.
The journey of the stairs began with Diva wary and Dawin ecstatic, Mr. Edward, just being him. Climbing they made it past the first ten steps, and Diva felt happy as all the walking finally seemed to have come to an end but then her eyes sighted the enormous steps ahead of them.
On the fifteenth step, her breathing slowed and her legs became fatigued. She held on to the railings as if her life depended on it. Not able to see the backs of Dawin and Butler, because the stairs were narrow, she took deep breaths and kept on moving.
Reaching the eighteenth step, her hand clutched the railings harder and she didn't know when she slumped to the ground, totally breathless. Her eyes closed. Was this some kind of punishment?.
Dawin who was climbing further had stopped when he didn't hear and sound behind. Turning around he saw no one and he became alert. The butler too stopped because Dawin who was right behind him halted and when he checked Diva was not present, he too became alert. Running down the stairs they but came to fall on a breathless Diva trying to catch her breath.
Seriously, did her dad build this house? The staircase they had back home was not as spiral like this, the treads not as numerous. Dawin placed her hand around her shoulder and raised her.
'I am so sorry about this. We are almost to the floor of your bedroom'. Almost!. Diva tried to look at the butler who had spoken but she was too tired to. Dawin nodded and they resumed the climbing with Diva being aided by Dawin.
' The stairs have a total of thirty-eight steps. It can be very tiring and stressful but when you walk it several times, you will get used to it '. Diva noticed he did not have a British or American accent. He was so plain with his English. She wondered if it was the Nigeria accent.
Looking ahead, she saw the end of the staircase. A ray of hope lighted the tunnel.