Chapter 38

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖊 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

"The Vellitas household where I've grown had a very inking tradition. On the part of the heirs, the ancestor must bear a child with Raven hair and blue eyes. Because of a curse that was passed on our family, the child who had been born from a different appearance would be killed..." Henry paused and drank from his tea.

"Even I, as the heir of the household, don't know much other than having my father torture me for unsealing these emotions. He even had a servant sacrificed as he drank the person's blood every month in this golden cup..." As he puts the tea down, I can see from the look of his face, that he didn't think it was even bitter like he used to before.

His eyes darted to the empty shell of his cup for a long while before finally focusing them on my soul. I could how the light from them dimmed.

His mouth opened but there weren't any words coming out. His eyes shifted from mine to Claudius and there, he looked at his hands.

"I see, so even if what we do, that family tradition of yours wouldn't end, right? No one could end it, right Henry?" Claudius spoke while his voice seemed to pierce.

It's sharp and I could see from his eyes that he narrowed them just for him. I looked at Henry again and he did the same thing, but this time, it wasn't any look that told me he was about to argue.

It's as if a look that seeks someone's help but he just couldn't say the words or was I only misinterpreting everything based on his actions?

"There is, and I can but..."

"But?" I was the one who asked him first and I looked at Claudius to see his hand held my shoulders. He nodded and sighed before setting his gaze back to Henry.

"I needed to end it within the house of Vellitas. I need that Chalis..."

"Chalis?"

"Didn't I say about the golden cup earlier?"

"Yes..."

"It's the only cup remaining in the entire world. That's why the Vellitas household stole it from the imperial household in the past. Besides, Helden made it..."

"Stole?"

"Helden, you mean the first witch?"

***

"The documents have been prepared for Henry's enrolment at the imperial academy. Just like he said, he would take medicine, but Vestia, you must be warned about this..." Father said in the strictest tone I have ever heard from the past years.

He was sitting at his desk while he put the papers down and he intertwined his hands while he looked at me putting on his eyeglasses and sighed at the very end only to close his eyes.

"At any cost, if Henry was to be discovered, go away from him in an instant..."

"Why? And no, someone can't know he's Henry if he disguised himself like that..."

"It's only a necessary precaution, Vestia besides, you don't know the young man too well. His family held a lot of secrets involving some conflicts with the imperial family in the past..."

"Yes, I know that but..."

"No buts, if you knew then it's only Henry's words and one side of the story that you've known. It's better to be careful than be sorry later, Vestia. Heed my advice and you won't be lost..."

I opened my mouth but my words got stuck within my throat. I couldn't speak anything other than clench my hands.

I heard Father sigh and put his hand to his eyes trying to massage them. He must be tired enough to look at the papers from his desk and here I am, keeping him more exhausted because of Henry.

"Let's move to another topic. You see that Claudius is already a junior knight, and to keep Henry in sight, I ordered him to have a class as a knight in the imperial academy..."

"But Claudius isn't a-----"

"I've sponsored him and I know he would be useful to us since he's also there to keep Henry in sight. Now that it's getting late, you should go back to your room, Vestia."

I wanted to speak something but I chose not to and sighed. I nodded and walked away from Father's office. However, instead of going back to my room, my feet made their way to where Henry's was.

My feet halted a few minutes ago and my hands stayed on either side of my body, my eyes looked at his door and yet, all they did was stare.

Just when I was about to knock on the door, it suddenly opened and my eyes widened after seeing how Henry reflected my soul, we even have the same eyes but his move couldn't be stopped as he was running towards his door.

Before our bodies collided, I closed my eyes nearly to yell when I only gasped.

His hands came in contact with my back and our faces were already inches away from each other. His eyes looked into mine but I could only look to his lips. I don't know what is happening right now.

All I'm certain was my chest seemed to explode.

But my eyes went even wider when I heard him chuckling.

"You're something I couldn't even predict, Vestia..." he said as he fixed our position. Right at that moment, I got to look at his mischievous smile as both of his hands went into his pocket.

"Besides, I was about to go to your room to give you this, I didn't think you would be here in my place, instead," He showed a little cute bunny bear in his hand enough to make me in awe. But then I realized something that made me narrow my eyes on him

"Do you still think that I'm a baby, Henry?" I asked him but he only chuckled again. Since I didn't get what he was offering in his hand though the bunny was cute, I immediately felt his hand wrapped around my hand and before I knew what was happening he took me off guard.

"Then let's go into my room," he said with a voice so soft and husky that if I hadn't known better, I would have thought he was just a nobleman who would be about to inherit his noble title without being a knight.

But his hands said the years of hard work.

"I guess this would be the last time I would let you in my room because even if we're still young, you do know what I'm referring to, right?" I see him wiggle his eyebrows and I just laughed it off.

His words indeed had a meaning and I pat his chest lightly to sit on his bed. He opened a small box from his drawer and showed me a very familiar jewelry.

"You still got it even though it's been years?" I asked.

"It's because whenever I'm with you, I cherish everything we have. I can't just replace something when it is too precious to me," I see him smile while looking at the old lady's gift to him and I have mine but it was only in my drawer.

"Perhaps, I could put it in here," Then he showed me how he put his necklace on the small zipper of the bunny he was giving me.

"Give me that now," I said and he only chuckled. He sat beside me and wore the necklace while he gave me the small bunny that I stared at for the longest second before feeling his head on my shoulder.

"Can we at least stay like this for a while, Vestia?"

"You know that I could never say no to you, Henry not when you're being like this"

"Then should I be like this every time we see each other?"

"Silly," I couldn't help chuckling as I mess his hair and he just let it happen.

I could see the faintest smile on his face but I also see how his eyes shone while looking at the key of his necklace.

"That long four years of my life in our countryside estate, whenever I thought I could give up, this necklace would keep me calm and warm, Vestia..." he said without looking at me but I knew the sincerity in his voice.

It got me pierced right through the heart.

"Henry, do you remember what the old lady told us in the past?"

"Yes, that we're a couple?"

"Yeah," I chuckled

"I wonder how she said that when we were still young at that time...."

"Well, who knows maybe in the future----" I immediately stopped his lips with my fingers and he looked at me. This time he was already serious like me

"I couldn't love romantically, Henry. I don't know how to..." I honestly said that if I wanted to think about the past, all my love for Caliere would just have to be infatuation or something that is not considered love

"Then enlighten me, Vestia, what do you know about love? In the past few days, when I asked you about the crown prince, do you plan on marrying someone you don't even love?"

***

"Sister! You came!"

"Sister! We made this for you!"

"Sister, you're beautiful as always!"

The kids that were used to hug me on my waist grew up faster than I thought but the same feelings still overwhelmed me. As long as I could see the smile on their faces, I knew I did the right thing.

"Oh, sister Vestia, you have guests?"

"Yes, and they are also my friends"

"But then, why does this young man look different to you? Are you a secret couple?" Then I looked at Henry who only raised both of his eyebrows. I chuckled and he's the one who knelt.

"Do you want us to be a couple for now?"