Chapter 53

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕯𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

When the cold breezes that once descended on my damped skin, became like glue to make mine shiver in an endless race and the façade of the sweet night's cloak, embedded with warm jewels pushed the penetrating grayish skies to come, a flaming essence of the past ashes came in contact to my twistedly cold hands.

Then suddenly, the view that mesmerized my eyes turned slowly like things that were being mixed up curling into the view of an abyss that I was once in.

"Vestia," he paused. His sweet yet intoxicating scent overwhelmed my nose, as the air within my body halted from going out. I tried opening my mouth but it felt like he made me feel suffocated.

Just when I was about to blink, I felt another warmth from my other hand. Yet, this time, it was a different warm, as if I was in a simpler place, a feeling of a cozy nostalgia than an extravagant light that once blinded my sight.

"Who are you?" I heard a deep and dark voice behind me. The grip that he had on my hands grew tighter but the one that I was facing returned the same intensity of his stare and hold.

"I could be the one asking the same thing to you, young man," the way his rhythmic voice came in contact with my skin, and his eyes whispering of hatred, his grip that asked me to stay, I've never seen him be like this to me than with Liana.

When I wanted him to act like this in the past, all that was left for me now was confusion.

I don't know why he's acting like this, and I couldn't understand why of all the people, why me? When all he did was despise my entire existence.

His eyes that speak of anger, should be directed to only me and not to Lexus or anyone else. Not when they weren't doing anything wrong to him in the first place.

"What are you doing here with my fiancé?" a voice like a warm velvet honey, that I once used to hear but wasn't always directed to mine, became a penetrating lie on my façade, where I used to say that I couldn't feel anything.

The drums within my chest beat like they were in a marathon but before I could find the courage to speak, I flinched, his grip became tighter, and now, a shadow loomed over me, and I gasped.

"If Vestia was your fiancé then why couldn't she speak up? Another, please unhand my lady if you don't want me to report this scenario to the duke," my eyes widen with the firmness of Lexus' voice.

I faced his back when he tried to unhand Caliere's on mine, and I only gripped the hem of his clothes.

He had a sturdy back and a calm visage, and he had the firmness in his gaze to look Caliere in the eyes as if they were equal, a gaze that I wasn't able to have in that past life, even in my dying day.

"Vestia? So, you call her by her name, is that it?"

"Yes, and what's the problem with that?"

"You know, for a commoner like you, I guess----" That's when I came in.

The look in his golden eyes didn't feel right, they were wavering to the point that I could see his only focus and that was the young man in front of him. When he almost pulled his hands together to touch Lexus, I quickly pulled him behind me and came bowing in front of Caliere.

"Your Highness, I didn't know that you would visit me this evening," I said but my one hand grabbed Lexus to let him stay behind me.

I didn't know what to say but the sudden words came abruptly. I tried to gaze at him but his eyes weren't darted on mine, they were darted on the hand that I was holding.

"Please forgive this young man's actions earlier. He became my precious friend when he saved me from a running carriage within the market..." I asked for his forgiveness but his eyes remained still on our hands.

"Your Highness?"

I heard him cough and put his hand to his mouth while looking elsewhere. I couldn't see his face when it was covered with his hair, but still, seeing him this night wasn't expected.

But I should have learned my lesson when he did this thing to me before our engagement day.

"I just wanted to visit my fiancé but it turned out that I misunderstood the situation. Besides, didn't you say you would call me by my name?"

"Yes, but that was because if we were alone and we weren't. Your-----"

"What if I don't care who will hear it or not?" This time, my eyes widened not because of his darkened voice, but the way he leaned over me. I could see his stare, it was mesmerizing, his eyes that were built to rule the empire his red and yet thin lips that Liana enjoyed in the past, his luscious blazing flames shining through the silver lights, everything shouldn't be where they should.

I felt at this moment, it doesn't truly belong to me.

Until everything moved, and before I knew it, it was already Lexus, who made me look into his back.

"Then please, Your Highness, if you're truly my lady's fiancé, then you should be able to read the lines"

"Am I being the stranger in this relationship? You talk as if you knew everything about us"

"I may not be able to know about you two but I know that my lady is uncomfortable and it's all because of you, Your Highness, so if you will please excuse us," Lexus grabbed me by the hand and never turned back. While I did the opposite thing, I could see how Caliere narrowed his eyes and looked at how his hands tried to reach me when my sight of him was fading away.

***

"That's why I always told you, not to act brave when you can't even handle the stare, Lexus..." I said kneeling in front of him while patting his back when he seemed to be running out of breath.

As soon as I led him to my room, his knees gave up. I wouldn't be able to recognize him giving up if he weren't able to make a sound.

Immediately, I carried him but he wanted to stay in that tiny space while holding for his dear life. It made me chuckle when I remembered everything he said to Caliere and who wouldn't be in this kind of situation when he not only showed some courage but he also angered Caliere with his actions.

I sighed and patted his head instead. Then I felt his lift to look me in the eyes.

"I'm sorry that at times like this, I just felt cowardly after doing those things, Vestia..." his voice sounded sincere and I could see how shaky it was making me laugh at his sudden confession

"Who wouldn't when I thought you would faint early on just like what you did with my father this day? You know what, Lexus? It's better that I got to meet that side of yours and it painted me colors I never imagined someone to be..."

"Then I'm glad you already know the whole me, if that's the case," with those words, I knew that he had already reclaimed the balance he was seeking earlier.

Even if I wasn't able to talk to Caliere tonight, I wasn't even looking into it. At the very least, I'm glad Lexus was here to avert my fixated gazes on Caliere.

"I guess you should go by your room now, because tomorrow, you will indeed have a lot of training to do..."

Just like that, the night ended with a little laughter from within our hearts. But I would never thought what would come next, not when he seemed to piss Caliere that night.

***

"Milady, his highness, the crown prince had given you an invitation to the palace..." Rita spoke with a tray in her hand. I knew that I had spoken to my father regarding the servant that I would have.

Rita would be accompanying me most of the time, but when Lexus finished his training, he would be my permanent butler only until he would request something else.

I looked at Rita and Anna's sudden image kept on popping from beside her like she always does, her expression couldn't get any clearer than a summery beaming skies.

"Thank you, Rita. You may leave it at my table. You are now dismissed..."

"Yes, Milady, but before I go Milady, the duke informed me that you should talk to him before leaving for the imperial household"

"All right, noted, Rita..." Then the maid left after bowing, leaving me all alone in the room.

Feeling like the air wouldn't come within my nose, I opened one of the windows I had and leaned in closer while my hands were holding on the stool. I closed my eyes when the soft gust of wind caressed my hair and the edges of my lips curled up.

Even if the sun penetrated my skin, the feeling of the sunlight touching every corner, made me feel alive and well, making the time I've been here real and not some fantastical dream of my wandering soul.

"Vestia, did you read the documents I've investigated?" Father asked and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry Father, but I still couldn't help but keep it remaining for a while," I heard him sigh and turned his chair from facing me to looking at the large window behind him.

"I see," were his only words before he had me dismissed.

Shaking my head with the memories I had earlier, Jack informed me that we were already within the imperial household.

"You should come a bit later, Jack"

"Yes, Milady," then the carriage went away while the servants within the imperial household guided me.

When I turned around, I felt like there was a voice calling me, but I guess it was only the breeze that swayed my hair behind me.

But it was weird considering that every time I should be in this place, Verfeil would eventually come and pop out of nowhere to claim me from his big brother's grasp.

"Here is his highness' room, Lady Vestia," one of the maids said as they all bowed. I let them open the room and the sweet aroma of the past invaded my nose once again.

The only difference was, that I was now allowed to enter his room unlike in the past.

"Finally," he paused and when he looked behind me, the maids immediately closed the door. But a sudden gasp escaped my mouth when I felt him pull me as if everything turned as they were moving.

"I get to claim you all for myself and yet, I wasn't happy just to see you here, Vestia. So be honest with me, who was that young man from that night?"