Chapter 98

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝖄𝖔𝖚 𝕬𝖗𝖊 𝕴𝖓 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

Once within the academy, the students weren't able to get outside unless they had been permitted due to special reasons and one of those was being volunteered to do work tasked by the school's head.

Another one was about the few selected knighthood students who were tasked to observe the people around the market, and there were just a few like the business students who would like to analyze what kind of business was the current trend on the market.

However, they would be our current seniors and for me, Cain, and Lexus, we would be seniors by next year as we were currently juniors by now.

"So Vestia, are you prepared for the project we will be doing for Sir Thomas?"

"I guess you are probably ready but I already finished," I said with a chuckle

"What? How come? It's only been a week and you already found a medicine that is exactly like the Grewish?"

"Well, I kind of have a hobby of experimenting with medicines ever since I grew fond of it and I just happened to create it a day after Sir Thomas announced the project"

"But how could you, Vestia? You knew I wasn't good at medicines... that's why we were all paired up by two students in one project"

"Then consider yourself lucky you have been partnered with me, or should I call you by your fake name?"

"I prefer you call me by my real name, Vestia. You know that..." I chuckled and I swiftly moved away from him after claiming the book I wanted from a bookshelf within the academy's grand library.

"So if you want to know since we would be illustrating them in front of the entire class, I guess you still have time to do the project on your own, Henry and I would see if it would be excellent or not"

"So what if it's not excellent, Vestia?"

"That's why you always have to repeat your subjects, Henry, and besides, aren't you challenged that Claudius is already ahead of you?"

"Who cares about him? I already have been ahead on knighthood, or would you rather let me teach you about swords?" He leaned in closer with a smirk on his face and I just sighed and pushed him away from where he was already cornering me.

"You're sometimes naughty, by the way, you have to finish that before I go to look at you again, Henry," I whispered and immediately ran away from the library leaving him behind with a small book I managed to grab.

Chuckling my way toward the garden, I saw two figures, silhouettes of a familiar person and a noblewoman in front of him.

I wasn't going to eavesdrop anyway and would sit on the large tree but what I heard widened my eyes.

"Your Highness, please take this..."

"You know that I have a fiance, Lady Annabella, so why would you give me that?"

"I just wanted to confess my feelings toward you, your highness, besides, rumors were going around that you don't even like a young lady like her who was surrounded by young men, you see——"

Before the lady could finish her words, when she suddenly looked at Caliere it seemed like her whole world had stopped.

Her lips continued to quiver, the same with her whole body, and before she knew what she was doing, he had already taken a few steps in front of her that made the young lady stumble on the grasses.

"Y-Your H-Highness?" The young lady of Count Goldenson spoke with a shivering body but it turned out that Caliere didn't even like her one bit because the smile on his face was something to never expected.

It was the first time I saw Caliere having that creepy smile, and dark aura behind him. As if there was some smoke surrounding his figure.

"You seemed to be mistaking something here, Lady Annabella," he paused and bent over to lean on her face but he never even offered his hands in front of her

"MY fiance was a very sweet one I have the obsession to look at her and observe everything she does, even though it made me want to destroy those young men, flying like trash of bees from her side, I knew that they would instantly protect her the moment I can't..." his voice sounded deep and dark

But when I realized what he had just said, my eyes couldn't help but widen.

As if my chest was hurting and at the same time the drum within it was enough to know that I felt something, unusual and indeed something like meeting my ideal prince for the first time.

No this can't be, I should be terrified of him, but why do his words sound sweet to my ears?

"Besides, don't you think that the Goldenson's deal from the neighboring empire called Hildigger was a success in the trade? But if I would pull strings, it would be the loss of your family, so I would give you two options now..." Caliere paused but the smile from his face never faltered.

"Either you keep your mouth shut regarding my fiance and this, or you will never have a family to return to, what's your choice, Lady Annabella?" Then hurriedly as if burnt from hell, the young lady cried while running away.

That's the first time I saw Caliere's other side when I never knew anything about him at all, I could remember that the first time I saw him was from the Ivy tree and that I get to be scared but for what?

Maybe because of this and when I tried to move away from the garden, I couldn't help but widen my eyes the moment I heard him speak again.

This time, it wasn't directed at anyone else, but me.

"Come out now..."

Is he talking to me? But I'm hidden well, that will not be——

"Lady Vestia, would you want me to come over to your place instead?" He asked and that's the moment I knew, he found out that I'd been listening to him this whole time.

"I- uh, Your Highness, I—I"

"Quit explaining, I just made the rumors disappear," he said and became rude again. That's why I sighed.

I wanted to know why he was so rude, why he would want me to hate him and I just couldn't know why, so I closed my eyes, dropped the book I had on the floor, and claimed his hand for the first time.

I didn't care for the first time if he was a noble, if he was the crown prince, or if he was a commoner because right now, I knew that I had to get this out of my chest since he told the young lady earlier that he's my fiance and that he had been observing me and yet, he kept on keeping me away from him.

That's when I don't get him at all.

I landed on top of him and could see how his eyes widened when I leaned in closer to him and cornered his head with both of my hands only to land on the softest grasses within the garden.

I couldn't help but narrow my gaze enough to make him suffer from the questions swirling in his mind if there were any that's when I spoke. I asked him.

"Why? Why are you being like this? It's not like I have something that you hate. Or was it because of my older brother? Or was it because you also don't like this engagement? Tell me, because I also don't like this engagement..."

I never thought that he would look at me while listening to my words and he just shut his mouth only after a few seconds before finally sighing.

"Why you asked? Do you truly want to annul our engagement?" The tone of his voice changed and now, he had already been caressing the locks of my hair widened my eyes, and made this chest heavier than it could have been.

He shook his head and indeed looked straight to my soul.

"You're just like the same, and yet, why him?"

"Him? What are you talking about, Caliere..."

"I know that I'm your fiance, and you don't feel anything to me at all, but would it be possible to break that chain?"

"Break that chain? What are you talking about, Caliere...."

"I guess you seem to have forgotten everything, Vestia"

"I never forgot something Caliere, not when I knew that you don't like me that well"

"Why do you know? Did I tell you that I never liked you?"

"I-It's just that, i-it's j-just..." I don't even know why, perhaps because it's just my instinct or something.

"Then if you can't answer, tell me, tell me what exactly is to love someone... my dearest fiance..."

I couldn't help but fall to his body the moment he touched my cheeks because I suddenly felt sleepy and when I opened my mouth, my vision was already becoming foggy.

"Let's see where everything goes from now on, because you are only mine, Vestia not with the person you made a contract with..."

***

The moment I woke up, my eyes couldn't tell if I was in my room or not because there was a very unfamiliar sensation swirling over me and when I looked around, I was convinced that this wasn't even my dorm room.

Then I found a silhouette sitting from the seat neat the balcony, he had noble uniform clothes, neatly worn, his legs were crossed his hands were holding a book and his crimson hair was being swayed by the wind while his eyes were focused on the moon

"Good evening, Vestia, I guess you woke up in the wrong room again"

"Caliere?" I asked

"Yes..." he answered shortly

"Why am I here?" I asked but he only sighed as he closed his book.

"I let you in my room to tell you a story"

"A story about what?"

"A young lady who lost his memories, a lady I didn't know I cherished so much until I lost her"

"So you already loved someone else, I guess we should proceed to annul this engagement then, Caliere..."

"But what if I don't want to? Besides didn't I tell you I would talk about a story of a young lady's tale, who had silvery colored eyes and golden hair..."