Chapter 99

𝕾𝖔𝖓𝖌 𝖙𝖔 𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖔: 𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖇𝖞 𝕿𝖆𝖞𝖑𝖔𝖗 𝕾𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖙

***

After presenting the project Henry and I did, Sir Thomas gave a thumbs up and a smile because in the end, it was my work that got to be presented and not Henry's even though he spent nights and days just knowing how the medicinal formula works.

At that moment, I knew that he would be able to understand it in a matter of time, however, ever since that night that Caliere told me of this specific lady's tale, my head started hurting.

Every night I would have crazy hallucinations of some magic that never even existed, as well as, some dark secrets about the Vellitas household when in fact, Henry ran away from there because the Duke was strict.

Then there would be war with the neighboring empire which isn't even true looking at how peaceful the empire was.

Everything made me feel as if there was some fog within my head and I needed to clear it before I completely lost my mind this afternoon, I never expected that Brother Lenon would come into my room.

"Vestia," he paused his eyes narrowed and I could see those shivering lights from his eyes slowly coming to life and yet he knelt in front of me as if he knew exactly how I was feeling, that he held both of my cheeks and the warmth they gave me was enough to close my eyes.

"Brother, what brought you here?" I asked but there was no response and when I opened my eyes, I felt like he was already piercing my soul with those observable eyes.

"Are you all right?" I smiled when I heard his voice suddenly cracking and I held both of his cheeks enough to nod and smile at him.

I could see from my window that the sun slowly became brighter than it was.

"I'm fine brother," I said since I already created a cure for this migraine but I was left by these fragment images of things that hadn't happened before.

Still, I don't want my brother to worry too much about me that's why I sighed and smiled even wider.

"So brother, you should do your duties as the student council's secretary, you knew that my fiance would be so furious when you left your duties behind..."

"My sister is the most important person to me in the whole world so it's only natural that he would understand"

When I wanted to say another word, we heard a very familiar voice in front of my door as he was already leaning on one of the walls with arms crossed over his chest and he was already inside when he knocked on the door.

"I guess I needed you Lenon to fill in some paperwork that I have because right now, I would need you to remove your hands on my fiance," Caliere said as he looked like he would want to kill someone in my room right now and that someone might just be my brother.

I saw how Brother Lenon narrowed his eyes enough to close them and sighed as he followed Caliere's orders and said goodbye to me only that he stopped beside the crown prince.

I hadn't even heard them speak to each other but it seemed as if there had been tension between the two and after a few more minutes both of them closed their eyes as they passed in the opposite direction.

Right now, Caliere was standing right in front of me, but there was a different glint in his eyes, it was neither harsh nor tender, it was only as if he was observing me.

"Last week, you asked if we could ever be friends, and I guess this would be my response for now," the moment he said those words, I saw him lean in closer to me and in a split second my eyes widened.

I felt the softest lips from the crown prince coming to my forehead and when I looked at him, he was closing his eyes as both of his hands warmed my cheeks.

"I wanted to be friends with you and I always have, it's just that, you're still not whole, Vestia"

"What do you mean by that, Caliere?"

"At least, you never forgot to call me by my name," his sweet voice reverberated within the corners of my lips and when I knew that he had already stepped away, that's when I knew that he was already chuckling.

Yes, why did I suddenly call him by his name considering that we haven't been too close for the past four years now, suddenly he's being this close to me as if he knew something that I don't and he's supposed to hate me but why?

There's something within me that's been telling me it's all right to call him by his name even though he's the crown prince.

"And trust me, you're the first person to call me by my name without me making you remember..."

"How did I even call you by your name—"

'Do You trust me?' A sudden foggy scenario made my head hurt and the voice was familiar but it wasn't Caliere's voice.

"It's a long story but if the right time comes, I will tell you," he said smiling while I pretended not to touch my head for the slight pain I received.

I better take my medicine later on so that my head wouldn't hurt anymore.

"So will you take my hand?" He asked

"That's what friends do, right?" He said again but this time, he wasn't frowning like before whenever he saw me, it was as if he wanted me to claim his hand and when I did, he ran as fast as he could and we did.

When he halted in one of the hallways, he touched a lamp attached to the wall where there was a candle within and it twisted only to open a secret passage.

Again my head hurt and there was this dark, yet vague scenario coming through my mind where I felt like I had done something like this before...

"Just don't lose me, all right?" He said with the softest voice in front of me and I nodded like as if I couldn't get enough of why Caliere would act this way.

"I should be the one saying that to you," as if my mouth had a mind of its own I said those words that I nearly gasped but Caliere only laughed it off

"Yeah, I guess you're supposed to say those words to me, Vestia..." Now he wasn't even calling me Lady Vestia anymore.

Instead, he's calling me by my name now and it indeed surprised me how nostalgic it sounded.

"You just don't know how long I've waited for this day to come, Vestia, you don't know how long that seal would be broken in this period"

"What seal are you talking about Caliere?" I asked but he only shrugged his shoulders as he continued leading me the way within the tunnel-like place that was dark enough and yet wasn't even terrifying.

Then he chuckled as if there was fun from the words I'd been asking to him.

"You'll know at the right time, Vestia," he said and his hands gripped mine more tightly than before.

"You know soon..." were his whispering words before finally stepping out of the light and in a blink of an eye, he placed a coat on mine as he did to himself as well.

"Why are we here in the market?" I asked but he only smiled

"Don't you want to enjoy? It's festival in here but within the academy, we couldn't even enjoy ourselves there"

"But we will also be holding our own festivals within the school right? Besides, we just violated a certain rule within the imperial academy..."

"Don't worry too much about it, I've got it under control Vestia," then he dragged me within the market and he bought me food as well as some disguises and in the end, he even brought me a necklace, this time, it was a silver necklace with the quarter moon on the middle of it.

"This looks good on you," he said and he bought it but before we went away the old woman who spoke sounded familiar to me.

"You two will make a good couple in the future and you will bear lots of children prosperous as ever," she said with a smile and Caliere smiled back as he dragged me again toward the other side.

This time, we were in the abandoned clinic and some people were offering flowers in front of it.

"Come to think of it, this was indeed the place that the mysterious young lady Agnes operated, but four years ago she indeed disappeared..." Caliere spoke and I gazed at where he was looking.

There I saw the huge building but Caliere was now looking at me, his eyes were intense and I could feel as if I would melt from his look.

"Do I have something on my face?" I asked but he shook his head.

Then he held both of my cheeks and I saw the corners of his lips curled up.

"You are beautiful the way you are, Vestia, and remember, I wouldn't annul our engagement, not even if it means that I have to sacrifice everything..."

"Why? You don't even love me, Caliere..."

"You don't know how much you made me worried that night, four years ago, Vestia——" but before he could finish his words, an explosion happened in the market and both of us went to look for it as Caliere stayed in front with his protective arms on me.

"What is happening in here?"