Chapter 121 - I Will Let You

As the birds sang their morning songs, the sunlight filtered inside the room through the window. The subtle sound of water droplets falling from the leaves and the roof were heard in the castle compounds, indicating the heavy rainfall from yesterday.

The man sleeping on the bed opened his eyes. 

The pair of ice-blue eyes were fixated on the ceiling for a moment before they shifted to the side. 

Aleister glanced at the woman who was sitting on the floor with her head leaning on the edge of the bed. She was holding his palm tightly with both her hands. Her chin was resting on his knuckles as she slept peacefully. 

Her face was pale and there seemed to be a small frown etched between her brows. 

He lifted his other hand and gently ran his fingers down his chest but he could not feel any bumps or wounds. 

Perhaps sensing his movements, Esme was stirred awake from her deep sleep, ''You woke up…?" She held his hand with one hand and rubbed her eyes with another as if she was having doubts about whether this was a dream or a reality. 

Both of them stared at each other quietly for some time before Aleister broke the silence, ''Princess, don't look at me like that. I told you that you will certainly fall for me if you do that,'' he turned his face to the side, appearing a bit shy. 

Esme did not say anything as she continued looking at his face. 

Aleister turned to look at her once again, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief and arrogance, ''Or perhaps are you already head over heels for me? So much so that you can't take your eyes off my face nor can you leave my hand?" he asked in a hoarse but haughty voice. 

Esme swatted away his hand and pushed herself to her feet. 

Aleister slowly sat up on the bed, pulling the sheets up to his chest, ''No matter how good looking I am early in the morning, you should not be staring at me like this. How improper….'' 

Before he could finish his words, Esme pounced on him.

He was pushed back by her sudden movement but he soon recovered from his daze and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, ''Ow… I am an injured person. How could you jump on me like that?" He whispered. 

She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, refusing to speak another word. 

''I feel like I am being taken advantage of,'' Aleister continued. 

''I am taking advantage of you. You can think like that. You can say anything you want. I won't stop you today,'' she whispered after some time. 

Aleister paused for a moment, ''My dear moon, did you see the morning sun?" 

''And I will also let you call me moon, sun, love or whatever you want for the day,'' she seemed to have added it after some thought. 

He raised an eyebrow, ''Cough… Did you see the morning sun, Esme?" 

''I didn't. I don't know when I fell asleep. Why do you ask?" Esme spoke, continuing to bury her face in his chest. 

''I was wondering if the sun rose from the West today. No matter how much you love me, you are not like this every day,'' he said in a very serious tone. 

Esme pulled back from him. She glared at him. 

''That's more like it,'' Aleister wondered if he should sing a song to start this remarkably nice day. The morning started with Esme's hug and glare after all.

Usually, she would be sleeping by the time he woke up so this was certainly something new. Not that he didn't like it. He lifted his hand and tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear, ''Now, tell me, how do you feel? Is your body weak?" 

Esme paused. She shook her head. 

''You healed all my wounds,'' Aleister pointed his finger towards his bare chest, ''Although you saw my body in the process and took it as compensation….'' Ignoring her sharp glare directed at him, he continued, ''…but being the merciful person that I am, I won't hold you accountable for this or ask for your hand in marriage. Do you feel unwell after using your powers to heal me?'' He glanced at her pale face. 

Esme opened her mouth, ''I was exhausted but I feel better now.'' 

Aleister paused for a moment before nodding, ''Now tell me, what happened?" 

''Huh?" 

He glanced at the hands that were tightly wrapped around his waist, ''For how long do you intend to keep them like this?" 

Esme followed his gaze. She quickly unclasped her fingers but just as she was about to pull her hands back, he grabbed her elbows and pulled her closer. 

''But I will let you hug me since you want me so much.'' 

''I want to punch you,'' Esme glared at him again. The relieved and happy feelings from earlier when he woke up flew out of the window. 

''With these frail little hands? Good luck,'' He winked at her and leaned back on the headboard when she pulled back from him. 

The sheets glided down from his upper body.

Earlier he was sitting in a slightly bent position so the sheets covered his body from his chest. And she had hugged him through the sheets but now that the sheets went down, she could see his bare upper body crystal clear. 

Heat crept up her cheeks as she glanced at his rock-hard muscles. She saw it yesterday but it did not count because he was injured and she was worried about healing him at that very moment. There were no other thoughts in her mind. But now, she could feel the pair of captivating eyes focused on her, and she could hear that husky voice that strangely gave her goosebumps so there was certainly something different about looking at his body at this particular moment. 

The silence in the room became heavier. 

And Esme finally averted her gaze, only to have it locked with his eyes.

He glanced at her teasingly.

Heat crept up her cheeks. 

But perhaps Aleister changed his mind and decided to play a gentleman because he did not pursue the matter further ''Princess, what happened?" He asked.

''Huh?"

''You are unusually slow and muddle-headed today,'' he pointed out, noticing the confusion on her face, ''Not to mention about your physical urges…'' 

''W-What?" Esme stammered, eyes widening in disbelief. 

''I mean how your hands were indecently roaming all over me while you hugged me and you even rubbed your face against my chest,'' Aleister sighed, ''What to say? I'm so embarrassed.'' 

''You…'' Esme pushed herself to her feet, ''Who are you calling indecent huh? I should have thrown you out of the room when you came all weak and injured.'' 

''This is my room,'' Aleister corrected her with a straight face. 

The corner of her lips twitched, ''But you were weak. What could you have done even if I kicked you out?" 

''I could have done many things.'' He grabbed her wrist and tugged at it. 

''Ahh…'' Esme crashed atop his body all at once. Her long hair sprawled over his right shoulder as she placed her hand on his left shoulder for support. Her upper body was leaning against his bare chest and Esme felt like the upper part of her gown must be very flimsy or thin. Why else would she feel his body heat permeating through it?

''See, like this,'' he raised an eyebrow while enjoying the look of 'I feel shy but I will act like I don't care' on her face. 

Esme blinked, trying to look as natural as she could. 

''You are easily offended. Even though your hands were suddenly indecent…'' he kept the teasing short not wanting to earn another glare for the moment, ''…but what I meant, in general, is that you are not your usual self today. What happened while I was sleeping?" 

As if on cue, the memories of last night went by in her mind in a flash and she gulped, ''I will tell you but before that, are you going to tell me what happened to you?'' 

Aleister glanced at her expressionlessly. 

Esme slowly slid off his body while he was lost in his thoughts. It was such an embarrassing position and her face felt like it was on fire.

She cleared her throat, ''What? Cat got your tongue now? Tell me what happened to you and Leo yesterday," she pointed her hand towards the other side of the curtain where Leo was sleeping on her bed, ''Who injured you? And how?'' 

''Oh, he is here as well,'' Aleister raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Leo who was sleeping on the bed, with his head on the pillow. This one probably wanted to become a cat for real, ''I was so focused on you that I did not notice him.'' 

''That was not the answer to my question. 

Aleister raised her hand which he was holding in his hand, his thumb stroked her knuckles, ''Yesterday….''