Chapter 44 - A Spiritual Person

He turned to look at her, ''Thought we were staying away from each other?"

She let go of his hand, ''I apologize for that. I thought you were the one who revealed my identity,'' She lowered her head, ''But it wasn't you.''

He placed a finger below her chin tilting her face upwards, ''That doesn't make me a good person, does it?"

''You won't harm me,'' She slowly pushed away his finger. 

He raised an eyebrow at how 'understanding' she was.

''Or you would not have saved me.''

''Took you long enough to realize,'' Aleister muttered under his breath. 

"Huh?" Esme blinked. He said something so fast that she could not catch it.

''What were you doing there?"

Esme shook her head, ''I don't know,'' As he glanced at her quietly, she pushed herself out of the bed, ''Believe me. I don't remember anything. When I woke up, I was there...'' She was worried he won't believe it for it was something that sounded strange to herself. But she was not sick neither was she lying.

"Has this happened before?"

''No, I have dreamt of it once,'' The day when she fainted in his room, ''But I am not lying.''`

"Come with me.''

''You believe me?" 

''What do you think?" He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to himself. 

Esme frowned, "Distance.''

''What for?" He glanced at her lips, the softness of them still lingered somewhere on his. 

''You are a man and I am a woman.''

His gaze roamed past her enticing figure as he stepped back from her, "A woman, I see.''

Esme covered her front body with her arms, "W-What are you doing?" She asked, a bit flustered. 

''When have I ever done something?" He raised his hands motioning to surrender. 

She pursed her lips, wondering why she could never understand what he was trying to say. 

Aleister wrapped his arm around her waist, ''We should be more than just a man and a woman. I know your secrets and you are my lover.''

She glanced at him, ''Lover for pretense,'' she corrected him.

He nodded, "That makes us close confidantes, doesn't it?''

"Allies?" She quirked a brow. 

''Whatever suits you,'' While she lowered her head in contemplation, he rolled his eyes, tightening his grip on her waist. 

''But where are we going?"

Aleister smiled mysteriously, "Who knows?"

You do. Esme's lips thinned. Why was it so difficult to talk to him properly?

''You wanted to bring me here?" Esme asked when they reached her room, ''You did not have to walk me to my room. You could have just asked me to get out of yours,'' She mumbled. 

Aleister crossed his arms in front of his chest, ''Either you like to walk barefoot or you want me to carry you. Pick the one that you want,'' He was leaning towards the latter. 

Esme blinked as she glanced at her feet. She was not wearing shoes. ''I'll come back quickly,'' She dashed inside her room without waiting for his subsequent taunt. 

A certain white butterfly settled on Aleister's finger, swaying his wings pitifully. 

''You did a good job,'' Aleister waved his hand, shaking it off his palm. He snapped his fingers and Leo regained his original form, ''Did you sense someone else's presence around her?"

Leo growled softly. 

Aleister frowned, ''No one,'' He muttered, as he glanced at the dark hallways. She was assigned the room in the innermost corner, ''Go.''

Leo walked away before his Master changed his mind. He did not want to be a butterfly anymore. The nectar of the flowers wasn't as delectable as the meat. 

''Where are we going?" Esme could not help but ask as he led her to a carriage that was waiting for them outside the castle gates. 

It was some time past midnight and the sky was at its darkest. 

"We are running away from this place. Going somewhere far away," He whispered, "How does that sound?"

If Esme did not know him better, she might have believed him, ''Were you the one who dried my dress?" She asked. She was drowning in the sea, but still, there was not even a drop of water on her when she woke up. She noticed it much later. 

''Make a guess?" Aleister extended a hand towards her. 

Esme glanced at the high carriage before placing her hand in his. 

His fingers curled over her palm and she climbed the carriage, holding her gown in her other hand. As Aleister settled beside her, the door of the carriage closed and it started moving. Placing a hand on the railing, she still glanced at him questioningly under the glow of the lantern. 

But the man just leaned back, closing his eyes. 

''Is it painful somewhere?" Aleister asked. 

''Huh?" She realized she had been staring at him too intently. She averted her gaze. 

His eyes snapped open as he tilted his head to look at her, "Are you in pain?"

"No,'' She shook her head, her eyes looking at everywhere but him. 

Aleister raised an eyebrow looking at Esme whose composure was slipping, her face turning a light shade of red. Oh, what he would do to know the little thoughts running across her mind!

"We're here,'' He announced when the carriage came to a halt. 

Esme slowly glanced at him. She could barely see anything in the dark. The small lanterns hung at the front door of the houses provided some light on the path. 

After getting off the carriage, he extended his hand towards her. 

She placed her palm in his and stepped out. Esme glanced at him and he quirked a brow. She quickly averted her gaze and looked ahead. 

''Coming to the church at this hour, you don't look like a spiritual person," Esme mumbled under her breath, taking her hand back.

He let her palm slip from his grip, ''And you, my dear moon, look like either you know me well..." He stepped closer to her and stood behind her, ''Or you want to know me well,'' He spoke beside her ear. 

Esme turned around, only to find his face dangerously close, ''We should go inside now that we are here,'' She stepped back from him. 

''Certainly, we should,'' He walked after her.