Chapter 45 - In The Library

They washed their hands before stepping inside the church from a path where there were no guards. The pleasant sound of the soft music drifted off to her ears and Esme stepped towards the front. "Come here and pray,'' She pointed her hand at the place beside her. 

Aleister glanced at her quietly. 

Esme averted her gaze as she closed her eyes. After she was done praying, she opened her eyes and only to find him standing beside her, intently looking at her. "Now? What are we doing?" She wondered whether he prayed or not.

''What did you pray for?" Aleister asked, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"It is not supposed to be told. They say it won't work if you tell it to someone else.''

''Or you can try me,'' Aleister stepped towards her, ''I am certain that you will get it. Anything you want will be laid at your feet.''

Esme tilted her head upwards. 

Aleister lowered his head, his powerful body towering over hers. 

''Why did you bring me here?" she averted her gaze.

Aleister stepped back, ''Come with me.'' 

She glanced at his back as he stepped towards the pillars in the church. There are five pillars in a church, each standing on its different values. 

And his footsteps came to a halt in front of the fifth pillar, the pillar of faith. A golden ray shot from his fingertip and the stone floor split open. 

Esme stood beside him looking at the wooden steps that came to her view. As they descended the stairs, the floor closed and a small gasp escaped her mouth as she glanced at the vast library in front of her eyes. 

''This is not open for villagers or any ordinary people,'' Aleister said, coming to stand beside her. 

''Only the Royal Family can come here?" She asked him curiously. 

He nodded, "And some other people here and there.'' 

She pointed a finger at herself, "What am I doing here then?" 

''You are special, don't you think so?" He walked towards a wooden shelf and she trailed after him. 

''How so?" It was strange to be talking to him without the exchange of taunts and disputes between them. 

He glanced at her, ''You are a Princess so you are counted as a part of a royal family.''

''But I am not a part of the Royal Family of Visteria,'' So, she should not be allowed to step inside. She was only able to come here because of him. ''And I am no longer a Princess.''

His fingers rested on a book ''You are my queen,'' He said without looking back at her.

Esme, who was looking at her surroundings, paused, ''Under pretense,'' she corrected him, ''I am grateful that you brought me here....'' Or else she would not have been able to come here no matter how much she wanted to.

Aleister turned around as he leaned back on the shelf, "Tell me what happened to you.''

Her brows tugged together, ''I dreamt of drowning in the sea the day I fainted in your room,'' She mumbled, trying to remember if anything like that has ever happened before, ''I don't know how I ended up walking there today,'' That choking sensation in her throat was still alive in her mind.

But something should have happened. When she went to bed in her room, how could she end up waking in the depths of the sea? Why did she not remember anything?

As she tried to think about it, her head started spinning slowly, some distant voices ringing inside, she pressed a palm on her forehead. 

Aleister straightened up. His brows tugged together as he stepped towards her, "Are you fine?" 

"Don't come near me,'' She retreated a few steps back from him.

His gaze darkened. 

''There is something wrong with my body. I-I...'' Her fingers dug into the side of her head which felt like it was about to burst, ''Stay there. I have strange powers inside my body. I don't know how to control them and I don't want to harm you,'' She whispered, trying to reduce her pain. 

Her words did not affect him as he was right in front of her with two powerful steps. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her closer into his arms, ''Nothing happened to me. I am fine,'' He stroked her head, ''You will be too. I am here with you.''

Her lips pinched together as her head pressed onto his chest. She bit her bottom lips, trying to repress the pain and gradually, it disappeared leaving a mild ache on the left side of her head. ''You remember when we met for the first time?" She panted softly.

''I do. You looked like a cat.''

She pulled her head back from him, her fingers gently massaged her neck soothing the ringing in her ears. A cat? She frowned. 

''An abandoned one. Drenched, sad, disappointed, a little broken, a little lost..'' He stepped towards her as the corner of his lips tugged up just at the thought of that distant memory, ''But still as fierce and brave, the reason I called you Leo's younger sister,'' He chuckled. 

She laughed softly. Initially, she found it strange too.

''...with lots of hopes and kindness in those beautiful eyes despite everything that hurt your soul. That's the Esme I met for the first time,'' He crossed his arms in front of his chest, leaning back on the table behind him.

She glanced at him quietly for a few seconds. 

And he did not take his eyes off her either. 

It was Esme who broke the trail first as she averted her gaze towards the bookshelves, ''Everything started that year. I was fourteen then. Very naive,'' Esme lowered her head, ''I stumbled upon something I should not have, I witnessed everything that I was not supposed to see and ended up making noise. My small mistake placed our lives in danger and my Aunt had to flee from our own kingdom, taking me and my younger brother with her.. Her main nerve was severed and s-she lost her powers,'' Her voice trembled slightly towards the end.