Chapter 46 - The Sea Creatures

The vulnerability in her words was reflecting the vulnerability hidden somewhere deep within her heart. The one she never showed on her face. She was showing it to him and Aleister could feel it...Her affecting him in ways he hoped she would not. 

"I am the cause of everything that ruined us,'' Esme felt her throat choking and she gulped, a tear rolled down her eyes, turning into a pearl as soon as it fell ''That day, I saw these strange powers in me for the first time...''

His hand reached out to grab it before it could fall, a small furrow rested between his brows. He reached out to hold her hand, ''There is nothing strange about you. You are you. It is all that matters.''

She blinked slowly, looking at his unfazed face. Was he not shocked at all? Did he not find her different?

The corner of his lips tugged up as his eyes twinkled, ''Are you moved by me, Princess?" 

She pursed her lips before pushing away his hand but the heaviness in her heart disappeared, ''Do you remember that woman who fought with those assassins who were after you?" 

"I do,'' Initially, he had wanted to end them up at once but then Esme came running towards him, with her little arms shielding him as she claimed that she would protect him. He was amused and he was very certain that she would soon run away but she proved him wrong, "You were so determined to protect me that you called her.''

Her face turned red gradually, ''Don't repay me with your taunt,'' She found him pitiful at that time. There were so many assassins and he was all alone. But it took her 7 years and some months to realize that who was the pitiful one amongst them. 

Aleister chuckled, ''Who was that woman?" He remembered that she appeared out of thin air and he could not trace her moves that clearly

''Ruby. That's the name that she told me,'' Esme answered, thinking about the copper-skinned woman clad in a silver dress, ''I have never seen her again after that day. She disappeared just like she came out of nowhere.''

He glanced at the pearl in his hand, ''Esme...''

''Yes?" For some reason, her name rolling out of his mouth like that had her shiver. She shook her head inwardly, finding herself incomprehensible. 

''Have you heard of the creatures of the sea?''

''Fishes?" Esme asked, confused. 

The corner of his lips twitched as he held back his laughter. 

She was speechless, ''Tell me. I have never heard of anything as such." 

He stood up straight, looking at the pearl in his hand. 

She attempted to snatch it from him but he raised his hand upwards. 

''That's mine,'' She pointed her finger towards it. 

"Who asked you to cry?" He raised an eyebrow, ''I am keeping it now.''

Esme gave up on it. There was nothing in it in the first place. He could keep it if he wanted. "The c-creatures of the sea that you speak of are...?" 

"Merfolk,'' He walked towards the bookshelf, approaching the smallest one in the corner of the dimly lit library. 

''Merfolk...I have heard some tales but I don't know anything more about it and I also don't remember much,'' She stood beside him as he pulled out a thick book from the shelf.

'The sea creatures' was written in bronze carvings on top of the ancient book. 

''You can read?" He asked. 

She nodded, "My aunt was a scholar, how would she let us grow up uneducated?" She grabbed the book from his hand before walking towards the wooden table. 

"When are we meeting Aunt then?"

Esme paused. 

''...Your Aunt, I mean." 

She continued walking towards the table. He pulled a chair for her and she settled on it, ''Why would you meet her?"

''I should meet the one who raised my brave savior,'' Aleister said unabashedly, taking a seat beside her. 

She covered her face with the book, ''You can stop talking about it.''

As Esme opened the book, it was blank. She turned the pages but all of them were blank. 

She glanced at him questioningly, ''There is nothing in this.''

Aleister touched the pages, and a golden glow layered above the book but it disappeared, leaving the page blank like before. He tried again but it remained the same. 

Esme frowned, ''Either this book has nothing inside....''

''Or there is some way to read it that we are unaware of,'' Aleister completed her words. 

Esme nodded, wondering how he always knew what she was thinking. 

The church bells started ringing, indicating that the time of dawn was approaching. 

"We have to leave," Esme whispered. 

Aleister pushed himself to his feet before extending his hand towards her. 

"I don't need it to stand up," Esme stood up from the chair without taking his hand. 

Aleister grabbed her wrist, "But I'm still offering it to you," He said, holding her hand and walking with the book in his hand. 

Esme glanced at their intertwined fingers as he dragged her with him, "We are not taking it with us?" She asked when he stood in front of the bookshelf. 

''They are bind in this library with spells. We can take this but it will alert people,'' Aleister glanced at her solemnly. 

Esme frowned, ''Let's leave it here then. We have not gotten to the bottom of it, it is better to stay away from unwanted chaos,'' She glanced at him only to find him staring at her, "Something on my face?" She touched her face as she asked. 

''No,'' He admired the way she comprehended things, her wittiness and perception were not something that he saw in many people. She was rare, in ways she was not aware of. 

Esme blinked as she tucked the loose strands of her behind her ear, her face turning a slight hot probably because of the warmth of the lantern near the wall. 

As Aleister turned around to place the book on the shelf, she grabbed his hand.

He glanced at her. 

"There is something written there.....''