Chapter 58 - Mind Control

''I have been here twice. Both the times with Princess. Since Princess has been beheaded by My Lord, I want to go back to our Kingdom before they think I am a traitor and punish my mother who is my only family. I came here with Princess because she was one of the candidates for the marriage.''

''And when and why did you come here for the first time?" A trail of sweat droplets appeared on her forehead.

She was unable to control her powers and she was doing this forcefully but the more time passed, the more painful it became.

''I came here two years ago to meet Her Grace Duchess Flora who is our Princess' distant Aunt,'' All of the woman's answer matched what she has been saying all this time. There was no lie in it. 

''But...'' Esme's eyes suddenly closed as she fell back but Aleister effortlessly supported her body from the back. 

''That's enough,'' He softly said as he adjusted her body before carrying her in his arms. 

The woman kneeling on the floor snapped out of the trance as her body jerked forward. She looked around the place in confusion. There was no one around. Was she hallucinating things? 

She could not be blamed for thinking that way because the tortures inflicted on her to get the truth out of her mouth had made her a little dazed.

...

Esme's lashes fluttered slightly as her fingers moved. She raised her hand to her neck and stroked it gently as she opened her eyes before. She glanced at the sky out of the window. It was snowing now unlike how it was raining in the morning.

How long did she sleep? 

She slowly sat up on the bed before looking around the room. Her gaze landed on the huge white tiger who was curled up near her feet on the bed. 

He raised his head when he sensed some movements from her. 

''Were you guarding me while I slept?" Her voice contained a trace of amusement. 

'Roar' This complacent girl. Why would I guard you? His ears twitched as he turned his face away. 

Esme shifted towards him as she stroked his large furry ears, ''What are you shy for?'' She patted his head, her mind slowly drifting off to the events of the morning. 

Sensing her low spirits, Leo stretched his head a bit more, letting her pat him as she wanted. 

''Awake?" Esme tilted her head to the side as she watched the man who was making his way towards her. 

Following him were a few maids who walked inside with the food trolley. Esme noticed their trembling shoulders. They were visibly scared, not only because of Aleister but also Leo. 

They left the room as soon as they arranged the food on the table quietly. 

''You knocked me out,'' Esme mumbled after a few seconds. 

''I had to,'' Aleister extended his hand towards her and as she placed her palm in his, his thumb curled on her fingers as he helped her out of the bed, ''You were at your peak of enduring it. Any longer than that and your body might have suffered a backlash.''

He was certain that Esme knew that the woman was not lying but she panicked when she did not get her desired answer.

Esme kept questioning her to trace some lie in her words but there was nothing amiss but she refused to accept it.

Esme was quiet for a moment, ''I know you helped me there. I did not feel as terrible as the previous time.''

''Previous time?" He pulled a chair for her. 

''When you found me inside your room, that day....'' She explained to him in detail, ''She was the same woman that I followed to the ballroom but for some reason, her temperament seems to have changed entirely. That day, she was provoking me again and again....''

''Were you able to control her mind that day?"

Esme nodded, ''With much difficulty. But I could not get any answer out of her mouth. Your Aunt came there with some guards and she took her to the physician. Later, I fled to your room when I felt something wrong with my body,'' Saying that, she started eating without paying much attention to him. 

''I should be very honored then.''

Esme tilted her head upwards, her cheeks puffing up slightly as she paused. She raised an eyebrow at him as if asking him what he was talking about. 

''At the first sight of danger, you run to my room. What more can I ask for?" Aleister leaned back on the chair as he glanced at her gradually widening eyes. 

''Cough...'' Esme patted her chest as she gulped the food before picking up the glass of water and drinking a few mouthfuls of water.

In the noon, Aleister left her alone in the room as he went to handle some court matters. 

Esme did not know what it was. As curious as she was, she was sure about not showing it on her face because the more she came to know about the royal matters, the more she would end up getting entangled with them. 

In the end, she played with Leo for some time before she picked up one of the books from the pile that Aleister had given her. As she read further, there was nothing that caught her attention. Most of them were the things that she was aware of. 

The main nerve, magic powers that the royals possessed, the level of the powers, the cultivation method. 

While looking through it, Esme did not realize when she dozed off, falling into the abyss of an unknown place. 

As she stood there, all she could see was darkness. There was no one. There was nothing around her. Everything was so dark that she could not even see her own hands. 

Esme stepped forward aimlessly but her body bumped into something rigid, ''Ah...'' She placed her palm on her forehead, ''Is someone there?" She looked around but she could not see anything other than the vast stretch of darkness. 

She tried to walk in the other direction carefully but it was as if those rigid walls moved forward and slammed into her forehead causing her to stumble back.