Chapter 60 - Brother-in-law

"You overthink when you stay at that place all the time," He nonchalantly said.

She turned to look at him. She was not as slow to not understand what his words meant. Was he perhaps....caring for her?

He shook his head, "..And it affects my good spirits."

Esme rolled her eyes, "You also have good spirits?"

He raised an eyebrow. 

"I thought your good spirits meant killing people," She laughed looking when the corner of his lips twitched.

"It was..." He said teasingly, relishing the sight of the genuine smile on her face. She rarely laughed like this, "...until you came along."

Esme's smile disappeared as she glanced at him, somewhat stumped, "Don't say things that can be easily misunderstood," She shook her head. 

"We are accomplices so it is better to look out for each other," He said nonchalantly. 

Esme ended up smiling at his words, "I feel like I have found myself the most powerful backer in Visteria," It has to be said that the King should be the most powerful person in these lands but even though she was not a royal anymore, that did not mean that she could not gauge out the truth laid in front of her eyes.

It was not said explicitly but Prince Aleister held more power in the Royal Court than his father, King Alexander. 

She concluded it was because of the mysterious powers that he possessed. People always fear and worship the unknown. And on the other hand, the Prince was not just about his strength but also his wits. Aleister could make a white paper look black with a few words. 

And his cruelty and ruthlessness made him more suitable for the position of the King rather than his father who was kind and gentle. 

Esme understood all of this even if she acted unaware. 

The corner of his lips tugged up at an angle where she could not see. Backer? 

"Let her go," Esme said after some time averting their discussion.

"You don't doubt her anymore?" He did not need to ask her to know who she was talking about. 

Esme thought about the woman who kept begging and kneeling while claiming that she was innocent, "My mind was refusing to accept it because she was the only lead to find Arlan. But now that I think about it, we can't keep holding her here, torturing her endlessly just because she is the only lead."

Aleister shook his head, "Don't blame yourself. What makes you certain that she is not lying?" 

"My powers are unreliable. They don't work when I try but when they work, they don't betray," Esme murmured, "And I trusted you when you said that she is innocent," She just had a long time accepting it. 

Aleister glanced at her side face, and a faraway look appeared in his eyes which was fleeting. "How do you want me to deal with her?"

"Set her free. Send her back to her Kingdom. And if it is possible, help her and her mother escape," Since the Princess is killed, it would be difficult for her personal maidservant to survive unscathed. The royals there would be suspicious and they would kill her to avenge the death of their Princess, assuming that she betrayed the Princess. That's how it always worked.

Aleister did not take a long time comprehending her thoughts, "It will be done."

Esme nodded but she paused a moment later as she glanced at him. They were walking on the empty streets and the shops on either side kept decreasing as they walked further. 

"Why do you always agree to what I say?" She asked curiously. He initially always liked going against her words. 

"You want me to say no?" His tone held a little teasing intent that Esme missed because of the lack of expressions on his face. 

She shrugged as she tilted her head to the side.

"Rowan is sent to the auction house in Seran from where Arlan disappeared. He will look into this matter. Don't think much about it."

Esme's head snapped in his direction again, "Thank you," she softly said.

"I had to do this for my brother-in-law," Aleister said with a straight face as he watched her eyes widening, "...Under pretense," He added before she could say something. 

Esme laughed as she shook her head. 

"Does nothing suit your taste? You don't want to buy anything?" Nothing looked appealing to him in this fair held amongst the subjects but he saw women flocking towards the shops but Esme looked uninterested in everything. 

For a man who brought her here just because she agreed to the gardener's offer of accompanying him to the fair, Aleister was rather bewildered.

"No, I don't want anything," Although she could see many beautiful things from clothes to gold and gems, all of that did not hold her attention for long. She had seen plenty of these in the past. 

"Then is there something that you want?" A realization dawned on him that perhaps she agreed to the gardener's offer for some other cause.

As meticulous as she was, it could be the only reason. 

Esme glanced at the stars in the sky as the snow kept falling on her shoulders, "I want my brother back, that mysterious book, the way to open it and..." I want to know more about you. 

The last part of her words remained unsaid because he did not seem to have any intention of revealing it. 

Aleister glanced at her quietly, his fingers reached out to remove the snow that was near stuck near her neck, on the collar of her pristine white clothes. "And?" He asked when she jolted under his touch. 

Esme blinked, "Nothing else for now. Why do you ask?"

"To feed my curiosity," A lazy smile drawled on his face. 

All of a sudden, his brows tugged together as he glanced past the shops, looking in the direction of the border of Enchantment Forest, "Stay here. I will be back soon."

Noticing the sense of urgency in his tone, Esme nodded, "I am fine here."

He looked at her face and she nodded assuredly again.