Chapter 92

92 The library incident

Anne curses her own error, but the damage had been done. Vale stared at her, obviously demanding an answer. She smiles at him and begins to make some excuses.

“Ah, I mean whenever I read any book, I was in my own world, you know.” Said Anne with a very awkward grin on her face.

Vale squinted his eyes, looking suspiciously at her. “Really? So, you like to be in your own world while reading about plants and wild monsters?”

“Well, yeah, why not...” Anne went quiet, and she took Vale’s arm into another corner of bookshelves, “Oh, what do we have in this corner?!” She tried so hard to look enthusiastic.

Looking at the book one by one, Anne was talking non-stop to Vale, preventing him from talking about her mishap earlier. Vale give up and just enjoyed the time that he had with her. The library was empty for now. There were only the two of them roaming around the room, finding books.

“You know, this tower is so high, but I rarely saw any alchemists around here?” Anne asked Vale out of curiosity.

Vale looked around the room, and he suddenly had a naughty smirk on his face. “What happened? Did you get nervous about being alone with me?”

A blushing face from Anne, answering his question, even though our heroine tried so hard to deny it, “Oh stop it! I wasn’t what I meant to ask about that!”

Chuckles, Vale poke her nose and teased her once again, “I was joking. Come on, let’s sit in the chair by the window over there.”

.....

They sat on the chair in a very large window facing the garden behind the tower. It was a perfect place for someone to sit and enjoy the sunshine. Vale pointed at the garden where there are like almost twenty alchemists were doing some kind of experiment, individually or in a group. Anne was in awe, she smile while looking at how they conducted the experiment outside their room.

“That is amazing! I never knew that alchemists did their experiment beyond their own laboratory?” Anne was intrigued.

Vale could see her eyes lit by how excited she was, he was amused by her genuine reaction, “They have to do it in the outside of their lab sometimes, because of how large the experiment, like their newest experiment of the new iron carriage or shield for the familiar.”

Grabbing at Vale’s arm, Anne asked him once again, just to be sure that she wasn’t hearing it wrong, “Wait?! Do they have a shield for the familiar now?! Seriously?!”

“Still in development, because you do realize, once the familiar is mature, they will have a permanent place in our shadow.” Said Vale to Anne.

“I wonder about it. How is it going to work for them?” Anne asked him while her face make a cute frown at Vale.

Vale shrugged. “Well, we never know. It was known to be, but we know that they need to consume our magica to have the energy to fight.”

She asked Vale another question. “But they still need to eat and drink, right?”

“Of course, what I meant using our magica to fight is about using their power potential. Every monster and animal has their own set of the potential power that they used to fight the hoard and another wild monster.” Vale explained it to Anne. While the girl sat there thinking hard about something, he finally realized something had happened. “What’s the matter?”

Anne turn her head and gave him a weak smile, “Oh no, I was... I was thinking about Chikara, that poor demon kitten can never defend himself because my lack of magica,”

Suddenly, Vale touched her cheek and brushed it softly. “Why do you think I gave you the magica?”

A bittered smile came to her face, “But is it enough for Chikara, though? I’m sorry, I know it was enough for me, and I am thankful,” Said Anne while she biter her lips ,”Everyone praised me that I got a rare monster as my familiar, but turned out I am going to hinder his potential!” tears came flowing, not because she was scared, but because once again she felt she was useless, “Imagined, my familiar, mature and... couldn’t even unlock his power because of his master is a useless person in this world.”

All the memories from her old world came again, the eyes of judgment that came from her parents, the blind expectation, and the remorse came afterward. Even though Martha and Ed helped her with her confidence and emotion, the demon was always there, creeping around behind her. But then, blinding sunshine came on her face, Vale saw her shimmering in the sunshine.

He can help himself. When his hand cup into Anne’s small face, Vale kissed her at first with a simple kiss, a short but oh-so-sweet kiss. His full and luscious lips brushes into her red and silken lips, she loved it, and somehow she wants more. She closes her eyes and Vale couldn’t help to groan. He tried to control himself and only gave her another kiss without demand from his end.

He open his mouth and gave her a kiss that was longer than before but not so passionate but still in control. Afterward, they look into each other eyes, and a smile appears on their face.

“I... I’m sorry, I just can’t help it when I saw your face.” Vale said to Anne with a flustered face.

Anne, also flustered by the sudden kiss, cleared her throat and shook her head, “No... Uhm... It’s alright, I... Uhm... well, I think I’m going to head back now.” She waves her hand to Vale and runs away from the library, but not without a few words first to Vale. “I... It was lovely, I mean... the kiss, and the company, of course.”

Looking at her running away with a fluster and shyness on her face makes Vale chuckle. He took a long sigh and lay his head when the sunshine came drowning on his face. Vale couldn’t help himself touch the lips that were kissing hers earlier. He was grinning ear to ear and close his eyes.

Meanwhile, in another area, on the outskirts of Gaftan, Henry curses at how slowly the carriage that took them away from Bordertown Horden saw him and shook his head.

“Just calm down Henry, you still need to rest but you opted to go to your girl as soon as possible!” Muttered Horden to his grandson.

Henry then gave him a glare while hissing at him, “Well, if only you had told me about the crystal dagger being in the girl’s hand that I have feelings for a while now, I wouldn’t be like this!”

“There was never a good time! When I know about the fact that you’re in love with Anne all along, you were going on a mission on Gaftan, and we decided not to tell you anything until the mission is completed,” Said Horden to Henry, “Besides, it wasn’t like she was going to choose your friends and not choosing you at all you’re a part of them.”

“We? So, all of them know about Anne keeping the crystal dagger, but not me?!” Henry shouted while he throw his hand in the air.

The once commander of the kingdom army looks at his grandson with some desperation on his face, “As I said, there was never a good time. I want you to concentrate on your training.”

“I don’t need training, it wasn’t like I will have time to become greater than the crown prince,” Said Henry while he scoffed at Horden, “I was the second on everything, I tried so hard and to be what? the best friend of the crown prince, what joke.”

Horden could see the hurtful eyes of his grandson, he tried to reach his grandson, “Henry... I never thought that you...”

“No, you will never think about anything besides for the greater good of the kingdom!” Shouted Henry so suddenly towards Horden, “When I wanted to become the administrative side of the civil servants, you convinced me that it wasn’t a good choice for me, you even asked father for it.”

“Henry... No, it wasn’t my purpose, it was because...”

Henry raised his right hand, He tried so hard in the past to believe him, but for Henry, the trust almost diminished, “Please stop the speech or the excuses, I was done to hear...”Darkness engulfed the carriage all so sudden, the horse wailing while the carriage driver screamed, Henry called for Horden, “Gramps! Are you alright?!”

“Yeah! Yeah! I am fine, son! Don’t you worry! Just hold on tight!”

The carriage abruptly stopped, sending the two of them tumbling all over the place. Henry could hear the horses running away, while a sound of a big monster from the outside could make everyone’s skin crawl out of fear. A hand grabs into Henry’s. He knew right away it was Horden.

“Did you hear that?” He whispered to his grandson.

“Yes, it was close, probably a medium size?” Henry whispered back to Horden. He called for his crystal sword and said to Horden, “Are you ready?”

Even though Henry can’t see his face, he could feel how excited his grandfather was. “I am as ready as you’re. Let’s get that b*stard.”