Dear will do

A/N: I have decided to not give up on this book. Thank you for motivating me as it really worked :)

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"I-I suffer from a contagious ailment...." Esme retreated a few steps under his daunting gaze.

"You think I want your body?" Aleister chuckled as he looked at her mockingly, "With that hideous face and ugly body, you sure have a good amount of confidence."

"H-Hideous?" Esme stiffened. All these years, her Aunt kept smearing dirt or charcoal on her face so that she would look unsightly but nothing worked. Those men in their village still glanced at her with those lustful expressions. She hated those looks. The villagers despised their family for being poor too.

But this disgusted look was foreign to her. She would be lying if she said that she was not offended.

She glanced at the man standing in front of her. Even though he was wearing plain black clothes, he seemed to be glowing under the orange hue that came from the lava river. Encased in the soft glow of lava, he stepped closer to her, looking like an immortal. So handsome that it created a mirage of perfection. All the reason for him to be so proud.

She stepped back.

"Ugly duckling," He spoke in disdain.

"It is a pity that such a pair of beautiful eyes are blind..." Esme mumbled under her breath, only to realize that she overreacted. Why did she care if someone found her ugly? It was good for her anyway.

A past event flashed in her mind. She sighed as a realization dawned upon her. She must have had some sort of enmity with blue-eyed people in her previous life.

"I heard that," Aleister looked at her amusement. Such creatures were rare to pass by.

"Kind sir, you don't want my money neither do you want my... body.." Esme bit her lips. If her aunt was here, she would have been reprimanded for saying and doing inappropriate things but over these years, she has realized that acting timid and playing shy was not what she ever wanted. Rather than going around in circles, she preferred to be straightforward.

Aleister raised an eyebrow, looking closely at her face. Any woman would have gone red while saying such vulgar things but her words and her face looked ever so pure as she stared at him in confusion. Truly a rare creature, "Yes. So?"

"So, what would it take for you to let me go without bringing up this matter to the King?" Esme glanced at him hopefully.

"That means you admit that you sneaked your way inside the dungeon?"

Esme shook her head, "I forgot my way and ended up coming here."

"Liar. An ugly liar."

The corner of her lips twitched. As expected, he won't buy her excuse. Since he knew she was lying then why did he bother asking whether she sneaked inside this place or not? And what is with this 'ugly liar' thing? It has been 7 years since she is living in Visteria and three days since she started staying in the Royal Castle, but for the first time, she was starting to wonder whether all the Visterians were like this or this one man standing in front of her was an exception.

"Sir, what do you want from me?" She looked at him.

"Sir sounds old," The man nonchalantly said as he stepped closer to her.

Esme stepped back. That's how maids are supposed to address someone out of respect. What did he mean by it sounded old? "How am I supposed to address you then?" She spoke through gritted teeth, inwardly wondering whose face she saw in the morning.

"Dear will do," The corner of his lips tugged up as he took another powerful step towards her, his tall and muscular body easily towered over her.

Whether it was the heat of the lava river, or the strong aura of this man, or the proximity between them, Esme wasn't sure which of these factors were affecting her but she felt suffocated. "D-Dear?" Her voice came out as a whisper as she stepped back, inwardly thinking whether she misheard him.

"Dear," His eyes glimmered the moment he saw her nonchalance gradually disappearing, her wine-shaded tresses fell on her glossy cheeks as she slightly raised her head to look at him. A pinkish hue making its way on her face when she turned her face to the side within an instant, refusing to meet his intense gaze, "You can also address me as..." He took a deliberate pause when she looked back at him with those oh so beautifully hopeful grey eyes.

"As?" Since all it would take for him was to be addressed as he wished and he would let go of her, burying today's matter, then she could only place her hopes on that. If his second option was decent, then she will gladly address him as such to escape this place unharmed and unseen by anyone.

"If dear is not intimate enough for you, then you can address me as Love. Sounds good right?" He stepped closer to her as he watched her face turning redder.

Esme looked at the ground. It would take one crack for it to split open and take her inside. Dear? Love? Not intimate enough? Embarrassment coursed through her nerves as her face started turning hotter. What has she gotten herself into?

She closed her eyes before taking a deep breath, "How I address you doesn't matter. You can tell me what you want from me."

"Why do you think I want something from you? What do you have to offer to me?''

"Because-" She paused when her back hit the wall. He pressed his hand on the wall next to her. She turned to the side but another hand was placed there in an instant, trapping her between his muscular arms.

"Yes? Because?"

'You should keep your distance from ugly people' The words were resting at the tip of her tongue but she held herself back. She did not want to offend this man who might drag her to the high ranked officials or the King for the crime she has committed by barging inside the Dungeons and the consequences of it will be unimaginable, "Because you would not hold me back here unless you want something from me," She said, her voice neither servile nor overbearing.

"Smart," Aleister nodded as he leaned closer to her. "I do want something from you," he added.