37 In need or in longing

"For how long? A few days? A few months? Till you are done playing cat and mouse?" She looked at his face. It was still expressionless but there were swirls of fury, "You are heartless and cruel-''

"I am way worse than that, my dear moon…'' He whispered. 

She paused, looking into his fathomless eyes, trying to read his expressions but he was unreadable, ''…which is more of a reason for me to stay far away from you,'' Her voice softened, ''From the day I have met you, I have just found myself getting in troubles, one after another,'' The day she was here to serve him was the day when she came to know his identity as the Great Prince of Visteria but it was also the day when she ended up walking into the hallway behind his room from where everything strange started around her.

''I am a curse to you?" His voice was low yet dangerous. 

''You are not a blessing either,'' Perhaps because it was her anger speaking this time or for what reason she did not know but she was certain that she had to make everything clear today, ''It was not enough to you and you made everyone believe that I am your lover. It was supposed to be a secret between us that nobody knew of. I was wearing a veil. No one recognized me at that time. But I don't know what you did that everyone is looking at me with disgusted or envious eyes.''

''I did not do anything. It was because-''

''I don't want to know. I just want to stay as far as possible…" She looked into his eyes adamantly, "…from you. Your presence bothers me, My Lord. I want some peace. My identity in the past has nothing to do with who I am today. I have no ulterior motives against your kingdom or your family if that is what bothers you. I will soon leave this place. Till then, I don't want to see you. If I've offended you, you can give me a death sentence right here but if you are not killing me now, then don't ever come to me in the future. It will harm your dignity if you hover around a servant. I hope you understand my intentions,'' and stop bothering me. 

She skipped the latter part realizing the way she talked with him out of anger. 

The man pulled his hand back from the wall as he took it closer to her face, his finger stroking her delicate cheek. Amusement glimmered in his eyes as he watched her turning red wherever his finger grazed from. He leaned closer to her and she closed her eyes….whether out of dread, or anything else, it remained a mystery. ''Sure, I do,'' he spoke beside her ear.

Her eyes snapped open as her skin tingled when his warm breath blew into her ear. 

She placed a palm on his chest to distance him from herself but his powerful hand captured her wrist as he pulled her closer to him. A soft gasp escaped from her mouth when her body collided against his while his gaze darkened looking at her delicate lips, the small mole below her bottom lips. ''I won't come to you anymore,'' He tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear as she blinked. Ah, the innocence! His ruin. The mouth could have been pierced for the words it uttered but here he was, admiring the view of it. 

She nodded after some time, ''I will be very grateful,'' Her soft tone lacked the traces of anger from earlier. She struggled to distance herself from him only to feel an arm snaking around her waist. Her eyes widened while her heart skipped a small beat.

He nodded, ''But…''

She tried to step away from him but he thrust her closer to his body, his arm tightening around her waist. She pressed both her palms on his chest, ''What are you doing?" 

''Talking with you before you try to run away,'' Aleister glanced at the woman safely tucked in his arms. Much better like this.

''I won't run away…'' Esme replied to him, ''…not until you finish what you were intending to say," Was he holding her like this because she always ran away from him? She frowned. 

Aleister nodded, ''You said that," He stepped back from her. While she was not looking at him, he rolled his eyes. 

''You were saying?" 

She ran her fingers on her dress, smoothening the creases on it. 

''I will not come after you anymore,'' He nonchalantly said, walking towards the table where he left his wine glass, "But I don't mind if you come to me. When in need or in longing,'' He picked up the glass of wine from the table before raising it towards her. 

''In longing?'' Esme mumbled in confusion.

''You don't want to leave now, Princess?" 

She glanced at his nonchalant face quietly for some time. 

''Can't take your eyes off?" Aleister walked towards the bed. 

She blinked slowly before walking out of his room, letting out a relieved sigh inwardly.

As the sound of her footsteps disappeared, so did his smile. 

After a few seconds, Rowan, his right-hand man walked inside his room, followed by Leo. 

''Everyone in the Castle knows that yesterday, it was her whom you claimed as your lover,'' He was busy with some matters which is why he was not able to go to court, and when he got wind of the news that how willfully the Prince claimed a servant as his lover, he was more shocked by it than the rest of the people. 

A few days ago, he also got to know from Aleister that she was Princess Esmeray, the daughter of the previous Queen of Nevesray and it had given him quite some shock already. He could not help but wonder when did they progress so fast?

As much as he remembered, the Princess treated his friend like a contagious ailment.