"So are you interested in ancient myths and legends?" he asked and then peered at the strange image in the book. "A demon? No, wait, I learned this language before… it says… devil? Shouldn't you read about sothing good or pretty instead of sothing that can scare you?"
"It's just a book," she countered. "There is nothing to be scared about."
He chuckled. "What if this devil is real and he cos after you?"
His words startled her and she stared at him in disbelief. Seeing her sudden silence, he spoke in bewildernt, "I am rely jesting, my lady. What happened? Did my words truly scare you?"
She lowered her gaze and shook her head. "It's nothing." She took the book from his hand and turned to carefully put it back in its rightful place. "Your Highness, were you looking for a particular book in this section? I can help you—"
Before she could finish it, she felt his warm body standing close behind her. He held her hand which was adjusting the books on the shelf. He quietly helped her put that old leather-bound book back, but due to the intimacy of their bodies almost pressed against each other, all thoughts inside her mind flew away. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard him say, "Did I upset you in any way?"
He could feel that sothing was off with her mood since the mont he took that book from her to tease her. However, the young lady he fancied refused to answer him. She just shook her head.
Esther was trapped between the bookshelf in front and the prince standing behind her. "Your Highness, we are in a public place—"
He still didn't let go of her hand, and instead, he circled both of his arms around her in an intimate embrace. "I apologize if my words offend you. Know that I was just teasing you. There is no such thing called devil so no need to be scared of him. If you think he will co for you, then believe I will always be there to protect you."
Esther did not budge. "I am fine," she replied, but he could tell that she was not.
He turned her around to look at him and peered into her eyes. "If this is about what happened this morning, then I ask for my lady's understanding. I had important work to attend to early in the morning so I had to leave without waiting for you."
Esther had already forgotten about that issue, but now he reminded her of it, the disappointnt she felt upon seeing her empty bed returned. "You could have inford ."
"You were sleeping soundly and I didn't wish to disturb your sleep."
This man who annoyed her the previous night sounded and looked so different at the mont. He looked gentle and caring. His eyes especially, that affection for her seed to be spilling out from them, and it was sothing one could not ignore. She could feel how genuine his feelings were to her.
"I understand," she replied softly while looking into those warm and gentle eyes.
Comfortable silence surrounded them, and he lowered his face toward hers. Esther thought he wished to kiss her, but then, he stopped barely an inch away from her face.
"Do you know how special you are?" he asked.
She only looked at him feeling puzzled as she felt his hot breath brushing against her face. She shook her head, and he held one of her hands to place it above his heart. "You are the only woman who managed to move this."
Esther felt his warm skin and his loud heartbeats under her palm. It was beating crazy fast, and its speed could be compared with her own heartbeats.
She felt him moving closer and his lips t hers. He kissed her gently, softly, as if she was a precious treasure he could not bear to break. It was a kiss filled with warmth and love, the sweetest of all the kisses they've ever shared.
When they parted, Prince Theron looked at her flushed face.
"I know this might not be the right place to say this but I do not wish to hold back anything from you."
Still gasping for air, Esther stared into those dark eyes with confusion. "Your Highness?"
Prince Theron's face reddened as he let out an uncharacteristic shy smile.
"Esther, I wish to marry you."
Her entire body froze in shock.
"I, Theron Ivanov, wish to marry you, Esther Burton."
Esther felt her mind blown away. 'Marry ? Marry? ? ? But we can't! He is the Crown Prince and I am a re baroness with no origin. Not only that, I am not even human, to begin with! How can I…? How can we…?'
"Marry , Esther," he repeated after seeing her confusion. As if he had sensed her thoughts, he said, "I don't care about where you have co from, what your family is, whether you are noble or commoner by birth. All I know is I want you, nobody else. I want you to be the only companion I will have in my life. I want your face to be the first thing I see by my side from the mont I wake up, and the last face I will see when I retire for the night."
Seeing his honest confession, Esther could not hold back. "You don't know who I am, Your Highness. I am not what you think I am. I am far older than you. I am—"
"I told you, I don't care," he replied. "Don't tell your age." He chuckled playfully. "Even if it's too much of a difference, I will still marry you. What? You won't claim that you are a hundred years old so that I will feel like I married my great grandmother, will you? To , you are just Esther, the fascinating young lady who's always in my mind and that is enough. My heart knows exactly who you are."
Seeing him in a teasing mood despite her being serious, she didn't know what to say. 'Will reality break his heart?'
"Esther, I will tell my parents about you, about us. I think Mother already knows though," he smiled. "You have nothing to worry about."
Just as Esther was about to reply, the sound of approaching footsteps broke her chance. Sir Galien entered the room.
"Your Highness?" Prince Theron's knight looked at their ambiguous positions and flushed faces, but pretended to not notice anything. "Your Highness, the King has summoned you to his study."
"Can it not wait? What is it about?" The frustrated prince scowled and pulled his knight out of that room, leaving Esther standing motionlessly in her place. From where she's standing, she could hear the knight informing Prince Theron.
"The ssenger ntioned sothing about the army, so I believe it has sothing to do with the impending war. This is an urgent summoning, and we must go et His Majesty at once…"
Just as Esther ca out of the room, she saw Sir Galien leaving, and she knew it was ti for the Crown Prince to leave as well. He turned to look at her and said, "I will see you again, my lady."
Esther could only nod as he left.
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