Time alone

"I'm asking you again. What did you put on the flower? It surely not what I ordered you to do."

"I did as you told me your highness, I cast a sleeping spell from the beginning but it didn't work. You asked for it all of the sudden and the amount was insufficient, her body was resisting the magic, so I placed a paralyze spell on her right after that. The problem was that it took a lot of time for both of them to take effect and would probably make her feel dizzy for a couple of days."

'Paralyze? You are going to be kidding me, that's why she couldn't walk properly? Even if the spell didn't work at first, it might have progressed and damaged her body if Raelian stayed awake for a little more.'

"Magician, I know that it was me who told you to place that spell in the first place. But I never ordered you to go to such a length and overdose her body with magic! If she doesn't wake up in a perfect condition by tomorrow, you will have the same fate as the previous magician who made a mistake and didn't follow my orders correctly."

"I-I will see what I can do your highness!"

'How did you endure it without showing the slightest emotion all that time? Maybe she became good at hiding her emotions and I also did a mistake by touching her wound, that must have been the reason that her body reacted to the spell. Looking at it now, I think it has reopened. Sigh! This really gives me mixed feelings.'

"Magician, call a doctor on your way out. She has a deep wound on her arm that should be treated."

"Y-yes your highness, right away!"

'I gave up when you didn't fall asleep and continued to follow me around the garden. I was happy even when it was silence, no other people to distract us, no plans, no enemies, just you and me just as before. But I am surely greedy since a little walk can't possibly satisfy or make me forget how much trouble you have bought me for all these seven years. This wound is my welcoming gift to you. Even if I want it to say in your skin, to remember me every time you look at it, I don't want to cause damage to your body and let you feel pain.'

It is certainly not like I imagined my meeting with Raelian. I was supposed to take her the moment I found her in the city near the north, but she didn't stay with me. Running away even though I searched high and low, even after I saved her from that molester, even after laying close to me, why?

"Why can't you stay in way place? Why did you show up now in this kind of way, when all I wanted is to reach you, take you with me, lock you up in my room and be mine for eternity. Why can't you do what I want, is that too much to ask?"

After so many years it was certain that she didn't change, her typical encouraging self, thinking that no one wants her, everyone wishes that she would be better dead, that's what is drifting us apart. Even if I show her affection and talk in a sweet tone, she would think that I am planning something against her. At first, I was angry and wished for the time to stop, I didn't want to see the same scene where she jumped out of the carriage and run as fast as she could even after I called for her. Then it came to my mind, that the possibility of finding a single girl in a big kingdom was low, but she stood out too much for people not to notice. It was easy to find people who gossiped about the marquise that was going to tame a monster and win more power, and find the blueprint of the whole mansion in advance. Everything was going according to the plan when that magician ruined all by making her hallucinate and lose control.

After that she got trapped inside, with no one to care about her, no freedom, humiliated and probably traumatized. Thinking about that makes my blood boil, dealing with their crap and knowing that the whole time they lived happily, laughing while she suffered captivated as a wild animal makes me want to wipe the Corttes estates from the map for good.

But I couldn't do it, the things that I am capable of doing are low compared to destroying a hight ranged family. That makes me even more frustrated. So, I didn't have any other choice but to raise the bar, becoming the emperor, after that no one could defy me. If I say, I want to destroy something they are going to do it for me, if I order one hundred people to kill themselves in the worse way possible they are going to do it. No one is willing to go against the emperor and tyranny is power, a sweet and warm feeling when you are doing it for someone else.

"What are you going to do when you find what are you searching for? That thing is a person, right? Then you have a plan to win them over, because I don't think that they voluntarily would come with you just because you asked."

"Haha, it's been so long and you still haven't figured out what I want? Still, if they are not voluntarily coming with me as you said, is no other choice but to kidnap them."

"You literally scare me sometimes. I only wish that this person hasn't angered you in some way, because I don't want to witness a crime scene inside the palace nor do I want my mother to make a big deal out of it."

Jonathan's words didn't hold much meaning at the time, I was more focused on finding her than thinking about what would come next. But even though I answered on a whim of the moment, I considered kidnapping a valid option because I knew that she would leave me no other choice.

'Raelian, you are here now! I always imagined the moment when you would be by my side like this. Your face, those pink lips, your hair, eyes, smile, body, everything about you calms me down, even when you sleep so soundly in my bed. You could not take your eyes off me for the whole meeting, right? That made me happy, but I tried hard to hold back my excitement. My heart was going to explode, I couldn't concentrate properly, and then you raised and took my side.'

You don't have any idea how happy and relieved I was when I saw you again. I could tell it was you right away, everything about you drive me crazy to the point that I can't recognize myself. Your beauty didn't fade, it is still so bright and warm around you. Even if it was from afar, my heart was beating like crazy, I was nervous like I couldn't believe you were in front of me, but practically ready to take you home then and there.

But why when it comes to you, my planes can't go right? First it was that idiot, complacent young duke. Even in the academy, he was so proud and thought so highly of himself, that forgot his place and acted rashly. He had the audacity to touch you in my presence, and make it like a sentimental reunion? It was my chance to meet her after so long and he ruined it. But that went well because of Beatrice's stupidity which wanted to challenge me again, even though she knows that I can turn her plans upside down at any moment. She lost the court and the young duke became the laughing stock in front of all the nobles. I didn't have to try much, since he can't love you more than I do, he would have no other choice but to leave you alone if I put him under pressure.

But what irritates me the most is the other guy. Who is he? You mentioned his name as if you have a good relationship with him and more importantly, you both live under the same roof. Don't make me laugh, a friend? There are no men in this world who would be friends with a woman without having a hidden purpose behind their "friendship".

'Raelian, you are so mean! This is all because of you. You made me go insane! You didn't keep your promise and left me alone! Even that time…you run because you didn't want to take this responsibility, right? Then why did you follow me now, because you didn't know it was me who saved you back then?'

"I don't care why you're here as duke's heir or what you are after. But just know that now I have you in my hands, and I am never letting you go again! If you try to run as before, I will order them to put another paralyzing spell on you and even break your ankles if you become immune to it. I need you here more than you need to walk around causing problems for yourself!"

'That way everything would be back to how it was, and she will not face the same fate! Since she is here, my search is over so now I can deal with those two. Beatrice is an easy win, so I should continue pushing the young duke. If I leave any opening and forget what it's important right now, that man is going to cause even more damage in the future. Not to mention his way of approaching Raelian, which would lead her to lower her guard out of pity eventually. If I let that happen…everything would go in circles again and she would be lost forever!'

"Your highness, the doctor is here. An-and I bought something to make her easy to move when she wakes up."

"All right, good job! Now start preparing it, we are going to use it later! And you doctor, leave your medical box on the table, I am not going to let no one touch her for the time being so your job here is done!"

Both were surprised but did as they were told, the doctor left his bag on the table and went out. Alastair sat near the bed and held Raelian's hand while the magician prepared her potion. For him, that moment was precious and couldn't care less for someone else presence or the time that went by. He forgot all his worries as they faded away the moment he saw her sleepy face and the held he put a scare on, and cursed himself for spending so much time thinking about the worst when she was by his side that whole time.

After covering her with a blanket, fixing her hair for the head to stay properly on the pillow, stroking her face gently and kissing the back of her wounded hand, he hide his face with his trembling hand and cried happy tears until she opened her eyes not long after.