Curious about him

Esme sat up on the bed, her breathing uneven. She was drowning with her last shreds of consciousness slipping away. The same nightmare again.

She placed a palm on her chest, feeling her erratically racing heart. She gripped the sheets tightly in her hand.

Except for the glow of the fireplace, there was nothing she could see as the room was enshrouded in darkness. Her gaze frantically roamed around.

"Awake?" came a deep voice that had her attention within an instant.

Esme glanced at the man standing near the door with his back leaning against the wall. Without having any second thought, she quickly jumped off the bed and ran towards him, her footsteps coming to a halt only when she was one step away from him. She gazed around the empty room once again before extending her hand towards him, her hesitant finger grazed past his wrist.

Aleister quietly glanced at her, letting her do whatever she wanted without any interruption from his side.

She gulped slightly before holding his index finger, her gaze still hesitant. But her grip on the finger tightened as her anxiously beating heart gradually calmed down. ''Why is it dark here?" She asked in a soft voice, trying to get her mind off those horrible dreams that have been haunting her since noon.

"To let you have a good sleep,'' he replied, looking at his finger which was tightly held by her. Something deep inside his cold heart melted at the sight of it like never before.

His gaze softened as he enveloped her small palm in his before intertwining their fingers and she did not struggle against it either, "Are you afraid of the dark?" He stepped inside and the door closed behind them.

Esme flinched, only to realize a moment later that it was him.

His eyes narrowed while his thumb stroked her palm.

"I-I am not afraid of the dark," She spoke in a small voice as they walked inside. She glanced at the cackling woods in the fireplace, "I used to be very afraid of it when I was young, but as I grew up, I have not been afraid of it anymore. But something is unsettling in this place-'' She paused realizing how much she was speaking.

Aleister glanced at her quietly before he tried to get his hand out of her grip.

Her brows tugged together but her grip tightened, her fingers digging into the back of his palm.

"I will be back," He raised an eyebrow.

She lowered her head, "I will follow you."

His eyebrows rose further, "Don't you think you are placing too much trust on a cruel person as you call me? The amount of hate you have towards me doesn't sit well at how you are holding onto me," He whispered, the taunt evident in it.

She tilted her head to look into his eyes, "Perhaps…" She averted her gaze, "Perhaps because I believe you don't have ill intentions towards me.''

The corner of his lips tugged up, ''At least, your little mind was able to appreciate that," He clicked his tongue and pulled her closer to him.

"Where are we going?" She asked, not offended at how her mind was humiliated because he was just trying to irk her on purpose and she was very sure of that.

He walked towards the table set in front of the huge fireplace. He pulled a chair for her with one hand as his other hand was still held by her, "Take a seat, Princess.''

She let go of his hand, looking at all variety of food arranged on the table. "I am not-'' Her stomach protested before she could reject it. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and settled on the chair.

He took a seat opposite to her, "You are fond of starving yourself?" His index finger played with the tip of the spoon.

Esme glanced at him. She hadn't starved herself but she did not get the chance to eat properly today. After she finished her work, she ended up overhearing the conversation between the Princess and her maidservant, and later, she followed that woman to the ballroom and after that, she ended up in his room. Later in the evening, she disguised herself to enter the court. Amidst all this, food was not in her mind.

He glanced at her, "Eat now. Finish everything.''

She glanced at the wide variety of dishes on the round table, "I don't have the appetite of a beast…'' She mumbled.

"Eat!"

"Rude," She whispered softly.

"You think I am deaf?" He narrowed his eyes as he picked up the fork before stabbing it in a piece of meat.

She pursed her lips as she started eating. After having her fill, she tilted her head only to realize that he was still looking at her.

"Is there something…" She grabbed a silk napkin before cleaning her mouth, "…on my face?"

"Are you not eating anymore?" He questioned, not bothering to answer her.

"I am done," She glanced at the untouched food on his plate, ''What about you?" She licked her bottom lips.

His eyes shifted to her slight movement, his gaze paused on her lips for a moment before he looked back into her eyes, ''I am full.''

''What are the powers that you have? I have never seen or heard anything about it before,'' She ignored the unsettling feeling in her heart as she talked about something that has been holding her curiosity for a long time.

Aleister picked up the glass of wine from the table as he leaned back, his fingers tracing the hilt of the glass, "Why would you ask that?" He asked after a long moment of silence.

''Because…'' She glanced at him as she placed both her hands on the table, "…I am curious.''

''Aren't you too curious about me?'' He leaned closer to her, ''A little too much…that is to say.''

She lowered her head realizing that what he said was the truth, "I was only curious. I don't mind if you don't want to tell me.''

"I will tell you when it gets past curiosity," He sipped the wine from the glass as he slowly leaned back on the chair.

"What?" She could not understand what he meant by that.