Beauty and beholder

Aleister smiled, ''Good girl,'' He whispered, not bothering to answer her question. She was a curious one and it certainly pleased him to no extent whenever she asked her doubts with those doe-like innocent eyes which would be throwing knives at him most of the time. It was like she had no one to lean on other than him.

He shifted his attention to his father, the old man who was so desperate to get him married for a decade. He was amused that how he did not arrange a wife for him when he was born, "Here's my wife."

"You have yet to marry her," The King said, his deep-set of eyes staring straight at his son's and the girl's entangled fingers, "So, she is not your wife yet.''

''I will only marry her," Aleister stared at the man emotionlessly, "She will be my wife eventually," There was no humor in his tone.

Esme adjusted her veil properly. As long as it was settled properly, no one was going to come after her neck. Neither the King or the court officials who seemed like they would burn her at any point nor the Princesses who have traveled from faraway kingdoms in hopes of marrying him.

''My Lord, you can't marry her.''

"You have the royal blood flowing in your veins. The future Queen should be someone who would be worthy enough to stand beside you.''

The court officials protested, though their tones remained polite. The thought of offending the Prince terrified them. If they offended the King, there is a chance that their lives will be spared for how kind their ruler was. But Prince Aleister was different. Hands tainted in blood, the man only spoke the language of bloodlust. Fearsome and merciless, he had carried the aura of a ruler since the day he was born when their kingdom was covered in a miraculous golden glow. Nobody knew the extent of his powers.

It shocked them to know the extent that this cruel man was bewitched by a servant but there was no way they could let her be the queen.

Aleister did not glance at any of them, ''Marks the end of wife hunting.''

The King raised an eyebrow.

''Your Majesty, you have to do us justice….''

Esme recognized the voice. It was that Princess from the northeast who was talking with the maidservant when she overheard them in the noon.

"…How can My Lord marry a servant of the lower class? This is an utter humiliation to all of us.''

''Yes, My Lord, you can not take this decision like this.''

''A lowly servant cannot be accepted as our queen.''

The higher-ranking officials agreed with the Princess on this.

"You have anything to say about this?" The King, Alexander, glanced at his son, wanting to see to what extent would he go for the girl.

Aleister did not say anything, boosting the Princess' confidence.

What her maidservant said was the truth. The Prince has a preference towards bold women which is why she was still standing unharmed given the man's fearsome reputation. Though she was sent here for a political marriage, but the moment she saw him, she wanted to stand beside him. A man so powerful and breathtakingly perfect. He had to be hers.

The Princess tilted her chin arrogantly as she gauged Esme. Though her white veil covered half of her face, there was nothing remarkable about her dry and rough-looking raven hair.

Esme turned to look at the Princess. Their eyes met briefly before the Princess turned to look at the King.

"Those light and ugly eyes of hers…" Those eyes were the most beautiful pair of eyes she had come across but she will never admit that an ordinary servant could be more beautiful than her in any way, ''Your Majesty, they are ominous. They might be inauspicious to the lands. It is said that some people are born with curse in their blood…''

A small smile made its way on her lips under the veil as Esme closed her eyes. It was ironic that she felt like she was cursed. Her powers were nothing more than a curse to her. So, what the Princess might not be entirely wrong.

She felt the grip on her hand tightening. Esme opened her eyes to look at the man who was already looking at her. She glanced at their intertwined fingers and her face turned hot. The moment their eyes met, the corner of his lips tugged up. She averted her gaze, not knowing what was going on in his mind.

"And this lowly servant here has high ambitions that she even seduced….AHHH!!" A golden ray shot at the woman's neck as blood splattered everywhere, while the arrogant Princess's cold body laid under the pale glow coming from the crystal chandeliers hanging high up in the courtroom.

Silence reigned the place as the murmurs and whispers tamped down. Everyone's gaze settled on the man who wore nonchalant expressions. Their protests of not accepting a servant as their Queen dissolved in the thick stench of blood lingering in the air.

The heavy atmosphere had them dread at what was about to come, whether they will be the next to be beheaded.

The other Princesses were trembling yet there was relief apparent on their faces. It was not them who humiliated the servant girl and they were content with their self-restraint.

At this moment, the King's gaze was however focused on the girl standing beside his son. Her eyes were nonchalant, her fingers weren't trembling neither was she pale. It bemused him how she remained so unaffected in the presence of his son who killed a princess in the blink of an eye. Wasn't she afraid that she might become the next?

He glanced at the dead Princess. The moment she opened her mouth, he knew there was no going back.

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder," Aleister's casual words reverberated in the court as he left the place, not letting go of Esme's hand all this while.

Esme did not take his words seriously for she knew that the Prince was just involved in this pretense at this moment.

Nobody dared to protest as they watched them leaving like they owned the lands they were stepping on.