THIRTY TWO: Uncanny Resemblance pt 3

'Why?'

Esther wanted to ask the man that question.

Why did he want to avoid attending the banquets? Why had he taken those specific records from the Golden Hall?

Just who was he and why was he here?

Leaving her questions burning inside of her, she instead responded with a smile of her own.

"It is an honor to cross paths again, My Lord."

"Yes, well.." the man nodded, clearing his throat. "Carry on, then."

Esther could not 'carry on', however, with the gray-eyed man lingering about the record hall. He seemed to be aimlessly pursuing the various records, but there were many times his gaze drifted toward Esther.

Though he had claimed to have no reason to distrust someone endorsed by Lord Hegai, the man seemed to harbor some suspicion toward her.

He must have been taller than Prince Teresh, for his figure loomed like a great shadow around the hall, always keeping track of Esther's movements. Additionally, he was far less talkative than the Prince, which Esther would have been grateful for if his eyes did not continuously accuse her so.

Finally, when she had reread the same passage three times, having yet to understand it, she boldly addressed the man.

"Excuse me, My Lord," she bowed. "It appears I have disturbed your time here."

She closed the book she had been reading, one of the historical texts, and tucked it under her arm.

On her way to return the book to its place, she glanced at the gray-eyed man, who had not yet responded to her. He stood silently next to one of the shelves, now openly observing her rather than stealing glances.

"I really wanted to read this," Esther mumbled to herself as she stopped in front of the shelf that housed historical books.

Just as she reached to replace the book, however, she remembered the gray-eyed man exiting the hall with a stack of records.

Perhaps, she could do the same.

Straightening her posture, Esther whirled around, the book still tucked underneath her arm. She bowed once more to the man as she walked by him, feeling uneasy under his ever silent stare.

She found herself thudding down the steps outside faster than usual, eager to get away from the strange man.

"Greetings, My Lady. That was fas-"

Baara and the tall maid both gasped when they saw the book underneath her arm.

"M-may I be so bold as to inquire why you have brought that with you, Queen Candidate?" the tall maid asked.

"I wanted to read it in my room," Esther replied, suddenly beginning to doubt her decision.

"Oh.. i-is that so?" the tall maid tried to force a smile, glancing apprehensively at Baara.

Their looks were enough to convince Esther of her error in reasoning.

"Queen Candidate," Baara addressed her quietly. "Have you been informed that it is forbidden to remove records from the hall without the King's permission?"

"Ah.. I didn't know," Esther grinned, trying to mask her embarrassment. "Please give me a moment."

The thudding of her feet sounded once again on the steps leading to the hall of records as she flew back inside.

"Greetings, My Lord," she said awkwardly as she rushed past the gray-eyed man, who had turned to observe her once again upon her arrival.

Rapidly, she shoved the book back into its place before making a hasty exit.

"Farewell, My Lord," she remarked on her way out.

For a moment, she was relieved the man had not found the spectacle as amusing as their encounter previously, only to feel blood rush into her cheeks as the echo of laughter followed her out of the hall.

"Queen Candidate! Are you alright?"

The dim evening light could not mask the redness of Esther's face as she returned to her servants.

"I am quite fine," she insisted. "Let us return quickly to the House of Women."

Later, when she was able to recall the incident without covering her face in shame, Esther pondered the gray-eyed man and all of his actions.

He was a man without any attendants, who, according to him, wished to avoid attending banquets.

Therefore, he must have been someone important enough to be invited to the banquets, but unimportant enough to sneak away without a single attendant.

Additionally, he took records out of the hall, which is something a person can only do with the King's permission, and did not even try to stop Esther when she nearly did the same.

"He must have been stealing them," she growled, stabbing her fork down.

"Who was stealing what?"

Habeth blinked at her from the other side of the table.

"And just what crime did that potato commit to end up in the middle of it?"

"... Potato?"

Esther glanced down to see the victim of her stabbing, a roasted red potato, sprinkled with dried herbs.

"Oh, I apologize, Queen Candidate," she blushed, unsuccessfully attempting to dislodge her fork. "I must have become lost in my thoughts for a moment."

After cooping herself up inside her room for two days, hiding under blankets and even refusing to visit the hall of records, Esther had finally accepted Habeth's invitation to dine together.

"Hmm, indeed," Habeth nodded before continuing with her chatter, unbothered by Esther's strange behavior.

Esther tried her best to pay attention to the woman, but her mind continually drifted back to the man with black hair and gray eyes.

"Baara, I think I've run into somebody dangerous," she confessed that evening as the handmaiden prepared her for bed.

The brush in Baara's hand stopped moving.

"Please explain why you believe so."

"Well, I first met him at the record hall a few evenings ago," Esther began.

She proceeded to tell the story of her multiple encounters with the gray-eyed man, including the part where he took the records concerning Queen Vashti.

Baara's eyes widened and then squinted thoughtfully multiple times throughout the story, until finally Esther finished.

When Esther had ended her tale, Baara sighed, setting the brush on the vanity with a clack as she knelt in front of the Queen Candidate.

"My Lady," she whispered.

"You have, indeed, met somebody dangerous."