I was awakened by a gentle stroke in my hair. I slowly opened my eyes only to see a white light. My body is still aching but I managed to lift myself using my arms. A familiar moss scent lingered in my nose, I turned my head to the right and flinched when I saw who's beside me. Hair as dark and shiny like a raven, fringe that hangs around his forehead, a proportional oval face with strong jaws, broad eyebrows with a set of thick eyelashes and hooded grey eyes that makes his enemies beg for his mercy, a delicate pointed nose that compliments his features when he chin up, sharp tanned lips that every woman in LaRue would die to kiss him, and an olive-skin which shows how he trained his body under the sun.
No doubt, it's the most annoyingly handsome knight of LaRue.
"W-Wilhelm?!" I said out of being surprised. Looking at the ankle-length grass field, we are in my most hated place, the meadow of Prado. "What are we doing here?"
He raised his index finger and scratched his cheek. "We are actually in your subconscious, my lady. I felt your pain due to the loss of your mana that's why I rushed here."
That means, I'm just the only being unconscious because we were brought in this place which Wilhelm doesn't know about.
My brows furrowed. "How did you know about it?"
"I poured some of my spiritual mana into the necklace that I gave you that's why we are somehow connected."
"I see." I already thought that the necklace was a token but it turns out it was a tracker. "And who told you to track me? I told you not to do anything reckless, right?"
The palace has the Tree of Mahou, it's the magical tree that gave us a tracking seed so that they would know every faery's whereabouts but I managed to take off mine and put it on the dummy to make it look like I'm still in the dukedom. Unfortunately, the seeds of my three knights were undetectable.
He instantly bent his knees.
"Please, my lady. Forgive me for my foolishness. I-I was actually worried now that you're out of my reach and I couldn't stop thinking of what might happen to you." He said in clasp hands. "I placed my seed in a dummy so I will be untraceable for the meantime."
So he's pulling some tricks now.
My heart thumped and I looked away before I gave in to his stares. Argh! So annoying! How could he look so manly and acts like a puppy with eyes being quivered?
"Forget it." I was going to move away from him but instantly regret it. A sharp pain hit my stomach and I wrapped my arms around it as my back fell on the bed of grass.
"Lady Sydelle!" He tensely shouted. Wilhelm grabbed my body gently and put my head on his lap. "Forgive me for touching you, this will take a moment."
I took a short peek at him. A yellow light appeared on both his forehead and right hand. He pushed his hand on my belly and a refreshing feeling on my stomach is now being filled. It might be because the red moon's mana was taken, the pure mana starts to fill my body and that's why I'm having an acidic reaction.
A moment later, the light was gone and he pulled his hand away from me.
"Thank you, Wilhelm." I mutter as he helps me sit.
He looked away and his ears starts becoming red. "I-It's my duty, my lady. Did father already sealed your mana?"
I nodded. "Yes."
He must have felt that my main mana was gone.
"That must be the side effect." He stretched his legs and supported his bended torso using his arms. "He should have given you medicine."
Well, he didn't but I don't think that's the side effect. My body just wasn't used to the absence of the red moon's mana.
My back hurts while sitting on the grass so I decided to lean my head on his left shoulder.
"M-my lady.." He stuttered.
"Let me rest, you know that I've been sleepless." I sighed. "I actually thought of you before I slept. Maybe because I used to always watch you in my room every night."
That's because he always put a safety spell in my room before anyone can sleep in the castle.
I moved my eyes up to look at him, he covered half of his face using the back of his palm. Is he being flustered again? Is he drunk? I sniffed but there was no smell of alcohol.
"Wait, are you sick?" I placed my palm on his forehead.
His eyes widened, shove my hand in a wink and shook his head. "I-I'm n-not, my lady. I..uh..I'm fine."
My brows furrowed. How rude! Why is he acting strange lately?
I heave a sigh and returned placing my head om his shoulder. "Be sure not to get sick. Winter might start next week."
He slightly nodded.
I stole a gaze at him before a moment of silence occupies us as we look into the flabbergasting eternal field. How come I find this place beautiful now? There were daisies I've never seen in my vision, cold fresh air that could calm you and skies as clear as an icy lake.
I was born here before my mother summoned the red moon's spirit to help my father in the battle. Unfortunately, it was already too late to help him. The spirit tried to possess my mother but due to giving birth, her body is too weak to handle its power, she died and it tried to possess me but because I'm still a baby that time, it could not take control of my body. Martha found me and sealed the spirit away but its mana already resides in me.
Now that I think of it, Wilhelm's parents also died during that time. Hugo took him in, introduced him to us when he came back from the human realm and enrolled him to the same academy that I was in. Back then, he already showed immense power from the pentagram and being exceptional in swordsmanship that every student in the academy feared him. No one approached him because of his hair and rare eyes that make him look like a raven, because of the bad omens that it brings for the faeries .
I was never afraid of him. In fact, I also know the loneliness he felt. The feeling that everyone was afraid of the power that you don't even like to have. I secretly watched him at the corners of the academy before he became my friend.
"Ah, I feel refreshed." I straightened up and stretched my arms. "Oh, by the way, can you bring me the scrolls of those three knights next time?"
What I mean is their information. My biggest mistake is that I did not review their backgrounds before coming here.
"Are we meeting again here, my lady?" There was a raise of intonation in his voice.
"Yes, since this is a safe place to meet."
"I'm glad I could see you again." He touched his chest and murmured.
"What?" My brows arched.
"Nothing, my lady." He smiled radiantly. "When would you like to see it?"
"Tomorrow night. I have to hurry before the palace knows."
"Understood, my lady."
"One more thing, Wilhelm."
"Yes, my lady?"
"Can you put a protection spell in the necklace? I think I saw her before I slept. I forgot Martha's pentagram papers in my room."
His face shifted into anxiousness. "Would you like me to join you in that world, my lady? I can't help to think about your safety."
I shook my head. "Thank you, Wilhelm but we have already talked about this."
As much as I want him to accompany me, the palace will be more suspicious if he's not moving in the dukedom even though he could put a tracker on his dummy.
"But.." He frowned. "What if she tries to get in your body again?"
Only Martha and Wilhelm know about the spirit trying to possess me. What the kingdom knows is that my mother was possessed by it before giving birth to me. That's why they think that I am the daughter of that cursed moon which is not true at all.
"It would be impossible, since its mana was suppressed by your father already. She can't come to me if she doesn't have her powers."
"I'd like to share my mana if it is okay with you, Lady Sydelle." He looked at me intently, waiting for an answer. What should I do? I came empty handed into this world. Should I just accept it?
"Okay." I raked my hair. "Just give me enough that I could be able to make a small weapon. Pour it on the necklace as well as the protection spell."
He guided me to stand up and held my hands.
"Please close your eyes, you grace."
I did what he said. Without a second, Wilhelm releases a vast amount of mana around us, making our hair and clothes dance. I controlled my breath as he was pouring his mana on the necklace. He tightened his grasp to my hands and I also did the same. If it wasn't for this man, I think I'm already a monster now.
My hair is slowly pulled down as soon as he finishes and we both opened our eyes. I saw a blue light on the pendant before it disappeared.
"I could have given you more, my lady." He declared.
"That's enough. I actually feel bad for always depending on you."
I hope that Hugo never finds out about my necklace. I'll just have to conceal it.
I was going to let go of my hands from his hold but he didn't allow me. He's a foot taller than me and my neck is starting to get hurt as I looked at him.
"Please don't, my lady." He kissed my palm, making a smack sound which makes my breathing start to get hitch. "Depend on me like you always do. My life is already yours the moment I swore my faery's name to you."
It was as if a herd of horses was galloping in my heart. His deep and baritone voice left a huge impact on me, like there was an echo in my ear. Did we hold hands like this before? Has his hands been warm like this?
Before I could speak, he let go of me. A sudden gust of air appears around us and our bodies are slowly dispersing.
"See you again, my lady." He gave me a peculiar smile before he disappeared, leaving me dumbfounded.