I was greeted by the blowing wind as I open the door. My hair, together with the hem of my dress sways with it. It feels warm and welcoming. It was as if I already belong to this city. In this world of inane and mundane things, Wilhelm was already standing over the balcony, overlooking the city. He stood there like the shining moon over the vast darkness of the skyline.
"Where have you been? I thought you already went back?" I asked him.
There was a mixture of irritation in my tone and went beside him. His body turned to the lights coming from below that made his face look cheerful, it seemed like he didn't know how anxious I was.
"How can I leave my lady without saying a proper farewell?" He replies.
My brows slightly creased.
"Where have you been hiding, then?"
He slowly walks towards me, covering me with his tallness. It was as if he was a predator ready to devour me at any given moment.
"I've been here all the time. I just used a concealing spell." He says.
I stop to a halt, why it did not occur to me about such spell? He could make his body invisible in front of Gwyneth without her sensing him but that spell wouldn't last long. I can't even hide myself longer than five minutes! That means, he was hiding here all along while Gwyneth was here and that was roughly two hours ago.
I bit my thumb and thought of how he did it. Many faeries tried to master that spell, even the greatest faes that were written in history wouldn't last half an hour except for the late crown prince, the first of the greatest, who was the longest who could endure the spell for an hour, making it the maximum limit of the spell.
He snatched my hand, reminding me about the bad habit of mine. I actually bite my thumb to the point that it bleeds whenever I'm curious or tense.
"My lady, tell me how are you having this habit of yours again?"
I dampened my lips with my tongue, feeling slightly irritated. I suddenly remember that he keeps on telling me to stop biting my thumb or else I will lose it. Martha nags about it too, though she doesn't often see me doing it. It's the sound of my teeth scratching the nail that irritates Wilhelm. To further prevent me from doing it, he grabs my hands and hold it against his.
"I'm sorry. I was thinking of how you do the spell." I told him.
'Are you really a normal fae?' I was also going to ask him that but decided not to, I might offend him.
His chest rise as he exhales, looking at me intently with his hooded eyes. "I've already mastered it ten years ago and thought Lady Martha wouldn't want me to excel too much in my magic that's why I decided not to use it until now."
Right. The Imperial Knights might scout him to become one of them but Martha doesn't want him to, it's because of a reason that I didn't know.
But ten years ago? At fifteen years old? At that age, I'm still learning how to control the mana to my core. Back then, I'm also one of those faes who had been insecure about his obscure powers and knew that he's really great. I thought of surpassing him but hearing this statement makes me think that he's already out of my league.
"T-ten years ago.." I was in awe, still couldn't believe what he said.
"I apologize, Lady Sydelle but to assure you, I didn't use the spell for lewd acts."
Upon hearing his explanation my cheeks start to feel hot. My eyes as wide as an owl. I gently punched him in the chest. Why would he make me feel embarrassed? I don't know.
"W-why would you say that?" I stuttered but managed to still sound like a tough lady.
He smirked. "You might overthink again that's why I just thought of telling you honestly."
My body turned away from him, avoiding his gaze, and fanned my face using my hands. He's getting cocky about his skills now and telling me that with a straight face and smirk!
"D-did Martha permits you to come here?" I asked him so as to divert the current situation.
I was curious to know why did he cross the portal.
"No, my lady."
Puzzled, I faced him again. Opening my mouth to say something, he immediately cut me off.
"Lady Martha doesn't know. I came here with uncertainties that I could cross the portal."
My mind went blank and blinked like an owl. So the portal now allows faeries to cross without a permission spell? Or is Wilhelm really born from a noble family?
Given that he is already exceptional makes me more curious about his lineage. Hugo didn't disclose much information about Wilhelm to us, he said that he found him at the creek where a dead woman was lying beside him.
"What makes the portal glitches like that?" I pinched my chin, trying to fathom the phenomenon.
He shook his head. "I don't know but I have deductions about those missing knights."
I glared at his eyes, wanting to hear more words of his sudden report. A breeze passed us and Wilhelm's thick shiny hair swayed with it.
"It's either they know about the portal's glitch beforehand and plotted to come here or they told someone from the Imperial Knights thus getting them killed."
My heart was racing while listening to him as I'm catching my breath. What he first said was the possible reason that I've been deducing back in the dukedom. It is likely that they knew about the portal's condition since they disappeared without a trace. Then, the second one.
"Isn't it too idiotic to tell an Imperial Knight about the world that they discovered without getting a permission spell?" I blurted out.
The knights aren't bestowed by the power to cross the portal even if they are born from a noble family. They still need permission from the ones who govern them but for the case of those missing, they could go back and forth without telling anyone.
Wilhelm shrugged. "They might want something to gain from the palace that's why they exchanged it with that information."
"If someone from the Imperial Knights knows about it already. Then, he must have reported it to the emperor?"
He pursed his lips. "It is highly conceivable, my lady. The emperor might keep it a secret but because you lied to the families of those knights, he is just luring you to take the blame if the kingdom finds out that they're missing."
My blood drained from my face. I clenched the hem of my white nightgown and gnashed my teeth. The emperor, he's really devious as a devil needs to be.
"If they killed my knights, then, there's no purpose of coming here anymore." I mumbled.
I'm already at loss since the beginning. I was hoping I could change my faith and not get killed by the hands of the emperor like what he did to my father.
"That is just my hunch. There's still a possibility that they're here."
"You're right but.." I pinched his ear which made him squealed. He's been a punk these days so he deserves this. "..I told you to be careful, right? What if someone saw you going here? We should be wary now that my head is on the line! You should have at least told Martha that you're coming here."
"M-my lady.." He struggled while bending his head. "I-I'm not being careless like what you're thinking. I made sure that I put my seed on my dummy before leaving. Even if I tell Lady Martha, she would insist on coming here with me. Did you think I'm dumb?
He grimaced, my hand suddenly lost its strength so I let go of his ear.
"I-I'm sorry.." Was I being harsh?
He replied to me with a silence and his gaze averted to the moon. I swallowed my spit, feeling uneasy for making his ears look like a boiled sausage.
I would never thought him of being dumb. Perhaps, he's a faery I trust next to Martha for being able to save me countless times on the brink of death. He may did some reckless things but it doesn't make him dumb, that word is too much to handle.
Both of us remained silent as we exchanged our breaths. I crossed my arms, placing it to the top rail of the balustrade, and rested my head on it.
I stole a glance towards Wilhelm's side profile. He looks so calm in this angle, his eyes shining along with the stars and his hair suited the color of the sky, as if the night favors his beauty.
After a few moments, I properly stood up and decided to break the silence.
"Did you already eat?" I almost forgot to ask him.
"I already did." He coldly said, still not looking at me.
"Did my kick hurt?"
"It didn't."
"Was I heavy when you carried me?"
"No, you're light as feathers."
My lips formed into an annoyed smirk. "Well, then, thank you so much for answering my questions, Sir Wilhelm. I feel sleepy so you may go back now."
Displeased by his icy responses, I left in front of him and walked over to the door. I couldn't deal with this kind of childish behavior when in fact he was older than me!
A warm, calloused hand grabs my arm, stopping me to walk further.
"My lady.." My heart beat hastily as his soft and baritone voice remained in my ears. "I just want you to know that my loyalty belongs to you until I die, no matter how mad you get at me or how many times you push me to save you. I will always stand beside you, always. Please, remember that."
My eyes are starting to burn, I covered my mouth using my left hand to stop myself from sobbing, and stiffened as soon he was finished by his sentiment.
"Have a good night, my lady."
He let go of my hand and started making tapping sounds from his boots. When I felt that his presence was gone, I turned around, leaving me a puff of tiny blue lights.
Why is that when I feel like I'm going to die, he comes to speed but it is also easy for him to leave me lonely?