"There is no reason for you to apologize," Lumielle said, "I was the one who acted discourteously." Twice, she had let her composure fracture in front of the future white-haired Grand Duke. It was embarrassing as turned her face as to not face him.
Asterias stayed silent for a second as he reached out and tapped her forehead with two fingers; it was something he had done previously in the gardens, "You shouldn't frown, Princess." He was smooth with his heart fluttering actions and words.
"I'm not frowning," she responded resisting the urge to scowl at him as she kept her face composed. He laughed, the sound like warm honey velvet to her ears. He was undeniably attractive. For his age, he was quite tall as Lumielle was far taller than most of her peers. A lean build and handsome features. He would become a heartbreaker if it wasn't for the scarring on his face. His bright and mischievous personality must have shifted greatly. What a shame.
Asterias still held her hand in his own; his fingers gently brushing over the reddened marks on her palm; she flushed slightly feeling embarrassed at the focus and attention that he was giving. The issue that Lumielle had with Asterias was his unpredictability. He was unreadable. His sweet saccharine words felt too sickly sweet, like medicine that had been doused with honey so that it would go down easier. Her throat constricted. He was absolutely illegible to her and for Lumielle, that made her unnerved. The white-haired male had caught her off guard twice, breaking the icy wall that she had built.
"Were you never going to tell anyone about what the Countess did? Those wounds on the soles of your feet, they were hard to heal. You know." He said, his words lissome.
Lumielle pulled her hand away and without little resistance, he let go, "I was going to use it against her in the future. I also never asked you to heal me, but you have my gratitude, Sir. Asterias."
Cerulean eyes that mimicked the sky stared at her—vast and beautiful, she felt as though she was drowning. "And, you were going to just take the abuse for what? For the political game?" He did not sound angry, rather he sounded almost confused. Asterias had never been concerned with politics. He stepped away from the Crown after the death of his father; he never posed to be a threat and thus, Lumielle had been unconcerned with him in his first life.
"It's a future investment." Clipped words and a staunch stare made the white-haired male let out an exhale, almost disbelieving about the words that escaped the female's lips. "There's no reason you should care in the first place, we aren't friends. This is only the second time we've met," she said, words were sonorous as Asterias's fingers twitched to the handkerchief that she had left him. The one that he always kept on him.
Asterias smiled once more, "Then, in exchange for my silence. How about I become that, your friend."
Lumielle almost scoffed at him—was he being serious? She didn't understand. In his previous life, Asterias didn't care for her. He practically didn't even look her in the eye. What was the difference? Now, he wanted to befriend her. "Are you threatening me?" Lumielle asked her eyes darkening. It would be blind of her to believe that he would do this without compensation. Yet, he was simply asking to befriend her? It would become troublesome if Aris knew about this situation but she had never expected him to want to pursue an amicable relationship with her, "Is this the way friendships are made now?"
"The Princess is not just anyone. You're special," he said, "It's not a threat, just an incentive." He was smiling down at her; the same simper that Lucifer probably had engraved on his lips seconds before he fell from heaven. She understood why people believed that men had a devilish charm. Though he spoke angelically, she was being cajoled by the antithesis of virtue.
"Women must love you," Lumielle snapped back, somewhat vexed, as he simply smiled. It was bothersome how unperturbed he was by her.
"I'm glad you think that way, Princess. Should I take that as a declaration of your love as well?" He was teasing her once more. Eyes glittered warmly in the light as she grabbed her shoes.
"No." Flatly, she rejected him as Lumielle started to put on her shoes. The small heels gently slipping on her feet as she spoke. She looked up at the smiling male. How confounding. His words were nefarious and all he did was smile at her as if he was some saint. Lumielle's fingers twitched as she wished to slap the smile off of his face. Was this truly the young boy that she had seen in tears by the white tree? It seemed as though he had become a completely different person.
He laughed; "Princess, does that mean we're friends now?"
Lumielle had stood up now, she met his eyes. "Why do you want to be friends with me?" It was a genuine question—as of right now, the lavender-haired female had nothing to give him. She was a powerless paper princess. There was not much to gain from being associated with her, especially since he was the son of a Grand Duke.
"Hmm," Asterias hummed childishly before shrugging his shoulders, "I don't know."He was enjoying teasing her; he must have made it a hobby for the female felt her annoyance grow.
"There are a lot of things you don't know."
He nodded, amusement practically dripping from his azure eyes, "Perhaps, you can teach me, Princess." He extended his arm as Lumielle hesitantly placed her hand on top. "Aren't you going to greet your brother and his friends?"
Sighing, Lumielle let him lead the way but as soon as she returned, chaos unfurled. "Rias! Where did you go! You know what, forget that Aris went to the palace!" Ruenti said grabbing the white-haired male's shoulders as Lumielle's eyes widened.
"Aris did what?!" Lumielle inquired as the son of the Baron quickly realized that Aris's older sister was also here.
Quickly cutting in Lucius spoke, "Aris apparently left to go to the palace. We were worried about where he went and one of the maids told us." He was cohesive in his words compared to Ruenti who simply spoke freely—she wondered how the red-haired male grew astute enough to catch onto her lies in the first time-line. Yet, it wasn't time to think about that.
"The palace? Why would he want to speak to his Majesty?" Lumielle whispered to herself. Her mind was attempting to formulate some type of answer. What was the reason? He was not impetuous and he disliked speaking with adults, despite the fact that he was slowly getting over that fear, "And with such haste. . ."
She was so stupid.
Aris must have found out about the Countess and the abuse. Was it her conversation with Asterias? Did he ask the Countess himself? "I need to go to the palace," she said. Was Aris really going to implore their father to change tutors? It wasn't as if Eldrige would do so. He didn't care about the well-being of his children. It was useless and would only make Aris look impotent. She had been working hard to build their relationship.
"Why?" Ruenti asked as she narrowed her eyes at the white-haired male who looked surprised.
"Get me a carriage, Eva. Tell his Majesty not to let Aris in," she spoke hastily as she grabbed the skirts of her dress. That was right, she had no time to blame things on others. This was her fault. It was her mistake.