Back in Ardenia, Alistair returned with the troop that had gone to search for his sister. For the past five years, they had been looking, but their search had always been futile. It seemed as if the girls disappeared from the surface of the earth. There was no clue or way to find them.
Although Agnes and Alex had done their job, their magic was ineffective as the crystal ball was blank.
Every time they heard negative news about their children, the women cried uncontrollably.
It saddened Alistair. This wasn't what he wanted, he never planned to make his mother suffer like this.
He only wanted the love and affection that they so much gave to Hermione without her doing anything. It carved a way for jealousy to creep into his heart and eat its way out. He didn't deserve any love, especially how he hurt everyone with his actions.
But they didn't blame him, and it added to his guilt.
If his mother had said, 'Your sister is missing because of you'.
Probably, the guilt and heaviness in his heart would be decreased but she refrained from saying so and was blaming fate.
At the palace's entrance, he got off the horse and a servant walked the horse to the stable.
Getting to the hall, he was shocked to his bones to find Celeste.
Hermione! Was she here also?
She was allowed to sit and was given water to drink. From his observation, she had become frail. She had untidy hair and unkempt clothes. There were cuts on her body and dark circles under her eyes.
Agnes stood beside her, patting her and expressing her gratitude that her lost daughter had already been found. She cried and started to hug her daughter to her chest.
"Alistair" Blair called him, her eyes wet with tears. She was happy that they had found Celeste, and at the same time, she was very worried about her daughter who was yet to arrive.
Alistair walked to meet his mother, "Where is Hermione? Did she arrive already?" He narrowed his eyes as he reached her.
Blair reached out for his hands and held him dearly, "Not yet. But we can find her now" she said, full of hope, as she pulled her son and hugged him. Her tears streamed down her cheeks freely.
Alistair could only caress her hair.
He returned his gaze to Celeste, who was now directing her eyes at him.
Yes! He knew that he would be hated, for he had wronged both of them and deserved no forgiveness. He could not have imagined what they had suffered for the past few years.
But Alistair was restless as well, he searched through thick and thin, through every nook and crane but they were nowhere at all. He felt remorseful for what he had done, and if he were to return to the past, he would love his sister as others did.
Hermione never pretended he lied about that fact.
And left to Hermione, she would prefer to be alone, and in the company of no one.
What was he jealous of, that made him hate her?
When the women left the children alone. Celeste acted as if Alistair wasn't present. She only glanced at the ground as if something was there. But her mind wandered far, to where Hermione was.
Celeste looked for Hermione while she fled from the manor. Had she not slipped away from the guards who had rushed into the woods on Rhea's order, she would have been caught.
And then she took the nearest boat that led to Ardenia.
She only prayed that Hermione also would arrive soon.
She prayed that Hermione wasn't caught and taken back to Rhea.
She prayed that Rhea had not laid her hands on Hermione. Because this time, the woman would kill her.
And she prayed that King Zephyr returned quickly and she could lead him to his daughter and Hermione would be saved, that is, if she was still in the manor.
Celeste trusted that Zephyr wouldn't let Rhea slip away, in fact, he could shred her head without caring about the consequences. The man never feared anything and she loved him for it. His presence was intimidating enough and his deadly aura could make anyone choke.
Rhea would meet her match and wouldn't be escape him, Celeste thought inwardly.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and she suddenly looked up to meet Alistair's gaze. Celeste shrugged his hand away.
Alistair's lips set in a thin line. She ought to, and he never would reprimand her for anything again.
He owed her big time, for going after his sister when she was only a stranger and had just met them.
She would think that he was evil, and he deserved it.
"I have been calling your name. You seem lost" He uttered in a soft voice.
Celeste was skeptical of his sudden care, which was only due to what he had done.
He wasn't a good person to begin with and she didn't like him anymore.
Just like that, her crush had crushed her heart and she was no longer crushing on him.
"I know what I did was wrong. I apologize, Celeste, I've realized my mistake and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me" He lowered his head, and remained in that position.
She frowned, "You should be telling that to your sister. She trusted you, she loved her oh-so-mean-without-a-reason brother. But you just had to push her down the cliff. What if she had...." The words got stuck in her throat as she felt her eyes burning with tears, Celeste found it hard to swallow.
Hermione was the one who suffered mostly out of everyone because she refused to be bitten by just anyone. And she wouldn't have to go through all those hard punishments if only her brother had not been wicked.
Alistair continued, "I know. But I still have to apologize to you, and thank you because you've been a supportive friend to my sister. I'm grateful" He finished his words.
Celeste didn't know what to say anymore. What was the use of getting mad at him and keeping malice? it would only hurt her, allowing her to remember the years of suffering in Madame Rhea's manor. She would be doing herself good by forgiving and forgetting everything. It would take time, she knew but she just had to. She didn't want to hurt anymore.
"It's fine, Alistair. I just hope that you can be a good brother from now on" She wiped her tears away with her hands, as she gazed up at him and smiled.
"I will" He returned a sincere smile, "Now, could you tell me all that happened, we need to find Hermione as soon as possible".
****
Lloyd walked ahead of Hermione with his hands concealed in his pants. He didn't intend to walk slowly like a turtle, but he had to do it to prevent losing her in the woods like he did earlier.
He was annoyed because the girl practically followed him everywhere, even when he had personal emergencies because she didn't want them to be separated.
But he disliked it, as he had never received that much attention in his life.
She even wanted them to walk hand in hand but he had refused, giving the excuse that he had a transferrable disease.
But Hermione wasn't foolish to believe him. He had touched her earlier while drinking her blood, hadn't he?
For the past two days, they had been roaming about the woods. She began to doubt if he truly knew the way to her home.
Hermione believed that the guards had given up their search and had returned to the manor. They had chased Lloyd and her around the woods. Thankfully, he was strong and smart enough, he had lifted her on his back and ran through the woods at high speed, and then they spent the night in a cave.
Then they were back to walking in the woods, with him walking ahead, and not talking to her as if she never existed.
After some hours, he stopped in his tracks, causing Hermione to halt. She saw him turn towards her, "Here" he jerked his head to his front.
"H--huh?" She looked ahead, where they stood in front of plenty of branches and trees that covered the other side, where the castle was. She didn't know what he was insinuating but Lloyd knew it was the castle she was referring to.
"Do you not want to go home anymore? You prefer walking around with me?" He questioned with a frown.
Hermione shook her head. "Good girl" she heard him say.
She puffed her cheeks at his back when he turned and waved the branches to the side, clearing a path for her, "Go now" He urged her.
Hermione nodded and began to walk closer to the branches, she lowered her head to not get tangled with the twines and when she got to the other side, she turned to look at him.
Lloyd shooed her with his hands.
Hermione didn't want him to leave just yet, she didn't know how to tell him to wait. She was going to come back after reuniting with her parents.
"It's the princess! She has arrived!" The guard that caught sight of her announced at once.
Hermione reunited with her parents once again. Her brother apologized to her in front of everyone and swore to love and protect her. She knew he was telling the truth because she saw the sincerity in his eyes, she believed he had realized his mistake and she could only forgive him and let go of the past.
She was happy to be back with her parent at last, but she was saddened because of him.
When she had returned to the place she last saw Lloyd, it was empty. He had left.
Well, he never had to stay, it wasn't as if he liked her or something.