[Arlen Alester POV]

My chest feels heavy... I tried to move my chest but couldn't due to the weight. I felt heavy.

I tried to open my eyes... Nevermind, it opened quite easily actually. It was an unfamiliar ceiling. I feel like I have seen it somewhere. 

I looked around to see if I could see properly since my eyes were botched in my eye socket previously. But... I was somehow fine. My vision was clear actually better than ever.

 I thought I would be atleast in pain but forget that, I didn't feel any pain at all, not even the one I usually get from my heart. It just felt heavy. I tried to look at my chest only to see my lady's sleeping face. 

! 

W-what? 

Now that I look around carefully, I was definitely in my lady's room.

Why?! 

As soon as I was about to wake my lady up, the door opened and I saw the head maid walk in. 

"M-madam Henna."

"How are you feeling?"

"Uhgg... Better than ever actually."

"You should! After all, my lady took care of you for the past week."

"Huh? Past week? I was out for 7 days??"

"Yes, for the last 7 days she stayed here, cleaned you up, fed you and more so."

"..."

Just like when we were children...

"Just like when you guys were little children."

"What are you? A psychic?"

"It was easy to understand from you soft expressions."

"Haah... What can I say madam, you always read me like an open book."

I looked at my lady's sleeping face while saying that. When she brought me to the capital mension, we used to play alot, actually so much so that my body couldn't keep up. But I kept it up. 

To be honest, I knew from the bottom of my heart that she didn't change. She was still that little child, asking me to play with her. 

But these few years, my chronic illness has been getting so worse that I couldn't keep my mind straight for most of the time. I was getting jealous and envy others of their painless body. Sometimes mad, I don't know at whom, but I was just... mad. 

Mad at that my lady, that she was scolding me, insulting me, not being of any help and so much more. Now, that I think about it, it's definitely the rebellious period of her life, huh...

(A/N- what can I say~)

Now that the pain subsided a bit, I could think clear again... Those emotions, I was directing it at my lady's direction, wasn't I? It was kind of obsessive of me. Like that of a clingy... lover getting jealous...

"I am sorry, my lady."

"Why are you apologising to her?"

"... For... hurting her so much."

"Haahh... You kids..."

"Anyway you can go madam. I will wake my lady up and come downstairs with her."

"Fine, take your time though. You don't need force yourself."

"Yes, thank you."

Before going she said something else which stuck to my mind, "By the way, umm... just be sure to apologise to her face when she starts asking questions."

?

"What?"

Ahhh... She ran away... But what did she mean? 

"Uhhgg... Huhhhh..."

She is sleeping really soundly. My... princess...

"My lady... It's morning."

"Huuuhh..."

"My lady?"

"Muuu~"

... Aheem... That was cute. 

I went near her ears and softly whispered, 

"My princess~"

"!!!"

My lady jolted awake. Huh, I guess it still works.

"Y-you! What did you just say?!"

"My lady?" I said with a poker face.

"N-no! You definitely...!"

Okay, now truth be told this was fun.

"A-ahem! How are you feeling?" She was back in her serious mode. 

"Yes, I feel better than ever."

"Is that so... No discomfort?"

"No, there is really nothing my lady."

"..."

She looked down for some reason and looked back up with a determined expression. It was different from her serious mode. 

"Then answer me somt-!"

...?

"My lady?"

"..."

"My lady? Hello?"

"Y-you... don't feel anything anymore?"

"Y-yes?"

She stood up and just walked out without looking back. 

"M-my lady? E-excuse me, my lady?"

I got up from my bed to chase after her and as soon as I stood straight, my knees, ankles and what muscles were torn in the torture started shaking and gave up. 

I flopped on the floor. With my feet shaking. Unsure, what I am doing, I looked side ways just to see myself in a standing mirror. I was quite far away from it. 

But I could still see the silver hair and golden eyed boy, on the floor. I tried to focus more to get a cleared view. 

... 

!!!

For some reason my eyes were in front of the mirror. Or at least that's what it felt like. 

No more like, my eyes... zoomed in?

Yes, definitely that kind of feeling. I tried once more, and this time too. The eyes zoomed in. Now, trying to focus on something I tried to look at my nose. 

My nose which was broken in the torture was now fixed. It looked okay I suppose. Next moment, I focused on my eyes. My eyes also looked normal... No, actually it didn't. My eyes still had the same colour but there was a big slit in the middle. It was like cat's eyes.

Demons don't have eyes like that. Their eyes turn red or black, signifying their demonificatiin and besides that their eyes look normal, too. But my eyes were different. 

Iblis... Who was he really? 

He isn't a demon but he isn't an angel either. I have to go through the library... 

I tried to stand up once again but my body was still shivering. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get rid of this shivering from the torture...

Still I tried my best to get up- 

! 

Somebody was coming! Somebody powerful and dangerous! I don't know how I could know but I was focusing my eyes at the wall, just to see a figure slowly walking through the wall. I could also see his veins... No, not veins but rather mana channels. Dangerous! 

I tried to get something to defend me as I cancelled the ability of my eyes and looked at the door, but there was nothing near me besides the bed. Soon the person behind the door opened the door... Isn't this guys being too much of non-discrete? 

"Hey, Arlen. I heard you woke up... ?"

... 

It was Head Guard Collin... I didn't know he was that dangerous. I just kept staring at him.

"What are you doing on the ground?"

"My body isn't listening to me, Sir Collin."

"Ahh... Wait let me help you up."

He came close to me and instead helping me stand up, he just princess carried me to bed. 

"..."

"..."

"As a man, this is embarrassing."

"Don't be embarrassed, our young lady carried you from the lawless city to here like this."

"What!? Uhhh..."

He slowly and swiftly put me on the bed and tugged me in. 

"You should be proud, to... be carried like that by our young lady." He was trying to hold back his laughter... I don't think you are trying to hold it back.

"... Can you say that with at least a straight face?"

"I am."

"I don't think you realise you aren't doing that."

"A-ahem! So, moving on. Why did the young lady seem sad? What did you do?"

He sat on a chair near the bed. 

...She was sad? But why?

[Airastine Windsor POV]

Just when I was about to ask regarding his illness, I used my eyes of wisdom.

"Then answer me somt-!"

His emotions... There were only two emotion... Adore and respect?

"My lady?"

What? W-where did h-his love go?

"..."

Does that mean he doesn't love me anymore?

"My lady? Hello?"

Does he not feel love anymore for me?

"Y-you... don't feel anything anymore?"

Please...

"Y-yes?"

... 

I stood up and walked out of the room. I don't think I could face him right now. 

"M-my lady? E-excuse me, my lady?"

He was calling me out. But I didn't look and headed straight to my office. While heading there I met Collin.

"Good morning, young lady."

I didn't answer I grazed past him and entered my office. 

As soon as I entered my office, I slumped down on the couch.

"Why?"

Why was there no love? What is up with adore and respect? Where did his love go? 

My eyes were getting moist... I don't want him leave me. 

It hurts... I want to be with him...

Like that I fell asleep once again..

TBC-