[Airastine Windsor POV]

It was morning. The room was dimly lit even though it was morning. I was tucked in a blanket, so I thought Henna came by. 

"...?"

I was looking around and I was definitely on a bed. It was my bed. 

? 

I was in my room. I jolted up to see if Arlen was besides me but he wasn't. I was left a bit disappointed...

"My lady?"

"Whaa!"

I yelled out from the surprise. There was somebody standing in the dimly lit room just a bit far from the bedside table. 

”Ahem... Sorry my lady, I just came by to check on you."

It was Arlen, standing there alone. I instantly activated my eyes of wisdom.

"..."

"My lady?"

His emotions didn't change...

"... How are you feeling?"

"I am fine. Now that you woke up, let me officially thank you, my lady. If it wasn't for you I would not have been alive to be here at this moment."

He was bowing. And also shaking a bit? I wasn't sure.

"..." 

I was the one who was at fault though. Why are you taking the blame?

"Then, let me bring in your morning refreshments."

Like always nothing changed on the outside. The same routine and same behaviour. But, 

"Arlen."

"Yes, my lady." 

"Come here."

I patted beside me on the bed.

"... I-I cannot, my lady."

"Come here and sit. Don't make me say it again."

"..."

There was a bit of awkwardness in the air and he finally came near my bed and just stood there. 

"Sit, Arlen."

"... Yes, my lady."

There was hesitation in his emotions. But he still sat near me.

Since it was dimly lit, I could see his face but not clearly. But it was enough.

"Tell me, how many things are you hiding from me?"

There was instant shock from his emotions. Then confusion, caution, hesitation.

"What do you mean my lady?"

He was acting tough but-

"... Acting will not help you here. Tell me, what are you hiding?"

"I-I am not hiding anything, my lady."

Lie. 

"Do you want to know something interesting?"

"..." He instantly became cautious but still didn't answer. 

"Do you know, when the healers and doctors were trying to get you healed, one of the doctor said something interesting."

"..."

"I fed you an es...elixir, did you know?"

"Yes, I am gra-"

"Don't interrupt me."

"..."

"That elixir could heal every injury possible. Even lost limbs. But something it cannot heal is innate illness."

"..." His emotions now showed fear.

"Do you know what another name for innate illness is? It's terminal illness..."

"..."

"Did you know?"

"I..."

"Answer me!"

"I-I knew."

"Since when?"

"Ummm..."

"Don't you dare to say after you met me! The healer, when I bought you said nothing, but you already knew your bodily limits."

"... M-my lady..."

"Tell me when!" I yelled at him.

Hesitation.

"B-before you bought me as your slave..."

"... Why?"

"..."

"Why didn't you tell me then?"

Guilty.

"..."

"Why are you silent! Answer! Don't just stay put there! Say something?!"

Hesitation, again.

"I-I didn't want to burden you..."

"..." 

Again, I am at fault. Since childhood, I pushed him to his limit. 

I loved him even as a kid.

So, I never wanted to be separated from him. 

But now, this love just kept on increasing one-sidely that it hurt him. 

And now, he didn't love me anymore.

"Just... Just how many things are you hiding. Is your name even real? Or is it something else, too?"

"...It is Arlen."

Guilty. 

Guilty? He wasn't lying but he was guilty? He was hiding something?

"What are you hiding, Arlen."

Hesitation.

"..." 

"Please, just please, don't sa5y silent... Tell me, Arlen."

Guilty. Fear...

...

Acceptance.

"M-my name is Arlen. It definitely is. But that is just my first... name. I have a surname."

...He was a noble. A thrown away noble. 

"What's is your full name?"

"Arlen Alester."

"!!!"

Alester! It is Alester?! A direct Alester???

Alester. A ducal name from another Empire named Vega Empire. 

They were a Ducal family on name. If for some reason the Vega Empire ever seems to be degrading, the Alester family could take over the Empire without any objections. 

The Alester family was powerful. They had 10 Ultimate Class mages. Forget about incarnation, there might be hundreds if not thousands of them. 

Just to simply compare, our Royal family of Windsor also had 10 Ultimate mages and a lot of incarnations near ultimate mages. But we are hiding a few. In total we have 15 ultimate mages. Collin himself was on verge of breaking in to ultimate stage, too. 

And estimations say that just the Ducal family of Alester has the same amount as us. Does that even make sense? 

They had multiple branch families with multiple middle names such as El, De, Fe and more so. 

But Arlen was a direct Alester! 

That meant he was of direct bloodline... So, why-

"Why were you..."

Acceptance.

"I was born like this, my lady. I was born with a weak heart." He pressed his chest. 

It hurts for me. 

"This weak heart created multiple problems. Some being the jumbled mess of my veins and meridian. It created the issue of me not being able to awaken as a mage. Even if I had a slim chance of being an incarnation, it didn't mean much, since I couldn't really do much with it since my channels were the same. A mess."

Acceptance.

Only acceptance was present.

"I still remember the look of my father, the head of the Alester family. It was the coldest look I ever saw from anybody. My mother had a bit of a regret look with some worry. But it didn't mean much."

He didn't even bat an eye while saying these.

"Shortly after, I was assigned to a lower grade branch family. It was so low level that, that people don't even remember it. But my name was still that of the direct bloodline. And after staying with them for a few months, we were heading to a party to some other city if I remember. There after spending a bit of alone time, I headed back to the party room. I couldn't find anyone of the branch family. And after the party was over, I thrown out of there. Nobody answered anything or said anything. As if all planned. I was 6 back then."

Acceptance.

"..."

Still only acceptance. No remorse, anger, madness. Nothing at all.

"As a six year old, with fancy clothes and face, I thought somebody would atleast help me. But I was wrong, I was isolated in that city. As if everyone knew what to do once they saw me, just ignore. I was starving back then. I didn't know how life worked. So, then a shop clerk that saw me nearby, pulled me in secretly. She took my fancy clothes and gave me some tattered clothes in exchange for 5 silver and some food and she showed me a way out of the city and where to go. Now, that I think about it, she was kindest lady I met till that age."

...

Acceptance. 

"I did as that lady said. I went to that city. It was hard for me due to my heart but I still did as she said. But to be honest, that city was crueler than the previous one. As somebody with tattered dirty clothes, nobody was even willing to talk to me. Forget food, the 5 silver I had on me was taken from me by force from some guards saying I stole it. I couldn't do anything. Since I was just a 6 year old boy."

It hurts... How could they...

"There I had to live for a few months, eating from trash cans, stealing bread on display and eventually being caught and beaten up. There who I was didn't matter. I was just a 6 year old abandoned boy, a begger. Eventually I heard from a guard, that they would catch me and sell me off to a slave trader. So, I escaped from the city. I ran to another city. And it kept on going for a year and a half. I moved and kept moving. I was scared but I couldn't leave behind the will to live. But fate is a cruel thing. Once I was looking around in a trash can for anything, really. Then somebody from behind hit me. Hit me so hard that I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was tied. But I was clean for some reason and had better clothes and from a bit farther away I listened, a man negotiating about selling me off."

Stop. Please, stop. 

I wanted to hug him but he didn't stop speaking. 

"I was sold then. For a single gold coin. That was what I was worth, A Single Gold Coin. There after, I was always in a cage with shackles on my hand and feet. Shown to people like an animal on a zoo. I didn't even care though. I was just being taken from city to city to be a show piece and was going to be eventually be sold off to a wealthy man, who runs an escort business. But... you know, luck plays fair games sometimes. I was bought by you while being a showpiece on a cage, shackled. I will say, till this date, that was the most luckiest thing to ever happen to me."

... I... What do I say? His emotions didn't change anymore. It was still acceptance.

"That's why, I am very thankful to you, my lady. If not for you, I would have just been a sex slave in some escort shop."

Respect. Admiration... 

Acceptance.

"That's why even if you ever need me to put my life on for you, or die for you, or even be sold because you are in a dire situation, I will gladly accept it. After all, my whole being is yours to command and use. It doesn't matter if I am hurtin-"

I pulled him in a close hug. I didn't care about the state I was in. 

"I am sorry. I am really sorry."

He wasn't weeping, neither was he sad. There was nothing but...

Acceptance. 

So, I weeped for him. 

"I would not treat you like them. Your life is yours, not mine. You never need to die for me. Neither will I ever sell you. I will even remove the mark of obedience if you don't want to work anymore. Just don't hurt yourself."

My eyes were moist but not his. He was just there hugged and laying on my bossom. With nothing but... 

Acceptance.

TBC-