Chapter 61

With the letter once again tucked under her sleeve she made her way back to her, but life had different plans as she was suddenly grabbed by an ominous hand that shot out from a passing door, dragging her in with the element of surprise.

"Ahhh!"- her mouth was clamped by long nails and suddenly she stared at a familiar beauty with shock. "Neteear?"

"Shhh" Emilia removed her hand from the small girls mouth with a warning look.

Confused, but compliant, Alexis decided to observe her surroundings. She noticed the two seamstresses waving at her with troubled expressions, but her eyes didn't linger on them for long as she gasped at the beautiful dress placed on a long table.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Emilia spoke before Alexis could squeal over it.

"Oh god, its soo pretty! Is this- is this my dress?" It resembled the quick sketch Delila made, except that Alexis never thought it'd look so magnificent.

"That's right, Miss" spoke the seamstress, a prideful smile beaming on her face.

"But a dress won't help you much Alexis, so I bought these to maximise the effect of my plan!" Emilia boasted while displaying a dressing table full of strange bottles and hair ornaments.

'What exactly does that mean?'…

"Your plan?" Alexis frowned.

'Oh I said that out loud? Dear me…' Emilia mentally cursed.

"To make you look beautiful my dear", she smiled, hoping her flattery would be bought.

It was.

"Aww that's so sweet Emilia", Alexis gave a bashful nod and then as if trying to escape she looked to the strange bottles on the table. "But, what are these exactly?"

The words caused a smile, sinister and sharp, to appear on the beautiful face.

"Make up".

"Oh".

While Alexis looked at the bottle with sceptic eyes, Emilia brewed over her plan. She sneered as she recalled Alastair's guest who was getting in the way of things. But, she had bigger plans.

Her eyes set on Alexis as she laughed to herself.

'I'm going to make you the star of the ball'.

Alexis didn't get an answer when she asked for the contents of the unsettling bottles and instead was seated down as Emilia smeared things on her face.

She stopped for a second and frowned. Her finger reached for a damp cloth and she harshly removed the stuff she put on Alexis' face.

"Not right" she muttered.

And then she did it again. And again. Until hours had passed and Alexis would snooze every odd minute until her face would get rubbed so hard her skin felt as though it was peeling and tears gathered around her eyes.

Had it not been for the spell Emilia had placed on the door Alastair would've noticed they were here and she would never get the chance to find what fit the brunette best.

Meanwhile, Alastair was rushing up and down the palace and the other palaces searching for Alexis.

His heart stung at the thought that she might have left and run away. No, she has- because otherwise, why couldn't he sense her presence anywhere in the palace.

He was mad when he saw the letter but that quickly changed when realised her presence had completely disappeared. At that moment, he had completely ditched the date that Joshua set him up on and teleported outside.

He had looked through every room and found nothing, with each empty room he felt fear, a very deep and empty and desperate fear. As if he was becoming insane at the thought of her leaving him.

'W-Where is she?!' He frantically teleported palace to palace, garden to garden.

Words echoed in his head like the devils whispers.

'Everyone leaves you'…

'No! Not Alexis! She promised!'

'Like they all do… empty promises…'

He started to panic, his breathing becoming uneven, his body trembled and tears fell down his face.

It had been four hours until he felt it again, her presence and he immediately rushed towards it. The moment he caught sight of her he had come crashing. Ignoring her rough red skin as he wrapped his arms around her clutching her unsuspecting figure in a tight hug.

Emilia and the seamstresses who watched the show left, allowing the two privacy when they noticed the red and glaring eyes of the emperor.

He glared at Emilia, who gave a forlorn look back in reply.

Her heart ached at his pain, but she knew only Alexis could help this.

"Alastair?" Alexis muttered, her sleepy eyes now fully awake as she knit brows at the strange situation she was in.

"Don't leave", she heard the reply, mumbled and muffled by her shoulder.

But she heard it.

"Please just stay by side" the pain in the voice made her throat ache.

"I-I"- she had no words.

Like a bucket of cold water had been poured her she realised something in that moment. She wasn't alone. She wasn't alone when she felt that piercing pain at the thought of going home, and never seeing him again.

Her eyes lowered solemnly, hands wrapping around Alastair's large frame. Her head leaned onto the shoulder that arched towards her face.

She felt the tremors that erupted on his body and rubbed his back hoping to ease what he was feeling. Hoping to ease what she was feeling.

"Why did we make that stupid contract? I regret it more and more as each day passes", he turned his head towards her, lips just millimetres away from hers.

"But we wouldn't be here if it weren't for that contract", she replied, turning closer to the voice.

The gap between them closed in at her movement and she almost gasped when she stared directly into those beautiful eyes. But she couldn't turn away. As if a strange force pulled her towards him.

Alastair also had no intention of pulling back as he looked into her eyes. He lifted his head off her shoulder, straightening it so it matched her level.

"You have beautiful eyes" he murmured to her.

"Not nearly as beautiful as yours" she replied without hesitation.

Alastair smiled at her words.

"You might be the only person who has ever complimented my eyes. Most people curse them" he didn't seem hurt by his words but rather stating it as a matter of fact.

Alexis reaches to touch his face, her fingers gliding upward it slowly as if it were an expensive art piece. Her hand then lowered, mind consumed by the thought of him, her thumb landed on his lips.

"That's not all I want to compliment", her voice came out as a whisper as she gulped, replenishing her throat that dried up. Her tongue licked her lips.

"You're doing all the smooth talking" Alastair replied with a husky chuckle, leaning closer to Alexis whose face flushed.

"Someones gotta do it" she whispered.

Alastair leaned his lips forward and then in shock he pushed her back just before the door slammed open to reveal Joshua.

"How dare you stand up your date!"