Not the right time

And before she could respond, she felt him guiding her towards the terrace.

She was on the second floor and seeing a tall man with a hood standing still by the grass, she managed to catch sight of his silver hair and black eyes through the dark.

There's no mistaking it, he was the handsome man that gave the book! The man she was looking for!

"Hey, Mister!" She said, wanting him to see her. The man looked up to the terrace and when he saw her, he sent her a gentle smile, before turning around and walking towards the woods.

No, she has been waiting for this moment, she has to talk to him! She has a lot of things to ask about the book!

Grabbing her dress, she pulled it up and stood by the railings.

"Wait, Lady Vienna! What are you planning to do?" Asked Raziel from beside her, now panicking. "This is dangerous!"

She glanced at the mysterious hooded man's figure who was slowly getting farther from her.

"I think I saw the man who I asked you to find." And with that, she jumped off from the terrace to the ground.

She felt pain from the impact, but still, she endured it and ran after the man. "Wait! Stop! I need to talk to you!" She yelled as the cold wind brushed against her. The sky was dark but the stars were enough to light up her way through the night. She could hear Raziel's voice shouting after her but she ignored it.

She was limping and panting for air, but still, she continued. When she was finally near the man, the man turned to look at her.

"This is not the right time yet. You should not have burned the book.” And he disappeared out of her sight, just like that.

Vanishing through the air like a bubble.

Seeing the mysterious handsome man appearing again, she remembers clearly how their first encounter was.

**FLASHBACK

The sky was starting to set and for her to get home faster, she used the shortest route. Riding her horse, she turned to a dark alley and a voice inside her head said. "Come here."

Lady Vienna looked back, checking to see if there was someone talking to her or messing with her when she saw a handsome man and she immediately halted her horse...He was wearing some black cloak and his long white silver hair was shining through the sunlight, almost like Titus's.

"Careful, my lady."

The man said, looking at her with his black eyes. His features were soft and delicate, but there was something exuding with his aura.

Hopping off from the horse, she stumbled a bit, she felt a bit dizzy looking at him for an unknown reason. "I apologize. I did not see you there."

"Is there something bothering you, my lady?" He asked, reaching out to help her. She leaned on him for support.

"Y-Yes, I feel dizzy. W-what is happening? I apologize, I need to go somewhere." She said, trying to stand up with her own legs but they turned to jelly. She fell to the ground, her breathing became ragged.

The handsome man was still there, leaning to support her. "You seem to have a poor soul. Here, I'll give you this. Make sure to read it as soon as you are alone."

She felt him handing her a book. Why is he giving this to her?

And before she knew it, she could feel her eyes blurring, her vision was so hazy that she could only feel the handsome man leaving her. "Now sleep." He whispered.

Her body turned limp and she wanted to cry for help but her voice was nowhere. Her eyes were getting heavy and she could feel herself drifting to sleep. "N-no...I...Titus.." was all she could say until she dozed off.

***END OF FLASHBACK

That was how she got the book. Going back to the present, Lady Vienna stopped, blinking a few times.

What just happened? The man just...disappeared? Did I see it correctly? She wondered.

"This is not the right time yet. You should not have burned the book.”

What did he mean by that? She felt like she'd go insane from overthinking it. Tired, she sat on the ground, letting herself catch her breath. She could hear the sound of crickets through the woods. She didn't reach that deep in the woods. She was alone, but it didn't scare her. Massaging her legs, she grimaced, now feeling the pain from her fall earlier.

"Vienna!" Yelled Raziel through the night, looking for her.

"I'm here." She yelled.

Minutes later, Raziel's figure appeared through the bushes and he sighed in relief.

"What were you thinking? Why did you just jump off like that? Your feet!"

She sighed, not wanting to hear screams for tonight. "It's okay...Just take me home Raziel. I'm tired."

Nodding, Raziel approached her. "I respect that you don't want to tell it to me, for now, let's treat your legs." Was that the man you asked me to find? About the mysterious man you asked me to find, I already deployed my men, but I can not find someone that fits his description. Or, the man you saw was a traveler."

In an instant, she felt Duke Raziel's strong arms carrying her bridal style. He carried her like that all the way to his carriage and gently placed her on the seat. His touch was so gentle that he's afraid she might break like a delicate vase.

The coach saw them but he just told him to start moving.

"Please don't tell this to my father." Lady Vienna said as the carriage started to move. Raziel nodded, "I won't."

"Thank you."

And with that, she watched as Raziel grabbed something from the back of his seat. It was a box filled with medicine.

"You keep medicine in your carriage?"

Raziel nodded, "I used to get injured during our escapades, especially during dangerous missions."

Oh..yeah, he was the strongest knight of the empire and always gets sent on missions. But she thought he was invincible. The book mentioned his achievements as a knight, and no one could compete in it, well, except Titus who ranks second.

"Don't you bring some healers during battles?" She asked.

"I don't depend on magic alone, Estelle." And with that, as the carriage moved, Raziel kneeled in front of her to check her feet. Seeing it was swelling, dripping with blood and there were a few scratches, Raziel shook his head and sighed. "It will hurt a bit. Try to endure the pain." He said, and she winced in pain.

When he finished applying it, he looked her in the eyes, "I just put some ointment so that it wouldn't wound for now. I'll get you a healer soon."

Clapping his hands, a masked figure and dark clothes appeared through the window. Lady Vienna gasped, startled by it.

"Yes, your grace?" The man said.

"Healer, now," Raziel ordered and the figure disappeared. How did he manage to get on the carriage while it's still moving? Is he a ninja or something?

"Who was that?" She asked.

"Oh, that was my personal attendant, his name is Huxley.”

"Oh.."

Raziel then sat back in his seat as nothing happened. "What? Is it still hurting?" He asked, noticing her gaze.

"You're quite kind Raziel...opposite of what the rumors say." She can't help but bring up. He may be hard to read, but his actions speak for themselves.

He snorted through his mask. "Why? Do you hate it? I'm trying to be a good husband so that you'll agree to my proposal soon enough. And besides, you said it yourself that you wanted us to get close first."

She nodded, not able to contain the smile on her face. She's glad to see this side of him...it's new...

When they reached her house, they stopped outside for a while as Huxley managed to find a healer right away.

"Thank you for tonight." She said, bowing graciously to the duke.

Duke Raziel nodded, patting Estelle's head. It's a pleasure. Sleep tight, Estelle."

Seems like they're getting closer. Not that she hates it…

With Huxley by his side, Duke Raziel took one last glance at her before leaving.

From the door, she was greeted with a peeking Roxy. She looked at the carriage of Duke Raziel as they started to move away. She blinked. “Am I seeing it correctly? Duke Raziel sent you home, my lady?”

Lady Vienna nodded. “Yes. Is there something wrong?”

Roxy squealed in front of her.“I thought you hated him, my lady?”

She shrugged. “Well, things changed.”

Roxy just threw her a look that says ‘I know what’s going on but let it off for now. She then changed the topic. “Can I ask, who was that person beside Duke Raziel, my lady?”

She looked at her maid, “Oh, you mean Huxley? His assistant?”

“Yes…” Roxy trailed off. “I just think he’s...interesting.”

She smirked, knowing the reason why Roxy asked. Roxy was caught in a daze as she stared in nothingness where Huxley was earlier. When she broke off from her trance, she smiled at her lady. “Shall we head inside, my lady?”

Hmm…is this the start of Roxy’s romantic story? Whatever it is, I’ll support it. The lady thought.