Lord Theodore's Favorite Ritual
Chapter 237: First Life. Alice. (4)

Chapter 237: First Life. Alice. (4)

Evening.

Near EverFalls, Woods.

Springton.

***********

All she could do was avert her gaze from the blue eyes that stared at her so fiercely. She couldn’t hold such an intense gaze, still in the arms of her saviour she felt timid like never before, he’d been holding on to her waist for longer than any other man had touched her besides her father and that alone freezed her.

For a moment, it appeared that they were both transfixed but soon, the invisible spell started to wear off. It was the boy who shook it off first and quickly brought Alice to a standing position before letting his hands fall away from her. Though his gaze was still firmly following Alice, guarding her every move.

They stared into each other’s eyes in awkward silence and when the boy cleared his throat Alice’s eyes widened, the realization of what just happened settling in her fuzzy mind.

A man just touched her!

Her cheeks started to redden instantly, an interesting contrast to her usually porcelain skin. Her face flamed when she caught his gaze again but she refused to avert her gaze again.

If her father got wind of this, he could have the boy’s head despite him just saving her life, she was a princess and she wouldn’t be shy when facing a boy her age.

"Who..." the words got stuck in her throat as she looked into his eyes one more time. She was staring at somewhat familiar blue orbs. way lighter than her ocean blue ones. It was drowning her again and she could not escape.

"You... why...No, Who are you?" she asked, her words a jumbled mess, wheels were spinning too fast in her head and she simply couldn’t be coherent enough. She had suddenly forgotten all her training on speech, gaze or breathing like royalty, matter fact breathing comfortably all together.

The boy just stood there, cool as a cucumber, his eyes still fixed on her face with an emotion Alice couldn’t put a name on, excitement?, expectation?, or fear?, he watched her every step should she slip again. He said nothing and gave nothing away through a calm mask he wore expertly, something very strange for a village boy.

Slowly, the boy’s expression started to betray curiosity. He was looking at Alice more intently now as though trying to decipher what she might be experiencing now, her mouth was still wide open, her countenance disheveled. It was like he could see more than what was being shown, like he knew her, the parts of her that no one knew..

"Stop staring!" Alice screeched, resigning, after having had enough of being under the stranger’s scrutiny. She glanced at their surroundings and was pleased to see that they were still alone.

He turned abruptly, giving her his broad clothed shoulders.

She bent, picked up her shawl that had fallen off her head, she put it back on her head, she hoped to regain her act of a spineless maid. In her mind she practiced her speech to a boy whose back was now turned to her.

"Thank you for your kindness" she let out a cough for emphasis, although she did not know what she was emphasizing "You saved my life. I am a poor maid and..." she stopped halfway when she noticed that her saviour’s back was still turned towards her. She placed a hand on her head in frustration, took in a deep breath as she reminded herself maids never yelled, they never did in the palace but maybe they did outside it and she could scold this stupid stranger but she couldn’t take a risk, she had to play her cards right if she was ever going to convince this stranger that she was just a maid.

"I apologize. I had not meant to..." his back was still turned to her, she gritted her teeth at her cluelessness, "Please you can look at me now" she mumbled.

"Can I ?" The mere sound of his voice had her heart racing again but little did she know her heart rate would only increase with his next remark, "Princess?"

He had turned towards her slowly but she was unaware that she was still not ready for the assault of those blue eyes. They no longer looked to be confused or curious, he appeared to know who she was and she had little luck in denying it.

"I do not know... I know nothing of what you speak about" she denied, her chin raising higher.

Her sky blue eyed saviour shook his head, a small smile dancing on his lips, he did not say anymore and that was even more unsettling for her.

She looked and felt out of place suddenly, in a floral dress that didn’t even fit and a shawl that kept dropping off her shoulders. Yet she didn’t believe she was that easily recognised as the princess of Springton so this young man needed interrogation making her narrow her eyes, as he casually leaned over a tree as though giving her time to come up with whatever plan she could.

Alice began to stare at the boy who seemed to be about a year or some years older than her. She was trying to avert his gaze before but now she looked right through, observing him as much as he observed her.

She hated the feeling of familiarity that crept up her mind because she was trying to stay focused on getting herself out of a situation of possible danger.

She shouldn’t have spun, and she certainly shouldn’t have come this far alone. Sigh.

She watched him and somehow, her blue-eyed saviour was also looking out of place in his dusty farmer’s coat and spoilt sandals although it fitted him more than Harley’s dress could ever fit her. There was nothing about his humble appearance that gave him away but there was something in his aura that spelt he was more than just a farm boy.

"Who are you?" Alice asked, marching forward and leaning into him. He blinked and Alice was transfixed for the first time, a boy around her age had caught her interest. "Tell me who you are" she pleaded, her voice soft.

"Not until you tell me first, who are you, ocean-blue eyed stranger?" he smirked, there was an air of authority in how he spoke that further piqued her curiosity. She knew that no villager would speak like that to anyone they thought was royalty.

She nodded. "I am a royal maid. I-" she paused, there was something about the look in his eyes that told her to come clean, that told her he knew and he was trusting her and she didn’t want to lose that trust, one her father didn’t even have for her, she took a deep breathe, dropped the shawl and caught his waiting gaze again, "I am Princess Alice, first and only princess of Springton and you cannot tell a life" at her words his shoulders visibly relaxed and he reached for her face, he tucked an errant strand of black locks behind her cold ear his eyes hooded and affectionated if she dared be deluded. "It is you" he whispered in a way that made her toes curl, he smiled searching her eyes like a lost child for his lost favourite toy.

Suddenly, he let out a beautiful laugh, his head falling back on the tree and his hand falling away while she missed his warm touch, it was a silent kind of laugh that was followed by a smile and Alice’s knees could not hold her up anymore.

Alice was weak at the knees, quite literally too as she began to fall again and again the stranger was there to save her from falling. This time, their union ended way sooner than the first time he had saved her. Alice was the one to back away, turning her face to hide a blush.

Whatever was wrong with her? she chided herself mentally.

Suddenly nothing else was important, not the festivities or flowers that Alice had tricked her father to see, nothing. All Alice could think about was the stranger that kept saving her like a prince charming would in the fairytales she was read when she was a child. She did not understand why she was feeling this way all of a sudden but all that she knew was that she wanted to know more about this interesting and oddly quite boy, he was almost as cocky as she wouldn’t naturally appreciate but she didn’t mind.

"What is your name?" she whispered to him with her back still turned, she wanted to think straight and his perfectly proportioned face wasn’t giving her that option.

"My lady?" he asked, pretending not to hear what she had asked, he wanted her face to him, she was perfect in every side but he’d prefer her bluish green eyes holding his with whatever emotions lied in them.

"Your name, blue-eyed stranger, what might it be?" Alice was louder this time.

"Still cannot hear a word out of you, my lady" he said and Alice could have sworn that there was an undercurrent humor in those words, she would’ve been sure if she had braved it and was facing him.

She let out a frustrated sigh, let her hands fall to her sides before turning around to face him, hoping that every colour was already drained from her face and she appeared stoic, calm and collected.

"Do not turn your lovely face away from me again, princess" he drawled, his eyes brimming with affectionate and this time Alice was sure but she quickly shook her head as she asked sternly. "Your name," she avoided his gaze, clinging her eyes to his collar button and at his silence she asked. "You do have a name right?"

"Yes I do," the boy answered plainly, his eyes growing distant.

"So?" Alice prompted again, her composure about to crumble completely "What is it? You promised that if I told you mine, you will tell me yours" she reminded him with vigour.

"Yes, I did" for the first time, he was the one to tear of his gaze from hers.

"Yes, you did" Alice advanced walking closer to him now with a beating heart and a confidence she did not know she possessed "Or are you not a man of your words?"

"I am" the stranger blurted almost immediately he was asked. Something flashed in his eyes and Alice did not miss it. Pain, disappointment and lost hope. "Princess Alice, do you not remember me?" he asked, accusation dripping from his voice.

She scoffed. "No, obviously I do not, tell me your name" she insisted.

"Alright," he drawled. Her eyes eager she waited, This was it, the moment of truth. Her heart began to beat erratically again not from an accidental fall and she wondered why now. It was only his name so why would her insides not quiet down. Her heart only grew louder till she feared she would not be able to hear him from all the noise being made by the thumping organ. He started, "My name is---"

"Princess Alice," a voice cut him off but she was intent on hearing his name so she ignored the call of her name. Her brows raised indicating he continued but the call only grew louder and nearer.

"Princess Alice!" it was not a voice she wished to hear!

She looked at the area Harley’s voice was coming from. "My lady, we need to go now" Harley came running from the woods, her expression paler than ever.

She glanced back at the tree and there was nothing there. No one to ask any question.

Alice blinked a few times and her stranger was like he had vanished into thin air.

He had moved and she didn’t even hear a thing as he did.

Who could he be?

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