A Saint and A Flower

Chapter Five

Myself and Adom moved into the main palace the next day. The room that I was given was grand enough for a princess. It was large, and excessively lavish with a massive bed with pink silk sheets, and walls the color of ivory. I had enough room for a sitting area, a desk for writing letter and studying, and a vanity. There was also a bathroom and a closet, already stocked with a full wardrobe. I had smiled at that, knowing the King had fully expected me to accept their offer. After all, preparing all of this overnight would be impossible, even for the King. He had made these preparations before he had even sent me an invitation to visit, or so I suspect.

Adom stuck close to my side, as I explored the room, his small footsteps echoing after me. Three maids, and a butler stood nearby, watching and waiting for my orders. Guessing, I'd say right now I'm seven years old, and Adom looked to be at most six, while both princes would soon turn eight. I sighed. First things first. I turned to the butler.

"I will need tutors, and so will Adom. Please have it prepared as soon as possible. If not prepared already, he will also need clothes. If I was given a budget, please take money from there to get him several outfits and shoes. Also, I would like his room to be as close to mine as you can manage. He has been with me since I first came to this world, and his presence gives me great comfort," I order.

"Of course, Saintess. I will have it prepared immediately."

After the butler left, I dismissed the maids and plopped down on the couch. Adom stayed standing, staring at the door they all left through. 

"What are you doing? Come sit with me," I said, waving him over. 

His feet made their way over and hesitantly, he sat beside me. 

"I don't think servants are supposed to sit with their masters," He spoke after a moment. 

"You don't need to act like a servant when it's just us. After all, I hope that we can be friends," I smiled at him, patting his white locks. 

His head tilted, as if he was a cat pondering something curious.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You let me eat and bathe before you the other day, you made sure I had clean clothes, you asked the priest to test me for divine powers as well, you comforted me before we met the king, and you asked them to prepare tutors for me too. Why?" 

"Why not? You decided to believe in me, and follow me. I should treat you well."

"Servants aren't treated this well."

"I don't see you as a servant. You were the first one to reach out to me in this world, and you are going to become my knight. It's a great honor for me."

"A great honor... for you?"

I laughed lightly at his confused tone. 

"Of course, I've never had a knight before. You'll be my first."

Adom was silent for a while, his green eyes lost in thought. 

"Then... I will do my best to become a knight worthy of your praise."

I smiled at him fondly, patting his head once more. 

"I look forward to it."

Soon after, a maid came to show Adom to his room, and I took the chance to explore the gardens of the palace. I knew from the novel, that Axel would frequently stare out the windows of the tower into the rose garden. He would watch servants, and officials as they went about their days, wishing just one of them would glance towards the tower, just to be seen if only for a moment. When Amelia had met his eyes that day, he was instantly drawn to her. 

When I was offered a place here at the palace, I instantly requested a room near the rose gardens, saying that they were my favorite, but in all reality, I was hoping I wouldn't be too far from where they were keeping Axel. The garden was easy to find, just outside where I would be staying. There, red and white roses bloomed vigorously. The sight was beautiful, and for a moment, I was caught off guard by the sights and smells. I entered deeper, admiring the blossoms for a moment before looking around the vicinity. It was there, at a distance, that I could see the old, neglected tower that housed the cursed, first prince. It speared through the air, made of old, faded stone, and covered in crawling ivy. 

At the top of the tower, just as depicted in the novel, a window sat, looking out into the garden. And even though it was from a distance, when I looked at that window, a pair of deep blue eyes peered back. When I blinked, they were gone, but I was sure of what I saw. I knew that Axel was a hostile person. After years of yearning for love and attention from others, he closed his heart of completely, and instead rejected others before they could reject him, but if I wanted to be his ally, I would need to be steadfast in my goal. 

I made my way towards the tower, navigating through the maze of rose bushes. As the worn brick building came closer in sight, I quickly looked for the door hidden by vines of ivy. Once I found it, I opened it quickly and made my way in. The inside was dark, and smelled of mold and decrepit air. I walked carefully up the stairs, and to the top of the tower, to the only door in the building. I stole a breath, finally here. This one wish was what made me fall into this world, but the desire to make this boy happy still ran desperately through my veins. 

After a moment, I knocked on the door. It was silent inside, no answer. 

"Is anyone there?" I called gently. After nobody answered me, I grabbed the knob and began to turn the door handle. 

"Don't come in here!" A young voice demanded, hard and unyielding. 

"I knew you were in there," I spoke, smiling even though he couldn't see it. 

"...Nobody is supposed to be up here," He answered after a long pause.

"I can be."

"Liar!"

"It's the truth. I can go where I wish."

"The King gave you permission?"

"More or less. My name is Esme. Can I come in now?"

"No. Go away."

I pouted slightly, contemplating what I should do. I had came this far already, and I didn't want to leave, but pushing him too far could make him retreat farther. I squared my shoulders, determined, before shoving open the door. The air carried dust particles, and they drifted through the space, flashing in the sunlight. The small room was encompassed by faded stone, and the floor creaked from the old wooden boards. A desk sat in the corner, covered in worn books and cheap parchment. A bed with a thin mattress and rough, wool blankets sat in the corner, along with a shabby wooden nightstand, supporting a yellowed glass, and a picture of stale water. The small room was covered in cobwebs, and dust, and smelled of something stagnant. My eyes finally fell on the shocked boy standing by the window.

His frame was small for his age, probably from malnutrition, and his skin was unbelievably fair from the limited sunlight, but even then, he was beautiful with his jet black hair, and his cerulean blue eyes. He was severely underweight, to the point where his cheek and collar bones protrudes harshly. His little hands instantly went to cover half of his face, but I saw it, the scrawling black letters surrounded by red, inflamed skin, as if the words themselves even caused pain. I knew that this boy was Prince Axel.

"What are you doing?! Get out of here!" He yelled, his blue eyes hard and panicked. 

"I don't want to," I huffed, stepping into the small space with a frown. How could the Emperor put him in a space like this? He was still one of the crown princes of this empire. 

"Do you know who I am?" He demanded, squeezing himself against the brick wall to keep as much distance between us as possible. 

Looking at him almost made me cry. He looked like a feral animal, scared and panicked as he pressed his body against the stone wall to stay away from me, his eyes wild and wide. 

"Yes, I know."

He paused at my tone, just staring at me wordlessly. I wonder what he was thinking, this poor boy that people tried to forget as much as they could. Even the maids didn't come up here like they were supposed to. He was barely fed, and they hadn't cleaned this place in ages. 

"My name is Esme, and I'm the new Saintess," I spoke gently, curtsying to the sickly prince before me.