The Fourth

When she opened her eyes, the room is dark and it is so quiet. She still remembers what is happened to her but does not really know what must she do after that. Well, guess she will just meet that person and give him her gratitude and find another place to live. Just like usual.

" But what kind of Oculis is he?" she muttered as she walk out of her room and looked around in the big, magnificent palace. It is so quiet but it is also bright, the accent of northern was so thick with the blue and white color. She was once gone to the capital city of the Oculis dukedom and sure, it is so beautiful.

But this place sure is on another level. Even the last palace she once lived had never been this magnificent.

She walks into the empty hall and was confused about the track and how she go to the outside, then she found a terrace and was quite amazed by how the scenery is. It was beautiful dawn with a scene of the beautiful city. That is so sparkling and so stunning. The palace seems to be in a higher place so that the view can be so much to see.

" Where is it actually?" she asked. As she then jumps from this high terrace to the ground casually and walks to the empty garden. Like the usual north, the cold totally different. The temperature is colder and the air so refreshing.

Klang! Klang!

And she stopped walking when she hears a sword kind of sound and decides to go over it. Then she smiles as the man there stopped practicing and looks at her. "... Are you practicing, My Lord?" asked her.

Then the duke casually put his sword back to the scabbard and look at her who walk toward him barefoot. " Stop right there," he said. As Amaia stopped confusedly and look at the duke who comes toward her. " I think I told them to tell me if you wake up," he said and suddenly hold her up.

" who are you talking about?" she asked as she does not mind what he did.

" The one who should guard your room," he said.

And she frowned as she brushes his hair and hugs him casually. " I did not see anyone," she said but then hold his shoulder and push her body away to look at him. " Or maybe because I jumped out of the terrace and they did not see me."

" Why you jump out the terrace?" asked him.

" Because I don't know how to go down?" said her with a small smile. " Don't be so fuss toward a simple one, my lord," she said. " Life is much easier if you just enjoy a little thing."

And he just sighed as he then walk her. "Let's just go back to your room and take more rest."

" EH? But I don't want that!" she said. " I slept so much, my body becomes stiff. Can not I see you practicing?" said her.

And she frowned and sighed again. "Let's just find your slippers first," he said.

" Eh? But my feet feel so nice," she said but the duke does not look at her anymore and just walk. Then he calls one of the guards that they found while walking, the duke then asked them to bring slippers and called the maid. They look so surprised as they see the duke holding a woman dearly like that. Moreover, is not just an ordinary woman, but a woman with black hair and black eyes. They do not stop staring over her, they frowned as they did not believe what they see. They glared and whispered while looking at her and she just smiles as she then buries herself in his body. Who feels so cozy and warm.

They then come to a place where there is a balcony with a tea table, he puts her down there and picks up the slippers that Hera, the maid already brought to him. He then comes to her and kneels. Wipes her foot gently in sudden.

" Woah, stop. I can do it by myself," she said.

" Just stay put," he said while doing something even Hera speechless with it and he just continued to do so. As his big hand-held her small foot so gently, even just a while ago, he just wields his sword hard yet swift. " Your feet so cold," he said while petting her foot.

And she nods. " Well, north weather kinda new for me," she said while warming her hands with her breath. Then he looks at her who redden from cheeks, hands, and nose.

" Let's just make some nice hot drink," he said as Hera nodding understood. " What do you want?"

" I am fine with anything," she said.

And he just then ordered Hera to make a hot chocolate and asked her to also bring some blankets and when all of that arrived, he then put the blankets on her while fixing her black hair.

She then smiles at him as she puts his hand on her cheeks. " You surely a loving person, huh?" she said while looking at him who stand in front of her. " but... you should be careful when you do this with me," she said as she closes her eyes while enjoying the warmth and coziness that she feels in his hand. Then she opens her black eyes and looks at the duke who still looking at her. " You should be more careful since you seem to have a high position that you should preserve. So that's why you have to hold yourself or your reputation will be stained by someone like me," she said and lets his hand go then takes a hot chocolate on the table. Then she smirk in-joke, " ' the lord is bewitched by the witch.' sounds bad is not it?" asked her.

" You care about that opinion?" asked him while he then sit and be put on some tea by Hera.

" It is not because I care about that, well, I spend almost 25 years in my life getting used to that kind of stereotype," she said casually as it's no longer becomes her problem. " I spent almost 9 years wandering to know people like me will be known as bad people wherever I go, so why should I think about something uncontrollable? It's just tiring me out," she said while taking a sip of the hot chocolate. " But, it's never been my favorite to involve people with my problem."

" Then good, you should not care about that, that much," he said. " People will tend to believe rumors just for their satisfaction."

And she giggles. " And that is the problem, my lord," she said while she put all of her hair up and tied it in one. Showing her red neck while smiling at him. " The problem is, there is no rumor here. I am what they are talking about," she said.

And the duke's eyebrow lifts up. " So you are saying, the rumor saying the truth?"

Then she is nodding. While she then put her hot chocolate aside and put her hand up the table while holding her face. " I am a witch is what I am saying," she said. " Well even though it's not black magic as they are talking about, yet it's true I have an unknown magic that ordinary people do not know," she said. " Magic that being lent for me by them."

" them?"

And she is nodding. " Should I show you?" while then smiling while watching at his straight gaze. " The lord will just look with that cold gaze, as you are not interested in anything, but well I will just show you anyway...as they are my friend," she said. While then put her hand up and a sparkling thing glittering surround her were slowly but sure becoming a human-like thing but with beautiful tiny wings. Their eyes are fully silver as their ears are so long. " They are, ' Sylph.' other called them fairy, other called them ' Yin & Yang ' well different cultures have their own story of them. They are known as myths, but they actually an important part of nature... you can call that they are nature itself." she said. " I found out that I can communicate with them at my 15th and at 16th I began my journey to know more about them."

" You are saying they are the ones who lend their power to you?" asked him. " What kind of power? And why?"

And they are staring at him confusedly. [ Why he is asking a stupid question?] said one.

[ Is not we are lending Amaia, power?]

[ We love you... that's why we give you our blessing.]

[ Why are humans so stupid?]

" Well you are so stupid to ask me that thing, my lord." and she laughed. " But many can be done with their power. They are the core of nature itself, so they can deconstruct nature and create new things. With their help, I can see the most complicated injured as the one you once experienced. With their help I can create a protective barrier or manipulated weather ... such as?" she said.

" And you casually tell about that kind of power to a stranger?" asked him.

And she frowned. " Well yes, you are right. While you pointing that out, we even do not know about each other name do not we?" asked her. While waving to the sylph who then vanished. " .... I am not usually this blunt with others, but I just feel comfortable with you so it's just natural things I guess, forme... at least." she said calmly, "..... but even so from the start, I am not trying to hide it. My ability can be so much useful for many people, it is just not right if I am using it for my own benefit." she said. And she smiles bitterly while looking away from him. " ...yet, the prejudice sure the hard part to pass," he said.

And he sighed while putting his hand on his forehand. " ... do not you think that it could bring you danger too?" asked him.

Then she looks at him. " Sure. That right. Even the last event almost killed me." she said. " I am not that stupid to not know about that though but also, I am tired to run away." and she smiled as she stand up to put down her blanket, and shawl. Then walk down to the park in front of them. " I almost spend half of my life in vain thinking about how tragic to be me....but then I realize that there is something I can not control even I am trying to. One is the me that being me who hated by everyone, the other one, is me who just wanted to enjoy life as much as I can. I don't want to be locked in a place where I could not feel free as I am. That feeling is uncontrollable and I could not stop. So, that is why I will just live the way I am, do the thing I wanted to.... its never been an easy way, I have overcome hell before I became me now, not to mention that even in so many areas I visited, people will tend to hate me and trying to kill me.... of course, I will do many things to just survive, I want to live as long as I can and not giving up the life that is blessed with nature itself but if there a time when the death comes, I will make sure I will not regret it.... because I already living to the fullest and seeking and founding something I eagerly wanted... something as meeting you. The reason why it is worth living the way I am right now... " she said while smiling warmly. " Do you know? You became the reason that I try to find in life... the fact that the life that I choose lead me to you, it is so miraculous I could not even stop smiling. Thank you for being someone who let me help you and become someone who helped me out too despite who I am... "

And there is nothing the duke can say, and just staring at that woman who smiles beautifully in front of him. There are of course so many princesses, women, many people from the opposite sex who eagerly and intentionally speak sweet talks in his ears just to make him fall for them but never, they could shake him as much this woman does right now. He will just brush them off so easily as they are nothing.

" Woah, that's a nice feeling after you speak up your true feeling," she said as she stretches her body and looks at the sky who shows her a beautiful scenery of sun rising who then touched her slowly. " ... Now, should I start packing now?"

"... where are you going?" asked him.

" Personally, I am not sure. I just follow the flow." who surprised by the fact the duke is now in front of her. She titled her head while smiling. " Is there any problem?" asked her as she reach her hand out to his face who was then being held by him.

" Sure it is. To know, my doctor will just go away from me," he said.

And she laughed while she hugged him and start moving her body while he is following her. " Sure, that damned blue water. Why your god so wicked as they created the poisonous for the one they blessed."

" Sure, I agree with you. The damned god.." he said while smiling who make her stunned with the handsomeness, and the warm feeling comes through it. " Do you know the history of it?"

" Hemm, let's see, it is the one who makes the Oculis become the shield and the sword of the North?"

" Only that?"

And she closes her eyes trying to think. " Well, I wandered to many places, I kinda mix match the history... what is it?"

" Then, wait for it until I tell you the real one," he said. " While waiting, just live with me here... you can do anything you wanted, but just let me beside you.... so that you will not experience unnecessary hurt," he said.

And she smiles widely. " Did you now, over me a protection?" asked her laughed. " ...Who are you that has so much confidence to protect me? I am a kind of a rare woman you know..."

"It's your loss for not knowing me," he said. " The least that I could say, no want can order me."

She frowned. " Are you the kind of powerful lord or what?" she asked and the duke just smile who makes her more curious. " What is this, Lord? There is nothing good to make someone eagerly curious. I am one of an obsessive woman you know, I will try to fulfill my curiosity even it's mean I will get obsessed with you." she said.

The duke nodded. " That's what I expected," he said while touching slightly her slender neck who is red by the cold. "Let's tell everyone here, if they tell something about me, I will punish them from now," he said.

" Woah don't you overboard thing?" asked her. " Then I will not let you know about who I am," she said.

And he smiled. " What are you talking, Lady Amaia? Such a beautiful name is not it?" asked him while holding her up suddenly as she looks at him annoyed. " ... try to find out about that later. You are cold now, so let's go back," he said.

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