Turning around Catherine saw Vesper standing behind her, his now grey eyes in contrast to his black dress, he looked otherworldly under the moonlight. Her cheeks burned with a red hue.
Realizing herself she quickly turned in embarrassment,.but then her eyes widened as something dawned on her.
"Vesper you can't be here, Imperial father will not be happy." She said in a rushed manner, her anxiety was building up.
Vesper clearly surprised by how flustered she seemed just shook his head and said, "It is fine your highness, I have cloaked this space, no one can see in here without my notice, besides, your mother seems to have drawn the attention of his majesty."
Vesper stared at her and then with her step he closed the distance between them.
"Catherine, why do we feel this way?" He asked in a soft tone.
But to Catherine it was the loudest words she had heard in her life, her heart thumped, her hands quivered slightly, her mind ran through different answers but none were good enough.
Vesper noticing her actions spoke again, "I know how you feel, and I know it has been a long time, but this can not happen."
"Leave aside the fact that you are the Crown Princess, I am an enemy to the Empress, and not even royalty. I was adopted by the third queen, but the Emperor did not approve of me."
"I am also attracted to you, I can not call it love but it is a feeling far more than the love I have for Aurora as a sibling, so let us let this all go and not start something we can not finish." He said slowly and calmly.
Catherine's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she listened to every word he spoke, her body quivered but it was no longer out of embarrassment but rage.
"Vesper, I clearly know all this and still chose to feel what I felt, and now you tell me to abandon it, do I look like a child to you?" She asked.
Vesper said nothing and stared at her with the same look, his eyes not giving any emotion whatsoever.
"I didn't know when, but I do know I have loved you for your resilience, and if you want me to stop then I am sorry, but I would only stop when I don't love you by my terms." She continued.
Looking at her Vesper sighed, "What if I am an enemy of the Empire in the future, would you still love me? What if I kill your father or any of your siblings or even your mother, would you still love me?"
Catherine grew unsteady, her rage collapsed into a quagmire of confusion.
"I would not disrespect you by telling you not to love me, but if you want me to love you, you have to prove you will stand by me." Vesper said.
"For tonight though, I would let myself be carried away by my heart." he said once more, holding her chin, raising her head to his, as his lips crashed into hers.
***``
Anna walked into her chambers in rage, Vesper and Catherine's display reminded her off someone she hated so much. Years had passed but it only grew stronger.
"Mother." Adolfus walked into her room.
Turning around she looked at her son, "Adolfus, you must kill that bastard. I hate him because he reminds me so much of her."
"Yes mother, I will try my best." Adolfus said.
In the Ballroom, the ball was about ending and then Marcus stood up.
The announcer said, "Everyone, his majesty has an information to give."
Anna and Adolfus walked in while Catherine walked in from the side door.
Vesper walked in from the main gate, his aura was much more feral, and gloomy.
Marcus stood at his throne and said, "The war of the north begins in ten days, the princes and princesses are all participating, and I expect the dignitaries to let the next generation gain experience from this war."
The crowd began murmuring and whispering to themselves, the Grand Duke Belmont stepped forward and said, The Belmont Family heeds to the Emperors decree, after him every other family head did the same thing.
Vesper just stood with the Imperial family and saw Drake Belmont staring at him with hatred visible in his eyes.
"That is good to know." Marcus said.
"Grand Duke Belmont, Grand Duke Siward, Grand Duke Lennox and Grand Duke Menteith, please follow me." He said as he stepped forward leaving the Imperial Ball Room.
Behind him, four men followed him and they all left the Ball Room and headed to the Royal chambers.
Adolfus walked towards his siblings and said, "Everyone follow me, except you Vesper."
Hearing that Vesper just bowed slightly and said, "I'd excuse myself your highness." with that he left.
As Vesper walked out, he noticed a few hostile gazes locked on him, with a sigh he shook his head and activated his technique World walker, and vanished from the hall.
Appearing in the training ground he sighed, 'It is just three more days until the fruit ripens I must perfect my mastery over the space element.
In another room in the castle, Marcus stood with four men.
"Grand dukes, what do you think of this war?" He said.
Noah Belmont, patriarch of the Belmont family stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest we attack with a bait tactics, we use a specific group for bait and they lure the barbarians to the plains, then our army besieges them from all sides."
The other three dukes nodded their heads, then a man with blonde hair and golden eyes, "Then your Majesty, I have to ask who will head the royal family's army?"
Marcus looked at the man, his name Reynard Siward, the head of the second Grand Duke family, lord of the Krythorian Union in the west.
"They would be led by Vesper and Adolfus, Adolfus will be the Vice since Vesper has more experience in the battle front. That aside, the guardian will be here soon." Marcus said .
Back in the training ground, Vesper sat in the middle of the training ground peacefully, and everything was still, trapped in space.
When he opened his eyes, his grey eyes glowed with a silver light and everything started distorting.
He looked up and jumped, leaping from the ground high into the air, as he landed on a pillar away from the training ground, his gaze latched unto a man with white hair and a golden aura surrounding him.
"Well, boy you are a rare talent, how about I teach you something, since I am in a good mood today." He said as he waved his hand, enveloping himself and Vesper in a golden light and vanishing.