Enchantment of the Miss

Chapter 11

Why would God come down to suffer the wrath of this rotten world when heaven is such a blissful place? For someone who had been looking up all her life, I cannot really understand why some people of higher status would risk being 'uncomfortable'. Shouldn't they stay where they are because that's where their life is much better?

Don't you think you deserve more?

And yet most commoner, me included, consider them unreachable. After all, we ought to know our place. We put them in pedestals, build them altars, and even if they try to reach out we think we don't deserve to be associated with them. We refuse to be redeemed because we think we don't deserve it. Maybe Alezzander does have a point. Society brainwashed us to believe that we can never amount to anything. No matter how much we try or work hard, it will never be enough because we are 'just' commoners. But is that always the case? Can't we really be more of what we are?

Alezzander didn't push for an answer. He just accompanied me for a silent ride back to Selah. After making sure I'm safely home, he bid goodbye. I was tired but I was wide awake until the wee hours of the night, thinking about everything that has transpired throughout the day. How could so many things happen in such a short span of time? In less than a week since I met Alezzander, my life has been a roller coaster ride. It has been a rough week but I cannot say whether it is entirely bad to try something different once in a while. But what if this would continue? Can I really let Alezzander stay? Will he stay? He obviously brought a hurricane in my life but isn't he the one who saved me a lot of times?

Alezzander Roque Castillan... a royalty... what must it felt like? To grow up in the City of Abram? To live having everything you needed?

The next morning, I woke up with the sun on my face. I groaned. I overslept and yet I don't feel like waking up. I never felt this tired. Just when I decided to go back to sleep, my stomach protested. Darn. I forgot I haven't eaten last night. I groaned again. I haven't cooked breakfast yet.

I want to just stay in bed all day but I know I don't have the luxury to do so. I groaned in frustration as I literally dragged myself down the attic. I am stomping my way down the ladder when I heard someone chopping woods outside. I frowned. I lazily walked to the door and opened it—wait. I'm sure I hooked my door last night! I held my breath as I immediately opened the door.

Just as I thought, Alezzander is at my yard, chopping woods and – I swallowed—topless. Darn! He's topless! His perfectly tanned skin glistened with sweat against the morning sun. His hair is tied behind him, sweat dripping from the untied tendrils. The muscles in his back clenched when he raised the axe. My eyes traveled down his biceps as he went on chopping.

"Hey!"

I literally jerked back to myself and found him already looking at me, a playful smile on his face.

I flushed as I wiped my mouth. I think I drooled. Darn! He caught me ogling him.

He left the axe among the chopped woods and walked to me, that playful smile still on his face. I took a deep breath and straightened my back. I need to redeem myself. I tried concentrating on his eyes but my gaze temptingly fell down at his six-pack abs.

Why the heck is he topless?!

"Good morning," he held either side of the doorframe and leaned down to me.

I whimpered. For goodness' sake, I literally look so stupid right now. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Relax, Giselle. It's just muscles. I opened my eyes and met his blue eyes.

"Why are you here?" I asked as calmly as I can.

"I'm chopping woods," he grinned. "You ran out of woods. I used the remaining woods to heat our breakfast."

"What?!" I gaped at him.

"You didn't check your woods? You barely had enough," he answered.

"I'm not talking about the woods—why are you topless anyway?" I pulled him inside the house. I found it scandalous that he's almost naked outside my house. Well, my closest neighbor is a hill away but still! "Did you just say you cooked breakfast? Just when did you arrive?"

"I arrived at sunrise. I brought breakfast from the castle but you overslept so I decided to chop wood while waiting for you," he answered.

I frowned. "But why?"

It's his time to frown. "Why what?"

"Why are you here?!"

"Because I want to be here," he answered as-a-matter-of-factly.

I crossed my arms in front of me and took a deep breath. "If you're just bored, please, I have no time for this."

He sighed dramatically. "We've been having the same conversation over and over again," he said in frustration. "Did you not hear anything I told you yesterday?"

I closed my eyes and massaged the bridge of my nose. I'm too exhausted for another round of useless debate. I've been trying to think last night but I just ended up having a migraine. I need more time!

"I need to think," I said calmly.

"Okay," he agreed.

I blinked twice when he just stared at me like he didn't understand what I just said.

"I need to think!" I repeated.

"I heard you," he said.

"You can leave while I think," I rolled my eyes.

"No," he said firmly. "I stay while you think."

I gaped at him. "What?! Ugh!" My palm automatically flew to my forehead in frustration. "This is so messed up," I muttered.

"I'll prepare breakfast then. You must be hungry," Alezzander started preparing breakfast, ignoring my problematic state.

I shook my head, too exhausted to have another fight. This is going way out of control.

"How did you know I was at the house of the Duke of Adaya?" I suddenly asked Alezzander over breakfast. He's already wearing his polo after I insistently asked him to. He also served breakfast and by 'served' I mean he did all the work. I just sat here like a princess.

"I came back after the third hour of the morning and found the house empty," he answered. "I saw the Duke's letter at your table so I went to fetch you. I don't want you walking through the forest again."

"I? Weren't you with K?"

"Yes. We came from an important business," he frowned. "Why are you asking about him anyway?"

I gaped at him. "Duh. You came with him."

The side of his lips twitched which made me frown. Why is he always acting weird when it comes to K?

"Then?" I nudged him to continue.

"Then we arrived at the Duke's mansion. I asked the guard but he just pushed us away. That's when I felt something's wrong," he continued. "We roamed around the house until we heard you scream."

I screamed? I frowned. Then I remembered when I jumped from the second floor. I must have really screamed then.

"Then we attacked," Alezzander ended with a shrug.

I nodded. That explains it.

"So, K would normally bring explosives with him wherever he goes?" I blurted out of nowhere. I was just curious why someone would be carrying that much explosives.

Alezzander suddenly scowled at me and I just stared back in disbelief. What did I do?

"Will you stop talking about other men while you're with me," he said coldly.

I frowned. "Why not?!"

He scowled at me again. I nibbled on my lower lip. Was there something wrong about asking?

Alezzander added more rice on my plate. "Eat!"