Seven Devils and a Rose

Suddenly, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close, which brought many curious eyes to us from the citizens along the streets. I wondered then if it was all right for Lord Geoffrey to be walking around in the open like this. After all, he was one of the rulers of Acaedien. Wasn't he afraid of being mobbed by his fans or something? Not that he was a celebrity or anything, but I believed he and the other six lords were akin to that in this realm.

"You look worried, Alfie," he said as he guided me around the corner of the street.

I nodded my head, noticing that this side of the street was much more crowded than the previous one, with folks going about their business.

"Very much so, my lord. What if the citizens recognized you? Wouldn't you get mobbed or something?"

He laughed, which was a very nice sound, and I must admit that I liked it very much.

He asked, "Are you worried about me, Alfie?"

I nodded. "Yes, since I don't want you to get mobbed, which would be troublesome."

I felt his hand squeezing my arm, which surprised me.

He said, "No one will recognize me. From their perspective, I'm just a simple man, seen once and forgotten."

I nodded my head in understanding. "You cast a spell on yourself to change others' perspective of you?"

"Hmm."

I chuckled. "That's awesome. But how come I can still see you as you are? Shouldn't I be seeing you as just another simple man, seen once and forgotten?"

He grinned. "And why would I ever want you to forget about me, love? It would break my heart if you ever did."

I said, "You like shooting me with weird questions, don't you? Ones that put me in a corner."

He grinned devilishly as he pinched my cheek as if he couldn't help himself. Of course, it hurt, and I rubbed my sore flesh.

He said, "I'm sure you've met some who bully the ones they like?"

I thought about that for a moment, remembering my high school years. There was this one guy in my class who always bullied and teased another girl, and by the end of the year, during graduation, he apparently confessed to her that he had always loved her. Of course, I hadn't a clue if they ended up together or not, since I wasn't close with either of them. But yes, I did know of some who had a habit of bullying the one they liked.

I nodded my head. "Yes."

Lord Geoffrey stopped, and in one swift move, he pulled me along with him into a quiet alleyway. Within the blink of an eye, I was standing with my back against the wall and he in front of me, so close to me that I could feel his warm breath on my skin.

My heart started racing as Lord Geoffrey touched the tip of my chin and tilted my face so that I could look him in the eye.

Once we'd made eye contact, he said softly, "I like bullying you, Alfie. In fact, I'd love to see you beg me for mercy." He moved in even closer so that our lips were nearly touching. His emerald-green eyes were twinkling wickedly. "I want to see you cry underneath me, Alfie, and I want you to beg me to…" He shifted his gaze from my eyes to my lips, his gaze intense on my flesh.

Deep down, I knew exactly what he was implying.

My heart still racing and cheeks hot, I stammered, "You're a sadist, my lord. No wonder you're the head of the kingdom. You like being in power, don't you?"

He moved his hand to cup my face as he said, "So you've figured me out. Well done, little one." He cocked his head to one side. "I feel like rewarding you since you're pretty smart."

I grinned. Not letting the opportunity go to waste, I said, "Then I accept your reward, my lord. And since it's a reward, I can ask for whatever it is that I want, right?"

He seemed amused at my eagerness. Of course, I knew he wouldn't go back on his words. He'd undoubtedly give me whatever it was that I'd ask of him, and I knew exactly what it would be, when the time was right.

When he finally nodded his head in agreement, I clasped my hands together in glee. I said, "Then I will tell you what I would like." Changing the subject, I continued. "By the way, my lord, you still haven't answered my question properly as to why only I can see you as you are and not others."

He moved back then and said, "I want you to see me as I am, Alfie. I want you to remember every moment of us spending time together."

"I see," I said, not missing the fact I felt rather special in this case, where Lord Geoffrey was concerned.

A moment later, he led me out of the alleyway and into the crowded streets once again. We walked in silence for some ten to fifteen minutes, until we reached one of the busiest streets in the city, which was where the open market resided.

I turned to Lord Geoffrey and said, my eyes wide, "Can we explore here for a bit before returning?"

He smiled at me like a father to his beloved child and nodded his head. The fact that he could easily switch between the charming sadist and this father figure amazed me. Nonetheless, I was elated that he agreed to enter the market with me.

Grinning in delight, I said, "Thank you. I've always wanted to explore the market here, ever since I first arrived in the city."

I pulled at his hand and led him toward the district where thousands of citizens went about their business.

For the first time since I had entered the Aurora Realm, I felt like a kid again, when I got to visit new places and cultures. Here, amongst the thickness of the crowd and the loud buzz of voices, I went from stall to stall, admiring the many different types of products offered, talking to the vendors and asking them questions about anything that caught my attention. Lord Geoffrey—in whatever disguise he was supposed to be in that I couldn't see—was always beside me, and at times, he even held my hand to prevent me from getting lost.

When, sometime later, we came to a crepe stall—yes, they had one here in the Aurora Realm—I licked my lips because it smelled and looked divine.

Lord Geoffrey must have noticed the eager expression on my face, because he chuckled. He asked, "Do you want one, Alfie?"

I nodded my head.

He stepped forward and asked to buy one from the vendor. A moment later, after paying the man a couple of silver coins, he handed me the crepe. This one had vanilla cream and strawberries as fillings.

I eagerly took it as I said, "Thank you so much, my lord."

"You're welcome. My treat."

I blushed, feeling absolutely delighted inside.