After finally completing her tour of the imperial palace, Anabel asked to be left in the library.
She always loved reading, and her maid sometimes stole books from the library for her; thinking about it made her miss her.
Lia and Hope left cake and tea to have while she read leaving her to herself.
It went by as she got lost in the other world of the books she read.
.....
"You have my child " Anabel opened her eyes and froze.
"Mother " she called.
The woman in front of her opened her arms, welcoming her. She ran, and the familiar embrace held her.
"Mother ...it's you " she cried.
"Yes, my angel ... you're all grown up " She kissed her forehead.
"I missed you "Tears fell down her cheeks.
"I know sweetheart, I missed you too ". With the touch of her fingers in her hair, Anabel closed her eyes, praying it wasn't a dream.
"Ana...you need to be careful now " her mother let out.
"Why, Mother, I know you're angry about Father, but Sebastian is a good man ", she sniffed.
"Oh, my sweet child, this world will not be kind to you. But you will have a beautiful future to look forward to, so please don't ever give up," she whispered in her ear.
She felt her mother's presence start to fade, she called to her, but her frame had disappeared.
"Mother ...mother ", she cried, waking up.
"Bel...wake up, it was a dream ", it was Sebastian's voice.
His hand was holding the back of her neck trying to wake her up.
"Your majesty...I mean, Sebastian, when did you get back?" She sat up.
"I found you asleep in the library, did you enjoy the books ?" he asked as he slowly wiped the tears on her face.
She sniffed nodding.
"I did, how did your meeting with your mother go ?"
"Alright," he lied.
She noticed the dark sky outside through the open balcony. She was back in her room, and it was already dark.
"I slept for so long. Did I miss having dinner with you? I am sorry Lia should have woken me up" She moved, stepping out of bed.
He stopped her," It's fine, I told them to bring yours into your room "
She noticed the food set aside, Sebastian got up and brought it to her on the bed.
"Thank you, Sebastian"
She took a sip and beamed. The soup was warm and seasoned perfectly, the rest of the food was to her liking.
"Ah, Sebastian?" she called.
"Mmm...".
"Can I feed you too?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"Well, it's just that the last time we had a meal together, you fed me and thought this time I would do the same for you ...if it's okay with you, your majesty ", she stammered.
"Mmm, go ahead " he muttered.
Anabel scopes up some soup and holds it up to his mouth. He opens taking it in.
"It's good, isn't it ?"
He nodded; of course, he knew how it tasted; he had made the kitchen staff make it multiple times until it was to his liking; he wanted everything to be perfect for her.
For each piece of food she ate, Anabel passed a piece to him too.
"Should we go out for a walk " he suggested soon after.
...
Anabel realised how big of a maze the imperial palace was. No matter how much they walked it didn't seem to end.
The sky was filled with stars and a half-moon.
She had stumbled awhile back, so now Sebastian was holding her hand, leading them; his palm was warm.
Walking side by side with him made her realise how tall and wide his shoulders were.
Tonight he had let his hair free, with the warm wind fluttering through it.
The palace staff and guards kept stealing glances as they walked past them, but the Emperor didn't seem to care, so she soon stopped being conscious of them and enjoyed their walk.
"My mother used to take me on evening walks in the palace when I was young," she said.
His pace slowed down listening to her.
Mother was a very kind and beautiful woman, everyone in the palace and kingdom loved her.
I loved listening to her singing it always put me at ease, no matter how sad I was.
And when I hurt or was sick, she always knew what remedy to give me to get better; her hugs were the warmest and longest ones.
Everything was bright and wonderful when she was alive.
Anabel had not realised they had stopped walking, Sebastian's eyes fixed on her emotional face.
But after they left, nothing was the same; Father hated me and hid me away, and no one could sing to or hug me. No one offered to take me on walks like she did or take care of me when I got hurt or sick. It was...she stopped when something touched her cheek.
Anabel blinked, realising another tear; she was crying.
"Oh my ...when did I start to cry?" she sniffed, pulling away from his hand that was trying to wipe her tears.
She needed to stop crying; it wasn't good for her health, and her body was already weak. And he felt something ache in his chest every time he saw her crying.
Anabel wiped her tears.
"I am sorry it's been so long since I had the time to think of Mother. And after I had a dream about her, she is all I can think about "
"Was it why you woke up in tears ?" he asked.
"Yes...but it was nice seeing her face again, although it was just a dream ", she sniffed, her tears still falling.
"You miss her ?" he asked.
She nodded.
"I tried so much not to think about her since father pushed me away. I told myself I had to be strong for her so that she wouldn't worry about me. And I succeeded, but now that I am free from father and stepfamily, I feel so heavy inside, "she turned, looking back at him, "and the pain worsened when I saw her in my dreams earlier ". She burst out in tears.
Sebastian frowned seeing her heavy tears flow down her face.
"I just realised how lonely I was all those years. How did I manage to survive for this long " she cried.
"Come here " he gestured to her.
She didn't hesitate to fall into his arms, hiding her face in his chest.
"Is it okay if I stain your coat " she cried.
"Mmm, it's alright " he patted her back.
He hated this ...she was mostly crying every time he saw her why was that?
"I can't seem to control my tears; I can't stop crying ", she cried out.
"Then may I help ?" he looked down at her.
Her head moved, meeting his gaze; mem, go ahead", she hiccuped,s, her tears still falling.
He bent down closer to her face, nudging her head with his. He gently pushed her back, exposing her lips to his.
Anabel froze when she felt his soft, warm lips press down on hers, silencing everything around her.
His left arm slid to her waist, bringing her closer to his embrace, while his right raised to the back of her neck, holding her head in place.
"I hate seeing those tears in your eyes , something painful strikes my chests whenever I see you in tears....so please don't cry anymore " he whispered in her ear.