The Center of Cosmos

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“Why are you asking?” Mathew asks.

“I just want to know,” she replied and shrug her shoulders, “Well, you don’t have to answer me if you don’t want master. It’s getting dark, we should head back now,” Celine added and started to walk back the horses.

Mathew smiled and glance at her back.

“Celine,” he called.

She glances back at him.

“Come back here for a minute,” Mathew uttered.

She blinks twice and walks back at him.

“Why?” she asks.

He smiled.

“I want to answer your question,” he replied.

“You don’t have to—”

“I’m a man with many fears Celine,” he interrupted, “I apologize if it took a while to answer,” he added.

Celine didn’t respond and remained her gaze at him.

“Tell me, Celine, if I tell you what I fear the most, will you see me as a kid and not as a man?” Mathew asks scratching the back of his neck.

“No. Why would I do that?” she answered, “Having a lot of fear doesn’t mean your weak. If you had a lot and choose to overcome it, then you’re strong.”

Mathew just stared at her making Celine avert her gaze back at the sea as she heard his gentle laugh.

Just like her, Mathew gazes back at the wide sea.

“I’m scared of disappointing the people who believed in me, I’m scared of breaking my parents’ trust, I’m scared of hurting someone’s feelings. But, what I am scared of the most is facing the end alone, and then regretting everything I could have done and should have done for myself, regretting why I’m saving everyone and then ending up losing myself in the process,” Mathew answered.

Celine glance at him and saw the side profile of his face and how his eyes reflects sadness and coldness in it as his small smile slowly faded.

“It’s not like my family and friends don’t love me or can’t understand me at all, it’s always the pressure inside my mind that keeps drowning me from that fear,” he added.

“Is that why you’re always so selfless that you just choose to save other’s life then throw yours easily? Should I just snatch you away and burned this world after?” she commented.

He laughs.

“You can’t, I’m saving this world remember?”

“Then just forget this world,” she replied.

“Celine, believe me, despite how heavy these feelings are and, despite the sadness and fears. You have to learn and see that it’s not all their fault and not yours as well. If I feel like this, it’s fine. After all, if love and happiness never stay with you till the end, then so can pain,” Mathew explained.

“The world is not that wretch, you just have to accept that this place is filled with broken people with shattered hearts and dreams. But if you let the world get destroyed, they won’t have the chance to realize that the light comes inside a dark room through the shattered glass in a broken window,” he continue to say and smiled at her.

“Why must you be too good? Are you a god? Damn, it feels like you’re a perfect fictional character who suddenly escape from a book,” Celine uttered looking away from him.

Mathew laughs at her absurd statement making his shoulder move up and down.

“Of course not, I’m only a human and I’m real!” he managed to say between his laugh, “But I’ll take your statement as a compliment. You shouldn’t flatter me too much Celine, or else I might think that you have a crush on me,” he added and smiled at her brightly.

“I’m only saying what I observed from you, master, and stop flirting with me,” she replied and averted her gaze away from him as she heard him laugh again.

“Well,” he uttered and stops laughing, “How about you? What it is that you feared the most?” he asks.

She glances back at Mathew.

“I was forsaken by the gods and couldn’t remember why I was sealed for years, I was left behind and hated by most of the people I don’t even know, so I thought I don’t have anything to fear anymore,” she replied and look away, “But I guess I have one now,” she added, “I am more afraid to see you die, master. That’s why I’m not asking you to be the strongest or to be the perfect ruler, I just want you to live,” Celine continued to say.

Mathew didn’t respond and just kept staring at her.

“We should head back, master, it’s getting late. Lucas might be worried,” she announced and walk back to the horses.

She brushes her hand gently on the horse’s body when she felt him grab her waist making her face him and then lock her between his arms.

Their faces were inches away as their eyes gazes at each other.

“Master?” she mumbled keeping her face away from him.

“Celine, I want you to tell me the truth,” Mathew whispered in a slightly raspy voice, “Tell me, did I manage to have a place in that numb heart of yours, not as your master but as a man?” he continued to ask.

She felt electrified as she felt his soft hand on the side of her face then slowly tucking the hair behind her ear.

His hazel eyes drown her into a bizarre feeling, it feels so strange and makes her in heat.

She composed herself and tried to clear her clouded mind.

“Master, please come down,” she whispered feeling his heavy breathes, “We should be on our way now,” she added and managed to look away from his gaze.

He cleared his throat and steps back making a bigger space between them.

“Yes… we should go now,” Mathew replied.

They ride their horses and immediately go on their way back to the imperial palace.

During the ride, she heard the horse’s gallops. Mathew was ahead of her while Celine maintained her stare at his broad back.

Her hand touches her left chest.

‘What’s happening to me?’ she thought as she let out a sigh.

A few hours, they arrived at the imperial palace exhausted and sleepy. Both of them entered the palace, Lucas approaches them.

“Your majesty! It’s good that both of you have safely arrived here,” Lucas uttered, “Your majesty, should I command the servants to prepare your dinner? The royal princess, the former empress, and the former emperor already had their dinner a while ago,” he added.

“Master, Lucas, I’ll be going now to my room, please excuse me,” Celine interrupted as she bowed her head to them and walks away.

Lucas glances at Celine and then back at Mathew and notices his stare at her and his discomfort.

‘Did something happen between the two of them?’ he thought.

“Your majesty?” he called.

But Mathew didn’t respond and just kept on staring at Celine who walking away from them.

“Your majesty?” Lucas called again, this time he patted his shoulder.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Mathew uttered.

‘Ah, something did happen,' his inner self confirmed.

“Are you okay? Did something happen?” Lucas asks.

Mathew pinch the bridge of his nose while his other hand was resting on his hips.

“I almost cross the line,” he mumbled.

Lucas's eyes widened in shock at his confession.

“Hah? Pardon your majesty?” Lucas managed to reply.

“I’m going to rest now. I need to prepare for tomorrow,” Mathew answered ignoring his question, and continued to walk leaving him behind.

“Damn,” Lucas heard him mumble.

Meanwhile, he, who saw that the imperial palace was covered by a protective barrier laughed at the very moment his fingertips burned when he touch the barrier.

“My lord, what would be your next move, it seems like the sorcerer’s barrier is strong enough to block us from going inside,” Shin uttered.

He smiled darkly.

“Oh no, it won’t be long until this barrier break. You’ll see,” he uttered and glance at Shin who immediately look away from him, “Soon, I will meet them,” he added.

“That’s good to hear my lord,” Shin answered.

“More importantly, make sure to bring them with you the moment the sorcerer’s spell breaks,” he commanded.

“Yes my lord.”

“Now go,” he announced.

Shin, with wings on his back, flew away from his master and then immediately transformed into his bird form.

His eyes glance at the place protected by the sorcerer.

“Make sure you don’t die,” he whispered in the air hoping the lady would hear her, “Because I can’t do anything for you but to hope you could make it through,” he added as he flaps his wings.