He was having a nightmare on their way back to the house. The same nightmare he had after his parents died. Then it shifted to the time his grandmother told him a story about the enchantress. He wondered if he was dreaming about that because of what Elvino said. He admitted that had forgotten about the enchantress.
He was walking upstairs full of thoughts. He decided that he will continue looking for the enchantress. What he said when he was a kid is serious. He went looking for the enchantress, but after he met Kelly, he somewhat forgot about it. Before going to his room, he went to her room first, to check up on her. He opened the door, not bothering to knock, and was stunned by what he saw.
She is there already sitting on the bed, facing the window opposite the door. He couldn’t see her reaction, yet, he felt relieved. He walked into the room slowly trying to confirm that she was awake and not just sleep-deprived. The first thing he noticed when she blinked her eyes open was how beautiful they were. She is the woman he knew, but she’s different. Her eyes are white with silver long lashes. Her brows are white as well as her hair that flows down to her side. Her face proportion is different from that of a human. Her face is small and her eyes looked bigger and with pointy ears. She has a sharp small nose and those plump lips. She’s a goddess.
The second thing he noticed was that her skin was a pale gray and soft, like snow on a winter day. Her face is so soft. It reminds him of something he saw in a book, or is it from that story? Her grandma’s description of the enchantress in that story is very similar to her.
She looks ethereal, otherworldly, unreal almost, so unearthly. He doesn’t know what’s the perfect word to describe her. But he knows she's real because his heart starts racing at the sight of her. He can’t get enough of looking at this creature and he wants to hold her hand, touch her, talk to her, but there is a huge part of himself that is screaming to keep his distance.
“Who are you?” he said calmly.
“This is my real appearance,” she answered.
There wasn’t any change in her facial expression except for a small curve of the lips, which made her look more beautiful than ever. He was speechless, completely speechless. His heart was beating faster than usual. He didn’t know what to say so he just stood there staring at her. After some time, he spoke.
“Kelly?”
“My real name is Chantria Witherbell. I am the enchantress of the land of Tantuphyl. Now that you know, please let me go.”
“I heard about you. I’ve been looking for you ever since I was young.”
“Why?”
“I want to help you-”
“Why?”
She sounded angry now and he could see how her fists clenched by her sides.
"Because you deserve better.” He said simply, not being able to look into her eyes anymore.
She stared at him with a questioning stare, as if she wanted to make sure that he meant what he said. He didn’t notice that she had slowly gotten closer until she stopped right in front of him. Their arms were touching now and Chantria’s head was only an inch away from his neck. He gulped and looked up.
Chantria has never felt like this before; she wanted to run away but she couldn’t. She felt weak as if she would fall apart any minute. She closed her eyes tight trying to calm herself. If it wasn’t for the fact that she’s still standing in the same spot she would have given up already.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently.
She didn’t reply and he noticed her stand isn’t steady. He picked her up gently and laid her on the bed.
“You still need to rest. We’ll continue our talk tomorrow.” He kissed her forehead and left the room.
He went to his room, his heart beating fast as if he had run for a mile. He still can’t believe that all this time, the enchantress was with her. He fell on the bed and let out a loud sigh. It seems too good to be true. And yet, it was.
“What’s on your mind?”
He turns around to see Harvin sitting at his desk. He’s looking at him with a serious expression and his hands are folded together as if in prayer. He blinks twice before responding.
“Huh? What do you mean?”
He frowned and looks at him, eyes narrow and lips pursued.
“You are clearly thinking about something.” his eyes following Alexander walking to his desk.
“Harvin. Do you remember the enchantress that I was looking for?”
“Yes. Do you believe me now that it’s just a tale?”
“I found her.”
“Ha! I told you I’m right. So I win the bet and you lose. You better listen to me- wait what? When? Where? How?” he said and his voice got louder and louder.
“Last night. It’s Kelly. She’s the enchantress and her name is Chantria.”
“What? So… Gunther?”
“Yes. That’s why I called you here. We need to find him.”
Harvin nodded and they faced the door where the housekeeper knocked to inform them of their lunch. They followed her into the garden. She is already there waiting. He felt nervous all of a sudden and his heart was beating loudly. He sat on the chair opposite her and Harvin to his right. Harvin was about to sit when he get to see her face closely. Astound by her beauty, he just stared at her for some time. He then realized what happened and turned red. He looked away from her and saw that she is looking at him.
“You are staring.”
He is still looking down, not believing what he just saw.
“I am sorry. I, I just thought you are beautiful. I mean you are also gorgeous! Uhm… I will stop talking now.”
Harvin could feel his cheeks getting warmer. He couldn’t help but smile. After a few seconds, he lifted his head to look at her again. He felt like she was watching him intently, so he quickly looked anywhere except her. He felt his whole being heat up. He could hear her chuckle. She seemed amused by the way he reacted. He tried to compose himself and finally he was calm. Alexander cleared his throat and spoke.
“So do I take it that we can start eating now?”
They were eating silently and after, they drank tea. It seemed like an awkward silence until someone broke it.
“So… what do you want me to call you? You only probably saw me that time we brought you here. My name is Harvin. I work for Alexander.” He held out his hand.
She took a sip of her drink before answering.
“I haven’t heard my name for a long time but I’m Chantria,” she said and grabbed his hand.
“Chantria… That sounds nice… Like a flower.” Harvin blushed. Chantria just smiled warmly.
“You think so?”
He just nodded his head, not trusting himself to say anything else.
“Harvin. I believed I asked you to do something for me.” Alexander said looking at him and signaling him to go away.
“Ah Yes, right! If you’ll excuse me… Alexander… Chantria.”
Harvin stood up and bowed before leaving. Alexander sighed and looked at Chantria.
“About last night… You know…” he paused, searching for words.
“Just let me go, Alexander.”
“No! I can’t. I promised myself that when I found you, I’ll help you get your heart back.”
“How? Gunther is dead. You killed him remember?”
“He’s not dead.”
She looked at him intently.