Chapitre 3: Their First Encounter

As the car slowly drove its way to the temple, Sebastian was sitting quitely watching the kids play tag outside the window.

His composed posture captivates people's eyes, admiring his vibrant platinum blond hair with striking resemblance to snow under the light of the sun, paired with his seductive ocean blue eyes that sweep you away like a tide, but as soon as they arrive at the temple, the sirene expression on his face could not be painted as if a humid air had already covered it.

"At least act like an Ashbourne!"

He heard his father warned, making him shift his attention.

"Like you?"

He teased with a cold shoulder, making the Grand Duke scorn, frowning his brows with a menancing pair of hostile look in his eyes.

"Tssk! Don't do anything foolish!"

Thats all he had to say before heading outside the lavish blue-colored car to greet the pope, with a smile painted on their faces, followed by Sebastian, who loosens his tie a bit, fixing and dusting his suit, stealing the attention of the popes as they were led in front of the gigantic marbled door.

"Greetings to his grace, the Grand Duke, and to the future heir of the Ashbourne family."

The pope spoke with a strange gaze in his eyes, a baleful-playful look that always makes Sebastian feel disgusted from the start.

They then bowed their heads before lifting their hands pointing towards the door.

"The altar is right this way."

"Priestess Julianne is already waiting for you to give his blessings."

The other added, but before the pope could reach the door to open, Sebastian spoke with a sinister smile on his face.

"My commrades...

He paused.

Did they die because they were unable to get showered by the temple's blessings? "

The words he utter had made the Grand duke's eyes twitch while the priest gave off a smile, a menancing smile of facade.

"It is not for me to answer."

The pope answered calmly, provoking Sebastian with a teasing expression carved on their faces, making him irritatedly scorned as he was forced to kneel in front of the affluent-looking altar that almost seemed like a royal palace for its jaw-dropping crystal designs.

Sebastian then shut his eyes close with trembling hands clasped together.

'Bastard!'

He cursed in his mind, but before a mere second could pass. He found himself sitting in the dark with terrifying scenes consuming his mind. He was seeing his comrades showered with their warm velvet blood, followed by the screaming and crying voices ringing in his ears, begging to live.

*ARGHH!*

The heavy pressure covering his body turns his knees like jello. They even heard him groan, but after the ritual started, hearing a canticle of prayer coming from the mellifous voice of an angel, Sebastian surprisingly felt as if the immense preassure on his body had slowly gotten lighter and the horrendous scene that was consuming his thoughts one by one was slowly being cleared like a fog, making him breathe in relief.

"Who?....."

It was then he realized that it wasn't the place that made him feel calm. For the first time in his life, after hearing the voice of someone reciting a prayer in a language he despised, instead of feeling bothered and disgusted, Sebastian felt as if he were being sang a lullaby.

'Uhmmmm...'

The frown on his brows suddenly shows a sign of ease and comfort.

He even felt himself dozing off before the place was eaten by the silence, unaware that the prayer had already ended, revealing the bewetching face of the young priestess with a pure cherubic look on its face the moment he opened his eyes, preventing him from uttering a single word from his mouth as if the cat had cut his tongue upon looking at the man who was like an angel in disguise.

'.......'

It was then he found peace the moment he made contact with his alluring molten honey-colored eyes.