Chapter 71. Testing And Trial, Part XII

Translator: Khan

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

He shrugged his shoulders like the time when he had the fierce eyes of a prey-seeking predator.

"... so?"

"Will you mind if I stay with you for a moment? In this crowd being alone is dangerous, isn't it?"

"... well, I don't think it's dangerous."

Rather, his presence seemed more dangerous. Despite Aria's reply, which was close to rejection, Asher sat in front of her, regardless. Nothing was laid on the ground, but he didn't care if the dust was thick. Aria swallowed a false smile because he acted at will without asking for permission.

"No, it's dangerous."

He answered as if there was danger ahead. If there wasn't, he would make it. Aria, who swept away her goosebumps after a moment of horror, tried hard to ignore him. She wished that his party would come back soon, and he would disappear together with them.

"Come to think of it… your clothes are pretty simple."

His eyes swept through Aria's body. It seemed that it was a totally different outfit than before. It was no wonder that she had been wearing a dress at the first meeting, which Mielle had been given as a gift by Oscar.

Aria didn't feel the value of answering back. If he had had an idea, he wouldn't have asked her that question. It was ridiculous to dress up colorfully in such a crowded place.

"I'm sure you'll get a lot of presents… I guess you didn't get a nice present that you like."

There was a meaning in the man's words. It was hard to figure out what he meant since they were thickly covered, but it didn't sound like a thoughtless, spontaneous exhortation. Aria narrowed her eyes. It was a look of doubt.

"... what are you talking about?"

"It doesn't mean much. It simply means that you are beautiful, and men around you won't leave you."

'Is it true? Why do I keep worrying?' She should just ignore it, but after a few words, she kept answering. Again this time, as he was about to answer something, she soon swallowed her words. A bit of silence followed.

In the meantime, the person who sang on the stage changed from an old man to a young man, and the fast-paced, upbeat song made a noise. The man, who turned around and saw it, suddenly grabbed Aria by the hand, muttering, 'It's faster than I thought.'

"What's this...?!"

Just as she was about to shout, firecrackers exploded all over the place, and people who were surprised by the flames that exploded here and there ran around to escape from the square.

Aria, too, got up from her seat in surprise. Before realizing that the sound of firecrackers was just loud but not hurtful, her body was stiffened, feeling fear by the sudden situation.

"Miss!"

She could hear a voice nearby as if it was calling her. 'What the hell am I supposed to do…!'

"This way!"

As she was in a panic, her hand was pulled by a very strong force. In the midst of her hectic mind, Aria was forced to be led by her captured hand. It felt as if it were the only touch that would save her.

Out of the square, far away, past the waves of people, she ran and ran until she was out of breath. She fled from people passing by like a flash as if she had run so fast in her life.

She thought that she was fortunate to have come in comfortable shoes, not pointed ones. It was when she entered a quiet alley that she had never been in before when she had been a commoner. Then Aria realized that the man who held her hand was not a knight, nor Jessie, but a beast.

"Haah, hah..."

Unlike Aria, who was breathing heavily, Asher was calm as if nothing had happened. He bent his upper body to support Aria's body, which was panting.

"Are you all right?"

"... haah, haah… No."

As if it weren't okay for anyone to see, he asked Aria's condition and patted her on the back. He even wiped it with his sleeve when he saw a drop of sweat coming from her forehead past the side of her face to the end of her chin.

"I don't have a hand towel, so forgive me for my rudeness."

'What's new?' He'd already done so many rude things. The degree of the rudeness of wiping the sweat off with his sleeve was nothing but a trifling matter that could not be considered impolite. Only a long time later did Aria escape from his arms and ask, looking around.

"Where the hell are we?"

"Well, somewhere in the capital."

"It's a place I don't remember... Ugh, isn't that a pretty good distance from the center?"

"I'm afraid so."

Not a carriage passed, let alone a shadow of a man. 'I didn't move on something, but how did I get this far?'

Suddenly she felt dizzy, and her eyes went black. She couldn't figure out how to get back. Now all this was in an unpredictable situation, something that she had never experienced before.

Unlike the worried Aria, Asher did not respond much. She asked him if he knew how to get back, but the answer was no.

"What the hell happened?"

When she asked him while wrapping her head, all she could hear was that he didn't know. It was worth it because they ran away in a hurry. Aria soon decided to stop asking him something. It was nothing but a waste of energy.

"Let's go back now."

"How?"

"Wouldn't it come out of somewhere if we walked around with no definite objective in view?"

"What if we go to a more remote place?"

"Then I can't help it."

It was only natural to walk until they found a road, but there was one concern. It was to see if her weak legs could stand. There was already a slight pain in her feet. Before long, it was clear that something bad was going to happen to her ankles.

'Will they really be all right?'

As soon as he saw Aria's gaze on her leg, he looked down for a moment. He had a thought and asked her as if he had found the answer.

"Do you have any pain in your legs?"

"…"

Though she had been a commoner in the past, she was now a daughter of a noble, so shouldn't it be natural? She only took a short walk through the garden. Walking for a long time gave her unbearable pain even though she might be used to the high-heeled shoes that overworked her feet.

"Would you like me to carry you on my back?"

"... yeah?"

"If you have trouble walking, I can't help it."

"No!"

'How can I do such a disgraceful act?' Aria tried hard to pretend that she was okay and took the lead and stepped out of the way. As she walked briskly without knowing where she was going, Asher burst out laughing behind her.

"Let's go together!"

"…"

'Does he feel alright in this situation?' Without knowing where she was going right now, she had no idea what she was going to do, and Asher came near her and adjusted his speed to walk with her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to carry you on my back?"

"Sure."

"If your leg hurts, please let me know. It's a street that no one's in anyway."

"It won't happen."

Aria did not give her eyes to Asher, vowing that she would never be carried on his back even if her leg was broken or even if she died. Asher continued to smile at her determined appearance.

"I never thought I'd walk alone with you."

"I'm surprised too because I don't get to walk together with you like this."

"Well, sometimes a new meeting is important, isn't it?"

"I agree, but that's only when I meet someone who can help."

"I think you are someone who can help me."

"You think the opposite of me."

Aria was treating Asher coldly because she had a long life as a wicked woman. Still, he kept talking and expressing favors, apparently not hurt at all.

'Is he a man without a grain of self-respect?'

She was surprised at the image that was completely different from the one she had met for the first time, but she tried hard to keep herself calm. The image hidden inside her would certainly be different from what it was now. There was something he wanted, and he just stepped back to get it. She stiffened her back, thinking that she should not be easily deceived by what he would say.