"Are you alright?" Drevon asked with concern.
"Y-Yes," I replied, perplexed.
It took a long, excruciating moment as he just studied me for any sign of distress, and I grew anxious by the minute.
As if finally concluding that I was well, he called out. "Ride!"
Galloping noises filled the air, and the journey continued. But I was still left in the dark about what happened earlier. It might just be me, but I felt a sudden shift in the air, and everyone seemed so alert.
I swallowed a lump in my throat and faced forward, but I couldn't remain silent as my curiosity ate at me. "Did I do something wrong, my liege?"
"No, Eloise," he answered. Just when I thought he'd end the conversation there, he added. "Your scent was gone."
My scent?
Lycan had an enriched sense of smell and hearing, so I wasn't so surprised.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Scent doesn't just vanish, Eloise. It dulls. From a mile away, yours and your handmaid's are the only different scent, until a split sceond ago yours was completely gone."
"Oh," I muttered.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked with deeper concern this time.
"I'm uncomfortable."
"Why? Because you ride with me?"
"Yes."
He leaned forward so that I could see him even though I looked the other way, refusing to spare him a glance, or maybe my poor heart couldn't handle seeing his handsome face.
I pondered why their moon goddess made them so attractive; she could have made them look hideous and spared me.
"Are you still upset with me, little wife?" he asked amusedly.
I hate that name, but I cannot question it.
"No, my liege, riding with you just makes me uncomfortable."
"Pardon the inconvenience, the carriage made you sick, that is why I had it removed."
I froze. Why would he do such a thing?
"And I can't have you riding on your own."
"Because I'll fall off and embarrass you?"
More like embarrassing myself, I'll surely crawl up and die when that happens.
He barked a laugh, and I found myself flinching because that deep sound was bound to call attention. But to my surprise, everyone was focused on riding, and no one dared look.
"It has nothing to do with that. The horse is twice your size."
"Are you calling me little?" I asked, letting my distaste show.
I knew I was small, but who liked anyone telling them that to their face? Well, me.
Fiona made sure it became a core memory for me. She would purposely hide her things in small places, claiming she lost them, and asked me to crawl into them to find her stuff.
She thought she was smart and had no clue I knew the entire time and just went with it. Resisting never helped my cause anyway.
It's a good thing I got my revenge by hiding the gift Father gave for her fifteenth birthday. It's somewhere collecting specks of dust until the end of time.
"I didn't mean to upset you. Riding alone will be dangerous for you."
"I can ride on my own just fine."
"Mm, perhaps I'll ensure you do so tomorrow since you're very capable."
You just had to be smug about it, don't you, Eloise?
"Frightened? Don't worry if you fall, I'll catch you."
I locked my gaze with him, and it happened that the entire time he had his eyes on me, everything else faded away, and it became just us riding.
Maybe it was the softness in his stare, the way he looked at me, not like everyone did my entire life—a bastard of the Archduke or the girl with odd hair and a frail body, but like I was a new bloom he'd never seen before.
I could be wrong. So I told myself, while I urged to look away, but I couldn't find it in me to do so. Something tells me this was going to be a really long journey.
~•~
We had ridden for hours, and I tried my best not to fall asleep. I kept yawning every single minute, and Drevon paid attention the entire time. I noticed he would slow the horse whenever my eyes got sluggish.
It wasn't even dark yet, and we had made camp already. I hate this, I'm delaying the journey, no one is saying it, but I could feel them blaming me.
It was colder tonight, and it showed how closer we were to Valkanor. Talia helped light more candles, and the tent was this close to becoming like daylight.
"Better?" she asked.
"Yes, thank you."
"Anything else?"
I noticed Talia wasn't shivering like I was. "We're far from the south, the night is cold, you should cover up," I said, pulling the blankets more into me.
"You needn't worry about me, my lady, a little cold is nothing. But I can't say the same for you."
My teeth rattled. "I-I'm not good with cold, m-my body can't handle it."
"I can see that," she said, blowing air on the small stick she held. "I think it is best the monarch doesn't know about your ailment."
"You sound like my stepmother."
Talia pinned me with a look. "I'm here under her command, but I do not care for you because of that."
"Care?" I questioned, smirking.
"Keeping you alive," she corrected sternly.
I rolled my eyes.
"The wedding night has passed, and now your position is secured." She walked to my bed. "But a moment's weakness will make us an easy target. We cannot be sniffed as prey."
"Where did you train? In knighthood?"
"As I said, staying alive is very important to me, call me eager, but I call myself persevering."
Overly persevering, if you ask me. I wish I had something like that too. I surrendered myself to my fate the moment Father mentioned my marriage to a Lycan. I've dreaded many gruesome ways to meet the gods, and the others around me have wished the same for me.
However, Talia was annoyingly different.
"I call you courageous," I said with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "And I'm aware no one should know about my ailment."