It was only after she finished tending to the Crown Prince's wound that Elaine Vernimiere realized the strange look almost everyone gave her.
Was she going overboard? Maybe. But she didn't even think about it before. Nothing else really mattered to her when she was tending to the wound.
"Thank you, Captain Elaine." It was Crown Prince Helias's words and friendly smile that cut the awkward atmosphere and Elaine was truly thankful for that.
"My pleasure, Your Highness," she said as she returned the items to the guard who handed her before.
Then King Arias intervened.
"I think we should end the hunting here, Crown Prince Helias. If we go on, your wound will only become worse. I can't risk that."
Elaine Vernimiere was glad that her King suggested that but… she wondered if the stubborn Crown Prince would be okay with it. When she looked at his face, she had a feeling that he wasn't willing to quit now.
"Why don't we do like this? We can continue the hunt for another half day next time," King Arias suggested when he noticed the Eslore Crown Prince's reluctance. "Even if you don't recover during your stay here, we can do it once I visit Eslore. You know that I will have to come soon."
The Crown Prince thought about it for a while and when he noticed the urging gaze of Elaine, he ended up flashing a small smile. Then he shifted his gaze back to the young Araven King. "Alright, Your Majesty. Let's do like that."
The King nodded and once they revealed the progress of the hunt, they all made their way back to the palace.
*
As Crown Prince Helias spent the rest of his day in his chamber, Elaine didn't have to keep an eye on him. So, she made her way to the King's chamber when it was still early in the evening. As she didn't stay with him during hunting, she wanted to know how he was doing or if he had any problems.
After a year, all these had become a habit.
Just as she expected, King Arias was alone in his chamber, going through some scrolls. He always do that while he was alone.
When Arias Astaze saw Elaine making her way towards him, that popular sight he witnessed with the guards in the Emer Forest crossed his mind.
He called it popular because the guards can't stop talking about it. Not to mention that he heard a rumor the moment he was back to the palace.
"Your Majesty." Elaine's greeting snapped the young King out of his stupor and he realized that she was now standing right before his desk.
As always, he was very quick to fix his composure.
"What brings you here?" he asked Elaine in his usual calm voice.
"I come to check on you," was Elaine's response, and much to her surprise, it earned her a subtle smile from the King.
"I thought that Vice-Captain Lucian is in-charge of that for now," he pointed out as he looked up at her.
"That's right, but I'm still worried." She made a deliberate pause and asked, "Do you face any problem during the hunt?"
"No, it went well." He narrowed his eyes at her leg though he couldn't see it because his view was blocked by the desk. "Is your leg fine?"
Elaine Vernimiere quickly nodded. "It's fine now. Please don't worry."
"I think you worry a lot more than I do, Elaine," Arias muttered, making her smile.
"I know. I think it's a habit now."
"Why don't you sit down?"
There was a hint of confusion on Elaine's face and the King explained, "I want to see if you're telling the truth or not."
Elaine Vernimiere didn't even realize that she was frowning. "You never believe me, Your Majesty."
King Arias chuckled, mostly out of amusement. "I always do, but not when you're hurt," he honestly responded.
Feeling like she had no choice, Elaine glanced around and took a seat on one of the long couches. With a little smile on his face, King Arias rose from his seat and walked to her.
Elaine removed her long boots and tried to lift her leg again but… the King held her back. Instead, he bent his knees beside her to take a look.
His action made the Captain raise a brow and she hardly squeezed the couch where she sat. "What are you doing, Your Majesty?"
"Just checking your wound," Arias simply responded, only to make Elaine more uncomfortable.
"You don't have to take that position." She pointed out the fact that the King had one of his knees on the floor right before her! "I can just lift my leg."
"It's not hard. Just stay still." One thing crossed his mind and he added, "It's not like it's my first time doing this for you."
"I know, but… you weren't the King back then." Elaine sighed as she finally managed to calm down a bit. "If anyone else were in my place right now, I'm sure that they will feel the same, Your Majesty."
"What makes you think that I will bend my knees for anyone else?" Arias Astaze asked and stood up. "It's getting better. It seems like you're not lying this time."
Once again, Elaine failed to resist the urge to frown. "You talked as if I'm lying all the time."
King Arias simply smiled. "Answer my question first."
Question? Elaine thought about it realized the question that the King was referring to. Then all of a sudden, she felt tight-lipped. She even forgot the fact that she was sitting while he, the King, was standing before her.
"I don't mean that way, Your Majesty," she finally said. "I was just saying that to explain how it made me uncomfortable. No matter what, you're my King and this fact comes before anything else."
She just realized how Arias remained standing and she quickly grabbed her boots so that she could wear them and stand again. However…
"Don't be hurry," King Arias advised her. "Those boots aren't good for your wound." He briefly looked at his desk and continued, "You can rest like that for a while. It's still early."