"How sure are you that you will be safe around me? Trusting someone you barely know might put you in grave danger, do you know that, Lady Lewis?" There was an edge of petulance in Reed's hard tone.
"You saved me," she reasoned out as if that was enough.
He held the door of the carriage as he stared down at her who was still sitting inside. "And how can you guarantee that I didn't save you because I have ulterior motives? What if I only did that to get to the King's good side? That way, I can gain his trust which will benefit my future endeavors."
"Then if you want to get to the King's good side, the more you need to protect me. I don't care what your motives are, Lord Knight, but as of the moment, you are the only one I can rely on. I don't care if you have killed people, nor if you are just protecting me to use me. But I care for those people who were left in the village to die. It's a give and take situation, don't you think?"
Reed couldn't believe his ears. She didn't care if he was just using him? The foolishness of this woman was out of the world, he thought.
"You never failed to surprise me, Lady Lewis. But in this case, I'm not trying to get the King's favor. I saved you because I gave my word to King Vincent that I will have myself responsible for your well-being while we are on this trip, and I am a man of my word. Now, what I should do is bring you back to the town as soon as possible."
Melrose went out of the carriage and she immediately felt cold.
"Get back inside. I will drive the carriage to the nearest inn, then by tomorrow morning we will head back to the town-"
"I said we will go back to the village, didn't I, my lord?"
Reed stared at her sharply. But no matter how intimidating he was, and how they were alone in the middle of the dark forest, she didn't falter. She wouldn't be able to sleep if she didn't see what was going on in the village.
"We need to go back, Lady Lewis. I will send a word to His Majesty to send men in the village. King Vincent will immediately respond to the crisis."
"But still, it will take some time. There must be wounded people who needed immediate treatment. Every second counts when it comes to life and death, Lord Knight. We don't know how many people will have to die if the help is delayed even just for an hour."
"I already let Stuart send the physicians back. How can you help those people alone?"
"I didn't have the privilege to study medicine in a university, but I studied in private and knew some things. Besides, weren't you appointed by the King to lead the medical mission because you studied medicine too? We won't come there to make a miracle. We will just do what we can and save those who can be saved. And don't you think staying in a dirty and dark dungeon is too much? Think about the women, elder people, and the poor children who have to suffer-"
"Fine."
She let out a sigh of relief. The truth was, everything that happened was still too shocking for her to take in, especially how Lord Knight killed those rebels. She wasn't sure how he did it, but she was relieved that they were punished. They deserved it. And although how the lord could kill without thinking twice was kind of disturbing, she had faith that he wasn't someone who would kill without a valid reason.
"But you better watch your actions, lady. If something goes wrong, we will leave right away. Understood?" The way he spoke was so full of authority that she felt she would be punished if she disagreed. So she nodded.
Melrose went back inside the carriage and Reed maneuvered the horses. It didn't take long before they arrived at East Brownsville.
When Melrose went out, she was greeted by the cold breeze that made her curls sway. It was horrible the first time she saw the village's situation in daylight, but looking at it now when there was not a glimpse of light shed in the streets and broken houses, the lifeless bodies around and the reek of blood sent shivers down her spine.
Reed, who noticed the lady's discomfort, said, "Do you wish to proceed? If you can't stomach the sight of dead bodies and blood, spare your heroic thoughts and don't waste my time by standing here."
Melrose said nothing and walked the street with all the courage she had. If she couldn't even walk such a difficult path, how could she qualify to be the queen? She knew that bearing the crown wasn't all about living in the palace, being served by many servants, nor simply being the wife of the King. There was more of it that she had to endure.
"Where do you think the dungeon is?" she asked.
"I've never been here. How should I know?" came Reed's sarcastic response who was walking beside her.
"Neither have I."
Reed thought he had to rely on his senses or it would take hours for her to find where the dungeon was. With the silence looming the village, it wasn't hard to pick up some faint noises which he was sure were cries of help.
"Maybe it's this way," Melrose pointed to the left pathway.
"No. I think we should turn right," Reed said, which had Melrose's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Are you sure?"
"Why don't you search the left part and I will search the right?" he challenged, raising one of his eyebrows.
"Fine, let's take the right path," she said abruptly and walked ahead of him. Walking alone in the dark was the last thing she wanted.
One corner of Reed's lips rose as he followed her.