Azel almost turned back in the direction of the voice but quickly remembered the situation and remained firmly in place.
He continued to lurka in the shadows for a while, concealed by the dense foliage, observing everything, everything else but the woman.
'Has she gone mad?' He asked himself. 'To call out to an intruder like that when she is utterly defenseless and vulnerable...'
Azel furrowed his brows; how had she detected his presence in the first place? It was impossible for a mere human to take notice of him when he intended to hide himself…
He let out another silent sigh, with the realization that dwelling on this line of thought was most likely pointless. His focus probably became a little out of sorts after her scent caught his attention.
Besides, remaining here any longer would only delay his advance into the city, and his aide, Fabian, would surely complain if he wasted too much time.
Azel almost scoffed at the thought of the impending nagging. He attempted to take a step forward to leave, when he heard the woman call out again, her voice trembling this time.
"I said show yourself!" she commanded. "I know someone is there. You've been watching me for a while now."
Azel froze indefinitely, his eyebrows twitching in mild exasperation. 'Watching...?'
He hardly paid her any attention. Okay, maybe that wasn't completely true, considering he arrived here due to her scent… but to think she would so baselessly accuse him.
She must have felt his presence and then assumed his gaze was fixed on her.
Azel shook his head, resigned to the fact that he might as well step out to retrieve his coat since she had already noticed him. He had nothing to lose; all he had to do was ignore her, pluck his garment from the tree, and leave.
Yes…
But all his thoughts vanished as soon as he stepped out from behind the brush, only to be met with the sight of a frail-looking... girl. Yes, 'girl' was a more appropriate term.
Azel stared at her with furrowed brows, struggling to believe what he was seeing. 'A girl?' he thought, bewildered. 'Not a woman… but a girl...?'
Perhaps something was very wrong with him, for the scent of a girl to attract him. He must have been mistaken.
Yet, his sense of smell had never failed him before.
He studied her features: vivid emerald green eyes that stared up at him in temporary awe, auburn hair that still dripped wet and skin that was so vibrantly pale it almost seemed otherworldly, without any blemish.
It was unusual for a human, though he could tell she was a Witch from her reasonably powerful aura. But her lineage did not explain the flawlessness of her skin; it looked to possess an ethereal allure.
The girl seemed afraid, her fingers tightly gripping the bow in her hands as she took a cautious step back.
The sight of the makeshift weapon almost made Azel laugh. What could such a flimsy piece of wood do to him, or any human for that matter?
He couldn't decide if the girl was brave or incredibly foolish. He supposed it was the latter.
Although they stood at a considerable distance from each other, he could clearly see the fear etched in her eyes.
It was not his intention to frighten her, but what choice did he have? She was the one who had called him out, after all.
Azel began to approach the tree, causing the girl to let out a startled shriek.
"What... What do you think you're doing?!" Her voice quivered with a mix of fear and confusion as Azel approached.
He didn't heed to her question. There was no need for him to answer; he just needed to get his coat.
Her panic became palpable. "St–stop right there! Don't come any closer!"
Azel Suppressed a laugh at her futile attempt to halt him. He couldn't help but find amusement in her plea. Did she truly believe he would stop just because she asked?
But his amusement waned as she threw her next words at him, filled with accusation and anger. "I said stop right there, you despicable pervert! Come any closer to me, and I will not spare you!"
Azel's lips twitched with surprise as her words echoed in his mind. 'Pervert...?' he mused, disbelief at the accusation. 'She dares to call me a pervert when I barely spared her a glance?'
He was momentarily taken aback, it was not guilt or shame that stopped him in his tracks but the audacity she had to make assumptions.
That was probably why he decided to provoke her in return. He agreed that he had been a little petty but he felt it was justified because she had so brazenly jumped to her own conclusions.
Azel's frown deepened. He had clearly taken in her scent when he got close enough to her to take his coat from the tree and the scent of Jasmines wasn't any less alluring.
He clenched his fist; he never felt something like this could happen again; the thought of her being his… his…
He couldn't even bring himself to think of it, but it both enraged and saddened him.
Azel took a deep breath and continued to walk, the forest path eventually leading him to the clearing where his camp was set up. When he arrived, he found the preparations completed and his companions ready to leave.
They had been waiting for his return.
Fabian wore a deep frown and approached him sharply. Azel could swear he saw the words the man was about to spill written all over his face.
"Honestly, Milord," Fabian began with a hint of exasperation. "To think you would waste so much time after I explicitly asked you not to. We are already behind schedule."
"I'm back now, aren't I?" Azel retorted, with a touch of defiance.
Pulling out a pocket watch, Fabian sighed in frustration. "Indeed you are," he accepted, irritation evident in his voice. "But it took you nearly forty minutes! We should have been on our way to the city by now!"
Azel shrugged nonchalantly, apparently unapologetic for his delay. "What can I say? I got a little distracted."
"You wouldn't have if you had just abandoned the coat," Fabian replied matter-of-factly.
"And I wouldn't be enduring this nagging if I had abandoned you, Fabian," Azel replied, a hint of spite in his words. "But alas, we all make mistakes."
Fabian flinched at his master's sharp retort, with the realization that he was now in a rather foul mood. A momentary silence hung between them and finally, he relented.
"...Fine, you've made your point, Milord," he accepted. "But may I ask why you didn't just apparate there? It would have been easier, no?"
"I wanted to walk," Azel stated plainly, not giving any space for further questions.
Fabian stared at him, a mix of exasperation and resignation crossing his face but he understood. "You always do as you please," he sighed. "But I suppose it doesn't matter, as long as we eventually reach Lavim."
Azel huffed, without a hint of a smile as he walked past Fabian and entered the waiting carriage.
As they traveled along the forest path, the lingering scent of the girl he had just encountered continued to play on his mind, stirring a form of restlessness within him.
His jaw clenched involuntarily as he stared outside the window; for her fragrance to attract him… he disliked the very thought of it.