"Wh–who are... Who are you and what have you come for?" Adelia wanted to ask, but her voice and breath caught in her throat.
She had—without a doubt—never seen anyone as beautiful as the man who now stood in front of her.
She could only describe him in one word–captivating. His appearance was striking: his hair a deep midnight black, cascading down to his waist in a flowing mane; his skin a deep, rich olive... he was massive.
But what had truly captivated was neither his size nor his beauty, but his eyes—eyes the color of pure, shimmering gold. Adelia still clutched her bow, though her grip on it was getting less and less.
She wondered what he could possibly be, neither Witches nor Lycans possessed eyes like his, and the Demons that roamed their lands had eyes of vibrant silver instead. Her parents' stories and the books she had read had taught her enough about them.
The man stood before her, unmoving, watching her with furrowed brows. If she hadn't been so taken aback by his appearance, she might have blushed. But the intensity of his gaze almost made her knees buckle.
She gulped, her grip instinctively tightened on the fabric of her dress. Why was he looking at her like that? It was as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His gaze remained fixed on her, but in an instant, his expression shifted to one of absolute neutrality.
Adelia sensed danger emanating from him, deep in her bones, and yet, there was also a certain aura that seemed to draw her in—a desire to find comfort in his strong arms…
Adelia's eyes widened, and she internally chided herself. "What on earth are you thinking, Delia?! He is nothing but a stranger! A perverted one at that! What is wrong with you?"
She couldn't be more terrified by her own thoughts, what was this man doing to her?
Scarce as it may be, stories of people being charmed by strangers and taken away occasionally reached her ears, mostly happening to men, but she couldn't dismiss the possibility of it happening to a woman as well.
Unlucky as she was, she might probably be the first victim.
She gulped again and backed further away until her back almost brushed against the tree behind her. Despite her fear, she held her bow steadily.
The scent of sandalwood had grown stronger over the past minute, but it didn't bring her any comfort at the moment.
Several seconds passed in silence before the man suddenly started to approach her, snapping Adelia back to her senses.
She flinched at his abrupt motion, her trembling hand gripping the longbow tightly. "Wha–what do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked.
Her question went unanswered as the intruder continued his stride. Panic started to rise within Adelia. "St-stop right there! Don't come any closer!" she pleaded.
But the man paid no heed to her words and kept advancing. Adelia grew more desperate. "I said, stop right there, you despicable pervert!" Her voice quivered. "Come any closer to me, and I will not spare you!"
Those words seemed to catch the man's attention, as he stopped just inches away from her, close enough for her outstretched bow to touch him.
Adelia blinked in mild confusion. 'He...he stopped?' she questioned herself, then slowly understanding dawned on her, and she felt a small wave of relief wash over her. 'He...he stopped! Oh, thank goodness he stopped! I don't know what I would have done otherwise.'
The scent of sandalwood, now stronger than ever, gave her a slight sense of comfort. For now, at least, she was safe.
She eyed the man apprehensively. 'Now all I have to do is stall for time until Meryl gets—'
"...Pervert?" the man suddenly asked, interrupting her thoughts, his voice was a husky baritone. He raised a brow. "Did you just call me a pervert?"
Adelia flinched at the question; she wasn't expecting him to speak, then she frowned, not able to believe he would actually ask such a thing! Would a gentleman shamelessly watch a lady dress?
"Of course I did," she told him firmly. "I am not uttering baseless accusations."
She had heard of his type before—the kind that would deny any wrongdoing and attempt to charm her with his looks!
Lyra, her maid, had warned her that handsome men often behaved like that, but this one would have to think twice. Something so predictable would not work on her! He had stumbled upon the wrong person.
She could only thank her stars that he hadn't seen her completely exposed… at least, she hoped he hadn't.
The man's lips curved into a slow smirk. "You are mistaken. I am no pervert."
Adelia's eyes visibly twitched. Just as she had predicted—the typical behavior of a handsome man!
To think he would so boldly make such a false statement. She felt his gaze on her, even from his hiding place, and she was sure she wasn't mistaken.
The thought made her blush in embarrassment.
"Y-you despicable liar!" she spat, the heat rising to her face was vivid. "Lecher! You saw me dressing and instead of turning away like a gentleman would, you kept your eyes on me."
"What makes you think I watched you?" the man asked gently. "I was completely hidden, so how could you have known?"
Adelia fumed. "Only an imbecile would have missed such a thing," she retorted. "You were watching me, I could feel it!"
The intruder furrowed his brows, then tilted his head with an amused smile. "Feel it?" he inquired. "You must have been delusional. Why on earth would a man like myself watch you dress?"
"Why else? Men always tend to do the unspeakable."
"So you say, but there is nothing particularly appealing about watching a fellow man clothe himself, is there?"
Adelia frowned, taking a few seconds to understand his words. When she did, her face burned crimson once more, a mix of embarrassment and anger roiled inside her.
Her grip on her dress tightened, she wanted to scream.
He had seen her completely naked before she got under the tree! Oh, if only the earth could swallow her whole right this instant… and to think he had the nerve to call her unappealing!
"H-how dare you?" she seethed, her grip on the fabric becoming even tighter, her white knuckles turning even whiter. "How dare you call a woman unattractive?" Her voice quivered, and her eyes welled up with moisture and anger. "Idiotic lecher! You are anything but a gentleman!"
The intruder shrugged. "I never claimed to be a gentleman," he replied. "And I never said you were unattractive either. You have interpreted my words as you chose."
"Lies!" Adelia spat. "All you've done since you revealed yourself is lie. If you hadn't come to spy on me, then what were you doing, hiding in those bushes?"
"Ah..." the man exclaimed silently, as if he had just remembered something. "Yes, I had come to retrieve my coat."
Adelia eyed him incredulously. "What coat? Are you resorting to blatant excuses now?"
The man smiled and took a step closer, causing Adelia to retreat further until her back was firmly pressed against the tree trunk.
"Stop!" she shrieked once again. "I told you to stay back!"
But he ignored her plea, forcing her to drop her bow and wrap her arms protectively around herself.
Over her dead body would she let him touch her!
Closing the distance between them, the man gave out the fragrance that Adelia had been perceiving since she entered the clearing.
He paused for a moment, then reached above her and plucked a simply embroidered black coat from a high branch. The scent became even more vivid as he held it in his hands.
Adelia's eyes widened as she looked up. 'It...it was him?!' she thought.
The lingering scent of sandalwood in the air had come from him and this coat—the coat that neither she nor Meryl had noticed. She blushed again, with the realization that she had found comfort in the fragrance of a man.
Stepping back, the man observed Adelia's flushed face with a raised brow. "Hmm...am I that appealing up close?" he asked with an amused smirk. "And supposedly, I'm 'the' pervert."
"I am not a pervert!" Adelia retorted.
"No, you aren't," the man agreed. "Which means I am not either. I believe we are even now."
'This...this man!' she seethed. "Nothing you say will take back what you have done. Gazing upon the bare body of a noble lady is a crime in and of itself! I will find you, and I will have you hanged for this, just watch and see!"
The intruder threw his head back and laughed, a deep sound of mirth that seemed to vibrate through the ground. "You couldn't possibly hang me, girl," he said. "Your gallows would crumble under my weight."
Adelia furrowed her brows in confusion. What did he mean? He couldn't be that heavy. He was surely a liar.
Yet, if he claimed it was impossible to restrain and bring justice to a man like him, she would believe it. He appeared dangerously powerful, but Adelia currently couldn't see past her anger.
She shook visibly as she fumed. "We will just have to wait and see, won't we?"
"Hmm..." the intruder mused. "I suppose we will. But if you truly intend to hang me, it should be when I'm ready," he stated.
The crease between Adelia's brows deepened. "What...?"
"You see, my schedule is full at the moment, so I'm afraid I won't be able to give up my work when you eventually find me. I will make sure to make an appeal to you when I am free instead," he smirked. "It would be easier that way, no?"
The young mistress looked as if she were about to burst into flames. Her emerald green eyes burned with fury, but it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.
He turned on his heels and headed toward the dense cluster of trees. "Farewell… 'My Lady'," he added as an afterthought. "I do hope my gallows will be ready by the time I make my appeal."
Adelia watched him until he disappeared from sight, every inch of her burned with rage. Minutes later, she faintly heard the sound of his amused laughter echoing through the forest.
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