"Shit," Azel exclaimed again silently as he staggered forward, his knees buckling as they collided with the floor. "Shit, shit, shit!"
The pain was unbearable.
He had never once experienced such agony. Excruciating didn't even begin to describe what it was.
Had all of this really happened from just trying to read her mind?
Azel clutched his head with one hand and supported himself with the other, his entire being trembling as lights exploded in his vision.
He could hardly think, he could barely even see, and he was so out of it that he failed to notice when Adelia appeared at his side.
When had she reached him?
He managed to catch a glimpse of her concerned face. Why did she seem so worried? Was it because of his state? She hardly even knew him.
He watched her in a pained daze, trying his best to concentrate. Was she saying something? It looked like she was saying something...
Soon, a distant door banging reached Azel's ears, as if someone had flung it open and rushed in. But he couldn't tell who the person was until they called out to him in panic.
"Milord!"
Azel swallowed the urge to growl in frustration, the remaining reasoning part of him trying to suppress the irritation, despite the pain.
Why in the world was he being called that in front of her?
He had already established that he was a commoner!
He knew Fabian had been outside the door long enough to know, so what kind of slip-up was this?
He gritted his teeth, the pain in his skull didn't stop him from projecting his annoyance, 'Fabian… you moron.'
And then the world around him went dark.
*~*~*~*~*~*
If Adelia claimed she could concentrate at the moment, she would be lying.
She currently sat on a wooden chair beside Azel's bed, trying to remember how she had even arrived here in the first place.
Her hands moved gently as she wiped a damp, clean cloth over his wound. Her gaze trailed over his body, almost as if she were examining him for the slightest sign of movement.
Yet her mind was somewhere else entirely.
She found it nearly impossible to concentrate, especially considering that Azel was bare from the waist up.
She was so close to him, too close, and despite her best efforts to keep her mind clear, the warmth emanating from him was so distracting.
Adding to all this was the imposing presence of the man looming over her.
Adelia had seen a great deal of things today, from facing the assassins to the heartbreaking state of her wounded knight and witnessing a man as... formidable as Azel fall to his knees.
It was a wonder that she managed to keep up with all of this without falling to a complete breakdown. Considering her rather sheltered life.
Taking a deep breath, she dropped the cloth into the bowl of clean water from which it had come. She then dipped her hand into the leather pouch beside her, taking out a small bottle of vinegar.
She Carefully tilted the bottle over another clean cloth she held and pressed the fabric against Azel's wound gently.
The wound was visibly deep, she saw. Though not as severe as the one on her knight's back. Still, how had he endured this for so long?
She was certain the poison had begun to take its toll on him, and that was why he had collapsed. If only he had allowed her to start his treatment sooner, maybe none of this would have happened.
But no, he just had to prove disbelieving and stubborn.
Inhaling deeply again, Adelia furrowed her brows as she watched him. She was angry and worried... and she didn't even know why!
She had panicked so much when she saw him fall and how much pain he was in. She didn't understand her reaction then, and even now that she had time to think about it, she still couldn't understand.
When she was done applying the vinegar, she rubbed a salve to the injury and wrapped a bandage around his arm, then breathed a small sigh of relief.
"How is he?" a voice came from behind her, causing her to startle almost enough to leave her seat.
"He's… he's fine," she stammered, slightly shaken at the fact of his presence.
He had been so quiet that she hardly even noticed he was there.
Adelia pressed her lips together, He had taken her by surprise when he ran into the room in a panic earlier.
She vaguely remembered him calling out to the man on the bed in front of her but when she tried to think about it, she could hardly recall what he had called him.
Still, with the way he appeared so suddenly, she wondered whether he had been lurking by the door all along...
He appeared to be the man's companion, and the moment he saw his friend's unconscious state, he had ordered her to attend to him.
Ordered. Who did he think he was?
Still, she obeyed, though it was only because she was already planning to in the first place.
She looked up at Fabian from where she sat, "But... he might require some time to—"
She didn't even get to finish her statement before Azel began to stir. A moment later, his eyes opened, first settling on the ceiling before it shifted to meet her gaze.
His brows furrowed, then he let out a weary sigh. He covered his face with his hands, then let them fall a moment later. "What are you still doing here?"
His voice was hoarse yet it carried an oddly pleasing texture. Adelia tried to dismiss that detail and instead focus on the more immediate matter.
Surely, he wasn't talking to her, was he?
Just to clarify, she voiced, "Are you, by any chance, speaking to—"
"Yes," Azel confirmed without hesitation and her nostrils visibly flared.
He thought Fabian would have taken her and the wounded Knight to another room—or at least, him—when he fell unconscious.
He restrained the urge to groan; the fact that she had seen him fall like that was humiliating beyond measure.
At his answer, she shot up from her seat beside him and peered down at him with irritation evident in her gaze.
Azel followed suit, sitting up on the bed, as he looked up at her in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm attempting to make why I'm still present obvious," she replied simply. "But if you're too oblivious to understand that, then I suppose you weren't deserving of the effort."
Azel's lips tugged slightly as his eyes remained on her, when he felt someone probe at his mind.
'Are you Alright, Milord?' Fabian asked in a concerned tone.
'I'm fine, Fabian.'
His aide gave an exasperated sigh, inwardly. 'I told you, the healing—'
'It wasn't the healing,' Azel interrupted.
Fabian frowned. 'What was it, then?'
'I'll tell you later,' he told him. 'for now you may leave.'
Fabian sighed again. 'Yes, Milord.' Then he turned on his heels to approach the door, opening it to step out of the room and closing it with a soft click.
The sound caught Adelia's attention and she turned around, only to see the space behind her empty.
She furrowed her brows.
His friend had just woken up, so why did he leave? Without a word at that...
Still, she didn't utter a word; they knew themselves best, after all. But for some odd reason, an uneasy feeling settled at the base of her stomach.
That man... he didn't sit well with her. She felt it in her gut.
Azel took back her attention with his sigh, running his hands over his face before attempting to stand from the bed.
Adelia's hands instinctively fell onto his broad shoulders before she could even process her actions.
"What are you doing?" she asked sternly. "You've just woken up. Please, sit down for a moment."
Azel blinked up at her for several seconds, his gaze eventually flickering down to one of the slender hands resting on his shoulder.
And he found himself staring at it for longer than he intended to.
Adelia followed his line of sight, her own gaze landing where her hands had made contact. When she realized her actions, she quickly withdrew herself, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.
"I'm... I apologize," she mumbled, stepping back and started to fiddle with the folds of her dress in a flustered manner.
Azel merely observed her, his thoughts indiscernible from his golden gaze.
The way she easily got flustered was so silly, it was endearing.
… Then his lips twitched; he would have to have a chat with his beast about this pull.
That line of thought had completely caught him off guard and he instantly rebuked it and let out an amused huff as he let his gaze fall to his wounded arm.
Adelia raised her head to look up at him, only to find him examining the bandage wrapped around his arm. He then raised his eyes to meet hers.
"Thank you," he said softly and Adelia's breath caught.