Ahspid leaned against the ledge of the window in his room and pressed his forehead against the cold glass. The boredom has begun to be more than overwhelming now and yet, he had no choice but to simply comply and wait for his situation to change.
Releasing a long, tired exhale, that instantly covered the glass with fog, the mage murmured,
"So Aideen Ruan is now here, huh? I wonder how he found out about her hidden abilities… Hah! What a sly man he is, that Tillian Valentine! Just like his father! All about revenge!"
His big purple eyes continued to observe the people around, dressed in all black, moving slowly, their bodies contrasting greatly against the white expanse of the snow sparkling brightly under the still-cold touch of the sun.
"Well, he doesn't lack brains, I'll give him that. Apart from that thing that he promised me in return for my services, I am sure he knew I was curious about the princess as well. So why is he stalling for time? She is already here, after all. What is he thinking about?"
His train of thought was lost as the loud knock on the door interrupted his inner musings. Not waiting for the man's response, the door swung open, inviting Safie inside, her big rough hands clutched around the wide silver tray with two bowls, one plate, and a tall glass arranged carefully on it.
"Good afternoon! I have brought your lunch. Please, do not play your silly tricks with the food like you did last time, poor Daphna almost had a heart attack when she came to pick up the tray!"
Ashpid curled his reddish lips into a dismissive grin and shrugged his shoulders, turning back to the window again.
Safie placed the tray on the table next to the man's bed and asked,
"Look at you all glued to the window. Are you trying to get a glimpse of the princess as well?"
"What do you mean?"
Ahspid turned around, arching his thin eyebrows while Safie explained,
"Oh, His Grace has allowed Her Highness to go outside for a walk. Everyone is dying to see her, almost every single person living here has their face glued to the windows! Ah, the amount of scolding Bella will have to give to them later!"
'She is outside?'
The mage pressed both his forehead and his hands against the glass, focusing his purple eyes on the view beneath him. There, he saw a woman who greatly stood out amidst the rest of the people surrounding her – tall, slim, dressed in a white fur coat, moving elegantly and lightly with every single step she took.
'Is that her..?'
And as if to confirm his guess, the strong gust of wind hit the woman's body, removing the wide hood of her coat from her head, revealing long, dark-crimson wavy locks that fluttered in the wind like silk ribbons.
'It's her!'
Without a second's hesitation, Ahspid grabbed his coat from the hook next to the bedroom door and dashed out, nearly knocking Safie off her feet.
The maid jumped out of the room, her face wearing expressions of both bewilderment and fear as she yelled,
"Stop! Where are you going? His Grace has not given you his permission to leave!"
. . .
'How could he know what I would like when we have never even met before? Is it because I am a member of the royal family? Is this how he is trying to mock me? Shower me with luxurious gifts only to strip me of everything and humiliate me later on?'
Aideen involuntarily squeezed Bella's hand as she took another step on the well-cleaned pathwalk in front of the castle.
Although she could not see what was around her, she knew that the weather was sunny, there was barely any wind, and although the cold air was still biting her tender skin, she felt as if it was the most pleasant feeling in the world.
'I don't remember the last time I went outside during winter. The air here is so fresh that it's making it hard to breathe.'
Once again, she heard the distant sound of people talking and got somewhat excited as she asked,
"Are those the Raven Knights again? Leaving for another patrol around the territory?"
Bella shook her head and tapped lightly on Aideen's hand,
"No, today is Saturday, Your Highness, the knights are not leaving the castle until Monday. Since the weather is fine, they are spending their weekend doing work around the castle. You know, cleaning, repairs, stocking firewood, and so on."
"I see..."
Although Aideen was impressed by the hardworking nature of the knights, she couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.
'So he will not go out today because it's weekend… I guess there is no use waiting for him at the entrance tonight then.'
"Bella! Bella, over here!"
The maid flinched as she heard her name being called from the castle's main entrance. She turned around and noticed Safie waving frantically at her, her face anxious and pale.
With a short, irritated sigh, Bella nodded at her friend, and said in a somewhat apologetic tone,
"Forgive me, Your Highness, but one of the maids is in desperate need of my help. Please stay here and don't go anywhere, I will be back shortly."
"Yes, I understand."
Bella ran toward the castle's entrance, furrowing her eyebrows at Safie while Aideen was left alone right in the middle of the pathwalk.
"Alright, princess, turn around and show me your face. I need to see if it is true what they say about you. I need to see your eyes, Your Highness!"
Ahspid peeked from behind one of the castle's walls, whispering these words as if he were casting a spell. He kept watching Aideen standing with her back turned to him, growing rather impatient with every passing second.
"Come on, I can't stand here––"
His mumbling was interrupted by a sudden loud growling coming from behind him. Slowly, he turned around and saw two large black Dobermans standing right in front of him, baring their fangs.
"Oh, hell!"
Ahspid was not particularly fond of animals and, ironically enough, the animals never harbored any affectionate feelings toward him either which, in situations just like this one, was a rather unfortunate coincidence.
The dogs kept growling at him, slowly approaching as their saliva was dripping on the frozen ground beneath their big paws.
"Alright, you are good dogs, aren't you? Now, go play somewhere else and leave me be!"
The dogs, however, paid little heed to his words. Their growls intensified, adopting a more menacing tone, leaving Ahspid with no alternative but to employ his abilities to extricate himself from impending trouble.
"Indeed, I strive to avoid causing any harm to you all, yet you persist in rejecting my benevolence!"
Uttering this arrogant declaration, the mage snapped the fingers of his right hand, unleashing a brilliant yellow flash that wielded an unexpected influence on the angry dogs.
Barking uncontrollably, the canines took off in a frenzied dash. Curiously, instead of seeking refuge or concealment, their chosen destination was the princess herself.
"Oh, damn!"
"Dogs?"
Aideen discerned a distant barking emanating from somewhere near the castle. She turned around, intent on confirming the source of the sound. The barking persisted, getting louder with each passing moment, prompting the princess to acknowledge the dire nature of her predicament.
"The dogs are running toward me!"
Riddled with fear and confusion, she found herself rooted to the spot, her hands instinctively shielding her face from the impending threat.
"Your Highness!"
Bella's distant shouting thundered through the castle and then, all of a sudden, everything turned quiet and still again.
The barking stopped and so did the loud footsteps of the running dogs. Instead, there was a loud, almost nervous breathing brushing over the top of her head as someone was now standing right in front of her – tall and strong, their hands wrapped carefully around her while pressing her trembling body against their own well-built frame.
'A man?'
The stranger looked to his side and said in a cold, low voice,
"Stay back, both of you."
Then, he looked down at Aideen, his voice now caring and kind,
"Are you alright?"