The water, though comforting, couldn't wash away the anxiety in Elara's body. She pressed herself against the side of the tub, her heart racing vehemently.
Having rendered Alpha Vesper speechless, he observed her with a perplexing gaze.
Outside the room, the guards, under Eldric's command, searched the corridors and every hidden spot in the Quarter. The echoes of their footsteps resounded, growing louder as they approached the room.
Elara, having listened carefully, held her breath, hoping the water would mask any sound coming out of her.
"Search that room!" Eldric's commanded, predicting that she could hide in her father's room.
His accurate prediction made Elara's heart raced even more.
Eldric led the guards in, they scanned the room with suspicion. They were about to restrict their steps when the soft melody of the music drew their attention to the bathroom.
Anxiety had brimmed Elara, listening to their footsteps approaching ceased her heartbeat. She turned hopeful eyes to the man who did not blink his eyes away from her since the moment she entered the tub. Elara's heart hopefully begged him to cooperate with her. Slowly, she submerged herself such that the water covered up her face.
Eldric, entering the bathtub with narrowed eyes to survey the bathroom, flinched upon seeing Alpha Vesper solemnly enjoying the calm atmosphere.
His eyes lifted to Eldric, burning at him with a warning. With head bowed, Eldric muttered. "I'm… so sorry… for the… intrusion, your Majesty." He stammered, reversing his step backward. His breathing became hard as he chased the guards out.
Alpha Vesper whipped his head back to this poor girl who couldn't stop amusing him. He maintained a resilence pose, fixated on the spot where Elara had sunk.
Over minutes, she was still underneath the water and the presence of fainted bubbles was boiling up above her nostril.
"Tsk!" Alpha Vesper smirked, however, his bewildering face slowly turned sour like someone who tasted a bitter lemon when the air bubbles no longer boiled on the water's surface.
"Yah! Come up, they have left!" He burst out, unable to withstand the minutes she had drowned down there.
His virile arm pulled Elara out of the water, holding her up like a speck of wood. Elara dangled on his hand, seemingly lifeless.
"Goddamn it!" He snorted, wrapping a hand across her waist such that her back was carefully laid upon his chest as he made her sit on the edge while patting her cheeks gently from behind as he stood in the tub.
Several minutes passed and Elara was still indifferent. Alpha Vesper laid her on the floor, he gazed at her so helplessly, unable to determine what next of him to do next… obviously like someone who didn't have the experience of helping someone with a similar case.
Alpha Vasper gave up after several futile attempts to wake her. However, he became relaxed when he felt she was still breathing.
"But why was she not waking up?" He grunted, worried lingered in her tone, "Or did she fall asleep under the water?" Shaking his head in disapproval, he pondered if that could be possible.
He sat at the edge of the tub, showering Elara with his keen eyes as she lay.
On her paled body were torn clothes, revealing bruises that covered her body like a map of pain. She looked fragile, like a delicate flower crushed by a heavyweight.
His gaze roamed on her battered form, his eyes filled with sorrow and pity for her. He saw the evidence of her suffering etched into every bruise and tear on her body.
His throat walked down and a slight stain of smile plastered to his face as he recalled the scene he witnessed at the Arena.
Upon sympathizing with her, Alpha Vesper reached for his fur coat and gently draped it over her body.
As he covered her with the coat, he squelched next to her. He couldn't help but feel a swell of empathy for Elara as though he saw through the struggles she had faced, the obstacles she had overcome, and the injustices she had endured. And yet, despite it all, he could see her quiet strength and the resilience that refused to be broken.
"Amazing." He snickered, caressing his fingers over her clustered hair, and pulled it away from her face.
His smile slowly turned bitter as he kept staring at her.
While Elara was wrapped, she stirred and a slight snore let out of her lips as though feeling the warmth and comfort the soft fur of the cost was giving her.
Her reaction coaxed a soft smile from Alpha Vesper as he confirmed she was truly asleep. "Asleep? Like for real?"
****
An hour later, Alpha Vesper had long forgotten that he had taken a bath. After waiting for her to wake felt like a million years.
On the large king-sized bed was he, lying while waiting for the sleeping beauty to come out.
Meanwhile, as Elara caught herself with the stupid thing she did, she felt so guilty that she didn't get the courage to step out of the bathroom.
Opening the door sneakingly, she peeped her head out like a living tortoise and then pulled it inside as soon as he caught sight of Alpha Vesper's daring eyes intertwining with hers.
With a sarcastic gentle smile, she entered the room. Her shyness and embarrassment were evident.
She curtsied to him humbly and mumbled, "Thank you for not giving me away to the guards," she said, her voice having a mixture of relief and sadness.
Alpha Vesper nodded calmly but his voice was pure not like someone who had sympathized with her earlier. "You jumped in there pretty fast. What's your story?" He asked, lifting a questioning gaze at her and posing seriously as though he was truly interested in the story... which he had known.
While innocent Elara hesitated for a moment, then with a heavy sigh, she revealed, "I'm a slave in this palace." So shy and embarrassed to introduce herself.
Elara became more mortified as Alpha Vesper scanned her from head to toe. She seemed different now as she had worn a new cloth from her father's closet.
Having known the reason Alpha Vesper looked at her in such a way, she dropped her face to the floor and pinned her feet together as though trying to hide the cuts on her legs.
"It is complicated…" She murmured and tried to convince the man who seemed unconvinced at all.
With this, she navigated into explaining further but her stammers showed how beautifully she could lie, "To be candid..., I was once familiar… with the Quarter… so… I just sneaked in… to feed my memory… but the guards… saw me… in the process."