She must have tons of coins rotting in her room. The simple dress she had chosen to wear without any jewels adorning her bare neck.
Could it be that she was playing victim here to earn their sympathy? Ha! Only a fool would believe that she was living a miserable life. He ignored the itch on his chest and when she looked at him, he nodded.
She nodded back and started moving. The servants came forward to take the bundles from her and his face went icy. See, she was the privileged one.
She had not been freezing in the foreign lands or had lived on the mercy of others. When he was sleeping on the streets, she would have been enjoying the warm arms of her husband.
Not once had she remembered him ever. The way she used to look at him when they were together. As if he was a wonder, a charmer, and her life would revolve around him.
Aah! His younger self had believed in her words. He loathes that innocence of his. How easily she had slaughtered that innocence of his for the sake of her comfort. And when he remembered all that, pity was harder to feel than contempt.
He had trusted her completely. What fool did such a thing, and then dared to mourn when betrayed? But look where they are now. Soon, he would pull her to the gallows with her husband and see the result of her betrayal.
He stopped in front of his horse when she did not, he cleared his throat. She finally looked at him in confusion.
"The servant might live in the estate but I do not have a whole day for walking. We are taking the horse." he pointed at the two horses near the fields and she blinked.
"And your maids can not follow from here." it must be his delusion for he felt a hint of relief on her face. Should she not panic that she would be alone with him?
Or she wanted to have another kiss? Last night, his mind was muddled by the drinks he had been offered by his company. He had refused but then her face had flashed too much in front of his eyes to drink the whole bottle surprising them.
And then he went to look for her and ended up kissing her. His hands were on her waist and he pulled the chain. She had not refused him.
She had asked him to take her to her bed. If not for her change in mood suddenly, he would have taken her. He swore, he would have and that made him a fool again.
How she must have laughed after his leave. She must have been goaded that he still cared for her. He still was so vulnerable that he offered her freedom so easily. His eyes went colder every passing second.
These women still enjoy playing with innocent hearts. Too bad, he was not that innocent anymore.
"You are going to ride with me." he stopped her when she held the other horse to climb on it. The momentary look of surprise gave him perverse pleasure. "I can not take the risk of losing you. If you run away, we will not hold any advantage."
She went silent at once. Looking at him who had already mounted his horse and then at herself. She finally nodded but she did not initiate to walk to him.
"Then I can only hope that you do not pin the blame on me if you lose me in the woods." his brows furrowed.
"And why would that happen?" his voice went cold. She was looking for a chance to either run away or contract her husband. Too bad, he was not giving her any chance to do that. Her lips went flat. There was still a mark of their last kiss there. He ignored it.
"I have stopped running for a long time, my lord. I am afraid I could not catch the speed of your horse until you ride it slow enough for me to handle."
"....." he muttered a curse under his breath as he looked at her clam face. She was so manipulative that even her facial expressions did not change after sprouting such nonsense. If he had been any foolish, he would have believed that she thought he was asking her for a walk while he rode the horse.
She must be mocking him. She must have wanted him to beg or apologize and then offer the horse to her. But she did not know.. He did not hold kindness anymore.
Since she wanted to walk. He would let her walk.
"I will make sure to not lose you, my lady." he gave her a smile that should have irked her. It must have irked her, it was only that she was good at masking her emotions. That was the only reason that she started walking so easily. Without a complaint, without ticking of her jaw or without… Was she really going to walk all the way?
He watched her intently as if he was waiting for the mask to break but it did not happen. She held the bundles in her both hands and walked as if she was a commoner who had walked all her life.
She had been training with him once. She had told him that she wanted to be a knight like him. She did not enjoy the tiring balls but she enjoyed the sun on her skin. Perhaps, she enjoyed walking from that time. She had only tricked him to walk.
His turmoil did not affect her to the slightest. She held the cloth tightly and kept walking feeling the fresh breeze on her skin. It had been days since she had felt the sun. The rains had made it hard to go out and David had not preferred that she leave her house.
He would be humiliated if the world saw her, he had said. Now she felt like she had gotten freedom in the middle of getting imprisoned by Len.