Valeria had been in hiding for exactly three months now. She had just sent Asher and Elias away when there was a sudden knock at her door. Her steps faltered. Had they forgotten something? She hesitated, her hand hovering above the doorknob. What if it wasn't them?
Pressing her ear against the door, she strained to hear anything from the other side, but there was only silence. The knock came again, harder this time, making her flinch.
"Valeria! It's me!" someone whisper-shouted from the other side.
Her breath hitched. She knew that voice. Without thinking, she ripped the door open and found herself face-to-face with her best friend.
"Katherine!" Valeria cried, pulling her into a tight embrace. "What? How?"
Katherine returned the hug, her familiar warmth grounding Valeria in the surreal moment. Was this real? Had she passed out and hit her head, and this was just a hallucination?
"Is it really you?" Valeria's voice quivered as she pulled back to look at her friend's face.
Katherine grinned brightly. "Yes, it's really me. Surprise!"
Valeria's heart swelled with joy and disbelief. She quickly closed the door behind them and dragged Katherine inside. They both sat on the edge of the bed, and Valeria's mind raced.
"But how? And why? Wasn't it dangerous? Did you come alone? What did Lord Lohra say about this?" She fired off questions in rapid succession.
Katherine raised her hands in mock surrender, laughing. "Okay, okay! One question at a time!" She took a deep breath before answering. "Why I'm here is obvious—I missed you so much, Valeria! And Sir Asher never told me anything about you when he returned, always saying it was 'confidential information.'" Katherine imitated Asher's gruff voice, using exaggerated air quotes. "So I knew I had to come and see you myself. As for how I got here… well, that was a little more complicated."
Valeria frowned, sensing the evasion in her friend's tone. "Wait… your father knows you're here, right? You didn't come here alone, did you?" Her eyes narrowed. "Please don't tell me you did something reckless, Katherine."
Katherine's sheepish smile gave her away. "Don't be mad! Everything I did was out of love for you."
Valeria scoffed. "I'm mad because you're an idiot, even if you're my adorable idiot. Now, spill it. How did you get here? And how did you even find this place?"
Katherine inhaled deeply, bracing herself. "I waited for the day when Asher and Elias usually leave to check on you. I sneaked out of the estate, grabbed one of my father's horses, and followed them. I had to be really careful; they almost caught me a dozen times! But somehow, I managed to stay out of sight." Her eyes sparkled with pride. "I waited outside the cottage until they left, and here I am!"
Valeria shook her head in exasperation. "You're a fool. You could've been hurt or worse." But despite her words, her expression softened as she hugged Katherine again. "Oh, but it's so good to see you. I missed you, too."
Katherine grinned. "My father will probably lock me in my room until I get married, but it's worth it to know you're safe."
Before Valeria could respond, the front door slammed open. Her heart jumped into her throat, and a scream escaped her lips.
It's the king! He found me!
Her body moved on instinct. She grabbed the dagger Elias had given her and lunged at the intruder. But her wrist was caught in a strong grip before the blade could connect. The dagger clattered to the floor, and she lashed out with her other hand, only for it to be restrained, too.
"Valeria, it's me!" Asher's familiar voice cut through her panic.
She blinked, finally registering the face in front of hers, furious but undeniably his.
"What the hell, Asher?!" she yelled, her voice shaky with adrenaline. "Why would you barge in here like a lunatic? You… imbecile!" Her heart was pounding in her chest and she tried to calm down from the fear she just felt a few seconds ago.
Elias shut the door behind him and smacked Asher once again on the back of the head. He knew that this would probably scare the ladies but once Asher had something set in his mind it was impossible to stop him.
"Sorry," Asher grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I needed to teach you two girls a lesson!" His gaze shifted to the real culprit, who looked down guiltily. "Did you really think we wouldn't notice you following us, Lady Lohra? We're bringing you back to the estate immediately."
Katherine crossed her arms defiantly. "I didn't do anything wrong. I just wanted to make sure my best friend was okay. And I'm not leaving yet!"
Asher's jaw tightened, his anger barely contained. "What if someone saw you? You followed us, dressed like the noble lady you are, without a care for how conspicuous you'd look. Do you know what would happen to Valeria if someone realized she's hiding here?"
Valeria's chest tightened as his words sank in. She turned to Katherine. "Did someone follow you?"
"No, of course not!" Katherine said, her tone defensive. "If someone had, wouldn't you and Elias have noticed? You knew I was following you, after all."
Asher sighed, running a hand through his hair. "No one followed her," he admitted. "But that's not the point. She risked her safety and yours. We're taking her back." Katherine was lucky they noticed her or she would already have been raped and killed. Elias and he had to kill three men who sneaked upon the lady and wanted to have their way with her. This was a dangerous world and this two girls were completely underestimating the dangers that lurked outside.
"Wait!" Valeria tugged her wrists free from Asher's grip and looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Now that she's here, can't she stay for just a little while?"
Asher's stern expression faltered as he looked down at her pleading eyes. He knew this was wrong but somehow could not deny her this. At last he let out a long sigh. "Fine. One day. Then we're bringing her back."
Valeria and Katherine squealed with delight, throwing their arms around each other in celebration.
Asher groaned in defeat as Elias clapped him on the shoulder. He noticed how his friend was slowly getting soft for the young lady. Asher's eyes could not leave Valeria's happy and bright smiling face.