Lidia tapped her foot against the cobblestone street, arms crossed, scowling at absolutely nothing.
Where the hell was that damn knight?
She had been waiting for what felt like hours—which, realistically, was probably closer to ten minutes, but that wasn't the point.
The point was that she should already be halfway across town by now, not standing here like some lost street urchin.
She exhaled sharply, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
Was it possible he had ditched her?
No.
She narrowed her eyes.
The guy looked like the kind of person who wouldn't give a single shit about ditching someone, but he also had this unfortunate sense of duty in his eyes.
Which meant he was either dealing with something annoying or someone annoying.
And considering who had shown up just before she made her grand escape…
Yeah.
He was probably stuck talking to her.
Lidia rolled her shoulders, glancing around.
This street wasn't as busy as the ones closer to the marketplace, but there were still people moving about. A few merchants were setting up stalls, a couple of guards were walking in the distance, and—
"Spare me some coin, Daughter of Luna?"
Lidia blinked.
Then, turning her head, she found herself staring at an old woman in ragged clothing, her hands outstretched in that way beggars always did.
A small wooden bowl rested in the crook of her arm, filled with a decent amount of silver coins.
Lidia's brows lifted.
She crossed her arms. "Would you spare me a silver coin?"
The old woman blinked.
Deadpan, Lidia gestured toward the bowl. "Because right now, you're way richer than me."
The old woman scowled. "Child, do not mock the unfortunate."
"I'm not! I'm just pointing out facts!" Lidia scoffed, waving a hand. "Look at that! You've got at least—" she squinted at the bowl, mentally counting, "—fifteen silver coins in there! Do you know how many silver coins I have?"
She threw her arms out. "Zero!"
The old woman narrowed her eyes. "And yet you look well-fed."
Lidia gasped dramatically. "Excuse you! Are you calling me fat?!"
A few people passing by turned to stare.
The old woman gave her a very unimpressed look.
Lidia rolled her eyes. "Look, I would give you money if I had any, but I don't, so…" She trailed off, waving a dismissive hand.
The old woman grumbled something under her breath before stalking off, shaking her head as if she were the victim in all this.
Lidia scoffed. "Unbelievable. I got shamed by a rich beggar."
Still grumbling, she turned back toward the road, craning her neck to see if the knight was finally making his way back.
Still no sign of him.
Her scowl deepened.
She was this close to marching back there and dragging him away herself.
Because seriously—what was taking so damn long?!
Just when she was about to conclude that the bastard had ditched her, she spotted him.
Her head snapped up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash.
There!
The familiar, brooding figure rode his horse toward her, his cloak billowing slightly behind him.
Lidia practically sprinted toward him, a wide grin stretching across her face. "I thought you—"
"You're a criminal."
Her fake smile twitched.
Huh?!
Her steps slowed, and she blinked up at him.
Well.
Technically…
She may have borrowed a gold sconce from the temple.
But did that really make her a criminal?
That was, like, petty theft at worst!
"I'm not a criminal," she defended, crossing her arms.
The knight just gave her a look.
She cleared her throat. "I may have made some questionable financial decisions, but—"
He cut her off with an unimpressed sigh. "Give me your hands."
Her what now?
Was he about to arrest her?!
Her stomach plummeted. Damn it! He was a knight, of course he would hand her over to security!
Her fingers twitched at her sides, debating whether she should run.
But then, before she could decide, her body just… acted.
Without thinking, she lifted her hands, palm up, like some obedient child.
The knight grunted before gripping her wrists and—
Wait—
Why was she suddenly leaving the ground?!
A surprised squeak escaped her as she found herself being lifted into the air.
Before she could fully process it, she landed firmly in front of him—seated snugly on his horse.
Lidia blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then, slowly, she turned her head, very much aware of just how close they were now.
His chest was practically brushing against her back, and—
Oh wow…
He smelled nice.
Not that she was sniffing him or anything!
But still.
It was an observation.
She grinned sheepishly, feeling a warmth creep up her neck.
Her cheeks may have turned a light shade of pink, but who could blame her? She was sitting on a horse with a handsome knight like some heroine in a fantasy novel!
The only thing missing was dramatic background music!
She peeked up at him, still grinning.
He immediately scowled.
"Can you stop that?"
Lidia blinked. "Stop what?"
"That face," he muttered, tugging at the reins. "It's unsettling."
She gasped.
"Excuse me?!"
Is this dipshit calling me creepy?!