Chapter 6: Tricked
Natalia walked ahead while her assailant held the silver blade to her throat. As the two walked out of the lodge, she discovered that the heavy rain had long ceased.
From the second Natalia discovered the threat, she was planning an escape. Though men were known for being cold most of the time, most of them had a weakness.
A woman's tears were the best weapon to soften any man's heart. She hated being weak. Loathed those women who use such methods to gunner sympathy.
Albeit her hatred, she was forced to resort to the same disposable means. Her face was distorted into a pitiful look as she stumbled.
Elias frowned reflexively, removing the blade. Not before it nicked her throat though, making the girl's skin sizzle. It was enough to make her eyes sting.
She began to sniff out loud, hoping that he was one of those men. Elias frowned under the mask. He hated it when women cried.
"What's wrong with you? Stop crying. It's not like I'm going to kill you or something. Such a drama queen."
The girl smirked internally. Now that he had initiated a conversation, it was the opening she needed to set her trap.
Natalia cried even harder, openly sobbing now. Even with her eyes raining tears, she was analyzing her environment.
The man's gaze softened. She could see how uncomfortable he looked from her peripheral view.
"You don't understand. Nobody does. I would rather you kill me than take me back to the palace. All men are cruel. Bastards! Don't even know how to treat women right!"
He listened to her curse and got a bit upset. ‘What was she going on about?’
The women folks were no different from the men. Except for a few.
‘But wait, what did she mean by killing instead of taking her to the palace? It isn't that bad in the palace. Women would give up anything to be part of the harem.’
His curiosity was piqued by her words, hence he asked, "Why don't you want to go back to the palace? It's the best place for a woman to be! You don't need to do anything. Just birthing the heirs of the next generation. Is that too hard?"
Elias couldn't understand the girl simply because he felt that men had it rough. The girl's hatred towards going to the palace was evident.
"You see? I said it already. You don't understand. I am but a commoner who grew up on the streets. An orphan too. Am I not considered the lowest of the low in society?"
Her words set his thoughts into a new rhythm. He still couldn't understand what the fuss was about. ‘Since she was already at the bottom of the food chain, wasn't this advantageous to her?’
Somehow, the more she spoke, the more absent-minded he became. He momentarily forgot to hold the sword firmly.
The girl smirked. She was going to strike soon. Hence, she needed to give him more things to think about.
"I know what you must be thinking about. I sound ridiculous to someone like you. This might feel like an opportunity but it's not.
“The other wives grew up in prominent families and have already established a firm grip on the politics in the harem. Taking me in would be like putting a sheep among a pack of wolves.
“They will easily gobble me up and swallow me whole. It's not like I will be treated any differently. For the King, I am just a child bearer. That's my ultimate and only use.
“No emotions have to be involved for that to happen. My feelings won't be put into consideration either. So tell me, am I not better off fending for myself?"
This time, she smiled through her tears as her gaze fell on the first approaching carriage. Elias was deep in thoughts again.
He was completely oblivious to the change in the girl's stance. Without wasting any time, she hit him in the wrist, making him drop his sword.
Before he could recover, her legs kicked him with as much force as she could between his legs. It was the only place she knew would keep him down for a while.
She winked at the groaning man before jumping into the speeding merchant's cart. Elias's gaze was shut closed as he tried to contain the whimper that threatened to escape.
By the time the pain was gone, the girl was nowhere to be found. As though that wasn't enough, the people around him were making fun of him.
Trying to follow her scent wasn't helpful either. She was a clever little thing. She covered her scent well.
He groaned! He should have searched her body for any weapon or poison before taking her out.
Now that she was gone, he had no one else to blame but himself. He underestimated her and was now paying for it.
Anger coursed through his veins as he cursed profanities under his breath. That little witch managed to trick him and get away.
He couldn't believe that he fell victim to such a cheap trick. He should have known that she was distracting him.
His heart trembled at the thought of facing Atlas. ‘What would he tell his King? That he was bested by a measly little girl?’
‘Or should he explain how she manipulated him into being empathetic and kneed him?’ He swore under his breath again.
Now that he knew the girl wasn't an ordinary person, he needed to get reinforcement to capture her. He only hoped that he wouldn't encounter his King on the way.
Elias returned to the palace with a mission in mind. As luck would have it, he ran into the Beta not long after he settled down.
Rowan took one look at the King's Charlie and burst into a boisterous laugh. He couldn't help it.
The man who was normally almost a neat freak was now covered in mud. The anger on his face only added to the list of things that pointed at one thing. He had failed.
Rowan finally stopped laughing and winked at his friend in a teasing manner.
"I can see that a certain wolf decided to play in the mud like a dog. Something good must have happened to get you into this state. Looks fashionable on you by the way."
His words did nothing but fuel the man's anger. He was reminded again about the girl kneeing him. He instinctively cupped between his legs.
Seeing his reaction, Rowan, who was observing him, chuckled again. That girl must be a tough nut to crack. They all underestimated her.
He should have known that anyone who could run from Atlas was anything but ordinary.
"Did she give you a hard time? The King is getting worse by the hour. His irritability and mood swings are out of the ordinary. We should find her and bring her back as soon as possible."
Elias let out a heavy sigh. "I know. I will do my best to bring her back to the palace. She just caught me off guard. I guess I underestimated her."
Rowan could see the blatant frustration on his fellow guard's face. He patted him on the back as a gesture of encouragement before walking away.
"Make it fast before things get worse."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone