บท 20: Chapter 20
Stepping out of the castle was prohibited for Elvira. And to make matters worse, Everard was attacked right in front of her. Wivior could be there to look for him.
Elvira dropped the corners of her mouth to appear sad and helpless. "I am sorry. After how brutally we got attacked here today, I can't stay here anymore. You don't deserve any of this. I am nothing more than a burden to you. I should leave."
"Believe me, it was not a problem for me at all dealing with those warlocks. Don't blame yourself for anything that happened earlier. You are not a burden to me, and I am happy to help you," said Wivior. His tone was gentle and respectful.
The overwhelming events of the day brought tears to Elvira's eyes. "You don't deserve any of this. I am asking too much from you. It's time for me to return to my father. I feel so guilty for causing this chaos."
Tears flooded like a river from Elvira's eyes by the end of that sentence. She hid her face behind her, and to her surprise, she felt Wivior pull her in for a consoling hug. His body felt so strangely warm and comforting against her.
Elvira let him hold on to her for a few moments but quickly pulled away upon remembering that she was in the embrace of an enemy, not a friend. The kind of enemy that would lock his hands around her neck if he found her truth. If Everard were still alive, it would happen sooner or later.
Wivior scratched his head in embarrassment when she rudely pushed him away. "Uh, I know you're in a difficult emotional state, but the woman I met a few days ago was determined to get a better future for herself. That woman wasn't ready to surrender to anyone, let alone a monster. I know it's hard to digest, but the doors to your previous life have been closed because whoever sent those warlocks wants you dead."
"Now come inside with me. It's not safe outside," Wivior added.
It was odd why Wivior hadn't asked her about Everard yet. Was he not aware that he was out in the forest?
"Wait. I have lost a necklace here. It holds great sentimental value for me. I can't go back inside without it," said Elvira.
"Just tell me what it looks like, and I'll search for it after I take you inside. How does that sound?" Wivior offered.
Elvira was reluctant to let him look for her enchanted diamond. However, the necklace was always on her body, and it still went unnoticed by the wizards. So maybe it was safe to let him search for it. She also didn't want to be there in case the unknown entity had disposed of Everard in some other part of the forest after freezing or murdering him.
"It's a diamond with a bit of red hue sealed in it," she said.
Wivior raised an eyebrow at the description of her necklace. "Quite a peculiar description of a diamond," he commented.
"Can you leave me inside now?" Elvira requested with a lowered gaze.
"Of course!" he replied and escorted her back to the castle.
"You can rest in my room for now," he said once they were inside. "After I return with your necklace, we can talk about what you saw in the forest if you want."
Elvira nodded in agreement and went straight upstairs without another word. Flashes of her recent encounter haunted her as she passed through the empty hallways. Who was that humanoid reptile man she had just met in the forest? How effortlessly he knocked Everard out and breathed life back into Elvira showed his immense strength.
The reptile man claimed to know her so well. However, if he had been following her for so long, why didn't he ever try to contact her back at her coven? Even if he wanted to talk to her privately, he could have easily reached her during the errands that she ran for her coven every week.
All those thoughts were now giving Elvira a migraine. Agror's minions had given her enough pain, and she couldn't possibly deal with another problem. Only one thing was good news: Everard was taken care of.
"My lady, where were you?" called Jasper from behind, and Elvira turned around immediately. Talking to him was the last thing she wanted, but she at least owed him an explanation.
"I am sorry. I got carried away by my emotions, but don't worry because I was nearby. Wivior found outside me, so there is nothing to worry about," Elvira assured him.
"My lady, the prince is furious with me." Jasper was sweating profusely and looked terrified. "He entered the castle and was so angry with me for not knowing where you were. Now that he knows you tried to leave the castle under my watch, he might send me away."
"Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for it. So if anyone is getting kicked out of this castle, it should be me," Elvira walked away after saying that, and gladly, Jasper didn't follow her.
Elvira went to Wivior's bedroom and let her body sink into the fluffy mattress. Her gaze landed on Wivior's face painted on the ceiling, and she instantly looked in another direction.
It was a day of two rescues for her that day, and her first savior was Wivior. Although he was her enemy, she never felt that way because he had been nothing but kind to her.
Things had gotten so difficult for Elvira in less than a week. Not long ago, she complained about being the delivery girl for the humans and wanted to have an adventurous job. How naïve she was! Only if she had not gone looking for Serena that day, King Agror would have no reason to send her away.
Elvira straightened her back and let out a deep breath. It was no time to cry in self-pity. Agror needed to be confronted, and her loved ones needed to be warned.
What if he was planning to kill everyone related to Lilith? Or maybe he was planning on killing Lilith, too? Nothing could be said for sure. The only thing she was certain of was that the warlocks that attacked her that very day were Agror's men. It couldn't be a scam because they knew her name! Very few people knew her.
Her uncle's diamond was her ticket to a safe return to her village. It wasn't safe to travel alone when Agror's minions were out there, thirsty for her blood.
Elvira was desperately waiting for Wivior to return for news on her necklace and Everard.
Wivior finally returned to his room after what felt like ages to her, although he wasn't gone for too long.
She immediately got up. "Did you find the necklace?"
"I didn't find anything. Maybe you dropped it somewhere in the castle," Wivior answered.
"No!" Elvira almost yelled. "It was around my neck when I went to the forest. Did you look hard enough? Did you use magic to find it?"
"I did use magic, and believe me, I found a ton of lost objects but nothing like the necklace you told me about, not even a regular diamond," he said confidently.
Elvira pouted in disappointment and looked away.
"You said you saw someone in the forest," Wivior began. "Spirits sometimes pass by here. Maybe a spirit stole your necklace. They are nasty little mischievous creatures. So, if it were a spirit, it most definitely took your necklace."
There were no spirits in that forest, and even if there were any, Elvira would have seen them. The creature she saw in the woods was too powerful to be a spirit and too powerful to be a regular warlock. That man was indeed nothing ordinary. Could he possibly be the one who took her necklace? He most definitely was the one because she lost it only after his sudden appearance in the forest.
Why would he help her and then take her necklace? What motive did he have behind it? Was he a friend or a foe? Elvira could have known if she had known anything about her mother's and uncle's past connections. Eldritch could have helped her, but since the diamond was gone, she was out of options.
"By any chance, did you see Everard anywhere in the castle or when you were outside in the forest?" Wivior asked. He thought she knew his friend's location.
Elvira's heart pounded in her chest. It felt like she was the one guilty of his disappearance. Was Wivior suspicious of her? If he were, she would probably be in a cage by now.
"No." Elvira bit on her inner lip in nervousness. "I haven't seen him."
Wivior sighed. "It's strange and very unlike him. I left first for the castle, and he told me that he would follow me in ten to fifteen minutes, but where is he now?"
If Wivior had come first, he was probably inside that castle when she was busy in a magic dual with Everard. It was good fortune that she did not run into him on the way and that he had stayed inside until Everard was dropped to the ground by the reptile man.
"Maybe you should ask Jasper," Elvira advised him.
"Jasper," Wivior smirked at his name. "He let you out of his sight, and trust me, you don't want to know how he screwed up in the dungeons. He is only a young boy. I don't think he belongs here."
"Going outside was my fault alone. I said that I was going to stay inside because I knew that Jasper wouldn't allow me to leave. After the attack, I feel too ashamed to stay here," Elvira stated.
"Well, there is no need to leave now. I know that your private life is none of my business, but since you came to me for protection, I feel a sense of responsibility towards you. I wouldn't be able to let you go now that I know that some people want to kill you," said Wivior as protectiveness glowed in his eyes.
Although his words were a little too kind to be true, his tone implied honesty. His eyes, face, and voice were so deceptive that it almost felt like Elvira could trust and think of him as a friend.
Wivior sat beside her on the bed, and she immediately moved aside. There was so much room on the other side of the bed. Then why did he sit so close to her?
"Thank you for saving my life and everything else you have done for me," Elvira said with her eyes on the ground.
"It's been a pleasure to be of any help to you," Wivior began with enthusiasm. "Believe me, I have been here for so long. It's tedious and exhausting. So it's nice to have the company of a gentle and beautiful woman." His hand touched hers, and they both pulled away. Was it an accident, or did he do that deliberately?
"I hope you're not expecting my company under the sheets," Elvira blurted.
Wivior's eyes widened, and the color in his cheeks turned crimson. "No, no, absolutely not. I get why you keep thinking that. Most men would expect that from you, but believe me, I would never ask for it. I would never ask from you anything that you don't wish to do."
"Look," Wivior added. "Now that the others in the castle know that you're here, I insist that you stay in a separate bedroom."
"No. Can I stay here if you don't mind?" Elvira requested, and his embarrassment shifted to surprise.
"After the attack, I don't feel safe enough." Elvira let out a long, low sigh. "As I don't have my loved ones here to comfort me, I would appreciate it if you let me stay in your bedroom."
A smile lit up his handsome face. "It would be an honor to make you feel safe with my presence, princess. I am glad that you feel that way about me. I am ready to stay up all night and guard you if that's what it takes to make you feel okay."
It was a mistake to request to stay in his room. Nevertheless, Elvira did not wish to be left alone at that moment.
Strangely, something about him was comforting. It was indeed odd to trust and find comfort in an enemy, but that night, she was way too disturbed to care.
Elvira felt secure, even if the one who made her feel that way was Wivior, a wizard.
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