Chapter 33: Thank You, Ashton.

"Princess, please don't misunderstand. It's a long story, but… will you listen to me?"

I stared at Ashton for a long time, trying to keep my head clear of suspicion. He was my trusted knight, and I mostly spent time with him back in Everfell. So, I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Also, I was curious how was he alive.

"Alright, Ashton." I nodded, calming down with my eyes on him. He offered me a meek smile, heaving a sigh of relief which somehow felt familiar. Ashton was always like this; he would look at me helplessly and I couldn't say no to him.

Ashton took a deep breath before his lips parted. "The night of the attack, my troop and I fought the rebels. At first, we had the upper hand, but something we didn't expect happened. Among the rebels lie monsters we have never seen before. They were strong, too strong. One of them can fight tens of people all at once."

He paused as he gazed down, balling his hand into a fist until they trembled. My jaw also tightened, clutching my skirt. Recalling those vampires who were chasing after me that night brought this sense of dread with a mix of abhorrence in my heart. If not for Hugo, I was certain I was done for.

"In the end, just a single man wiped us out. He kept me alive as he killed my people right in front of me, tearing them apart with an ax — cutting them right down the middle." Ashton slowly raised his head as he set his eyes on me. I could feel the abhorrence in his eyes as if he was blaming himself for the death of his people.

"How did you survive?" I asked for clarity. Surely, if the rebel he was saying was this... brutal, it was suspicious to let him live. Not that I didn't believe Ashton, but I couldn't blindly trust his words. After that night, I've seen a lot of things and it opened my eyes to every possibility.

"You saved me, Princess," he said, and I furrowed my brows. "He had me on the neck, choking me to my death after beating me to a pulp. But then, someone came and told him you ran away. Maybe, he thought, since my injuries are fatal, I would bleed out and die slowly and painfully. So, he let me go to come after you."

"Princess, I tried to save you, but I can only crawl away from the scene when I stopped my bleeding," he continued in a regretful tone, looking at me apologetically. "I thought I was going to die, I swear. But fortunately, some people who wanted to help the royal family escape the rebels found me. So here I am, Princess. I came looking for you as soon as I had enough strength."

"Ashton..." I whispered, noticing the blood that was spreading on his chest. My brows knitted even more, and he noticed where I was looking.

"This is nothing, your highness." Ashton placed his palm on his chest, wincing as if he touched a fresh wound. "What is important is that you're safe... and I'm sorry."

He bowed with his fist on his lap. "I'm sorry for failing my duty, your highness. Please punish me accordingly."

"Ashton, why should I punish you? I know you did your best." I smiled subtly, waiting for him to raise his head before I continued, "What happened in Everfell is something we all don't want, but it already happened. We can't reverse the time and bring back the lives that were lost."

"Your Highness..."

"All we can do is move forward, Ash." My tone grew softer, along with a faint breath. "The world will continue, and so we should."

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Ashton's eyes flickered with bitterness and relief as he nodded. "Yes, Princess. This time, I will surely protect you from those animals."

"Thank you, Ashton."

"I still wonder what they were after," he muttered with a sigh, gazing down at his palm while his fingers curled. "Everfell had always been a neutral kingdom, so, I don't know why those wolves dressed as rebels brought chaos to our land."

I instantly froze when I picked up the key points in his remarks. Wolves? Not vampires? I looked at Ashton with furrowed brows, blinking twice as I listened to him.

"This wound..." Ashton raised his head and pulled down the neckline of his clothes to show his bandaged chest. Even though I didn't see the wound itself, the blood seeping from the bandage and some small wounds around it looked horrific. It was as though his skin was... dying.

"Underneath this bandage is a wound I got from that wolf, your Highness." He raised his clothes back to cover the horrific wound on his chest. "They were savages and will stop at nothing to get what they wanted. Whatever it was, I will protect you from those animals, your highness."

'Ashton...' my chest moved in and out heavily without looking away from his eyes. When I couldn't take the heaviness in my heart anymore, I hung my head low. My eyes fell on my swollen ankle while I clutched my skirt.

"I know you are tired, your highness. I'm sorry for bothering your rest," he spoke as he cleared his throat. In my peripheral vision, I saw him stand up. "I will take my leave first. Please rest assured I will be guarding you. If you need anything, just call me and I will come."

I didn't respond as I felt his gaze linger on me for a moment. When he was by the exit of the tent, I spoke and he stopped.

"By the way, how did I get in here?" I asked under my breath, keeping my head hung low.

He took a few seconds to answer. "I saw you being carried out by someone. So, we ambushed them. They were strong too, but we managed to getaway. Although we still have to move by dawn before they catch up."

"I see." I nodded, sporting a smile, as I lifted my head at him. "Thank you, Ashton."

Ashton stared at me for a moment, smiling with a closed-lip. He said nothing as he exited the tent. The second he left, I breathed out — almost gasping for air. I clutched my chest to calm my heart that was pounding against my ribcage, grinding my teeth while staring at my broken ankle.

"Ashton..." my voice shook, overwhelmed by the emotions swelling up in my chest. ".... I lack information, but I'm not an idiot."

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