He nodded and a sinister smile appeared on his face before he unleashed his sword again. He cut down the two females,
while another guard sliced the head off the last remaining male. My eyes widened at the brutality of it all, but I dared not look
away.
Wrapping his arm around my waist, Nicholas guided me outside to the surrounding ring of guards. Perhaps the entire castle
guard was here. He lifted me into the royal carriage, and my body shuddered a little at his hands on my waist. Knowing he
wouldn't hurt me as those males were about to, didn't make it any easier for me to be touched so soon.
I took the seat on the left, whereas he followed me in and sat directly opposite. As we began to ride away, I saw a bright
light from the carriage window. I watched as the remaining guards began to burn down the small village.
“The residents were nothing more than thieves and murderers. The next time you decide to run away, at least take a map or
someone with you to help guide you. I don’t want to have to come out at this hour of night to aid you, again.”
He didn’t seem at all impressed, and who could really blame him? I’d given him a reason to come after me. Then again,
why had he come to find me? Surely it would have been better for him if I were to leave. To disappear.
Lowering my eyes, I wrapped his cloak tighter around me, and that smell of pine hit my nostrils. This time revealing more
emotions than before. This was a smell I’d grown accustomed to. A scent that I, at one point, slowly grew to love.
“I’m sorry for the stress I caused you.”
“Stress? Ornella, you could have been killed and then where would that have left me? Another reason for your family to go
to war and a murdered princess on my hands,” he tore his eyes away from me and trained his stare back out the window. Of
course, that was why he bothered coming for me. We sat in silence for what felt like the longest minutes of my life. Eventually,
Nicholas sighed deeply and turned to face me. His eyes were filled with a sadness that could only be explained in one word—
Heartbroken.
“Do you really think so little of me you’d escape in the middle of the night?” “I—no!” I rushed out, “I think of you fondly. I
just…I thought it would be best for the both of us.”
“The best for who? You? If it wasn’t for me finding you when I did, you would have been violated and possibly dead,” he
snarled, looking away again.
“I am grateful you came to my aid. Thank you. But Nicholas you can't tell me one minute you don’t want any companionship
with me and then the next be mad when I listen to not being wanted and I leave. You have no idea how hard it is to try and
understand, to make sense of why no one wants you and how come you as a person are so difficult to love,” I breathed, trying
to hold back more tears. I've cried enough today. “I’ve always known deep down that I was odd. I know no one has ever truly
wanted me. I am just the spare. And I know I am not what you asked for. I just wanted to give you a clean break, so as not to be
forced to deal with me.”