Scarlet pov
"Did he run?" I asked the man who was peeping in the room for an hour yet he had not nodded or notified me that the slave ran away or left the room.
"Caleb, did he run or not?" I asked as I pointed my dagger at his back. He shivered, feeling the pain and stood up.
"He is busy eating!" he replied, trying his best to hide the grin when I frowned.
"That glutton is eating instead of running?" I could not believe that! Did he not want to leave or was he thinking that living in the palace will provide him good food.
"Yes! And that also from your plate." and with that he grinned again, "he even used your fork and spoon, my lady." At last he had to cover his face as if the matter was too funny.
"What do you expect from an ignorant man? But if he did not want to run away and stay with us in the palace then that is fine too. We can offer him a post in a stable. He is fit to be a hosteler or cleaner." I replied and he nodded.
"Let me check one last time, if he did not run away this time, we will go back in and proceed to the palace." he replied as he bent again and started looking from the keyhole again. I sighed as I stood there, waiting for the man to finish my meal.
It was the first time in a long while that I was the one who was waiting. Wasn't it always the other way around.
"Yes!" the man almost jumped from his place, making my grip on the dagger together.
"Ahh, keep this away, my lady. We do not need it anymore." he said with a hearty laugh as he adjusted his clothes and opened the door of the room.
"Finally he left!" that man was getting on my nerves with the way he was behaving with me so informally! I walked in and sat on the sofa for a minute and closed my eyes. Finally the burden was gone!
"Yes, what a strange man" said Caleb, and I opened my eyes to look at him.
"Why? What happened?" I asked as I saw the pouch of gold coins in his hands and my eyes narrowed.
"The man has wiped clean all the dishes and even finished the jar of water. Yet he did not take a single gold coin from the table." he shook his head as he chuckled again. He was sounding too gullible and funny today!
"With all that laugh of yours! Are you trying to practice for the role of clown in the festival this year?" I asked and the smile wiped off his face that instant.
"My lady, what do you think? Did he not see the gold coins here?" he asked as he put coins in his pocket and walked towards me.
"He was not blind, Caleb! I think.. He was someone who was concise.`` I replied as I stood up and started walking out of the door.
"Except in the matter of food!" he chuckled and I shook my head. Just how starved he was to eat food like that! He even gave priority to eating instead of running for his life.
"I will not let anything happen to you." His words were still clear in my mind even when I was almost unconscious at that time. He was the first one who has ever said those words to me! Otherwise everyone around pray for my death daily!
"But I must say that the 'strip' command was too shocking. I was even shocked for a minute. My lady is best when it comes to acting." he said with a chuckle but I shook my head.
"That was not an act! I wanted him to strip." his face was worth looking at when the words left my mouth. As if he had heard that I wanted to take his virginity right there. His soul started leaving his body when I frowned.
"Master, I have seen that slave running from the evil duchess. Shall we follow and capture him?" I was sure they were talking about Evan as I was the only evil duchess in the whole empire.
"Who is in there?" I asked as I knocked on the door.
"Is there something that matters, my lady?" asked Caleb as I opened the door forcefully and entered. but the room was empty. There was not a single soul in. The table was empty as if nothing was even ordered.
"Why are you following me?" I asked the man who almost bumped into me when I stopped.
"Pardon, my lady! But are we looking for something." he tilted his head and looked at the room then he looked at me with confusion filled eyes! "The room seems to be unoccupied."
"Go and follow the slave and make sure he reaches his destination without being sold again. And if possible look for a job for him. Only then will you come back." I ordered him to cut me as I walked towards the opened window whose curtains were still moving though it could be due to wind too.
Yet I have learnt one thing in life. Never let your doubt go unattended.
"Do we need to go this far? Isn't the debt equal to saving him?" he asked, completely shocked with my instruction to save the boy.
"Since when have you started questioning my decisions, Caleb?" I turned to look straight into the man's eyes who shivered due to my cold tone.
"I.. I apologize to my lady. Then I shall take the horse and follow him." he bowed his head and turned when I added.
"Keep a safe distance. He should not know that we are following him. He did not trust us, after all. And I want to keep it that way only."
"Yes, my lady." he replied without turning back and soon left the inn while I stood there as I continued to look at the window.
"Who wants to capture you, Evans. And why?"