She resists him

Adelia stared at him, a mixture of confusion, surprise, and maybe a hint of fear evident on her visage. "What…" she paused, swallowing before she continued, "What do you mean?"

Azel almost let out a laugh at her expression. "I don't intend to scare you, my lady," he said with a lopsided smile. "But it's quite a shame… to think you would forget your promise so easily."

If Adelia could slap him, she would likely do it without a second thought but he was so big, she didn't think it would even sting.

What in the world was he talking about?

She somehow understood what he meant when he said he had the freedom to do what he wanted with their lives, yet it didn't mean she liked it.

She hoped against hope that he wasn't plotting anything vile, especially considering her initial impression of him when they had first met.

But if he didn't take advantage of her when she was unconscious and vulnerable, it was unlikely he would do anything unspeakable in her current state.

Still, she would keep her guard up. She didn't trust him... not fully.

But... what did he mean when he said he would get to keep his own life...?

Then, like a crashing wave, realization washed over her. She looked up at him with widened eyes, only to find him smiling in amusement, then her face turned a fiery crimson—again.

She took a deep breath and managed to regain enough of her composure to face him squarely. "It doesn't matter what you do or say," she stated firmly, "my decision remains unchanged."

Azel let out an amused chuckle, the sound gave her a strange kind of warmth.

Adelia's demeanor wavered slightly. "What?" she asked uncertainly. "Why are you laughing?"

"It's nothing of importance, my lady," he responded amidst his laughter. "I'm only surprised at your ability to say that with such a straight face."

Adelia furrowed her brows, her composure was crumbling now. "What do you mean? Explain yourself," she demanded.

Azel cleared his throat and met her eyes directly. "Will you truly sentence a commoner to the gallows for merely gazing upon you?" he asked, his beautiful gold eyes gleaming with laughter. "Surely your people would name you a heartless lady, wouldn't they?"

Adelia inhaled sharply, as she stared at him with rounded eyes, irritation evident in her gaze. "Not if the commoner had so shamelessly ogled her naked body!" The last words were practically spat out, leaving her face flushed.

Azel's grin remained. "But what if that commoner saved your life as a gesture of apology?"

Her unwavering eyes held his for a short moment before she sighed and her fingers fidgeted with the folds of her new dress. "Then I might… I might reconsider..."

"And how much time would that consideration take?"

Adelia shot him a warning glare. "In due time, whenever I see fit." Then a sinister smirk crossed her lips. "Maybe after I subject you to a bit of torture."

Slightly taken aback by her last statement, Azel's lips curled in response. "Very well, my lady," he answered, absentmindedly tearing his shirt away from his hands and tossing it aside. "I will patiently wait for your decision, no matter how long it takes."

Adelia observed his actions, then her mouth went dry at the sight of him.

He reminded her of a beautifully sculpted marble statue, with the way his hard biceps subtly rippled with the slightest movement. His chest looked broad and hard and the contours of his abdomen were well defined.

They were not just noticeable; they were pronounced, so pronounced, in fact, that she could tell how firm they were just by looking. The veins on his arms protruded in an enticing way and the tone of his skin, a deep bronze seemed to emphasize every single detail.

The way his long, unruly hair spilled over his shoulders, combined with the deep tone of his radiant skin and the captivating color of his eyes, made him look almost... feral.

He was beautiful, a unique, sinful kind of beauty.

Never in her life had Adelia ever seen a male's physique so closely.

The most she got came from watching knights in the training grounds of her castle but she usually stayed far off to avoid getting in the way of their training.

But now that she saw it so closely, she couldn't deny the fact of it being so surreal... and unbelievably attractive.

"My lady?" Azel's voice reached her but it sounded distant. She raised her head to meet his gaze, Only to find him watching her with a hint of amusement. "May I know what has caught your attention?"

Adelia gulped and her face turned bright scarlet when she realized she had been staring. The earth might as well swallow her whole!

She turned her face away in embarrassment, "My... my apologies," she stuttered. "I didn't mean to—"

"You're welcome to admire for as long as you please, my lady," he interjected and his lips curled playfully. "As long as you know when to look away."

If Adelia's cheeks could redden further, it did and it caused her to sputter despite herself. "How... how vulgar!"

Azel chuckled as he raked his lengthy hair back with his fingers and Adelia's gaze caught onto the long gash on his arm.

She frowned. "Your wound," she began, "You didn't get it treated?"

He glanced down at his arm as if he just noticed it was there. Again. "I completely forgot."

Adelia wondered how he was still standing. If she remembered correctly, the assassins carried poisoned blades, and one of them had struck him... in her place.

She swallowed guiltily at the thought as she studied him. Did he have some sort of resistance to poison? That would explain why he still had this much energy left.

"Allow me to take care of it," she blurted out before she had the chance to think it through.

Azel's lips tugged slightly at her preposition. "...What?"

"Let me take care of your wound," she repeated firmly.

Azel furrowed his brows at her, apparently confused. "Why would you want to?"

Adelia hesitated for a moment before answering. "Because I feel guilty," she confessed honestly. "It's my fault that your arm is in the state it is, so it is only right that I be the one to take care of it."

Azel studied her, he couldn't tell if she was being serious. How could she, when she looked so dainty he was almost sure she would faint at the sight of his injury.

But considering what she had endured earlier, it wasn't likely she would be that weak.

Still, that wasn't what he was truly bothered about, it couldn't possibly be… he just dreaded her touching him, especially in his current... unclothed state.

"You need not worry yourself, my lady," he reassured her. "I am capable of doing the basic cleaning on my own."

"I insist," Adelia declared firmly, and Azel wavered slightly but he stood his ground.

"What do you even know about treating infected wounds?" he asked, his tone serious.

Adelia pursed her lips. "The basics," she responded simply. "And a bit of extensive knowledge."

Azel raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How can I be certain that you're telling the truth?"

She gave him a determined glare, "let me prove it."

Her study on herbs and healing methods played a large part in her confidence. She had closely watched the castle healers and physicians attend to knights who were injured during training and she had practiced too... plenty.

So she knew a lot, to the extent of expertise. Of course she did, why wouldn't she? If she didn't learn about herbs and healing then she would be completely incapable of helping her mother.

But her experience was something he didn't really need to know.

Azel watched her, he knew enough to know when people were lying and it didn't look like she was.

Still, there was no harm in trying to confirm, he would just have to read her thoughts… for the sake of it.

So he tried, and tried and tried but he didn't even get close to breaching her barrier and he stood dumbfounded.

Azel knew... he knew that some people's mental walls were harder to breach than others, but hers... hers seemed nearly impossible.

Was something wrong with him? He had never had this much difficulty trying to read any ordinary person before. To think that this petite, fragile looking lady would be the first was nearly a shock.

No, maybe he was just disoriented. He only needed to calm himself and try again.

One would hardly notice what he was doing since he didn't make his frustration evident.

He took a silent deep breath and tried again, forcefully, trying his best not to break her. No mind could resist him.

Azel soon felt he was almost through and he held the urge to smile in triumph, when his mind suddenly turned blank and a sharp pain pierced through his skull.

"Shit!" he exclaimed and stumbled forward.