Why am I helping her?

Atherion woke up suddenly because he heard a commotion outside the inn. Some people could be heard entering the inn roughly. They were shouting, demanding something to the innkeeper.

Atherion, who had hearing ability beyond that of an ordinary human, furrowed his brow. 'One of the knights recognized Camelia's face yesterday while she was buying medicine?'

"Damn!" He cursed.

With trembling hands due to his fever, he tried to wake Camelia up. Camelia woke up and looked at Atherion with confusion.

"Get on the bed. Quick!" Atherion commanded Camelia. He heard the knights' footsteps were climbing the stairs.

Camelia, half-conscious, climbed onto the bed. She didn't think of anything and trusted Atherion words.

Atherion pulled Camelia closer to him and slightly opened her shirt at the shoulder. "Sorry," he whispered. "There are those knights again." He then pulled a bit of Camelia's dress, revealing part of her thigh.

Camelia was choked and she truly woke up. Atherion's hand gripping her thigh felt very hot. Atherion then pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the edge of the bed. He pulled Camelia closer to him. Camelia's face flushed feeling his body heat very close to her body. Her heart was beating wildly.

The bedroom door suddenly opened from the outside. Atherion quickly pulled Camelia's face and kissed her lips. Camelia glared at him with shock. It was her first kiss!

"Which girl did you say looks like Lady Camelia?" replied a knight to his companion. In this inn, the only young person staying here is in this room."

Camelia, upon hearing the knight words, immediately hugged Atherion's neck, who was still kissing her, and tried to hide her face behind Atherion's face.

A few knights then entered the room. They saw a couple who were kissing. The woman's shirt was somewhat revealing, and the man was not wearing a top.

Atherion released his kiss from Camelia's lips and hid Camelia's face in his neck. He then glared at the knights with an angry look.

"You are disturbing our fun." he said with a slight hiss. His hand lightly caressed Camelia's thigh. Camelia, feeling the caress, flinched slightly and hugged Atherion's neck tighter. She let out a slight groan, loud enough for the knights to hear.

The knight's faces started to turn red. They felt uncomfortable, and then said, "P-Pardon us. We mistook you for someone else."

Another knight joined in apologizing, "Y-Yes. Our lady would never do something like this with just anyone."

The knights rushed out and closed the door. Their footsteps echoed on the wooden floor of the inn's corridor.

Camelia didn't dare to move and her arms were still wrapped around Atherion's neck. However, Atherion suddenly dropped his head onto Camelia's exposed shoulder.

"Ihkk..." Camelia flinched again. However, Atherion's face did not move from her neck. Camelia, unable to withstand the ticklishness, tried to free herself from Atherion.

Finally, she managed to break free and with all her strength, laid Atherion's body on the bed. Atherion's face was flushed because his body was very hot.

"Sorry. I never do that, so I don't know if I hurt you or not." Atherion apologized again. Panicked, Camelia shook her head and said, "It's okay. I know you only trying to save me."

She then took a towel, wrung it out, and then placed it on Atherion's forehead. Atherion winced but then looked relieved.

'Is she really The Light... I shouldn't have saved her. She could live comfortably pretending to be the Duke's daughter...' thought Atherion between his slightly labored breaths.

When Camelia took the towel from his forehead, dipped it, and wrung it out to place it back on his forehead, Atherion roughly swatted Camelia's hand away.

Camelia was shocked and returned the towel to the basin, then sat back down in the chair while staring at Atherion with a somewhat frightened expression. 

Atherion, who noticed Camelia's expression, closed his eyes and turned his back again.

'I hurt her again...'

Then they were in ackward until a few days.

***

Valthoria Kingdom

King Edrick walked back and forth in front of an old man wearing a white robe. The old man held a wooden walking stick, his white mustache and beard long enough to reach his knees.

King Edrick mumbled while pacing back and forth in front of his throne. "So you have foresee that The Light has truly appeared, Theon?"

The old man named Theon replied, "Indeed, Your Majesty. The Light has awakened from its long slumber."

King Edrick stopped at one side and asked, "Didn't you once say that the daughter of the Duke of Valois from the Kingdom of Valonia is The Light? Only her power was still asleep?"

"Absolutely, Your Majesty." Theon replied while bowing his body.

King Edrick's voice echoed again, "And you say that The Darkness will rise if The Light awakens?"

Theon replied again, still bowing his body. "That's correct, Your Majesty."

King Edrick paced back and forth while stroking his black beard, which only reached the length of his neck.

"Before, we couldn't kidnap the daughter of Duke Valois because she was guarded by her father and also the kingdom of Calonia. Now they say someone has kidnapped her, but no one knows her whereabouts. Can you see where the girl is now?" asked King Edrick, who suddenly stopped in front of Theon.

"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty, but I can't see it right now. The picture is really messed up." Theon replied with trembling and lowered his head.

"Absolutely not? We must obtain The Light, so we can conquer the world if we can control The Darkness." King Edrick said half-shouting while walking to his throne.

Theon could only reply, "S-Sorry, Your Majesty."

King Edrick sat on his throne and said to Theon, "Get out of here."

Theon quickly left in fear, leaving King Edrick who was lost in his thoughts.

***

Camelia, who silently stared at the sleeping Atherion, wrestled with her thoughts. 'He seems to be used to treating women like that. It seems he often sleeps with women.'

She straightened her body in the chair. 'But he said he never did it.'

Then she covered her face with both hands while looking down. 'That was my first kiss. I'm very embarrassed.'

***

When Camelia left the room, Atherion, who was already awake, stared at the ceiling of the room. His mind went back to the moment when he kissed and hugged Camelia.

He felt a wild sensation in his chest at that moment. He felt like he wanted devouring Camelia in whole. The sensation he felt was something new.

He let out a long sigh.

'Will she look at me with disgust like others and leave me too, if she knows I am a monster...?'