“No problem. Let me get stuff set up for the day. You stay here and rest.”
I start toward my horse to help, but Aurelio catches me by the arm to stop me.
“No, you go rest with Daelia. You’ve had a rough go of it, too.”
I frown. “But—”
Aurelio puts his finger over my lips to silence me. My heart beating a little louder than is normal, I stare at him in a stunned silence. His eyes glimmer mysteriously as he looks back at me. I can’t quite get a read on him.
“You need to rest. Okay?”
He leans down to kiss me on the forehead, then leaves to retrieve our stuff from the horses. I feel a small smile tug at my lips.
Oh. I scared him. And now he wants to protect me.
I return to Daelia’s side quietly, wondering what other kind of princess treatment I’m about to receive. Aurelio is certainly full of surprises lately.
Chapter sixteen
Aurelio
Ialmost watched my wife die. Right before my eyes.
I can barely comprehend it. One moment, we were getting ready to settle down for the day, and the next, a demon skewered Daelia and held Alessia at sword point.
If there’s anything worse than that kind of situation, I don’t think my psyche could handle it.
I’m replaying the moment over and over in my mind as I prepare our makeshift cots for the day. I don’t know why I froze up. I should have stepped in like I did for that wendigo attack last week. I should have thrown myself in front of Alessia like Daelia did for me. I should have done anything other than stand there watching the woman I love stare death in the eyes. What kind of husband am I if I can’t protect my wife?
I steal a glance at Alessia, who’s speaking quietly with her sister. I keep having to double-check that she’s really alive, and that I’m not hallucinating just to cope with her death. I can’t believe we got lucky enough that the demon decided to let her leave with her life. Most demon encounters end in a brutal slaughter, or both parties end up mortally wounded. I’ve never heard of demons letting humans go.
Did the demon know Alessia is royalty, maybe?
I shake my head. No, there’s no way an uncivilized monster would know the first thing about royalty. There must have been something she found amusing about Alessia to let her off easy. That, and it worked out well that the elf she was traveling with only received burn wounds instead of death. I have a feeling that had Alessia killed the elf, the demon would have taken her life as retribution.
I see. You don’t fear death.
I shudder to recall her words as I finish building the cots and move onto the fire. The demon’s voice was human-like. I would have mistaken her for a mercenary had it not been for her otherworldly gaze. That eye color is far from natural, and the clothes she wore—why do demons dress like they’re preparing for the end times? They’re always in black, and often, they wear spikes around their neck or their thighs, and this demon was no exception. They don’t even try to blend in when they’re traveling to and from the Demon Plains.
Whatever. As long as Alessia is safe, I don’t care what happens.
I try to file away the experience with the demon, but the harder I try, the more it torments me. I spend an hour starting and tending to the fire, cooking us a meal, and putting Daelia to bed for a nap, and still, I’m shaking in my boots from the mental image of my wife at the mercy of that monster. Luck was the only factor standing between her and death. My presence was meaningless. In fact, my presence contributed negatively to the situation, because I got Daelia hurt, and that prevented her from being able to save Alessia when she was in danger.
I never want to feel that small again.
I poke the fire in silence, watching the way the flames dance so dully in the sunlight. It’s so much harder to enjoy a campfire when it’s light outside. I guess it has to be dark and scary in the forest for me to appreciate the glow of a fire.
Wait…have I been taking this for granted?
I steal a look at Alessia, who’s simply sitting on the edge of her cot, staring aimlessly at the fire. She looks tired, but not as defeated as I must look. The way the fire reflects in her eyes, even in the bright light of day, brings out the sparkle of life, determination, and passion in them. She didn’t expect me to defend her at all against that demon. She didn’t look at me to save her, and she wasn’t afraid to die by the blade. If anything, she looks fired up now, as if the demon’s words were a direct challenge.
I’m tormented by meaningless questions: Would she have looked for help if she married a man braver than I? Would she have stayed back by my side if I was stronger? Would she have trusted me to come save her, even from a demon, if I was a top-tier knight like Kharu or Emilia?
I don’t have the answers to these questions. I’m not sure I want to know. But I know one thing for sure: I will prove to her I am worthy of her trust, her admiration, and her love, however long it takes to earn it. Marriage to the Queen of Celestia is a privilege, not a formality to be taken for granted. I have an extraordinary wife that deserves the time, attention, and effort of an extraordinary man. It’s time for me to follow through on the promise I made to her.
I promised to get her established as a queen, did I not? Well, it’s time to give her not just princess treatment, but the treatment befitting of a queen. She must feel the part if she’s going to play it properly.
“Alessia,” I call softly.
