"You have to stop doing that."
"Stop doing what?"
"Saying things that make me want to kiss you when I can't."
Becoming the prince's personal bodyguard should be a dream come true, shouldn't it? Good pay, palace life, but the real gem that ever...
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After trudging for a couple of minutes behind Alvaro and his guards in uncomfortable silence, they finally stop in their tracks and we are facing a small hut in the village. This hut might have been the smallest out of them all. I barely noticed it. It looks pretty run-down and vacant. There seem to be no signs of any human life left in this hut.
What worries me most is that the hut looks very unstable. Some of the wooden poles that are supporting it are almost snapped in half. Moreover, a couple of the wooden tiles on the roof are missing and you can spot a bird's nest right on top of the tiles that are present, though they hang on loosely and appear to collapse at any given moment. In fact, the entire hut looks as though it can crumble at the lightest impact.
The lieutenant steps forward, opens the door and surveys the interior before giving clearance for the prince to enter.
No way in hell am I entering.
Lesson one of all horror films — never enter an abandoned house.
"Hold up, are you guys certain that we're at the right place?" I question and you can hear the suspicion in my voice.
"You're in no position to be asking questions," one of the guards shuts me down impertinently.
"Enough, Carl. She's not a prisoner so we are not going to treat her like one." Alvaro warns strictly which causes the guard to take a step back and he bows to apologise.
Alvaro then turns to face me and the stern look he had previously fades. It is replaced with a look of hope and doubt simultaneously.
"I promise nothing will happen to you if you cooperate. Please, Valse." Alvaro asks sincerely and I get taken aback. Not because of his request but because of how he had addressed me.
How does he know?
I have never mentioned it to anyone. Rather, I have been keeping it hidden for years now. Ever since he had left.
"If you're worried about Casimir and the rest, you don't have to. I made sure to position guards in the vicinity to ensure their safety," Alvaro assures me as he fails to notice my shock.
"What did you just call me?" I question, stunned.
His eyes widen as though realisation had just dawned on him but he regains his composure quickly.
"We'll talk inside," he says calmly.
I step foot cautiously into the hut, afraid that even my footstep will be too much of an impact.
There is not much to the interior. It looks like any typical hut. There is little furnishing but the interior appears to be in much better condition than the exterior.
"Well, I'm sure you must've known that your father, Antonio Valse, was once a royal guard in Exalos. Though he wasn't just any guard, he had climbed his way up to the highest rank anyone could attain." Alvaro explains and it is difficult to miss the glint of reminiscence in his eyes.
