Chapter 30: Because Mine Makes More Sense

🌟 Seraphina🌟

I conform to act cool like there's no more danger ahead and just get over with today's drama. Find a place to lay down though I think we wouldn't have any rest today. We will keep on riding until the day is over and we form a shelter of our own inside a bush again.

The morning light shone brightly over our head. The more I tried to stay calm, the more the hunger in me rose. It had a totally different idea from what I think. And it was simply begging to be allowed to voice out.

It had been grumbling since we started the journey — quiet at first, then sharper, but then I tried to press it down,until it became almost accusing.

I saw Elias falling back,could he have heard the sound of my stomach grumbling? I sniffed and raised my nose, he’s definitely looking for a comeback at me, but that's not today.

I hastened up to be ahead of him.

Still, when the faint scent of earth and sap thickened around us, I had to press my palm lightly against my abdomen. Just for a heartbeat. But in that heartbeat several images of food flashed across my mind.

But then I straightened again and fixed my gaze on the road ahead.

I could almost pretend I was fine.

Then — a blur of movement.

Something leapt from one bush to another, fast and lean. My horse startled slightly, and I pulled the reins tighter. “Easy,” I murmured, eyes darting toward the rustle.

Before I could even think of what it might be, Elias turned in his saddle. His expression was already sharp, that hunter’s glint flashing in his eyes.

“You should find your way ahead,” he said. “I’ll catch up.”

“What are you—”

But he was already gone. Just like that. One firm command and he was off, horse thundering into the trees.

I blinked after him, dust swirling in his wake. “Typical,” I muttered, rolling my eyes. “Absolutely typical.”

There was no real irritation behind it — just the kind that comes from someone you’d long stopped expecting anything predictable from. Still, the forest suddenly felt too big, too quiet without him.

I nudged my horse forward. The rhythmic thud of hooves on packed earth filled the silence. Time stretched strangely here, every minute was like a thousand years— every turn in the road felt the same as the last.

The hunger in me just keeps erupting. I hope I won't have to fall.

After a while, I reached a fork.

To the left: a narrow road that I feel the even sound of people's breathing.

To the right: a narrow trail disappearing into thicker woods — endless green swallowing the horizon.

For a brief, rebellious moment, I considered it. Riding left. Letting him find his own way back.

But I sighed, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “As if I’d actually leave him,” I murmured under my breath.

The trail it was. I have to watch his back. He's serving us both, since he's decided to make up for his past misdeed, why not give him a chance?

I patted my horse’s neck. “Time to go find King Elias,” I said dryly, and tugged the reins. The horse whinnied softly, as if agreeing, and we rode into the wild again.

Branches brushed my cloak as we passed, the scent of pine and damp moss thick in the air. The deeper we went, the heavier it grew — the forest felt alive, whispering around me. My stomach twisted again, but this time not just from hunger. I didn’t like the feeling of riding blind.

Then, a sound — steel meeting bone, a grunt, and a low curse.

I pressed forward and emerged into a clearing.

Elias stood there, his cloak pushed back, sleeves rolled up to his forearms. The guard was beside him, holding a rope while Elias crouched over the body of a freshly killed stag. The metallic scent of blood hung sharp in the air. He was already working the blade — steady, efficient, like he’d done it a thousand times before.

My eyes widened. “Elias!”

He looked up briefly, the corner of his mouth twitching at my tone.

I slid off the horse, boots hitting the ground lightly. “You hunted this?”

“Obviously,” the guard muttered, though his tone held respect.

I turned to him sharply. “And you just stood there? Letting your king do all the work?”

The poor man froze, caught between protest and panic.

“Seraphina,” Elias cut in, voice low but threaded with command. “I told you to stand off.”

I folded my arms, feigning offense. “Well, you didn’t tell me not to supervise.”

He gave me that look — the one that could strip the humor right out of the air if he chose to. But instead, he sighed and returned to his work.

I moved closer, careful not to step too near the blood. “You’re lucky I didn’t leave you behind,” I teased lightly, then reached out and poked his shoulder. “You know, for all that talk about being a king, you’re quite—”

“Do you want to keep playing foolish,” he interrupted smoothly, eyes flicking to mine, “or feed your stomach first?”

That shut me up.

I blinked at him, then laughed — soft, caught off guard. “Fair point,” I admitted, stepping back. “Carry on then, Your Majesty.”

He smirked faintly, and I caught the barest glint of amusement before he turned away again.

I watched quietly after that, arms folded as he finished cleaning the stag. The precision in his movements, the unspoken rhythm of command — even here, in the middle of the forest, there was something inherently kingly about him.

When he finally stood, wiping the dagger clean, I cleared my throat. “I saw something ahead,” I said, gesturing past the trees. “Smoke. Probably a village. We could go there — ask for food, or help.”

Elias’s eyes narrowed slightly, uncertain. “Or walk into another ambush.”

I smiled faintly, stepping closer. “Or we could eat something that isn’t bleeding onto the grass.”

He exhaled slowly, the argument already fading before it began. “You always have a way of twisting my logic.”

“Because mine makes more sense,” I said sweetly.

That earned me a look — half exasperation, half reluctant amusement — before he turned to the guard. “Pack the rest. We’ll move soon.”

As the sun slipped lower through the canopy, I mounted my horse again, a small spark of satisfaction curling in my chest.

For once, it felt like we might actually be heading somewhere that didn’t end in disaster.

Now with Elias beside or behind me, I know this journey would only get more interesting and fairer.