12 XI. You wound me, milady.

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"Child, what took you so long?" The captain asked as soon as he saw Nä-ræl walking towards him with shaky steps. "And why in nä-bouɠh's are you walking like that."

It was until the captain pointed out that her knees were shaking that Nä-ræl realised it. Just a kiss on the back of her hand made her knees go weak and cause a swarm of butterflies to roam about her stomach.

"It's nothing," she muttered breathily, her heart thumping loudly against her chest.

"Why did you go back?" Œrlan asked as they walked further, away from the garden gates and where the captain stood previously.

"I just, I needed to..." She trailed off as she found no suitable excuse.

What excuse could she possibly have?

That she wanted to feel his lips on her body again?

Or that she wanted to ask if the kiss meant something to him?

Captain Œrlan raised an eyebrow up, urging her to continue. He himself knew that she has no sensible reason to go back there in the dead if the night. He would have asked if she left something there but thinking about it, he realised that she took nothing with her to the garden.

"I...can we please forget about this." Nä-ræl asked, looking up at him pleadingly.

"We can forget about it when you give me a suitable reason. If I had known I wouldn't have allowed you to go back."

"I forgot something." She lied, avoiding his eyes because she knew that he could see through her easily.

"Pray tell me, what may that be?" He asked stopping and raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

Nä-ræl looked round and thought hard for something suitable to say. She herself knew that it was stupid to say as she held nothing in her hand.

"I didn't find it." She said.

"I never asked if you found it. I asked, what may that be?" The captain said, resuming his walking.

"Blast!" Nä-ræl muttered angrily under her breath. She hated the fact that the captain was nosy and he wouldn't give up until she told him.

"I wanted to see him." She finally admitted while blushing. Thinking of him alone made the butterflies in her stomach to hover round excitedly once more. At first she had thought the butterflies had stopped their dance after he kissed the back of her hand and she began the journey back to the palace with the captain but as she mentioned just him, not even his name, the butterflies started another round of synchronised choreography.

"What for? You can just schedule a meeting with him at the palace.

If you needed his services and have your mother and father approve of whatever you wanted to see him for."

"Œrlan it's... it's complicated."

"There's no complicated matter that I can not understand. Tell me what it is."

"I...it's personal."

"You wound me, milady. I thought we were friends, friends tell each other everything." He said, dramatically placing his hand on his chest, around his heart area.

"It's not that, it's..."

"It's what?" The captain prodded.

"I shall speak to you about this later. For now I just need to... I need some time to think about this."

"About what?" Captain Œrlan asked raising his eyebrow, stopping on the way once more.

"Can we please not talk about this now?"

"About what?"

"I just,... Later please," Nä-ræl begged him. She didn't know how the captain would react and she was scared to admit what she was feeling.

She was also feeling guilty.

The captain decided not to press the matter further but decided to give her time. He knew within himself that she was going to tell him soon enough without him asking.

The duo trudged on in silence until they reached the arched doorway of the palace in which about four guards stood, staring ahead blankly. The moment the two were in front of the doorway, two guards opened the strong metal door simultaneously.

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"Milady, I have searched the whole palace looking for you, your mother and father have been extremely worried." A voice called out as Nä-ræl rounded a corner. Nä-ræl came face to face with a panicking Aälna who held a torch that burned brightly.

Nä-ræl jumped and placed a hand on her chest, breathing heavily "You scared me." She muttered.

"Milady, where did you go to at this ungodly hour of the night, we have all searched the palace for you."

Nä-ræl ignored the statement a walked past her chambermaid, not sparing her a glance. The guards situated at the front of her chambers, opened the double wooden door, making her to gain access.

Nä-ræl thought she saw a hint of relief in the eyes of the guards. If what she had seen was true, it was the first time the guards had shown any form of emotions.

Sighing she turned towards Aälna who was hot in her heels as she followed her mistress.

"There is absolutely no need to be worried about me Aälna, I'm fine all by myself."

"Milady, it is late. We were all worried."

"You all do not need to be. Worry about yourselves first. What if something happened to you while searching for me?"

"Milady, näbouɠh's blessings are with me, no harm can befall me." Aälna replied.

"And so are his blessings with me. Good night Aälna, I shall see you by dawn."

"I shall inform your mother and father that you are back from wherever went." Aälna said turning to leave her mistress's chamber.

"Do you?" Nä-ræl asked. She didn't want to listen to any lecture about being a proper lady from her mother.

"I'm sorry Milady, I have to. Your mother has been worried."

"Very well," Nä-ræl sighed walking towards her closet to change into something suitable for the night.