Pardoned

Fabian had arrived just minutes after Azel and Adelia came down to the common room for a meal. He wasn't particularly hungry, he had only entered to get a drink.

After all, he didn't need to eat most of the time, and it was the same for his master.

He chose a table at a far enough distance from them, ordered a mug of cider, and watched the events that happened the whole time.

Fabian began to notice Azel's behavior becoming increasingly strange... most of his subtle acts weren't like him at all.

Or at least, haven't been like him for a long, long while...

Even the shortest glances in the girl's direction seemed to make him tense. He had only been with her for less than half a day and he was already becoming irritatingly possessive.

Fabian scoffed.

With each glance in her direction, with every word exchanged, with every small contact, the pull was getting stronger.

Fabian could tell, even if his master clearly couldn't.

In all the years of working for Azel, he had never seen him get so furious.

Well... that was a lie.

Azel almost always got angry, but he was an expert at hiding it behind the façade of his annoying smiles most of the time. He had never before glared so openly, never once blatantly threatened someone in public like he was doing now.

No one had ever made him go that far, not even her...

Was this really what a mate pull was like? He had heard of it a lot of times but this almost seemed like too much trouble to go through just for one person.

Fabian sighed. He had his work cut out for him.

He had managed to stop his master from taking drastic action for now, but he wasn't sure he was going to remain calm. So he simply continued to observe.

The fools had finally fled, leaving Azel to begin regretting his decision for letting them run away.

Why did that foolish aide of his have to interfere? He clenched his teeth and glared down at the man whose head lay unmoving on the table.

Azel huffed in irritation.

A shame that the man had instantly lost consciousness when his face collided with the wooden surface; the man hadn't grasped a word he said. The warning had gone completely unheard.

Had he taken things too far?

His gaze finally shifted to Adelia, who still remained dumbstruck. She watched the scene with wide eyes, her attention shifting between the unconscious drunkard and him.

For a moment, the way she looked at him, taken aback, almost made him back away.

He stiffened.

He had seen that look before, so long ago, so many times... and it wasn't a very pleasant memory.

He watched as her delicate hands cautiously reached towards the unconscious man's back, placing her palm over where his heartbeat reflected.

Azel's muscles tensed and he swallowed the urge to growl. Why was she touching him? She wasn't supposed to touch filth like him!

After she had checked what she wanted to, her hand flew to her chest, and she let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Well," she started, her lips twitching slightly, like she was fighting back a smile. "He's... he's alive, at least."

Azel's eyes widened at her comment, and his anger instantly dissolved into surprise as he noticed that slight curl of her lips, the gleam that had been in her eyes before now returning.

Had she not seen the way he reacted? How easily he had silenced the drunkard? She had clearly seen how violent he could get.

Wasn't she... wasn't she afraid?

He studied her closely through his loose strands of dark hair; no, she wasn't. Not even in the slightest.

A smile curved his lips, and he instantly burst into laughter, his shoulders quivering as he did so.

Adelia let out a yelp at the sound of his amusement and looked up at him, clearly taken aback. Why on earth did he suddenly start laughing?

She eyed him warily. 'Has he... suddenly gone mad?'

Azel smoothed the stray strands of his hair back as he stared at her with his usual devious smile, making her breath catch.

…He was so furious just moments ago, she could feel the bloodlust coming out of him in waves. But now, as she looked at him, it was as if all of that had been only an illusion.

"Aren't you at least a bit worried about him, milady?" he asked. "He might not be dead, but he would probably have a broken nose… and maybe a few more bruises."

"Ah…" Adelia exclaimed in an almost inaudible tone. Was she supposed to be concerned? Really?

She didn't think so, the man had brought it on himself, after all.

Hopefully, he would think twice before speaking ill of any woman he saw drinking next time.

Adelia shrugged her shoulders and glanced up at Azel with that mischievous glint in her eyes. "Well, I'm not... heartless," she commented, her gaze then shifting toward the unconscious man. "So I suppose I feel a little... sorry for him."

Azel chuckled softly. "I'm sure you do." His eyes swept across the dining room, which had become fairly quiet, observing the aftermath of the scene.

They had gathered quite the attention...

Adelia followed his line of sight, and she tensed momentarily at the gazes that were fixed on them and Azel noticed it instantly.

"I think you've had enough excitement for one night, milady," he suggested. "What with your repeated drinking and all... we should make our way back up."

She turned to him with grateful eyes, rose from her seat and delicately lifted her gown as she sidestepped the unconscious man on his knees beside her.

Taking a deep breath, she started walking ahead, firmly ignoring the lingering stares directed her way, while Azel trailed closely behind.

*~*~*~*~*~*

When they finally escaped prying eyes, Adelia let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She turned to Azel with a sense of relief.

"...Thank you," she said softly.

Azel stopped in his tracks. "For what?"

Adelia raised her brows, as if she couldn't believe what he was asking. "What else?" she replied. "You... you intervened for me, even when we hardly know each other. Although I wasn't expecting you to go that far... still, thank you."

"I hardly did anything worth your thanks, milady," Azel said honestly. 'Considering I was so close to scaring you out of your mind.' He thought.

Adelia huffed. "You don't know how much I felt like hitting him," she smiled. "That's why I'm grateful you did it for me."

Azel shrugged nonchalantly. "Very well then, I'll take it," he smirked. "Hopefully, this speeds up your reconsideration."

Adelia frowned at first, then her eyes widened, and she blushed. Why did he have to remind her of that silly decision she'd made?!

Now that she thought back on it, it was embarrassing!

Because now that she'd gotten to know him, even if it was only a little bit, he didn't seem bad, not at all. He didn't seem like someone who would shamelessly peek at a naked woman.

Especially after he'd intervened for her like that.

She started walking again, and Azel followed her closely. "I've... I've considered it," she said after a while.

She could feel him smirk behind her.

"And what conclusion have you come to, milady?"

Adelia pursed her lips and stopped to look back at him. "... You're pardoned," she managed with a fierce blush.

Azel mustered a slight bow with a playful smile. "I'm honored."

Adelia's face became even more heated, and she playfully slapped his shoulder, purely on impulse, making him chuckle.

She was grateful to him, truly. For all he'd done for her today, and for now, this was the best way to show her gratitude.

She would definitely repay him one day... properly.

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