Chapter 12

The wizard Wivior had somehow found Elvira and was in front of her.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked him.

"A little bird told me that a gorgeous woman with black locks and amber eyes came asking for me at the inn. I spotted such a woman in the crowd and followed her here."

A smile illuminated his face. "I wonder what brought her to me," he added.

His flattering description of Elvira made her uneasy. However, she could use it to her advantage.

Elvira dropped the corners of her mouth, trying to appear as distraught as possible. "I am being chased. The king must be outraged that I ran away on our wedding day."

"Hmm." Wivior folded his arms. "I thought you had a plan."

"The plan was to seek help from my cousin, a lord of another kingdom. When I arrived at his lands, I learned that he was absent and wouldn't be back for months. He was the only person who could talk some sense into my father's head and end this madness and cruelty."

"Who is after you? I can put a protection spell on you."

"Someone has recruited warlocks to hunt me down. My fiance must have paid them a generous price for my head."

Worry dawned on Wivior's face. "How did you survive a warlock attack?"

"I didn't. On the road to my cousin's kingdom, some villagers told me that warlocks had asked for a woman with my physical attributes. Maybe I could hide from humans, but how can I protect myself from magical beings? That's why I came straight to you. I am lost and defeated."

"If that's the case, you are inches deep in trouble. Immoral creatures like witches and warlocks are hired to commit abominable crimes. They wouldn't hesitate to murder if asked."

Wivior's low opinion of Elvira's kind stung. She didn't lack morals or have the blood of an innocent on her hands. They had better things to do than chase runaway brides. Even if they did, it would have been a piece of cake to hex her from afar with her fallen hair strands stuck in a comb.

"I am in dire need of your help, good sir. If you could only protect me for a month, that would be more than enough. For now, I may not have anything to pay you back." Elvira quivered her lip and pretended to wipe tears from her eyes with a sleeve.

"Don't be upset. Today is your lucky day because I came to this town with the sole purpose of assisting humans," he said, looking at her with a reassuring smile, to which she weakly responded.

"Your problem, however, can't be solved with a little magic. So let me finish with the others in town, and I'll come to you after that. Rest in the meantime," Wivior added.

Elvira showered him with gratitude. 

They walked back to the town together, but Wivior vanished into the crowd, leaving Elvira to go to her rented room.

Were her lies convincing enough? All Elvira could do was wait for the wizard's next step.

To kill time, Elvira tried her best to catch some sleep but failed miserably. After tossing and turning in bed for what felt like an eternity, she planned to take a gander outside. The wizard could have changed his mind.

She had barely gotten out of bed when Wivior magically appeared before her, causing her to lose her balance and tumble.

Wivior rushed to her aid, offering his hand. "I didn't mean to alarm you."

Elvira took his hand and stood up. "What else did you expect?" 

She was used to watching people teleport daily and rarely jumped at the sight of it. His sudden appearance, however, startled her for other reasons. Him being a wizard standing at the top of it.

"It was the only way to come here unnoticed." Wivior apologetically joined his hands. "Helping people feels nice, but I regret announcing it to the entire town before departing. It's like a war zone outside. By the looks of it, the aggressive mob might crush us and take magic from our corpses to fulfill their wishes."

What did he expect from selfish humans? Elvira laughed mentally.

"I'll understand if you want to leave now. It's not like anyone is paying for your services."

"I am not leaving without helping my favorite one," he said.

"Thank you, but how?" said Elvira with a smile of relief.

"You need protection for one month, right?" he said. "Stay with me for that period, and no witch and warlock can get to you."

"I am deeply thankful to you, but I hope you realize I don't have anything you want."

"You might have," he said with an impish grin.

Elvira gulped and balled her hands into fists. "Gold? I don't have any left to spare, so what else? You're not hinting at something sexual, are you?"

Embarrassment replaced his flashy smile. "No, absolutely not. I am not that kind of man. I would never ask a woman what she doesn't want."

"Then?" she asked.

"Um, I don't have anything particular in mind. Material wealth doesn't interest me. However, I enjoy delectable cuisines and the exploration of the beauty of fresh places. Perhaps one day, I can be your guest. It doesn't have to be your father's kingdom. The land of your future husband of choice can also work."

Elvira was shocked at the trivial request. "Of course!" she faked a smile.

"No offense, but I thought young men are only generous to women who can pleasure their genitals."

Wivior coughed in surprise. "You must be socializing with the wrong men. The pleasuring of any organ is not required. I only want to be your knight in shining armor because you're a clueless castle princess with warlocks on your tail. Your bravery is admirable, but the real world is crueler than your father and fiance." 

The wizard's generosity was hard to digest. What man would openly accept his sinister intentions? They wanted a woman to let her guard down before making such an attempt.

"If we're finished doubting my intentions as a man, do you think we can proceed? Pack your bags because we need to leave immediately."

"I don't have much on me," Elvira said, grabbing her satchel bag from the bed. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see soon. Hold my hand. We're going to use magic to get there."

Magical beings didn't need to be in physical contact to teleport, but maybe it worked differently for humans.

Elvira placed her hand in his hand. Upon skin contact, she immediately sensed the teleportation magic take effect.