The Scent of Jasmines

Azel could hardly believe what had just happened. One moment, he was shocked and confused by the sight of the girl, and the next, he found himself compelled by her bravado, to the point of indulging her.

And now he was confused again but this time, at himself.

Why did he stop when she called him a pervert? Why did he even speak? Surely, he wasn't offended by her insult, was he?

He halted abruptly, his brows furrowing as he contemplated his actions. The forest path ahead of him was clear, and the simply embroidered black coat hung limply from his arm.

It was not his intention to speak with her, nor was it his intention to alert her to his presence for that matter. All he wanted to do after seeing her was take his coat and leave when she was done.

Yet, she had noticed him. No one had ever picked up his presence when he intended to hide himself, and that was exactly what he was doing behind that thick brush.

Was he really that disoriented by the sight of her that his focus lapsed?

No, he agreed he was disturbed but that was not what had disturbed him...

'That scent...' Azel thought as his jaw clenched tightly. 'It truly was from her...'

Barely thirty minutes ago, he had walked into a clearing where a camp was set up after he finished bathing in the river. His dark, long hair was still completely wet from the soak, and tiny droplets of water dripped from the ends of it.

His body was completely dry, though. He wore a long white tunic that was open at the neck, the sleeves folded to reveal his deep olive, muscular arms. The right arm was inscribed with strange black rounded markings that seemed to go all the way up to his shoulder.

Complementing the tunic were a pair of black linen trousers tucked into fine leather boots.

He surveyed the area and found that two of the knights he had come with had already begun gathering their belongings, while the coachman checked the condition of the horses and the carriage they had arrived in.

They had camped out in the forest overnight on his orders, despite being relatively close to their destination.

A tall man with a lithe, muscular frame and a messy wave of dark hair appeared from behind the large carriage and approached him. His bare hands were covered by a pair of black gloves, and rectangular framed glasses obscured the color of his eyes.

"Are you done with your bath, Milord?" he asked.

Azel almost rolled his eyes. "I am not," he answered in a rather sarcastic tone. "I jumped into the river to start, but quickly remembered that I had forgotten my towel and came back to get it."

Contrary to his explanation, a small, white cotton towel hung deftly on his neck.

The dark-haired man wrinkled his nose in displeasure at his master's tone. He was none other than Azel's aide, Fabian.

Fabian almost sighed at his master's response but knowing exactly how Azel could be, he decided to indulge him in his own way.

"Have you perhaps developed some form of amnesia, Milord?" Fabian asked. "To think that you would come looking for a towel that is already hanging on your neck..."

Azel's gold eyes bore into his aide's, and his eyebrow twitched subtly in response.

"Shall I call a physician when we get to the city?" Fabian asked, feigning concern. "Or shall I check you myself? For all we know, it might be too late by the time we get there, and by then, you would have forgotten your very identity."

Azel turned away from him. "Shut up." he said gruffly.

Fabian gave him a knowing smile. "Are you done with your bath, Milord?" he asked again.

Azel hesitated before answering. "...Yes, I am, Fabian. Are you happy now?"

His aide nodded. "Very much so," he responded, sweeping his eyes across the clearing. "I believe we are ready to leave now. Do you have everything intact, Milord?"

Azel nodded once. "I do," he said, observing himself but instantly paused midway. "Ah... I must have forgotten my coat."

Fabian let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly, are you sure you're feeling alright?" he inquired. "We don't have all day. We need to arrive at the city before it gets dark."

"I'm alright and you complain a lot, as always, Fabian." Azel told him. "I will go and get the coat myself. Have everything ready before I get back."

His aide furrowed his brows. "You could just abandon it, Milord. It is not important."

Azel turned around and started to head towards the dense cluster of trees. "I could just abandon you, Fabian. You are not important."

Fabian firmly adjusted his glasses. "Everything will be ready by the time you get back, Milord."

Azel smirked, not bothering to look back and see his aide's expression. He disappeared into the trees and began making his way back to the bank of the small river he had left earlier.

It was a humble clearing enclosed by dense trees. Despite it being only partially hidden, he didn't think he would find it that easily...

That was until a small gust of wind blew, carrying to him the sweet and intoxicating scent of jasmines. Azel halted on his path, and the space between his brows creased in a deep frown.

He surveyed his surroundings. There were no jasmines in this part of the forest, so where was this fragrance coming from?

It was not the common smell of flowers that he would just ignore in passing. This particular scent seemed to want to pull him towards its source.

Azel tightly clenched his fists. He knew this feeling all too well, but was this truly possible? His frown deepened. It couldn't possibly be. He was almost certain that it was just a figment of his imagination... almost.

He resigned himself to follow the direction of the fragrance, arriving in front of a large, thick brush.

He recognized it immediately. Further from it was where he had left his coat, and just beyond it, the scent of jasmines was even stronger.

'No...' Azel thought, clenching his jaw as his heart pounded hard against his chest. 'No... No.'

He stood still for a while longer, attempting to calm himself. When he had regained enough of his composure, he peeked through small openings in the brush and caught a glimpse of the source of the scent.

'A woman...' Azel mused, his expression pained. It was not like he expected otherwise.

The woman was shoulder-deep in the water, her back facing him. She had long, lustrous auburn hair, and the parts of her skin he could see were incredibly pale, like porcelain.

He watched her for a short while but he wanted to leave, he truly did. The coat wasn't that important to him, after all.

Still, he couldn't help but stay a little longer to observe her. He wanted to see the face of the woman who had so brazenly drawn his attention; he was compelled to.

Soon enough, he heard a small shriek that almost made him jump in alarm, then he realized that the woman was talking to herself. She seemed to be upset as she paddled her way towards the bank of the river in a panic, searching frantically for something.

He could only make out the side of her face now, and he observed her until she suddenly lifted herself from the river and sat on its edge.

Azel turned his gaze away from her immediately, fully aware that she was completely bare...

He stood with his back to the brush for several minutes before silently sighing.

It was best to let her leave before he retrieved his coat; nothing good would come from seeing her face or getting close to her—it would only confirm his doubts.

And he rather let his doubts remain doubts.

His jaw clenched again, and a moment later, a wry smile twisted up his lips. To think he was fated to be this miserable...

"Who's there?!" a feminine voice called out, startling him out of his thoughts. "I command you to show yourself!"

Azel's lips parted in disbelief. '...What?'