Chapter 2

Your Walk Is Over(2)

He walked slowly until he reached her.

He knelt down and brought himself to her eye level. While she trembled like a bird struck by an arrow, he brought his face closer and whispered into her ears.

“Asella Benvito.”

“…”

“Your walk is over.”

After saying that, Calix stared at the woman who wasn’t even able to answer.

Her blue eyes, that resembled a calm lake, frantically looked around, unable to focus, and her snow-white skin was now pale as if all of the blood was sucked out of her.

He could see that her lower lips looked as if it would burst at any moment since she was biting so hard that drops of blood began to form on her lips.

Without realizing it, Calix reached out his thumb and brushed it across her lips. It was a gentle move that seemed completely out of character for the current situation, where he was out capturing his wife, who had betrayed him and fled.

Every time he reached out to touch her, he could feel her flinch, but he didn’t mind it and continued to carefully wipe away all the blood that came from her lips.

“Let’s head back.”

Calix then leaned to pick up Asella from the ground and held her in his arms. His eyebrows frowned ever so slightly when he felt her lightweight in his arms. It was such a small change in expression that no one was able to notice it.

‘Same as ever I see.’

She was so light that he could hardly feel her weight. It was hard to tell how she had gotten so far with such a thin body.

Was she that desperate?

His face began to show off a distorted expression when his gaze had caught sight of Asella’s clothes, which were torn and stained in many places.

Her shoes were nowhere to be found, her stockings were ripped off, and every part of her exposed skin was filled with bruises and scratches.

Did she hate him that much?

To go through the forest, climb the rough mountain and get hurt in the process. All in order to escape from him.

His arm that held Asella tightened its grip unconsciously.

But no matter how hard she struggled to escape him, he had no intention of letting her go. Asella Benvito was his wife, his woman, both in name and reality.

What should he do when they get back?

Should he tell her: ‘Don’t think about running away‘? or ‘Don’t dare to try this again’?

However, his train of thought didn’t last long.

“Ah.”

As soon as he lowered his gaze to the direction of the sound, he noticed that his wife, Asella, was making a pained face. That was the moment he realized he was pressing his arms around her way too hard, and so he relaxed his grip immediately. Then he reached out to make Asella lean her head against his chest.

“No….”

“It’s better if you sleep.”

Asella hurriedly tried to detach herself from him in embarrassment, but Calix wouldn’t allow it and held her tighter as if they were glued together. Asella’s body stiffened from the tension.

Feeling his wife’s embarrassment, Calix sighed and whispered softly to her ears.

“You don’t have to be so nervous.”

“….”

“I won’t do anything.”

Perhaps due to her escape, her face looked exhausted, let alone her slim body that looked even thinner. She probably didn’t eat or sleep during the time she spent trying to run away. She had to endure it all this time.

“It’ll take a while before we reach the castle, so get some sleep.”

“….”

There was no answer. However, Calix noticed that her stiff body began to loosen, her eyelids were gradually closing, and her head leaned naturally against his chest.

After a while, Asella fell completely into a state of unconsciousness.

Calix then looked down at his sleeping wife, who slept as if she fainted, and listened to the sound of her light breaths.

“Asella Benvito.”

His red eyes sank deeply.

A faint expression was drawn on his usually neutral face.

From the time he was informed that she climbed the mountain, he had expected what was going to happen.

However, when he laid his eyes on the messy Asella, he couldn’t describe what he was feeling. Nevertheless, the sight of her figure trembling in fear filled his heart with the feeling of discomfort.

‘But for now….’

The priority was to get back to the castle. Once everything settled down and was returned to its original place, it wouldn’t be too late to think about what comes afterwards.

With the sleeping Asella in his arms, Calix took a step forward. As if being in sync, the members of Karma followed him in unison.

The mountain trail, which Asella spent hours struggling, wandering and climbing, only took Calix roughly 30 minutes to get down.

And at the bottom of the mountain path, a carriage surrounded with the Benvito family knights were waiting for them. Once they saw their lord approaching they bowed down in respect.

That was when Calix gave the order.

“Head back to the castle.”

But that.. wasn’t even how the story started