CH 33

Trigger warning.

“I’ll only trust you and follow you. You’re the only one I’ll confide in,” Elena breathed out.

‘Trust… someone like me?’ Without realizing it, Gareth turned around to face Elena. She was trembling. He cupped her teary face with his hands to feel her warm skin. It had become pale and devoid of vitality, but it was still more than soft for him. He moved his gaze upwards to her black hair soaked in moonlight. Gareth moved his hand to her back and pulled her close to him. He ended up placing his lips on top of her tear-stained ones, becoming surprised by the exceedingly soft feeling.

* * *

Gareth spit out harsh breaths. He had been lying on his stomach on top of Elena for a while now, as if they were one body. His heart was beating uncontrollably and he could hardly slow down his breathing. He knew he had to get up to avoid crushing her body for any longer, but didn’t want to move away from her. Her body was warm, and Gareth could feel how fast Elena’s heart was beating in her chest that was pressed against his. Funnily, he felt alive. He had never been dead, but at this moment, he felt as if he were alive.

Feeling Elena’s body tremble from the cold, Gareth slowly raised his upper body and looked down at the woman . She was lying on top of his shirt that he had laid down on the ground for her. Despite the chilly weather, she had taken off her dress again. All she had to do was simply lift up the bottom half of her dress, but instead she had removed everything. Gareth was also naked, and could feel her bare skin from head to toe.

Gareth supported his upper body with one hand and swept his other against Elena’s firm bre*sts, causing goosebumps to form on her skin.  His fingers fiddled with the peaks of her bre*sts, causing her shoulders to shrink away.

“You cry a lot,” Gareth whispered softly as he caressed Elena’s face. There were still tears lingering in her long, dark eyelashes. He wiped away the tears around her eyes with his fingers.

Elena could not remember the last time she had cried in front of another person. For as long as she could remember, she had cried alone in her room, but tears somehow formed naturally in front of this man. She had cried during their first night because she was scared. This time, it seemed that there was some other emotion mixed with fear, but she couldn’t put her finger on what had caused her to cry. Still, she had managed to avoid fainting from extreme fear and pain like she had done during their first time.

At that moment, Elena noticed Gareth’s sudden change in expression. Witnessing such change naturally sent shivers down her spine. She tried to ask what was wrong, but Gareth quickly shushed her with a finger on her mouth. It seemed as if he had heard something and was sharpening his senses to hear more clearly. His body, which had been weighing heavily on her, suddenly became lighter as if he were going to jump up at any moment.

Gareth listened cautiously for a while, then carefully dragged Elena’s dress towards her. “Someone’s nearby,” he informed with a frigid voice. When Elena was struggling to grab her dress due to nervous hands, Gareth hurriedly dressed her with quick hands. He then grabbed his trousers and put them on. His sword that laid on the ground reflected the moonlight, revealing its sharpness. Gareth listened for a little more, then carried Elena over to a nearby large tree and sat her down.

“Stay still. You might get hurt.”

“W-what a-about you?” Elena shakily asked.

Gareth chuckled without realizing it. He couldn’t believe that she was worrying about the most famous mercenary in the country. ‘It must be because she had only seen Townsend knights until now,’ Gareth concluded. Such thoughts helped him understand why Elena did not believe in his strength, since the Townsend knights were as good as useless.

Then, a sudden thought crossed Gareth’s mind. ‘Why did Logan take so much time then…? If he had made up his mind, he could have wiped out the Townsend castle at any time. Why was he stalling?’ Gareth glanced at Elena. ‘Is it because of her, or is there something else? Or is it both?’ Gareth began to concentrate again once he was able to sense others’ presence nearby. ‘One, two, three, four… Within 20 steps. Sounds like they have a terrible sense of awareness. 15 steps, 10 steps…’

In an instant, Gareth leapt and swung his sword into the moonlight. Elena stared blankly at his beautiful sword that drew a semicircle in the night air. His swordsmanship had imprinted an afterimage in her eyes. A groan sounded in Elena’s ears and she soon saw blood spewing out into the glimmer of the moonlight. Her breath caught in her throat in surprise. Elena had never even noticed that someone was approaching. Even now, she hadn’t been able to tell that someone had been so close.

With widened eyes, Elena stared at Gareth who was slashing his sword in the moonlight. She took in his frightening swordsmanship and his remarkable reaction time. She would have never imagined anyone could have reacted at such fast speed. It was only then she belatedly realized that what Gareth had shown back at Townsend estate was just the tip of the iceberg. This was what he really was. Elena shuddered as goosebumps rose all over her body. The sounds surrounding her faded away as she continued to watch Gareth, even forgetting to breathe. She didn’t even blink, afraid that she would miss the sight of his alluring sword bringing judgement. She didn’t know who Gareth was fighting, but it looked like there were at least four of them. They were also wielding swords of their own.

‘If Gareth hadn’t noticed that they were approaching, they might have…’ Elena’s heart began to pound uncontrollably as if to tribute Gareth’s swordsmanship that both thrilled and captivated her.