Chapter 147: The Prince’s Trophy
Evanna sat stiffly in the saddle upon Shardeigh’s back with the Demon Prince seated comfortably and closely behind her. They rode at the front of their little group, and after a few hours of galloping through the trees, they finally slowed down to a walk. Not that Evanna found the change in pace any better, it meant Conrad could now speak to her more freely. The princess turned to look behind them, straining her neck to look over Conrad’s large form and could see Ronan sharing another horse with one of the other three men she did not know the names of.
Evanna’s focus returned to the man behind her, and she shot daggers at him before facing forward. She felt like a trophy on show, the missing princess claimed by the Demon Prince. "*Are you really not that happy to see me?*" He whispered by her ear, making her sigh loudly in response. She no longer had her cloak hood up but kept her mask on for fear the prince would sneak another kiss, and this time she would not let it slide.
"*Would you like me to answer honestly?*" She hissed back to hear him chuckle, his chest rumbling behind her. Now she couldn’t use the excuse that the wind blocked out the sound of his voice, but she could also use this time to ask him the questions on her mind. If he would answer them. Evanna moved her head, keeping her gaze on the ground as she asked, "What of my men? How are they faring?"
The leather of his gloved hands tightened by a fraction on the reins on her thighs, making a low noise between the two materials. "We are meeting them now, but the size of them has been halved since entering Direwood forest. This has mainly been due to the forest’s natural unknown magic to confuse men, and then there have also been those monsters," He replied gravely.
Evanna’s hands curled into fists on the black saddle as she looked down and released a breath. Their deaths were on her shoulders. It was her fault they were in the forest in the first place. "It was your father’s orders," Conrad said gently, as though he could tell what she was thinking without needing to read her face.
"*The fault is still mine.*" Evanna whispered and raised her chin once more. Conrad did not respond, but the silence was filled after hearing the clinking sounds of armour and the trees parted to men wearing the Dunhurst armour setting up camp. On their arrival, the men stopped and looked in their direction, mainly at the masked woman riding the horse with the Demon Prince. Evanna focused on the trees behind them rather than their overly watchful gazes that would heat her cheeks.
Evanna was now once again the second princess of Dunhurst and had to bear the weight of her title on her shoulders. Those shoulders that straightened and her gaze lowered to the approaching knight who was none other than her newly appointed knight before she left the palace. A slither of guilt passed over her, but she could see the genuine and relieved smile on Sir Baldwin’s features.
Even with a mask covering the lower portion of her face, her knight knew it was her. Either that or he presumed the woman with dark raven locks sitting on the crown prince’s horse had to be Evanna as he too was searching for her.
"Princess Evanna," Sir Baldwin bowed, then walked near Shardeigh to help her down, but the horse moved on its own accord, snorting at his approach. The knight paused and looked at the prince, almost seeking permission to come closer. But Conrad slid off Shardeigh easily and turned his back on the knight, raising his hands, ready to pick Evanna off the horse.
She scoffed and swung her leg around, ready to hop off, but the prince’s hands were on her waist before she could and helped her to the ground. With her feet planted, she tried not to show such insolence to another kingdom’s prince in front of others. She now had to wear the mask of a royalty slipping onto her features. As she thought that, the princess pulled down the mask she had covering her face, letting the cool air brush over the rest of her skin.
Evanna smiled at the knight. "Sir Baldwin, I apologise for abandoning you on your second day as my knight." She looked at him apologetically, meaning every word of which she said.