The Crimson Throne - A Grimdark Tale

"But before we continue, shall we first acquaintance ourselves?" Elaine produced a sweet smile. Since they were both pretending, she should continue her role as an oblivious and demurred noble lady. "My name is Estella Marie de La Croix, and standing behind you is my trusted guard, Sir Cecil Ascania. We were on our way back to Geris when we got attacked by the bandits and the Devil Beasts." She conveniently left out her terrible decision to stray from the original path.

Elias stood before Elaine, motionless like a statue. He did not react to her strange behavior from earlier, nor did he respond to her recent introduction. Instead, his gaze transfixed hers, observing her every movement.

Elaine quelled the urge to avert her eyes, forcing herself to continue the awkward eye contact. Did I say something wrong? Or did he detect my lies? Technically, her retelling of the event was not a lie. Elaine scrutinized her words, but could not find any issue.

He finally spoke. "It is my honor and luck that I could save you on time, Lady Estella. My name is Ares Reiter, and though I am but a commoner, if you require, I will do my best to assist you in any way I can." Elias inclined his head.

So he is using an alias here. The story started two years later. Elias had already come back to Lévis and reclaimed his title by then. Therefore, Elaine knew very little about his previous life.

"The pleasure is all mine, Vice Commander Reiter."

"Just Ares will be fine, milady."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries, then Elaine returned to her request. "As I stated before, my escorts and I were on our way back to the dukedom when we got attacked, resulting in only us two remaining alive." She hesitated for a moment, then continued. "Mr. Ares, I would like to request a small portion of your troop to take me back to the magician tower. Of course, those who volunteered will receive a handsome reward when we reach the destination." She promptly added. "In the name of Geris, I swore by my words."

The nobles in Étoile, specifically high nobles, preferred to avoid taking oaths in the name of their homelands. It was the highest form of agreement, and they would have to honor their pledges. Elaine, however, was desperate.

Elias nodded. "How many soldiers do you need, milady?" He did not inquire why Elaine initially failed to go through the magician portal.

"Ten, just ten of your well-trained soldiers will be enough."

"Very well. I will relay your words. How soon will you need these soldiers?"

"As soon as possible. I need to reach the magician tower before sunset tomorrow."

"Understood. Please take a good rest, Lady Estella. We will depart at sunrise." Elias turned and proceeded toward the tent entrance. Suddenly, he stopped. "You have a good guard, milady. He waited outside for ten hours today to meet me." With those last words, he exited.

Elaine watched Elias' figure disappear behind the tent cover and heaved a sigh. She did not anticipate the conversation to progress so smoothly. Elaine assumed he believed little of her words from his expression or lack thereof. But why did he decide to help her? What was his goal?

No use thinking about this now. No matter what Elias' goal was, I still required his help.

"Sir Ascania, thank you. I am grateful." She did not elaborate, but Elaine was thanking Cecil not solely for today but for everything he had done for her throughout the ordeal. He was the only one who remained to fight, even when everyone else abandoned her.

"It is my duty to serve and protect you, milady." Cecil knelt and positioned his hand on his chest. Elaine could see the embedded Croix symbol flashing under his tunic. "Please rest, milady. We will have a long day tomorrow." He stood up and assisted Elaine in returning to her bed.

"I will. See you tomorrow." Elaine thought about her conversation with Elias. He will keep his promise, right? She closed her eyes as sleepiness again overcame her senses.

The sun rose beyond the horizon while the skies, still covered with red and orange hues, brightened and readied for a new day.

Clara came in and helped Elaine prepare. When she left the tent, a group of about eleven or twelve men awaited her. Cecil and Elias were both already on horseback.

"Are you coming too, Mr. Ares?"

"As your rescuer, it is my duty to see you reach your destination safely, milady. However, we decided it would be faster for you to ride on a horse instead of the carriage in the interest of time." Elias pointed to a cream-colored colt. "Do you know how to?"

"I do."

Elaine stared at the animal, hesitating. Naturally, the body's original owner, Estella, knew how to ride a horse. Along with reading and writing, horseback riding was an essential knowledge all high noble children required to learn. However, Elaine was uncertain whether she could endure the long ride on horseback with her current injuries.

"Milady, if you are feeling uncomfortable, I could-" Before Cecil could complete his sentence, a firm hand swept Elaine off her feet.

By the time Elaine reacted, she was already on a sable horse, leaning against Elias' chest. "Mr. Ares, what do you think you are doing?" She protested.

"You seemed unable to ride a horse alone with such injuries, milady. So I am simply offering my humble assistance." Elias answered matter-of-factly.

Elaine opened her mouth, then closed it again. It felt wrong somehow, and she wanted to disagree but could not find faults in his word. After all, he spoke the truth.

"I will ride with my guard." She finally found a loophole.

"That would be unadvisable, milady. Of course, Sir Ascania will need to stay close to protect you. But how could he perform his duty effectively if your presence on his horse hindered his movements?"

"Then what about you? Won't I hinder your movements?" Elaine caught herself glaring. She then quickly lowered her eyes. Calm down. I still required his help. She reminded herself.

"You do not need to worry about me, milady. I am an expert at protecting the weak." He retorted.

Elaine gritted her teeth. What a shameless bastard. He did not even bat an eyelid when answering her. Elaine tried to remember the male protagonist's personality in the book. Although he spoke little, wasn't he always gentle and understanding toward the female protagonist? Elaine understood she was far from the female protagonist, but Elias' description from the book and his current self were undoubtedly two distinct personalities. Split personality disorder? If Elaine had the book in hand, she would throw it in the trash. Nothing in the book and her own experience correlated.