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However, as soon as she saw Arun, her eyes softened, and her expression shifted to one of concern. Without wasting a second, she rushed to the boy and circled him, her gaze weighing on his body.

After a moment, she nodded in satisfaction before her admonishing voice filled their ears.

"You should have brought more knights with you! What if you got hurt? Or worse..."

She murmured her last words, her eyes slipping to the side as she clutched her small hands over her chest in worry.

"Why? The roads are known to be safe," Arun said, stepping behind Julius to escape her piercing gaze.

"Really? We encountered several beasts, though. About once every four days on average," she replied, her brows knitting into a thoughtful frown. She genuinely believed these attacks were regular occurrences. So, either her fiancé had lied, or something was wrong. Extremely wrong.

Fortunately, Arun continued, his next words leaving only one possibility.

"How is it possible?" He asked, his jaws dropping. "That\'s the first time we were attacked in almost a month!"

A bad feeling took root in his heart as he began to suspect something unusual about her situation. The more he thought about it, the more somber his expression became, and his legs began to tremble.

"Julius," he said, his solemn voice startling the boy. "I think she is cursed or possessed by a malicious entity. We should distance ourselves from her."

Julius\' eyes widened in response before his lips stretched into a smile. "There must be a reason she attracts beasts. That or you might be right," he answered half-jokingly.

"What are you two plotting?" Asha asked, her brows twitching with irritation as she glanced at the boys who had left her out of their discussion.

Simultaneously, the guard\'s leader approached them, carrying a broken sword, and interrupted their conversation.

"Thank you for your help," she said, bowing her head in gratitude. "We would have still been struggling against it if not for you breaching the beast\'s defenses."

Upon hearing her words, Asha exchanged a glance with Arun, acknowledging the captain\'s words with a nod before thanking him too.

The guard leader\'s two companions followed, offering elegant bows of gratitude.

However, Julius felt a lingering gaze on his body, making suspicious bells ring in his mind. But now was not the time to investigate. He would only alert the suspect if he was right or pass for a madman if wrong.

Instead, he snuffed this feeling temporarily and focused on collecting more information.

"I did what I could to help everyone. Do you have any ideas about what is drawing the beasts towards your escort?"

"We were indeed attacked more than usual. But it didn\'t really alarm us. After all, the wilderness is unpredictable," the guard\'s leader answered, raising her hands to express she was as confused as him.

\'Hmm,\' he tucked his fingers around his chin, a pensive frown forming between his brows as his mind raced.

\'I don\'t think we\'ll figure anything out tonight. I can\'t be sure of anything yet, either... I just hope we won\'t suffer any more attacks, making this whole situation an unlucky coincidence... But if we do, I\'ll investigate everyone thoroughly.\'

Even if he could have ignored everything, his brother had taught him to help others if he could, especially if they showed him kindness. After all, Arun\'s invitation had reduced his travel time from one month to one week, and he enjoyed his company.

With the crisis averted and dawn a few hours away, Asha, Julius, and Arun returned to sleep.

In the meantime, the knights and guards butchered the two magical beasts, skilfully retrieving their claws, teeth, beast core, and other useful body parts. Then, they rested around the flickering campfire, silently guarding their young nobles as the night passed.

*****

"Hey boys, how much longer are you planning to sleep? Wake up!"

Asha\'s lively voice pierced through the morning mist as the bright sun colored the sky orange.

"Let us sleep more!" Arun screamed back in a sleepy yet annoyed voice.

"Oh? I see that you learned to scream at me. I wonder... what should I do?"

She let her words linger, her mysterious tone causing her fiancé\'s hair to bristle.

"I suggest for your own good to wake up," Julius advised, opening the door, greeting Asha, and walking towards the campfire, subtly avoiding being entangled in their couple\'s disputes.

Before he could reach his destination, Asha stepped before him, a bright smile illuminating her face.

"You can head to my carriage to get your new clothes. Don\'t forget to thank Louise because she stayed up the entire night to sew them for you."

He nodded at her, noticing the approbation in her eyes.

\'Is she happy because I woke up after she asked us to?\'

He pondered, a smile stretching his lips before checking on the knights and having breakfast.

He saw the bandage tightly wrapped around Idiot Two\'s shoulder and his arm lying in a makeshift sling. He nodded, taking a piece of bread and some grilled meat.

However, before he could enjoy them, he heard Arun\'s anguished screams, asking why he opened the door.

Offering his friend a silent prayer, he walked to Asha\'s carriage and soon found Louise. Despite the dark circles under her eyes, she welcomed him with a brilliant smile reaching her ears.

Yet, he frowned upon seeing her. She was the same person whose gaze lingered on him yesterday. Intrigued and suspicious, he scrutinised her, noticing she was an average-looking woman around sixteen or seventeen. The only thing that struck him was her sparkling green eyes.

Acting as if nothing had happened, he smiled back at her.

"Hello, Miss Louise. Asha told me that the clothes were ready."

"Yes! I did my best to sew the most elegant clothes I could. I\'m sure you\'ll like them!" She said excitedly, her cheeks tinted red for reasons Julius failed to understand.

\'She must be tired. She might even have a fever,\' he thought, taking the clothes she handed him and going to change inside Asha\'s carriage.

Once he came out, he looked like a different man. An elegant white, long shirt and pants embroidered with golden patterns covered his firm body, giving him a noble appeal. He also wore a red scarf he could use to cover his head against the sun or his throat against the cold. The size was perfect, and the sewing delicate, showcasing Louise\'s proficiency in her job.

"Thank you, Miss Louise. They are perfect!"

Julius smiled radiantly, loving his new attire. Now, no one would mistake him for a beggar or a slave with such fine clothes. Instead, they might mistake him for an exotic prince.

"Ah... Hum... Thank you... I mean... No problems... I-I need to sleep.

Goodbye," Louise stuttered, her eyes enlarging and a deep shade of red coloring her face. Her heart hammered against her chest faster with each passing second, and her fingers trembled.

Then, without waiting for an answer, she rushed inside Asha\'s carriage, slamming the door behind her.

\'Why is she reacting like that?\' he thought before returning to Arun\'s carriage.