Asher's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, questions, and doubts. He couldn't tell her the truth about Oberon, the horrors he had suffered, how her father was a silent accomplice.
No, he had woven too many praises, too many stories about her father, this would shatter his careful facade. So he definitely couldn't make her think everything she knew, and whatever he said about her father was a lie.
So, he took a deep breath and broke the silence. "Rowena, I... I did it for you."
Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise lighting up her crimson gaze. "For me?" she echoed, confusion lacing her words.
Asher nodded, "Since the day I woke up, I saw how Oberon looked at you...the obsession he had with you. You probably did, but I thought you never noticed, never saw the dangerous glint in his eyes, which I did," His voice was filled with a simmering anger as he continued, "The rumors, the whispers about his desires, especially his unnatural interest in you, they only added fuel to the fire."
Rowena stayed silent, her eyes wide as she digested his words.
"I couldn't just stand by, Rona," Asher's voice softened, his eyes mirroring his earnest words, "I don't know if you know…but any opportunity he gets, he would leer at you from afar, from his own mansion without your knowledge. Maybe it might sound silly to you, but that was the final straw. I couldn't let that wretched excuse of a man keep disrespecting my woman. So I decided to... silence him for a while, to see if that will teach him not to cross certain boundaries."
"Ash…" Rowena was taken aback by his confession. She stood there for a moment, trying to process the magnitude of his words. A wave of emotions crashed over her - surprise, bewilderment, a rush of warmth that felt too complicated to categorize.
All this time, she thought he did it because Oberon did something to him. But to think it was out of his feelings for her.
And the way he claimed her as his 'woman' hit her like a thunderbolt. The intensity of his eyes and voice when he said these words made her heart soften.
Looking at Rowena, he added, "And, it wasn't just about Oberon. It was about Rebecca too. She's been a thorn in my side for far too long," Asher let out a small sigh, his gaze falling to the floor.
Bringing his eyes back up to meet hers, he gently took her hand in his, "I never wanted to worry you, Rona," Asher said, his eyes shining with regret, "That's why I never told you. I didn't want you to carry this burden, to live with this worry."
His words hung heavy in the air as he gazed at Rowena, waiting for her response to his carefully crafted half-truth.
But for some reason, he had a hard time discerning which part of what he said was the lie.
Finally, she broke the silence. "Ash," her voice was soft but firm, "I am moved by your concern for me... but I don't want you to take such risks, not for me, not for anyone. As your wife, I am happy with what you did for me. But as the queen, you know I can't let you fight my battles for me. There are so many things at stake."
Her words were heavy with unsaid implications. And despite the softness of her tone, her message was loud and clear - she didn't want him risking his safety, their safety, for her sake.
She added in a whisper, "I have survived worse than leering eyes, so you can trust me to handle it," Her eyes held his gaze, echoing the sentiment of her words. As much as she was touched by his intentions, she didn't want him jeopardizing their position or his own safety.
"I understand now, Rona. I was foolish, reckless. I will never do anything to put you in a difficult position again," Asher began, the remorse evident in his voice while thinking that he could no longer carry out anything of such sort within this castle. He then continued, "And—"
"And…," Rowena cut him off gently, her gaze never leaving his, "...the next time you want to make such decisions, or...protect me, come to me. We can discuss it, and figure out something. Together."
Asher fell silent, observing her for a moment. A chuckle slipped past his lips, his eyes crinkling with amusement, "Of course, my queen," His gaze softened, his smile turning more sincere. "I will. I promise."
Rowena softly smiled as she let out a sigh of relief.
Asher's playful demeanor swiftly faded, replaced with a more sober expression. He gently grasped Rowena's hand, his dark yellow eyes meeting her crimson ones with a deep intensity.
"So, what exactly have you found about Rebecca's investigation that made you feel this anxious?" He asked, curiosity burning within his eyes while wondering if Rebecca would even manage to find anything.
Rowena pinched the bridge of her nose, exhaling a sigh before she met his gaze. Her eyes seemed to glow even more vividly in the dimly lit corridor, her lips drawn in a grim line.
"From what I know," she began, her voice soft but firm, "Rebecca's known to be tenacious, but this...this is different. She has mobilized one of our Intelligence Units after putting together some information from various sources. She even seemed to have tried to gather evidence from the scene where Oberon fell unconscious."
Asher pulled together his brows as he continued to listen intently. Now he realized why Rebecca had been laying low all this time. She must have been putting all her attention and efforts into finding evidence.
Rowena paused, her eyes locked onto Asher's, conveying the gravity of the situation, "I don't know what exactly she is after, but apparently…she had sent one of our Intelligence Units to a distant continent named Oseon. They have yet to get back, but they managed to quickly send a report to me."
Asher furrowed his brows, "Oseon? Isn't that a small continent where at least one-third of its lands are wasted?" Asher didn't know much about this continent except for something brief like this. He felt he should surely read up more about this continent in the library.
As far as he knew, his geographical knowledge about this world couldn't be more poor. Since he was so focused and still was about learning the vast culture and traditions of the Bloodburn Kingdom, he never really got the time to delve into other topics, especially when his main focus was on completing quests.
Rowena shook her head softly with a look of contemplation, "It is a land mostly filled with sorrow and darkness. I don't know why Rebecca felt she might find something there," Rowena shifted her gaze toward his face and added, "You also seemed surprised, and you never visited that continent before…" Rowena inwardly felt relieved since Asher had no connections to that continent in any way.
Still, her worries weren't fully alleviated, making her ask with a tinge of flicker in her eyes, "But…can you tell me how you did it? If I know, I can be prepared to deal with it."
Asher let out a slow sigh, a contemplative look gracing his face as he returned her gaze, "Rona, I'd love to be transparent with you about this, really," he began, a serious note creeping into his voice, "But I can't. I made a promise to keep it a secret, to the person who helped me."
Rowena's eyes reflected understanding but also a glint of curiosity. She could not help but wonder who could be powerful enough to assist Asher in such a task and leave little to no traces. Not even expert assassins could manage to do something like that.
However, she concealed her curiosity, her voice steady as she responded, "I understand, Ash. If you've given your word, then I know you must honor it," Her gaze softened, her hand lightly squeezing his, "But if things turn problematic, I want you to come to me. Until then, I trust you to handle this."
Asher's face lit up with a slight smile, his gaze meeting hers with an understanding that only they shared, "Of course. I got this," His brows then furrowed as he asked, "But…do you know if I really left any trace or evidence in that room? I mean…You must have done your own investigation just to be safe, right?" Asher guessed Rowena must have already used her people to investigate and see if they should cover anything up to prevent Rebecca from catching on.
Rowena's expression fell into a contemplative one as she answered with a soft shake of her head, "One of the main reasons I never talked to you about this before was because I was confident you never left any trace, astonishingly. But my father also taught me that there is no such thing as leaving "no trace". Everything we do, every action, no matter how careful we are, can leave some trace in some form or the other."
Asher took a deep breath while still thinking hard if he made some mistake, and again and again, he came to the same conclusion that it was a perfect plan. It would only look as if Oberon's injuries suddenly got worse.
But that also could be the root of all suspicions.
"I see…But is there any way you can stop Rebecca from investigating?" Asher asked, having a gut feeling that Rebecca might really be onto something even if he was confident about leaving no traces.
Rowena pressed her lips together firmly as she said with an icy glint in her eyes, "I did stop her from using our resources to investigate. But that wouldn't stop her from continuing the investigation using her own resources."
Her gaze shifted to Asher with a hint of urgency and cold determination, "That is why, you should continue with what we planned earlier and find any weakness she has before she can cause trouble for us."
Asher slowly took a breath as he nodded with a grim, determined light in his eyes. That woman, no matter how unhinged she might be, cannot be simply left alone.
The bigger question was whether he would be able to corner her before she could cause trouble.
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