Chapter 198: Head Ache

-Val’s POV-

After I was left alone, the numbness finally took over. My eyes were blurred and my body unsteady. It was somewhat worth it to be rid of the confined feeling in my chest. I walked away from the celebration that was still taking place. I still had enough sense not to make a fool of myself going in the middle of the event while drunk.

I walked past the greenhouses. My hand grasped the corner of the one so I could regain my balance. I looked inside and noticed it was the one Princess Emelia and I had our argument in. I walked away, my hand pushed against my face to wipe my mind clean of the incidents that took place before. I kept going till I heard the sea crashing against the cliffside. I plopped down on the grass, a tree became my back rest. It was a nice view, dark with only the moon above shining light upon the water. I was entranced by the sound of the waves and the few noises made by insects. I couldn’t tell you how long I sat there. By the time my mind started to clear, but the numbness still resided, the noises all started to entangle into a rhythmic collection.

My mind went off again, I thought about our breaths, they matched the rhythm I was hearing. Our bodies were so close and yet my body and my mind didn’t want any separation between us. I, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Why did such an urge reside in me even though all I wanted was to protect her and her future? Why does the feeling still linger?

Such memories of the night started to fade as my mind went blank and my eyes closed.

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When I opened my eyes, I was face down in the grass. My arm was numb from being under my head all night. The sun was up, morning or noon, I couldn’t tell. The tree provided a comfortable shade for me.

However, none of those things mattered to me, cause my head was throbbing with a passion. The headache I was feeling was worse than any other I’ve had before.

I sat up and rubbed my head. My eyes hurt when I looked to see where I was exactly. I guessed I was in the forested area close to the manor.

My body lifted from the ground, my hands patted off the dirt and debris. I started walking in a direction. I felt like the manor was that way so I went. After a few minutes, it cleared and I stood against a tree for support.

I heard grunts of some kind though they sounded not like an animal. I looked and walked in that direction. There were the greenhouses and also Emelia. She was training by herself. She held a short sword and swung it up and down. The sun made her hair look even lighter as it flashed through the moving strands. A bit of sweat beaded on her neck. The direct sunlight refracted through each droplet.

This was the worst possible scenario. Why now? My head was still killing me and I looked like a mess. My reputation as a knight would be tarnished if she noticed me like this. Though I guess it has already been dismantled after last night's tiff.

She looked as though she was holding her own, usually, I’d join her. I wondered if she waited for me?

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To be continued