"Oh…!" Ashelia exclaimed softly and turned away, feeling guilty that she asked such a question.
Edward smiled warmly at her from where he sat, not saying anything as they continued watching the old man brew tea.
After he was done, the man prepared a wooden tea set and brought it to their table, then he smiled and started pouring the freshly brewed tea into wooden tea cups.
When the man was done, he placed the cups in front of them as his smile widened. It was as if he was telling them to hurry up and have a taste.
Ashelia expressed her gratitude with a nod. She blew at the liquid for a moment before taking a sip.
Her eyes widened in response as she looked down at the tea, then at Edward, only to find him amused by her reaction, then down at the contents of the cup again.
"It's… lovely." She said simply.
"Just 'lovely', my lady?" The Knight asked.
Ashelia shook her head and laughed softly. "I don't know what else to say," she explained. "I can't really put it into words..."
Edward laughed too and took a sip of his own. "Then you should have said that from the beginning, my lady."
Ashelia smiled and looked up at the old man who stood by and watched them expectantly. She didn't know how to communicate her impression, so she stood up, smiled and curtsied to him politely.
The old merchant took that as a good sign and returned her appreciation with a small bow and walked off. Soon, he disappeared into another room in the tea shop.
Ashelia watched him go. "Do you know where he went?"
"I haven't the slightest idea." The Knight answered as he continued to sip at his tea.
She sighed and looked down at her own as a small smile curved her lips. The tea had really made her calm, Edward wasn't exaggerating it.
It was a warm feeling that settled at the base of her stomach and tingled her spine in a pleasant way.
There wasn't any other tea she tasted that worked like it. It was almost like…
"Magic…" She said outloud, then turned to the Knight who sat with her. "That's it, isn't it? Carinyne is magic?"
Edward shrugged. "I suppose it is. If it can change your mood in a matter of seconds."
Ashelia's cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment as she took another sip of her tea to hide her face. "It's not magic then?"
"I wouldn't know, my lady." He told her. "Mages haven't found any trace of mana in it yet."
Ashelia nodded in understanding. "I see…"
She heard a door creak and turned her attention to it, only to find the old merchant coming out of the room he had entered earlier. He was carrying a portable ceramic jar with him.
When the man got to their table, he placed the ceramic jar on the surface and purposefully pushed it towards her.
Ashelia's brows furrowed for a moment before her eyes slowly widened, making her look up at the merchant in surprise.
He gave her a firm nod, which meant he wanted her to take the jar with the tea leaves in it.
She couldn't possibly refuse a gift that she was offered, so instead of shaking her head, she stood up and gave the old man a deep curtsy.
"Thank you." She mouthed carefully.
The old merchant only nodded with his usual smile and went about cleaning his shop. Ashelia sat back down and watched him with grateful eyes, before her gaze fell on the ceramic jar he had left her.
She took the delicate container in both her hands. "I can't believe he is giving me this…" She looked at the Knight. "Do you know why?"
Edward shrugged again and gulped down the last of his tea. "I don't. He is the only one that knows why he gave it to you."
"I suppose." She agreed, staring at the jar for a while longer before setting it aside to finish her tea.
When they were both done, they stood up to leave the shop. Ashelia made sure she waved the old merchant goodbye before they walked out the old wooden door.
She happily fiddled with the jar on their way. 'This might be helpful to mother.'
Suddenly, Edward, who was walking in front of her, stopped.
Ashelia's brows furrowed in confusion as she eyed him warily. "Edward? Is something–"
The Knight placed his index finger to his lips to signal her to stay quiet. Then he scanned their surroundings and frowned.
"Edward…?"
"We are being followed, my lady." He whispered.
For a moment, Ashelia thought she didn't hear right. "Followed?"
"There are more than one." Edward said plainly. "They don't feel friendly."
Ashelia swallowed and gripped the jar in her hand tightly. "It's not just one person?!"
'Is this a repeat of what happened in the forest?!'
The Knight looked down at her with warmth in his eyes. "Everything will be fine, my lady." He assured her. "We just need to keep walking as fast as we can until we get to a crowded street. I would like to avoid fighting if I can help it. Come."
Ashelia nodded and started to follow him, her grip tightening more on the jar.
They only walked a few paces before the first of their pursuers came out from hiding.
Every part of his face, except his dark eyes, was covered with a mask and a hood.
He wore a black cloak and in his hand was a short blade that seemed to glisten under the afternoon light. Ashelia's heart crawled to her throat at the sight.
She could clearly see it and smell it for that matter.
'Poison…? Again?!'
Edward immediately urged her behind him and drew his sword, brandishing it at the stranger.
The moment he took that aggressive pose, more of them started to appear from other hidden corners. They all wore black cloaks with their faces covered by masks and short swords or daggers in their possession.
They formed a loose half–circle to surround them both and started to creep closer steadily.
Ashelia counted eight of them. Would Edward really be able to deal with all these people? There were too many. She had to help.
'Why do they always come in groups to take me?!'
"Edward…"
"No, my lady." The Knight cut her off sharply. "I know what you want to ask and I refuse."
"But…!" She tried to protest.
"At my signal, run as fast as you can." He continued, not minding her. "Run till you get to a crowded street. I will keep them at bay for as long as I can."
Ashelia bit her lip in frustration as her hands shook. Their ambushers outnumbered them but compared to the burly men she saw in the forest the other day, they didn't seem like much.
She supposed they were bandits from the way they cornered them and bandits weren't trained in the art of combat.
'But they don't look like bandits…'
She felt dread crawl up her spine. "Edward," she called in a slightly trembling voice. "Can you… have you spotted their leader?"
"They wouldn't make it known, my lady." The Knight responded tightly, taking his stance as his brows furrowed. "Assassins are always like that."
Ashelia's mouth went dry and the jar in her hand almost slipped out of her grasp. "...Assassins?"
They sent professionals this time?! There was no way Edward would be able to handle all of them at once!
Edward glanced at her from the corner of his eye but before he could say another word, one of the assassins rushed forward with unbelievable speed, his poisoned dagger aimed at the Knight's throat.
Ashelia shrieked. "Edward!"