The Princess And Her Alpha Bodyguard

28~ HE CARRIED ME LIKE A SACK OF GRAIN

I remembered leaving the room with a feverish body this morning. But I didn't recall it was this burning hot! At least, not until Edward's hands came into contact with my skin.

Wait. Let me rectify. It wasn't a skin-to-skin section. After all, I was completely dressed, and so did he. Although he slid his hands under the cloak and rested them on my waist, the fabric of my dress still separated his hands from my skin. Yet, it didn't help much. Even with the dress as a barrier, his hands ignited sparks throughout my entire body. Every place he touched made my skin inflamed with a tingling sensation that made me almost weak in the knees. Thankfully, I could still stand my ground.

"Correct your stance," he said in a signature hoarse voice that I'd always found to be sexy. Yet, it was even sexier today, given how it was accompanied by the hot breath brushing against my ear. "Stand upright with your feet and shoulders wide apart." He ran his hands over my shoulder and waist. "The feet should be at 90 degrees to the target." He tapped my ankles with the tip of his boot and turned my body into the correct posture.

I sucked in a breath again when our hips collided for a split second. I knew it was unintentional since he was only instructing me. Yet, it was hard not to think about it.

Focus, Lae. Focus on his words, not his touch! A voice inside my head reprimanded me.

"Lae, are you okay?" His hands stopped on either side of my hip.

"O-oh, I am fine." His question made me snap out of my thoughts.

"Good. Now, relax your hand. Don't grip the bow handle too hard. You're holding it. Not trying to break it." He continued with the instruction. "Now, place the arrow on the bow. Mez had already shown you how. You still remember, right?"

"Yes." I nodded and nocked an arrow on the bowstring.

"No. You've gotten the finger position wrong. Only your index finger stays above the arrow, and the rest is under. Like this." He reached out to where my hand was. This time, our skin really touched, for there was no fabric in between us anymore.

"Lae, your skin is so hot." He said in a worried tone. "Are you not feeling well? Was that why you walked so slow on our way here? I also noticed you had no strength today."

"No." I shook my head. "I'd told you I was just suffering from muscle ache. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine to me, Lae. You're burning up. Let me take your temperature." He tried to touch my forehead, but I broke away before he could.

"Don't." I stepped away from him. I couldn't let him know I had a fever because I didn't want him to call off this training. Each day was crucial to me, so I mustn't waste it. "Please. I can assure you that I'm fine."

"You're not fine. At least not with this temperature. This is why you don't want to take the cloak off, isn't it? You can't push your body like this, Lae." He frowned.

"Yes, I can. It's my body. I can do whatever I want with it. I need to get the training done, Edward," I said.

"Look. Even if you trained for twenty-four hours, your archery skills wouldn't improve overnight. It takes time."

"Don't you understand? Time is my biggest enemy, and I don't have the privilege to wait." I snapped, making Zelda and the others turn to look my way.

I almost forgot that werewolves' hearing ranges were superb. Even though I didn't raise my voice, they could still hear our conversation. Thankfully, I didn't blurt out more than necessary. But it looked like I'd already spilled the beans. Now, they all must have learned that I got a fever just after a day of training. What an embarrassing thing to think about. My plan to prove that I wasn't a waste of time failed before I could even start.

"Edward, I know my own body. I can do this. So, can we please continue with the lesson?" I whispered to him.

"No." He shook his head.

I suppressed the urge to groan in frustration. I couldn't believe he was so stubborn. It looked like I had to use the last resort.

"Look. Valdemir ordered me to take this training very seriously. Even if he isn't here, it doesn't mean that I can slack off. If he returns and learns that I've been absent, he'll punish me." I used Valdemir's name as a shield, knowing he wouldn't dare to disobey his king's command.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"He won't," said Edward in a stern voice. "King Valdemir won't punish you."

"How could you be so sure? You're not him." I challenged him.

"I know so." His voice was full of confidence.

"That doesn't sound convincing at all." I sighed.

"Fine. Then let's do this." He stepped closer. "I'll handle everything if King Valdemir questions your absence today."

I gulped when the space between us got smaller again. "How will you handle it?" I cleared my throat and asked, trying not to think of how close he was. We were standing face to face this time.

"I'll explain everything to him. King Valdemir wasn't an unreasonable person. He wouldn't force a sick person to work. You should've already known about this. I hope you still remember how he treated you when you were injured," he said.

"Well, yes. But that was because I was severely injured and was unconscious. This time, it doesn't count. This is nothing." I pointed at myself, referring to the fever he made a big deal out of. "Edward, if I'm unwell, do you think I can stand and argue with you? I'd be in bed, unable to even get up. So, since I'm already here, why don't you just drop this topic and continue teaching me archery?"

"I've told you I won't. King Valdemir entrusted me with your safety. I can't stand by and watch you force your sick body out of the limit like this." He took another step forward.

"Hey, stop coming closer. You—Woah!" I had no idea what was happening next. All I knew was that my feet were off the ground. The world in my eyes had also turned upside down. "What are you doing?" I asked in a panic.

"I'm taking you back to your room," said Edward as he threw me over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

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