The Knight's Rose

Chapter Nine ~ The Defender of a Rose

Chapter Nine ~ The Defender of a Rose

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"You there! You have a very nice face," I heard a feminine voice say from behind me. Nikolai didn't stop, so I assumed she was talking to someone else. I wasn't interested who she thought had a nice face. Nikolai's face was way too elegant for me to look at someone else's.

"I'm talking to you!" she spoke loudly, her voice closer. I stopped to look behind me, stopping Nikolai in his steps when my hand jerked backward. He held onto it tightly and slowly looked back at the girl.

The girl in question was a medium sized girl with ample boobs, curly blond hair that fell to her shoulders and hazel eyes that reminded me of almonds. Her lips were stained red and she had a beauty mark right under her eye. She was pretty in an elegant sort of way, and you could tell that she was very outspoken.

Three other girls stood behind her, giggling and batting their eyelashes at Nikolai. They waved their decorated fans in front of their faces, trying to appear meek and shy.

"I see that I've caught your attention," she said, waving her pink fan in front of her face. It matched her pink gown impeccably, and it was refreshing to see that she wasn't adorned with the outrageous styles the nobles had going on.

Though, it wasn't refreshing to see that she was talking to Nikolai. I suddenly wished I hadn't stopped. I gulped down the few trickles of jealousy and envy that had invaded my veins and could potentially poison my heart. I couldn't stop her from talking to Nikolai and I couldn't stop him from wanting her. I just hoped he would at least give me a ride back to Tuwirith, or else it would be a long walk back home.

I coughed once or twice to make my presence known. When her hazel eyes fell on me, I didn't cringe at the glare she directed at me for interrupting her. By all means, continue but I'd prefer it if you conversed with a scarecrow than with Nikolai.

I've only known  Nikolai for about two days, isn't it too early for me to be so possessive? He didn't declare his love for me, and I don't even know what I did for him to invite me out. I blamed my jealousy on the fact that this was my first time finding a man so willing to talk to me and looked fine at the same time.

The other men that I have encountered usually fled when they saw the state my family was in. That's why Nikolai doesn't and will not know about my poverty and pitiful life. I wanted this to last for as long as I could stretch it. I know I'll probably get hurt in the end but for the first time, I wanted to live in the moment. I'm worried that if Nikolai did figure out of my status, he'll think I was after his money, something I would never dream of going after yet alone taking.

Where were we? Oh yes, the girl was glaring at me for interrupting her meeting with her possible new suitor. Oh, my bad.

She looked back at Nikolai and raised her pointed nose to the sky, arrogance flowing from all of her pores. Her eyes landed on my bruised wrist, and her mouth quirked up into a cruel smile.

"Is this your maid? You should teach her better! I can introduce you to a mistress, she trains servants and has very good discipline tactics to get them to listen," the girl in pink spoke, her eyes twinkling with smugness as it trailed down my attire. "She'd beat some sense into any pig-brained person who doesn't know their place-"

Her words were pelts at my dignity and I could feel it shredding into my self-worth. A maid? Is that what I look like standing next to Nikolai? I clasped the material of my dress between my two fingers, wondering what was so wrong with my dress? My eyes watered, words forming in my mouth, ones that would probably throw her off her high horse that she was dancing on. But I held my tongue.