After their encounter, the beast began avoiding Asher like the plague.

While it may have been annoying before, now it was unbearable as Leon himself started sending the servant away whenever they were in the same room together. The beast still refused to make eye contact, and every time it happened, it felt like a stab to the heart.

Asher tried visiting the beast in private using the secret passage, but Leon had put a wardrobe in front of the hidden panel, successfully preventing the servant from sneaking in.

He tried to see things from the beast's perspective. After Elise arrived, the first and only time they were alone together he nearly convinced the beast to cheat on her, and since Leon barely resisted, Asher wondered if perhaps he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold himself back next time?

Asher admitted he wouldn't mind if things turned out that way, but could also see the problem with intentionally fooling around when Leon had decided to focus on Elise....Even though the woman clearly did not love him.

The servant did his best not to glare at her since, once again, she never technically did anything wrong. Yet he noticed that whenever Leon tried to reach out to her, she'd flinch away and come up with an excuse not to be close to him.

While this carried on, Asher became more convinced that the woman would be unable to break the curse. 

The souls in the walls seemed to be on Asher's side in this matter, because he would hear unhappy whispers whenever the beast avoided him. They too did not approve of how their relationship was developing.

Laurent continued to follow him around wherever he went, unless Elise needed something, and Asher was grateful to have confirmed the little snot was spying on him.

He wondered what would happen if he said anything unsavory about Elise in front of him? How would Laurent convey that information? Asher assumed all Lady Elise needed was to ask if Asher's opinion of her had changed, and one nod from her servant would doom him to further distancing attempts, so he held his tongue to avoid that scenario, which was why it was such a surprise when one day, Elise asked him to return to the village to deliver a letter.

"I would also like a messenger bird brought back so I can deliver letters faster." She explained, hands elegantly folded in her lap as she sat down for tea with Asher standing before her.

Laurent stood off in the corner, waiting to be given his own instructions.

Asher scanned the room, wondering where the beast was yet already knowing that he had probably walked out to avoid the servant...Again.

"Is there something wrong?" Elise noticed.

"No my lady." He bowed politely.

"Good. There should also be a squadron of knights waiting in the village. They belong to my family and were instructed to retrieve me if I did not return home by a set date. Please escort them back here as well."

"Knights?"

"That's right." She nodded. "While the castle does not require servants, it still feels empty, so I decided it would be best to have my own men moved here, if not for the illusion of company. I believe it would be best for his majesty as well if he did not spend so much time in a lonely castle. Don't you agree?"

Asher couldn't argue there since Leon was indeed, very lonely. 

"Of course, Ma'am."

"Good. And take Laurent with you. With him by your side, my knights won't be as suspicious of you."

"Yes Ma'am."

She dismissed them both, and Asher made his way to the stables to prepare his horse. He also decided to gather his old clothes so he wouldn't stand out with the fancy outfits that the castle had been providing him. As much as he'd love to show up dressed like a noble, he felt  like that may be taking advantage of the castle's hospitality.

Once ready, Laurent stood by and waited for Asher to lead the way. It was then that he recalled how the boy had walked the entire way from the village, which meant he didn't have a horse of his own and probably assumed Asher would make him walk all the way back, just like Elise and her guards did.

Feeling bad, he decided to prepare one of the guard's horses. When he went to grab the reins, the boy tried to stop him with a desperate squeak as he shook his head furiously.

"It'll be fine. The guards aren't going to need these horses any time soon anyways. They're here to guard Lady Elise, remember?"

Laurent still didn't seem comfortable, but Asher wasn't having it. "We need to get back fast, and having you travel on foot is going to slow us down, plus it'll be too much weight for both of us to take my horse." He still felt bad about the last time he had the poor thing carry two people.

Kicking his feet, the boy finally agreed and climbed up on the offered stallion. For a moment, Asher wondered if horse riding was one of the few skills that the boy didn't have, but was proven wrong when he expertly guided the animal forward.

Asher would have told Leon he was leaving, but with how hard the beast was working to avoid him now, he decided to leave that up to Elise.

Let them have their alone time.

With a sour attitude, he silently rode back to the village. Upon arrival, he did indeed notice that the public stables seemed to be filled with unfamiliar horses. That usually only happened when a large troupe or band of travelers came through, but thanks to Lady Elise, he knew it was due to the squadron of knights sent to look for her.

Patting his pocket to make sure he had her letter ready, they tied off their horses and checked the local tavern. There was an Inn upstairs, so he knew that was most likely where they'd be staying.

Laurent trotted behind him, ignorant to the unsavory stares that Asher was receiving from the village men, and he pushed through the doors and glanced around.

It was midday when they arrived, so there were minimal patrons, but he easily spotted the group of six knights sitting with two tables pushed together. Asher went to approach them when he felt someone stop him.

"Back for more, you little fucker?" Cas grabbed him by the back of his tunic and yanked him against the wall for the second time.

The brute scowled down at him. This time he wasn't surrounded by his friends, probably because he hadn't expected to see Asher back so soon. That didn't stop the bastard from chasing after him as soon as he realized the servant had returned.

"I take it you didn't learn your lesson from last time eh? You going after the barmaid again? Or wait, is it the bartenders' wife? I'm sure he'd love to hear how you-"

The man's taunts were interrupted by a dagger pressed against his throat, and to Asher's surprise, one of the knights had sprung to his defense.

"Is there a problem here, sir?" The knight asked in a low, threatening tone.

Cas gulped, causing his Adam's apple to bob against the blade as he let go of Asher's tunic. "No sir, just trying to keep the trash out."

"And what has this man done to deserve such treatment?"

Cas scoffed, then the bartender came out from the back and noticed the commotion. "Oy! What's going on?"

"Just a moment sir." The knight kept his eyes on Cas as he spoke. "As a knight, I am under oath to uphold the law. So if you do not have a good reason for attacking a random, unarmed civilian on public property, then you, sir, will find yourself in deep trouble."

"Civilian my ass! Ask anyone in town! This guy was banished by the church and chases after married women. Two of the poor girls even disappeared!"

"That's not true!" Asher yelped in defense, amazed by his audacity as he exaggerated the truth. "I wasn't banished! I was shu-...My internship didn't work out... And none of those women were married!"

The more he tried to defend himself, the worse it sounded and he decided to shut up.

The knight turned towards the barkeeper. "Is this true?"

The chubby man stuttered, intimidated by the knight. "Well, yes, kind of? He did get in trouble with the church, but not exactly banished. He has a hard time holding down a job from what I hear, but he does run off with women. That much is true. I've seen him target a number of girls, but like he said, none of them were married. And one of the girls that disappeared actually returned a few days back. She's a traveling merchant, so, you know how rumors spread. People saw her leave with him and we just assumed..."

Oh thank god Donna had returned! He wasn't sure how he'd defend himself if she wasn't around to back him up on that.

"So he's a scoundrel." The knight removed his blade from Cas's throat. "Did he go after your wife or something?"

"Yes."

"You're not even married!" Asher corrected the bastard, who glared daggers at him.

"And who's fault is that?!"

"Enough!" The knight shouted. "I suggest you leave for the time being." He turned toward Asher. "Unless you want more trouble."

The servant very much wanted to leave, but he couldn't since these knights were the very ones he was here for. So he shook his head and dug through is pockets until he found the letter and handed it over. "I don't want trouble, but I have an errand to run for Lady Elise."

"That's the name!" Cas pointed triumphantly. "That noble woman was the last one he ran off with, and look! He returned without her. He's luring them away to god knows where to do whatever he wants with them. Just look at what happened to poor Theo. She left with him and came back half mad! And Becky won't even tell anyone what happened when she left with the guy!"

The knight's eyes pinned Cas threateningly before he noticed Laurent standing behind Asher. His authoritarian look shifted to recognition, and he ripped open the envelope to read the letter.

All at once his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sir. Are you claiming that My Lady is simple minded enough to be manipulated by this supposed scoundrel?"

"Ye-wait." Finally the stupid brute realized what he'd done and tried to backpedal. "Oh no, no no! That's not it at all. It's just that this bastard has a way of deceiving women. I'm sure your master is innocent, it's his fault. Not hers!"

"My Lady is also intelligent. Enough that she wouldn't fall for some scoundrel's attempts at a one night stand. Furthermore, she had two guards with her, so I doubt one person could have gotten away with what you're suggesting. I don't believe there is much weight in the rumors you have on this man." He held the letter open, revealing Prince Leon's royal stamp at the bottom. "If this scoundrel really was running off with women, then what would he have to gain by running off with an entire squad of knights too?"

Cas shivered under the knight's scrutinizing gaze, but failed to find a good excuse.

"Our business is done here." The knight declared and he pointed towards the door.

Cas accepted the unspoken order and skirted outside, but not before casting a dark glare in Asher's direction.

Once he was gone, the knight returned his attention to the two servants before him. "It would seem that introductions are in order."

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