Part 7 of 7

Riella never told her to stop. Asta waited for the words but they never came. She attempted to coax the words from the young woman many times, but to no avail. And now she had fallen too deep.

To say that Asta had formed an attachment was the greatest understatement she could think of. The bond she had developed to the young lady was bordering on painful in its sticky, clinging texture. She could not break free. Not that Riella ever gave her a reason to. Sweet, precious Riella. Any time their faces got within a few inches of each other, their lips would bridge the gap and their fingers would explore without hesitation.

She was a fool, drowning in love and not even attempting to save herself. Because until Riella said otherwise, she had nothing holding her back.

And then the messenger arrived, almost bowling her over as his horse shot past to get into the inner section of the keep. She had been on her way to begin her shift with Riella, but this seemed important. Her gut urged her to follow and find out what news this panicked rider brought.

She slipped inside the keep and crept into the main hall where Lord Redfallow saw guests, nobles, townspeople… and messengers. She hid herself between two of Lord Redfallow’s guards as he received the message. Her eyeballs threatening to pop out of her face as she listened.

Once the messenger had bowed and retreated, she slipped back out of the main hall, stalked through the courtyard and somehow managed to keep from sprinting the last few metres to Riella’s door.

She shooed away the night guard and burst in without knocking.

“I have some news I must share with you.”

“Oh?” Riella answered sleepily. She was sat up in bed, cradling a book in her lap. Her face was adorably puffy, and her hair mussed. Asta resisted the urge to squeeze her cheeks.

Instead, she got right to the point. “Lord Montalli is dead,” she announced.

Riella said nothing, so Asta continued.

“He was taking an excursion to a neighbouring territory and was killed in an accident on the journey.”

“Accident?” Riella repeated in a murmur.

Asta knew exactly what the young lady was truly asking.

“Lord Redfallow has been advised by a highly reputable source that they are certain there was no foul play.”

Riella blinked a few times as she processed all the new information. “Oh, good. I mean, it’s not good. None of this is good, it’s terrible that this has happened to him. But I am glad he was not targeted or attacked deliberately. He didn’t deserve that.”

“This was no plot,” Asta reassured her. “Simply bad luck for both him and his horse.”

Riella whispered, “Poor Chestnut.”

Asta felt awful for being tickled by the barely audible words. Only Riella had a big enough heart to find sympathy for the horse as well as the man. She fought a smile at the innocence embodied in front of her.

Riella began to ramble to herself as she pushed aside the book and climbed from her bed covers. “This does not feel… I cannot quite believe it… If this is your idea of a joke, I do not appreciate it at all.”

“I am sorry to say that this is not a hoax. The death was confirmed and subsequently investigated by Lord Cole, he holds territory that borders on Lord Montalli’s. It was Lord Cole who sent the messenger.”

“No, I am sorry.” Riella ran her fingers through her hair distractedly and began to wander about the room without a clear route or reason. “I wasn’t accusing… I am-”

“Shocked, little lady, I understand.”

“Yes,” Riella mumbled.

“I can tell you I know Lord Cole to be an honest man from the small amount of time I spent with him on a contract a few years back. He will work with Lord Redfallow to do right by Lord Montalli.”

Riella continued to pace about for a minute or so more as she processed Asta’s assurances.

She stopped still in the middle of the room. “What happens now… with the engagement?”

“You will be taken before the court of Lord Redfallow for a hearing, and they will decide whether to grant you freedom or pass you on to some other minor lord,” Asta explained.

“And how do I convince them to let me leave?” Riella turned on her heel to face Asta properly. “There is no reason for me to marry a different lord, they have no need to curry favour in this area like Lord Montalli did. I don’t have noble blood.”

Asta stepped closer, attempting to hide her sympathy so as not to be read as pitying the poor young woman and her limited options. Her options hadn’t been limited before she had met the Lord, but now his imprint was upon her. She was a bright, intelligent woman from a wealthy family, she could have chosen just about any path she wanted.

“They will need to curry favour if they are to be gifted his lands by Lord Redfallow. Lord Montalli had no kin left. It has not been decided how his assets will be split as of yet. But being his betrothed has elevated your status slightly, even if the blood does not run through you. They will be convinced there is something special about you.”

“What do I do?” Riella murmured. Her round eyes were desperate and searching. Her hopeless expression was twisting Asta’s heart, wringing it out painfully.

“Either you find yourself a new betrothed before your hearing, or you get yourself defiled by the stable boy,” she suggested.

Riella huffed indignantly. “Husbands don’t grow on trees; how am I to get engaged so fast?”

“So you plan to be bent over a bale of hay instead?”

“No, thank you.”

Asta chuckled at her polite reply. Riella couldn’t help herself, she was sweet to a fault.

“You say husbands don’t grow on trees,” she began slowly, building her bravery with each word. Despite considering herself the courageous type, Asta found herself twitching with nerves as she prepared to make her declaration. “But you’ve had a wife planted outside your door since mere days after you arrived.”

“What do you mean?” Riella said softly. The hope in her voice heartened Asta, filling her with a bubbling, volatile almost-confidence.

“Marry me.”

“Why would you do that for me?”

“I’m not asking for you, I’m asking for me.” Asta corrected her. “I don’t expect you to love me back or even like me. I won’t ask you to reciprocate in any way if you never feel the same, but I would be honoured for the chance to try. I won’t force myself upon you, or put any pressure on-”

“Asta!” Riella gasped as though she had just heard a curse word shouted near her. She snatched one of Asta’s hands and held it gently in both of her own. “I love you, too.”

“You don’t need to say that; I’m all yours even just to stand at your sid-”

Again, Riella made that exasperated gasping sound. “Asta! Truly, genuinely, honestly, I love you!”

Asta huffed and rolled her eyes, although she was not irritated, only embarrassed. “I suppose I have no choice but to believe you, then.”

Riella’s pleased grin dropped almost as quickly as it had appeared. “But what if Lord Redfallow disapproves? He controls the outer region, he-”

“He is no threat of mine, young lady.” Asta said carefully. “I do not often stoop to methods of blackmail to get my way, I like to think myself the upfront type, but I can promise you that he knows better than to test my nerve.” She would send him a letter once they had put a distance between them and the keep. She would explain her decision and advise the Lord against trying to fight her on it. She knew things even his wife did not. Where he stuck his cock had never been of interest to her but a lot had changed since she had met Riella. She was willing to do things she had never considered before for this woman. She would absolutely kill for her. She already had, technically.

Riella appeared to be considering Asta’s vague words and the new path opening up before them. With doe-like eyes darting about, she asked in an excited whisper, “Well, what name would I be taking?”

Asta kissed her before answering. A hungry and deep kiss that Riella reciprocated eagerly. She laid her hands over Riella’s nightdress and lifted her off the ground slightly in her quest to pull her closer. When they broke apart, she breathed into her betrothed’s ear, “Garrick.”

“Asta Garrick,” Riella whispered. “As much as I would love to spend the rest of the day in your arms, I think we may need to hurry if we do plan to leave.”

“Agreed.”

While Riella dressed herself, Asta packed the few personal possessions in the room into the satchel Riella had arrived with. Watching Riella dart back and forth half-dressed had been a great challenge for Asta’s composure but she somehow managed to keep herself on task. There may have been a few pauses, and some mild drooling and ogling.

Dressed and packed, they hurried to the door, both reaching for the handle at the same time. Their outstretched hands hovered in the air side by side for a moment, then Asta snatched Riella’s and squeezed. She used her free hand to pull the door open and they stepped through hand-in-hand.