-Laelia-
I walked back with Ashes to where their horses were waiting. A few guards stood in the now lonely and dark street, keeping watch. Ashes mounted his horse and extended a hand toward me. I would have preferred not to take it—actually, I would have preferred to stay with the orphans. But that choice was not up to me.
“Up you go,” he said.
I grasped his hand, and he effortlessly lifted me onto the horse. He positioned me in front of him, wrapping his strong arms around me, pressing me against his solid chest. He then turned his horse around, and we began our journey back to the palace.
“Do you really expect me to believe you got lost?” he asked during the ride.
“My dress got caught on a nail, and when I stopped to free myself, everyone had disappeared. The orphans found me later
