CHAPTER 268: A CHASE

Getting past the guards searching for them hadn’t been easy at all. Leo and Cora crouched at the corner of a stall, peering out at a guard who held a sketch of their faces and showed it to passing townsfolk.

Leonardo felt an uneasy twist in his stomach.

The artist had captured their likeness almost all too well. Perhaps someone had been compelled to drop their features in the palace, because aside that, there was no way they could have known what they looked like.

Beside him, Cora tilted her head to get a better look at it, a hint of admiration in her eyes.

"Hey, I look good in that sketch."

"Can you lower your voice?" Leonardo hissed, glancing over his shoulder. The guard was still busy questioning random people, barely looking their way, to his relief. He then continued, "You’ll get us caught before we even make it out of here. Just stay quiet for a moment."

Cora shot him a sidelong glare but didn’t argue. She knew he was right, which only made her more irritated. She crossed her arms instead and leaned back against the stall.

"Whatever you say, virgin boy."

Leonardo blinked. "...What?"

He shot her a sharp look, but Cora only pretended to study her nails, deliberately avoiding his glare. He exhaled through his nose and let it go. He had no time to entertain her teasing.

Peeking out again, this time, his stomach dropped.

The villager the guard was questioning had just met his eyes– and was already pointing straight at him.

He jerked back.

Cora noticed his sudden stiffness and turned to ask, "What–?" but he grabbed her wrist before she could finish.

The guard was already pushing through the crowd toward the stall the villager had pointed when the two burst into motion, darting between startled passersby.

"HEY! HEY! HEY! THEY’RE OVER THERE!" The guard shouted, alerting his comrades who had also separated to question the villagers.

The narrow street of the marketplace turned into a maze of noise and chaos, but the two didn’t stop running. Leonardo pulled Cora through the throng, weaving between carts as angry shouts rose behind them.

"DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!"

Boots thundered after them in pursuit, their armors clanging in rhythm with each heavy stride. A guard nearly bowled over a merchant in his haste to give chase.

Leonardo swerved sharply into a side alley, dragging Cora close as they darted between walls darkened with grime. They didn’t slow until they reached the end, only to find their path cut off by a wall.

"Ah shoot."

Just as Leonardo turned around to follow a different path, five more guards emerged from the opposite side, their blades drawn and blocking any other escape path.

Cora froze, her breath catching in her throat, but Leonardo stepped in front of her instinctively, one arm held out protectively.

They were surrounded.

His eyes darted around in slight panic, searching for any way out, but there was none. Only narrow walls and armed men closing in. Cora’s breath came fast, while Leonardo’s gaze hardened.

The guards slowed their steps, forming a semicircle around them.

"Don’t move!" One shouted, raising his blade. "We’ve had enough of this hide and seek. You’re coming with us to the palace this minute, do you understand?"

Cora’s mind raced.

As the circle tightened, a sudden thought struck her. She looked at Leonardo, and he met her gaze once, as if he already knew what she was about to whisper.

A tense silence hung between them before dark lines began to surface and curl at the corners of Leonardo’s mouth, and Cora crouched, squeezing her eyes shut as she hurriedly covered her ears.

The guards, failing to catch up, continued to approach until he spoke.

"Stop."

The words rippled like a dark pulse.

The air thickened, heavy with a suffocating energy that made the fine hairs on Cora’s arms rise. Even the guards froze mid-step, their bodies locked in place as though unseen hands had seized them.

They weren’t oblivious to it.

The cold dread that crept through their veins was a dead giveaway, not to mention the invisible pressure that pinned their breaths to their chest. It was unlike anything they’ve ever experienced, and Leonardo could see it judging from the way they stared at him– with confusion, fear and disbelief in their eyes.

"What are you–"

"Return to the palace," Leonardo interjected, his tone carrying an unnatural weight as he lifted his gaze. "And when you do, tell your king you found nothing. Once you leave this alley, that lie will remain your truth. You will forget we ever crossed paths. Failure to deliver my words, and your tongues shall remained silent."

The curse threaded through his words like smoke, seeping into their minds as their pupils glazed over in submission.

They turned around and walked out of the alley as commanded, and Cora only opened her eyes when Leonardo tapped her shoulder. She looked up at him, then at the empty pathway that was no longer surrounded by guards.

She pushed herself upright and gasped, thinking he made them disappear.

"What did you do to them?"

She wasn’t expecting him to reply, but she was once again, reminded that if Leonardo wanted, she’d be gone just like them. She really is playing with danger here.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to meet his eyes. But all he did was give her head a faint, almost absentminded pat before sliding his hands into his pockets and walking away, his aura diminishing after him as he left the space.

For a moment, Cora stood frozen, her fingers drifting to where his hands had been. Then, as if shaken from a trance, she hurried after him. Based on those guards earlier conversation about dark arts, she really hoped their king wouldn’t trace this situation back to them and create even worse problems for everyone.

*******

They had been more careful about their journey this time around. There was less talking too due to his curse, and because Cora was mindful of his throat.

When they made it up the hill, it was already getting dark. The sky was painted in faint streaks of gold and violet. The path ahead sloped into a dense forest, the trees clustered close enough to swallow most of the light.

Cora stopped briefly to check the map, squinting in the dim glow of the lantern they had bought on the way. She took a step back without looking, and her boot caught on a hidden root. A sharp pain shot up her legs as she stumbled, nearly losing her balance.

"Ah–!" She hissed, clutching her ankle.

Leonardo, who had been walking behind immediately closed the distance between them, concern flickering in his eyes.

"What happened?"

"I’m fine," she said quickly, stopping him from assisting her with a raised hand, though she winced as she tried to put weight on it. "Just... twisted it, I think."

But when she tried to walk again, the slight limp in her step said otherwise.

Leonardo pressed his lips into a thin line and stepped closer. "You’re clearly hurt. Let me have a look first."

Before she could protest, he crouched down before her. The soft glow of the lantern he set beside him pooled between their boots. Without asking, he carefully reached for her injured ankle.

"Leonardo—"

"Hold still," he said quietly, sounding more like the Leonardo she knew.

He loosened the ties of her boot and slid it off with deliberate care. As his fingers traced lightly around her ankle, searching for any swelling, his touch made her pulse skip. He looked so focused and gentle with it that it was almost unnerving.

"Does it hurt here?"

"A little..." she admitted as he pressed lightly along her foot, biting back a sound.

He lifted it closer to the light, turning it slightly. He then exhaled through his nose, the sound low and resigned.

"You’ve strained it," he said at last, his brows drawing together. "It’s not broken, but walking will only make it worse. Unfortunately, we can’t rest here yet. We’re literally in a forest."

Cora tried to sound nonchalant. "Then I’ll just be more careful when walking. A sprained ankle won’t kill me."

"No," he shook his head. "You’ll let me handle it."

Before she could argue that she was capable of walking on her own without assistance, Leonardo already turned his back toward her.

"Get on," he said simply.

"What?" Cora blinked, thrown off guard by the sudden command.

"I’ll carry you," he explained. "The grounds ahead are uneven. You’ll slow us both down if you try to walk."

Cora hesitated, but heat rose to her cheeks still. The lantern light flickered over his shoulders, and after a breath, she sighed and climbed onto back, her arms looping around his shoulders. His warmth seeped through his outfit as he hooked his hands beneath her knees and lifted her easily onto his back.

"Comfortable?"

Cora scoffed lightly. She couldn’t help but suspect if he was teasing her with that question or was just concerned. "I’ll take it as your repayment fee then, cause I kept you alive last night too, remember? Sounds like a fair trade to me."

"How long do you intend to taunt me with that?"

He started forward through the darkening forest. But she leaned closer, her chin nearly brushing his shoulder.

"You know I did suspect you were a virgin," she murmured. "But I didn’t think you were so pure. I guess it makes sense now, since betas are loyal freaks. I see why you played your priest role so well. Don’t worry, there’s no shame in it. I too wish I could go back to purest days... but know this, I give helpful tips. Your future wife would love to have me around."

"I’m not interested."

Cora blinked at his curt tone, then smiled and shrugged. "Not surprised. You’d rather pass out than experience a woman’s fervent touch anyway."

"Do you want me to drop you?" He warned.

"Easy there," she said with a nervous chuckle, tightening her grip around his shoulders in case he truly decides to drop her. "I’m only teasing, you don’t always have to take everything so seriously."