61: Luke's Trouble

Luke's Trouble

Before the man realized what happened, his family jewel had been kneed, and his body curled in pain  fell into the water. When the night watch found him, both his hands were between his legs.  0

Upon hearing the commotion, Luke and those working with him came running as well. 

"Are you alright, Orian?" Luke asked with a dark expression. 

Oriana merely glanced where man had fallen into shallow water, still whining in pain. 

"We were just having some strength check on who is more of a man, and it turned out I am stronger," she answered and walked past them without any guilt. The others helped that cursing man get out of the water, but Oriana was already out of earshot. She didn't care if he told them the truth or not.

Luke followed Oriana as that man didn't concern him. "Orian, what happened?" Obviously, he didn't believe her previous words. 

"What I just told you."

He held her hand and stopped her, "Did he try to lay hands on you?"

She looked back at him, gently removing his hand from her. "Just know that I can take care of myself. Thank you for worrying, but you don't have to worry about me this much."

Oriana was dead serious. Luke respected her and didn't ask her any more questions, but he turned to look at the despicable man who came out of the water. 

Seeing him, Luke had an idea what could have happened. The Orian he knew was not an unreasonable person—this boy was foolishly innocent. He loved to help people and would even ignore taunts thrown his way. 

If Orian was forced to be violent, Luke could clearly guess what must have happened. 

The more he looked at that man, the more his anger rose. 

Oriana returned to the wagon assigned to them where she sat inside all by herself. 

Most people thought Oriana was gentle and meek, the kind of person who would resolve misunderstandings with a laugh and comforting words. However, the truth was the opposite. Whenever she experienced or saw such incidents, her instinct was to fight—to kill even.

Every time, she had to be rational and suppress that killing instinct, and so far, she had been successful. She was careful to conceal her own temper to avoid trouble; after all, she had a weak grandfather that still needed her. 

About half an hour later, the other travelers returned to the wagon. Luke was the last to enter, bringing with him two thick blankets. 

The blacksmith's apprentice, the same man who misbehaved with Oriana, did not return.

"Where is Fabron?" the bookshop owner asked. 

"Not sure. He'll turn in when he's sleepy," one of them answered with a yawn. Noticing Luke, he asked, "Hey, kid. Where did you get the blanket—"

Outsiders only pay merchant caravans the right to travel with them. On most occasions, the fare also covered food and water. However, unless they wish to pay extra, they could only sleep in their wagons using their personal provisions. 

The tents were only meant for the merchants and their people. That was why the man could only use his bag as a pillow and his cloak as a blanket. He was envious that Luke was able to borrow two blankets for free.

Inside the wagon, Oriana sat next to Luke. Once again, Luke had his legs stretched out to create a barrier between the men and Oriana.

Oriana happened to notice Luke's hand and those red knuckles which looked like he had used them to hit something. 

"What happened to your hands?"

"It's nothing," he passed her one blanket and covered himself with other one. 

It was a tiring journey so it did not take much time for everyone to fall asleep. Oriana was in deep sleep and her head kept nodding off, somewhat swaying to the side until it landed on his arm.

Luke opened his eyes, his body stiff. The faint smell of herbs and sunshine made his heart skip a beat.

After what felt like a long time, he adjusted her head to rest more comfortably on his shoulder. 

Just as he was about to drift to sleep, something happened which caused his heart to nearly have a heart attack. 

Oriana  turned towards him— and wrapped an arm around him, as if hugging a pillow! 

Her hand placed over his chest felt so hot, it felt like it was burning him. Sweat began to dot his brows. With a gulp, he woodenly turned his head like a puppet. Oriana's  face was so close to his. Immediately, he looked away. 

'Orian is a friend,' he chanted repeatedly in his head. 'Why am I being like this? I am not—'

Hesitantly, he held her hand and gently lifted it to move it away, but the stubborn person clutched onto him even tighter. 

Luke sighed. 'Can I even sleep tonight?'

With much effort, he somehow managed to push Oriana away. He made sure her head rested properly against the backrest of their seats. He even placed his own bag between them.

The next morning, when the escort guards announced their departure, the missing man from Luke and Oriana's wagon had still not returned. 

"Where is Fabron? He did not even return last night."

"The four merchant leaders are deciding if they'll search for him or leave him behind."

"The escort leader said they'll try looking for him for half an hour. If they do not find him, they'll just report a missing case in the next town."

Oriana wondered as well. 'I just kicked him between his legs, not like I stabbed him. Where did he go? Was he too ashamed to come back because he thought I told everyone the truth?'

She looked at Luke. "What do you think happened to that man?"

Luke merely stared at her face, his thoughts unknown, before pushing her towards the wagon. "Get in."

"What's wrong with this guy? Just say you don't know if you don't know," she mumbled but obediently climbed inside the wagon. 

Four days flashed by in a blink of an eye,  and finally the merchant caravan arrived at the capital city of the kingdom as scheduled. 

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