Elina

She had changed into her towns girl appearance: blonde hair and blue eyes. But she still wore Simon Withstone's guard uniform. Which would raise a lot of eyebrows.

I took her cape from the cart and wrapped it around her.

She skipped into the King's Lodge. The interior lived up to its name. A tall ceiling extended all the way to the roof. A glittering chandelier hung from the top, illuminating the entire entrance area.

A solid looking wooden desk with flower pattern carvings on its legs served as the reception. A woman dressed in a fine purple dress behind it. She smiled pleasantly. A practiced smile. Part of the trade.

"How may I help you?" she asked.

Elina said, "A room for two, please."

The woman in the purple dress looked at me. Then at Elina. Her expression didn't change. But something in her eyes did. Maybe she was calculating, thinking, estimating how much she could charge us. Whether or not we were married. Or eloping. Or having an affair. All of which would help answering the one question that mattered: how much is he willing to pay?

I wasn't willing to pay a single coin.

But that wasn't really for me to decide anymore.

Elina said, "For two nights please."

I grabbed Elina by the arm and leaned close to her. Spoke quietly.

"Two nights? We're leaving tomorrow."

Elina turned her head. Her face filled my vision.

She said, "You said that there is a large town every seven to ten days, right?"

"Yes."

"There are seven more days until we reach Merkelborough. Which means that Larose is the last large town between here and there."

"So?"

"This is my first and last chance to sleep in a luxurious inn and eat luxurious food."

I said, "It's not your money you're spending."

She made a face. She pouted. But she didn't turn away.

"You have to deliver me to the priest in seven days. In full health, hmm? And to maintain my full health, I need to sleep in the most expensive bed in Larose and eat the most expensive food."

I sighed. What could I even say?

"But why two nights?"

Elina smiled and bit her lower lip. Her blue eyes contained a spark of thunder.

"I want to do some sightseeing."

She turned to the woman in the purple dress and said, "Two nights."

The woman looked at me. Then at Elina. She smiled. Some kind of decision had been made.

She said, "This is the key for Room 201. You can store your horse and cart in the stables. The stableboy will help you."

Elina paid the price. With my money. Five gold coins for two nights.

My heart was in my throat like a maiden who had received her first marriage proposal. But not in a good way.

She said, "Cheer up, the room comes with complimentary breakfast and dinner for two~"

"Oh..."

"I'll let you have at least two bites."

"Wow...thank you."

"You're welcome~"

Sarcasm definitely wasn't one of her strengths.

--------------------

ELINA: I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to do some sightseeing. But what he imagined wasn't the truth either. But since he didn't ask for details, what I said was the truth. Technically.

The dinner was beyond anything I had ever seen before. Roasted fish and lobsters imported from the coast using the fastest horses. Beef and lamb from the mountains. Ale brewed in the depths of the woods, using water from only the purest sources.

Even Salem's sour expression changed when he tasted the food.

But the room was different from what I expected.

The room only had one bed.

It was a large bed. But it was still one bed.

I looked at Salem. He looked at me.

He said, "I'll sleep on the floor."

I didn't mind sharing, but I suppose he didn't like the idea of sleeping with a witch.

I took off the guard's armor carefully put it on the ground. Then I jumped into bed.

But I felt Salem's eyes on me. Something was bothering him.

"What?" I asked.

At first he said nothing. Just kept looking at me. Like he was trying to decide if his question was worth asking.

He asked, "What did you do with Simon Withstone? The guard who took you away?"

"Booooom."

"Boom?"

"Boom, like I did with Anja and the rest of her village. But don't worry, I did it very carefully. Nobody saw or heard me."

Something in his eyes. He was thinking something. But what?

"Why did you kill him?" he asked.

"Because I wanted something from him."

"What?"

I pointed at the armor.

"Why do you want a guard's armor?" he asked.

"Because I do."

Salem gave me a look. But he stopped asking questions. Maybe he decided it wasn't worth the effort. Maybe he'd rather not know the truth. Either way, he went to sleep.

I waited. Waited until his breathing was even. Until he was truly asleep and not just pretending.

Then I moved. Slipped out of the bed and put on Simon Withstone's armor.