17 Save and sound.

"My lady, we have arrived at the Archdukedom," Ares said as he turned his head to look at Alexandria who fell asleep on his back.

Alexandria didn't wake up and she was sleeping so tightly and sound that Ares felt bad to wake her up. He then decided to get inside the wall and notify the knight to bring a carriage for Alexandria, Vanessa, and Nadia. They were shocked when they saw the condition of the four of them and they immediately prepared the carriage for them.

On their way back to the mansion, Ares saw the people were living normally and they had no idea what happened to the lady who owned this place and almost died from an ambush. He didn't care about that because he was glad that Alexandria could go back home safely and he was glad that he was the one who went with her because if it was another knight, the chance of them surviving was closer to none.

"My lady?" Ares called Alexandria as he gently shook her arm. "We are back," he continued.

Alexandria slowly opened her eyes and looked out the window and saw the mansion. She jolted from her seat and looked at the mansion and thought she was dreaming at first then she realized it wasn't a dream. Ares opened the door for her and helped her down the carriage, and while he was helping her down, Alois came hurriedly and looked at Alexandria's condition.

"What happened, young lady?!" Alois asked as he looked at her with a worried expression.

Alexandria ignored him and walked past him with her barefoot entering the mansion while the maids were following her because she asked them to help her clean herself and treated her wounds. Alois looked at Ares, Vanessa, and Nadia, he started asking them what happened and Ares explained everything to him.

"What?! Who dared to do this to the Valtris family?!" Alois asked.

Ares sighed. "It's better if we talk about this to his grace, I will tell everything to him," he answered.

Alois nodded with understanding. "Alright, let's head there immediately because he needs to know what's going on with his daughter,"

Vanessa and Nadia went into the mansion and they also had to clean themselves and treated the wounds on their feet while Ares and Alois entered the mansion and went to Khazad's working office.

Alois entered Khazad's office with Ares, they both looked at Khazad who had been staring at the window where it directly pointed at the entrance of the mansion. He put his hands on the back with his sinister gaze, Alois slowly approached him and cleared his throat. "My lord, there's a situation," he said.

"I know, I have seen it with my own two eyes that my daughter came back with her dress covered with dirt and dried blood. Not only that, she had to walk into the mansion with those dirty feet of hers," Khazad said with a bit of anger in his tone. "So, tell me what happened to her and where's the carriage?" he said as he glared at Ares from the corner of his eyes.

Ares bowed his head. "We were ambushed, my lord," he answered. "The moment we left the capital city this afternoon, I felt that a group of people had been watching us ever since. I had to make sure if they were going to attack us or not because they should have known by the look of the carriage, but the further we went, the more of them that followed. That was when I ordered the coachman to keep moving while I have to handle them on my own, but turned out they already planned on attacking the carriage so when I was busy dealing with some of them, the others attacked the carriage and killed the coachman," he explained.

"You dealt with all of them?" Khazad asked as he crossed his arms.

"Yes, my lord, every single one of them," Ares replied.

"Good, and you should know who they are, right? Tell me," Khazad asked as he walked toward his desk and leaned on it.

Ares nodded. "I killed them all and got everything that I needed, my lord. The people who ambushed us were from the purple band bandits," he answered.

"The purple band bandits? The same group that has been stealing livestock and crops? Those lowly lives dared to attack my family?" Khazad said as he clenched his fists and crushed the edge of the desk with his grips. "Tell Hidar about what happened and tell him to annihilate those bandits and I don't care if you burn a whole village or town to find them!" he continued as he pointed his hand at the barrack and glared at Ares.

"Yes, my lord," Ares bowed his head and then left the room to tell Hidar about the situation and the order from Khazad.

Hidar heard everything and heard enough, he immediately prepared the knights and started to go on a mission with dozens of knights with him. Ares didn't follow them because he was exhausted and Hidar also thought the same thing and let him rest because he did a good job of protecting Alexandria.

Ares took a bath and cleaned his body, he couldn't stop thinking about Alexandria so he decided to go and check on her. He came back to the mansion and asked Alois about Alexandria, then he told him that Alexandria was resting in her room but she was having a fever because of the exhaustion and the wounds. Ares then went to the front of Alexandria's room and stood there for quite a while to think whether he should go in or not.

"Sir Ares? What are you doing out here?" A maid asked.

Ares looked at her and smiled. "I'm thinking if I should go in and check on her condition or not because I heard she's resting right now but I also heard that she's having a fever," he answered.

"Oh, you should go and check the lady, Sir knight, because the other maid went to the barrack to look for you because Lady Alexandria wanted to see you," The maid said.

"Oh? Is that so? Then I should get inside then," Ares said and then he thanked the maid.

Ares entered Alexandria's room and it was dark with only the moon lightening the room. "My lady?" he asked quietly.

"Ares?" Alexandria said as she slowly turned around and looked at Ares with her eyes barely open.

Ares nodded and approached her to see her condition, she looked so tired and sick at the same time. "Yes, my lady? I heard you call for me?" he asked.

Alexandria nodded and she pointed at the chair. "Take that chair, and sit next to the bed, I need you to stay here and protect me all night," she said. "I don't want anyone to enter my room no matter who they are, do you understand?" she continued with her eyes barely open.

Ares smiled and bowed his head. "Yes, my lady, I will stay here until you feel better,"

Alexandria turned her body around and faced the wall, it was just silence but she wasn't asleep, she was staring at the walls and thinking about the words that Ares said to her about people being dangerous. She couldn't let it go and it kept sticking in her head, she then started to think about Vanessa and Nadia.

"Ares," Alexandria called. "Do you think all this time, the people that have been close to me were just taking advantage of me?" she asked.

"That's something that my lady needs to find out first," Ares answered. "My lady is smart, and my lady should know which one of them that are close to you because they like you or because they have a reason for that," he continued. "But most nobles are building friendships based on interest and nothing more," he explained.

Alexandria thought about it and realized something, but the moment she realized it she fell asleep because she couldn't hold the sleepiness. Alexandria didn't reply so he decided to get closer and to see if she was asleep, and turned out she was asleep with a small towel on her forehead.

Ares sat on the chair next to Alexandria and watched her sleep and replaced the towel on her forehead. Alexandria seemed to be comfortable with Ares's hand on her forehead and she started to mumble. "Don't leave, I'm scared..." she said as she grabbed Ares's arm weakly.

"I'm not going anywhere, my lady, I will stay by your side, forever," Ares said as he put the new towel on her forehead.

Ares sat down on the chair and crossed his arms as he thought about the future plan. He had to inform them that the plan need to be canceled because he already achieved what he wanted. As he thought of that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep because he was exhausted as well after walking all day and carrying Alexandria for half a day.

Alexandria opened her eyes and hours had passed since Ares entered her room, she looked at Ares who fell asleep on the chair and she suddenly smiled because at that moment she felt happy and safe for the first time and she wished to have that kind of moment for a bit longer then closed her eyes again and went to sleep.