Wings of Ambition Shackled by Fate

Valeria stayed hidden in her bedroom for the rest of the day, sulking over the argument with Asher. Now that she thought about it, their quarrel was utterly stupid. They had hurt each other for no reason. She understood that Asher was only concerned about her safety. Over the past few months, as he and Elias checked in on her regularly, she had begun to see them as friends.

Elias was always kind, and even without speaking, he could lift her mood. Asher, on the other hand, was… difficult. Yet, Valeria had started to tolerate his constant nagging and overprotectiveness, perhaps even grow fond of it. She wanted to apologize to him, but her pride wouldn't let her. Besides, while he was right to be angry, some of his words had been unnecessarily harsh and frightening.

As she debated what to do, there was a knock on her door. Before she could grant permission, the door slammed open, and Katherine barged in, dragging a flustered and blushing Asher behind her.

Why was he blushing? What had Katherine done to him?

"You two are going to talk like normal human beings now, without yelling," Katherine demanded, crossing her arms. "I can't believe how childish you both are."

Asher avoided Valeria's gaze, looking more embarrassed than ever.

"Does Asher have something to say to me, or what?" Valeria asked haughtily, unwilling to be the first to give in.

Katherine narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "I said no childishness!" she scolded, chucking a pillow at Valeria's face.

Valeria glared at her friend, but before she could retort, Asher stepped forward. He straightened his back and spoke with uncharacteristic formality.

"I apologize for what I said, my lady. I overstepped and spoke to you disrespectfully. It will not happen again. Please forgive me."

Katherine frowned, clearly unsatisfied. That wasn't what they had discussed earlier. When she'd chased after Asher following the argument, he had shared a secret with her and promised to reveal it to Valeria. That revelation would have resolved everything.

But now he was retreating behind his walls again.

"I forgive you, Sir Asher. You are dismissed," Valeria said curtly, clearly still nursing her pride.

Katherine gawked as Asher bowed stiffly and walked out of the bedroom. Both of them were so stubborn, building unnecessary walls between themselves.

"What?! No! The conversation isn't over yet!" Katherine protested, but it was too late. Asher left the cottage to chop firewood, while Valeria buried herself in a book, pretending nothing had happened.

Katherine sighed, guilt weighing on her. This was partly her fault, she had persuaded Valeria to leave the cottage in the first place. As she stood there, lost in thought, Elias approached and gently patted her head. She leaned against him, finding comfort in his presence. Valeria, meanwhile, remained too absorbed in her feelings to notice what was happening right under her nose.

At dinner, the tension was palpable. Katherine tried her best to spark conversation, but no one else spoke. Asher was the first to finish his food.

"I'm going out to keep watch," he grumbled, standing up to leave.

Katherine nudged Valeria under the table. "Follow him," she whispered urgently.

"No. Why should I?" Valeria replied, annoyed.

Katherine glared at her and pinched her arm hard. "Valeria," she said warningly.

Valeria shivered. Katherine could be terrifying when she wanted to be. Memories of a childhood incident where Katherine destroyed her dolls one after another right in front of her eyes until she complied flashed through her mind. Who knows what her crazy friend would do now if she didn't listened?

"Fine, fine! I'll go," Valeria relented, getting up reluctantly. She grabbed her cloak and pulled the hood over her head. It was spring, but the evenings were still chilly.

Outside, she found Asher standing guard. She walked up to him and stopped by his side. Neither said a word for a while, the silence stretching between them.

"I'm sorry," Valeria finally said, breaking the tension. "I shouldn't have left the cottage."

"I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you," Asher replied quietly. "I could have handled it better."

They still didn't look at each other, both staring into the woods instead. The silence that followed felt more peaceful this time, like an unspoken truce.

"Are we good now?" Asher asked after a moment.

"Yeah, we're good. Will you come back inside with me? It's cold," Valeria said.

Asher nodded, and they walked back together. But both knew there was still much left unsaid between them. For now, they chose the fragile peace, too cowardly to address everything.

When Valeria opened the door to the cottage, her eyes widened in shock. Before she could scream, Asher clamped a hand over her mouth and gestured for her to stay quiet.

How could she stay quiet?! Her best friend was kissing Elias!

Katherine was perched on the kitchen table, Elias standing between her legs as he devoured her lips.

Asher carefully pulled Valeria back outside and shut the door softly. He thought it would be better to give them a little space since they probably couldn't do this kind of intimate things back in the estate this freely without having to be scared of getting caught.

"What?! How?! Why didn't she tell me? Did you know? Elias?! Katherine?!" Valeria bombarded him with questions.

Asher sighed. "It was pretty obvious. Elias always hovered around Lady Lohra back at the estate. And since she arrived here yesterday, he hasn't left her side."

Everything suddenly clicked for Valeria. The "gentleman" Katherine had mentioned before, it was Elias! Of course. He wasn't of noble birth, which made their relationship complicated. But Katherine clearly loved him.

"Oh my Lord! This is amazing! Elias is such a great man!" Valeria exclaimed before storming back into the cottage before Asher could stop her this time.

Katherine and Elias jumped apart, startled.

"Katherine! Why didn't you tell me? I'm so happy for you!" Valeria cried, throwing her arms around her friend.

Katherine hesitated for a moment before hugging her back. "I wanted to tell you, but I was scared. I realize now that was stupid. You'd never judge me."

Valeria pulled back slightly to look Katherine in the eyes. "Of course I wouldn't! I support this fully. Elias is an amazing man but if he hurts you, I'll kill him," she said seriously, turning her gaze to Elias.

"So, you're interested in my best friend? She's the best catch out there. I expect nothing less than your absolute best," Valeria said sternly.

Elias nodded firmly. He grabbed a pen and paper and quickly wrote:

I will respect and cherish her, my lady. If I ever hurt her, I expect you to make me regret it.

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear," Valeria said with a satisfied nod.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "You two are ridiculous."

"No, we're not. We just love you. Now tell me everything!" Valeria demanded, grinning mischievously.