Princess Knight [Dropped]

[25] She Comes Knocking (1/2)

"I smell blood." Ashe's nose twitched as she produced a visible frown and her brows creased.

She had become long accustomed to the taste of blood, and with her enhanced senses thanks largely to her curse, it was extremely easy for her to pick up the scent of something she was much too familiar with. There was no mistaking it, being something she was quite keen on; undoubtedly so, this was the smell of freshly made blood. It assaulted her nose unlike that of tired blood.

However, she smiled. Evidently, there was a show to be had.

At that moment, Maria's eyes opened in a daze as she looked around. Them she puzzledly turned towards her personal guard.

"Why have we stopped?" She asked.

"An enemy," Ais stated.

"The guards are dead."

Her hand was already in the grasp of the blade at her waist, and she was preparing to set out. Unlike Ashe who steely smelled blood, she simply knew the guards were dead based on her ears alone. There was no sound of fighting, nor was there sound of scraping metal. However, the lack of such sounds only served to enhance her conclusion.

"The enemy is human." She stated firmly as she opened the door to the carriage.

Unlike beasts which attacked in whichever way they pleased, or kicked off commotions at any time they wanted, humans were much more deadly in their silence. And thus, with no sound of battle or movement, while the carriage was still stopped, she concluded the enemy to be human.

However, she did not expect this show of utter disregard.

Just as she stepped out, she was surprised to find a man standing steely in front of her with no awareness as to hide himself.

Slowly shaking the crimson blood off the blackened dagger in his right hand, he smiled and spoke "Ah, there you are, I was getting quite bored of this little game. Did you guys really think me so weak as to have this band of 'guards' to protect you?"

Ais narrowed her golden eyes and stared expressionlessly at this eccentric figure in front of her. The area was mystifyingly foggy, and she could barely see more than a few feet from herself, however, she could see him.

He seemed oh so calm, without a care in the world.

Blonde hair that was lightly combed to the right side, exposing a bit of his pale left scalp. Pale blue eyes that seemed to directly cross against Ais's golden. He looked a bit older than Ais, and she herself concluded him to be in his early twenties.

"Though, I would be happy to take another soul before my final prey. I would like to ask, is there any chance you could just hand the princess over?" He smiled as his calm voice sounded out.

"You see, I wouldn't like to dirty my hands too much."

Ais looked at the corpse at his feet, then stared back emotionlessly at this man, "The guards?"

"Just a means to my prey." Was the simple reply that came.

She nodded, grasped her hilt tighter, allowed the blade to glimmer into the cowering sun, and charged forwards with swiftness.

Her sunburn eyes had already focused on its target—the neck.

There was no hesitation in her movement.

However, just as her blade was about to pop off the head of this assassin before her...

The figure before her disappeared in a blur.

"No, no no. You seem to take me for the other guy, don't you? For Brian, right?" The voice appeared by her side.

Ais turned her head rightways to see a blackened dagger hurriedly incoming towards her forehead in a bid to dig into it. Swirling the misty white fog in its speed.