Chapter 81: Entering the Netherlands

Chapter 81: Entering the Netherlands Alfonso had no choice but to accept travelling on horseback with them. At least his security was better; if only his carriage had not broken down at the town gates, he would not have been in this situation. The door opened, and Abrielle’s attention was drawn to Cedric, who just got inside the carriage and sat by her side. "What did Alfonso want?" She asked Cedric. "He wanted a free ride because his carriage was sabotaged," Cedric answered, a little frown appeared on Abrielle’s face as she pulled her brows together. That was suspicious; if there was one person she could never trust, it was Alfonso. "And you allowed him." Abrielle stated, "What kind of brother will I be if I leave my brother to freeze in the cold." Cedric self-righteously said, making it seem like he gave a fuck if Alfonso lived or died. "Were you the one that sabotaged it?" Abrielle blurted, surprised by Cedric’s goodwill. The carriage started to move again as it seemed the blockage had been moved. Cedric’s eyes sparkled with mischief. "As much as I would have loved to, I was too busy to sabotage him." He answered, which was the truth; a long sigh left Abrielle’s lips, and then she glanced to the window. He knows what he is doing, so she should not bother herself about him. The carriage continued to move in the thick snow, the wheels creaking on the difficult terrains. The guards rode side by side with the carriage. Their horses softly ran their hooves through the snow. They were about to enter the dangerous creek forest that was plagued by ghouls at night and thieves at day. Cedric’s entourage was particularly eye-catching so all the guards had to be on the lookout the entire ride to avoid any attacks. Alfonso’s eyes were glaring hard at Cedric’s carriage; he wasn’t raised like Cedric, who was used to the harsh weather conditions. So, riding on a horse for a long journey was not suited for him. His hand holding the reins were very cold despite having gloves on. They moved at a steady pace through the snow in consideration for Abrielle. Despite the pace, she was still getting carriage sick; her head was dizzy due to the constant shaking of the carriage. Cedric’s eyes narrowed at her; her face was getting paler the further they travelled. This was the first time he had shared a carriage with her on a long distance so he had no idea she had motion sickness. He wanted to ignore her at first but got more concerned about knowing about the weak constitution of the spoilt daughter of the Nightshade family. "Are you alright? You seem a bit pale." He finally asked. Abrielle wanted to answer but was forced to swallow back her reply because of the strong urge to throw up; she had to fight back. She shook her head instead, "are you motion sick?" He asked, recognizing the symptoms. "Just a bit dizzy," she answered. Her reply gave Cedric a slight headache because they couldn’t go slower than this, and soon, they would have to speed up when they got to the creek forest to avoid the rogues. From behind the curtains that covered the small window on the door he could already see the forest at a distance. "Just hold on tight, we are about to speed off." He gave her a heads up hoping that there won’t be any drama as they crossed through the forest. The knights increased their pace, followed by the couch man who whipped the horses, drawing the carriage. The horses raised their forelimbs before they started racing through the Forest. The carriage tilted, and Abrielle was thrown, off course, on her seat and thrown into Cedric’s arms. She bent over throwing up on the carriage floor in-between her legs. There goes her breakfast, she thought depressingly but that was not the end of her trouble. She felt worse due to the speed. Cedric pulled her closer wrapping one of his arms around her body while the other was on her head. "Try to relax," he suggested trying to reduce the dizzy spells as he channelled a small percentage of his strength into her body. His energy channelling through her was soothing to feel, she didn’t resist as her body was slowly relaxing in the comfort of his embrace. "That’s more like it." He said in a low tone that sounded like a lullaby to her ears. Cedric looked away from her rosy cheeks to the window to distract him from his thoughts. The forest was covered with an unending stretch of snow that covered the ever-green pine trees. They should not have any issues crossing the forest because he had sent some of his men to clear the part ahead. Abrielle tried to relax but there was something about this forest that didn’t resonate with her. It was this dark energy most likely because it was a boundary area. The breeze carried whispers like children giggling and women laughing. Ghoul didn’t move during the day, but that didn’t mean spirits didn’t. They carried a very cold presence with them despite the heavy layers of clothes Abrielle had on her entire body was shaking due to the cold. "Alfonso," Prince Alfonso heard someone whisper into his ears as a cold, invisible presence moved past him. It was impressive how thieves could still operate in this condition. Alfonso’s hold on the reins tightened; he tried his best to ignore the spirit; it was believed if you were to fall into their trance, they would trap you in the forest forever, and everyone who was killed in this forest spirits was trapped forever. The forest was known to be haunted, but something felt weird, which Cedric observed; too many spirits were attracted to the carriage. His eyes then went to his wife, who had fallen under a sleeping spell he had put her in. "Since you hate her, just leave her behind." A distinct voice whispered in his ears that he was certain wasn’t his inner monster. This was a monster from the outside that wanted Abrielle. The spirits were drawn to her just like that time in the winter castle one refused to leave her side.