That Lady’s Stalker - Chapter 3
As Olivia grasped her dress and gently bent her knees, she froze in shock at the sight of blood trickling from Asher’s nose. However, whether she was startled or whether the blood flowed freely, Asher remained unmoved. He was as still as a statue, not even flinching.
What had started as a thin stream now gushed down his jaw, thick and fast. Seeing that he had no intention of moving, Olivia quickly pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it against his nose.
“Prince… no, Commander, you’re bleeding a lot…”
Remembering that Asher disliked being called ‘Prince,’ Olivia hurriedly corrected herself. But before she could finish her sentence, Asher sprang up from his seat.
When she looked at him in surprise, their golden eyes met. The sight of the white handkerchief stained red with blood clinging to his jaw was absurd, yet his gaze felt like it was binding her, making it difficult to speak.
They stood there for a moment, staring at each other, when suddenly Asher buried his face in her handkerchief and took off running.
Olivia, caught off guard, let out a laugh of disbelief.
“Who said he was gloomy…?”
From a distance, he had seemed different. Very different.
He towered over her, who was already tall for a woman, with a strong build and a strangely alluring face. He was an astonishingly handsome man, the perfect ideal for Olivia.
I vividly remember that moment when we locked eyes, the cool breeze that brushed past us, the flickering lights, and the distant sound of laughter echoing softly.
Funny enough, I thought I would forget that day as just a fleeting incident with a handsome man.
Yet here I am, recalling it as if it happened yesterday.
In any case, it felt like just a passing moment. Occasionally, memories of that day would resurface, but you hadn’t occupied my thoughts that much—until you started lingering around me.
At first, it was truly bewildering. You came to the estate every day, yet you wouldn’t speak to me; you would only watch from afar.
You did nothing but gaze at me.
* * *
When she was in her room, he would stand beneath the fringe tree that offered a direct view of her balcony, looking up at her with longing eyes. And when she had tea in the garden, he would hide behind a large tree at a distance, stealing glances at her.
Despite this, he always courteously sent her notes through the servant.
Asher occupied a corner of her sight as persistently as the griffin statues that adorned her home.
At first, his gaze felt overwhelming. So, whenever she had something to say, she would call out to him from a distance, urging him to speak his mind openly.
“Commander! Can you…?”
The effort was good, but he always ran away.
Olivia found herself staring in disbelief at Asher’s retreating figure as he galloped toward the main gate of the Duke’s residence. His long hair whipped wildly in the wind, just like the tail of a horse, as red as his flushed ears.
“What is happening…?”
Seeing her blank expression, Oliver burst into laughter beside her, but his words didn’t reach Olivia’s ears. All she could focus on was Asher’s panicked retreat, as if he was facing an enemy.
After he ran off, Olivia thought Asher wouldn’t return to the Duke’s residence again. But he consistently exceeded her expectations.
Instead, he looked at her with even brighter eyes. Plus, the time he spent with her, which had previously been two hours a day, had doubled.
“What on earth is he thinking?”
“He must have something in mind.”
She confided her frustrations to Oliver, but all she received in return were half-hearted responses.
“Ugh! Hey, let go!”
Olivia grabbed her cheeky younger brother by the hair and shook him, determined to find out what he was thinking.
She needed to have a conversation to uncover his thoughts or feelings, but every time she tried to get closer, Asher fled like last time, leaving no progress.
“It’s driving me crazy! If he likes me, why can’t he just say it?”
Olivia pounded her chest with her fist in frustration, and Oliver offered some unsolicited advice.
“Then ambush him.”
“What?”
Olivia shot him a disdainful look, as if to say how can he suggest something so vulgar. Oliver quickly added to avoid getting his hair pulled again.
“I mean, surprise him! Otherwise, there’s no other way.”
“Oh.”
Olivia immediately took action.
As soon as Asher’s letter arrived, she stepped outside and looked up at the griffin statues flanking the entrance of the mansion. They were large enough that even if she and Oliver hid behind them, they would likely go unnoticed.
With a cunning smile, Olivia slipped behind the statue, waiting for Asher. He always asked the butler about her whereabouts as soon as he arrived at the Flonari residence, so she planned to ambush him the moment he showed up.
“Ah, the young lady is in the… room.”
