Chapter 61

It was dark outside. The best estimate was an hour or so after midnight.
“If you'd like, we can make a stop for a while,” Alexander said.
As she pulled the horse's rein to accelerate it, Heather said. “It is not necessary. We can not avert the inevitable by stopping for no reason.”
He was forced to imitate her behavior in response to her action by commanding his horse to move more quickly in her direction. He cannot afford to lose sight of her.
“Will you please slow down, Heather?” Alexander spoke loudly.
She sighed, slowed down, and cast a stealthy peek his way. “Give me one reason why do we need to slow down. It makes no sense for us to decrease the speed now that I am traveling with you, where you were desperate to get me to your town with you. The sooner we arrive, the sooner you can move on to identify the real culprit who committed the crime.”
“I had good reason to feel desperate. You left me without giving me a warning, Heather. What in the world was I supposed to do? And the primary reason I suggested slowing us down was for your benefit. We have been riding with hardly taking a break or two. I do not want you to put yourself through unnecessary strain.”
“Alexander, I am already drained to exhaustion with the mere thought of stepping into Warsavor again,” Heather uttered. She was well aware of how harsh her remarks were, but they were still the truth.
Alexander felt discouraged by what she said, though. He felt responsible for Heather's inaccurate perception of his town and was vividly conscious of the truth that it was his own fault.
“I am aware that your time in Warsavor has not been a great experience for you. I take full blame for that, but I still insist that it is not all bad. Do not solely evaluate my town based on how my folks treated you. It is unjust.”
His words were not wrong, and Heather understood that. But coming face-to-face with Heinrich and Contessa Diadem terrified her. She does not wish to be the target of their suspicion or condemnation.
“I apologize. It was inappropriate for me to have an opinion on your town's entire population. However, I cannot dismiss the fact that I do not feel comfortable in front of your parents. It is one thing to disapprove of me as a companion, but it is quite another to hold me responsible for an attack in which I had no involvement."
Alexander could read a thousand words in Heather's eyes. It would be ridiculous to hold her responsible for something she did not commit because he understood what she was trying to accomplish with her words.
"You do not need to apologize, Heather. The way my parents feel about you does not alter who you are as a person." Alexander gave her a smile.
“How is your father? I lacked the courage to inquire about him with you. It did not feel right at that time.”
Heather yearned to learn the status of his father. Whatever situation she was in or what his family may have thought of her, it does not make her inhuman. Even though she was not their biggest fan, she still had a soul and wanted everyone, including Alexander's parents, to have long and healthy lives.
Alexander, on the other hand, felt touched. Regardless of everything, he knew that Heather’s concern for his father was genuine.
“He is as fit as a fiddle. Despite the fact that his rehabilitation took longer than any of us had anticipated, he is doing well. Juan wrote in his letter that, in spite of continuing to feel weak from too much exertion, he would be fine. However, my father would have recovered much more quickly had you been there.”
Heather, however, wanted to let out a chuckle at his last sentence.
"Alexander, I am confident that if I had been present, your mother would have imprisoned me for committing a crime. She would not have allowed me to get close to any of you. Even coming along with you is a big risk for me. I do not know if your parents will be happy to see me with you."
“They will be pleased. Once they have heard me out completely, I have no doubt that they will accept that you had nothing to do with the attack. I beg you to have faith in me.”
There was nothing Heather could do but nod in agreement.