As soon as Asher looked away, I took the opportunity to make my move. I quickly gathered my things and stood up from the table.

"Excuse me," I said quietly. "I need to use the restroom."

With that, I headed towards the door, hoping to slip away unnoticed. But Asher wasn't fooled so easily. As I reached for the door handle, he called out to me.

"Scarlett, wait," he said firmly.

I turned around, feeling a bit nervous. What did he want? Asher looked at me for a moment, as if trying to understand my thoughts. Then he spoke.

"I know you're trying to leave," he said gently. "Please sit back down, Milady."

Reluctantly, I returned to the table with Asher. I could tell he was still cautious of my intentions. But as my stomach growled loudly, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, my cheeks turning red. "I didn't mean to give you the wrong impression. I really just needed to use the restroom."

Asher looked at me for a moment, then sighed. "Alright," he said, his voice softening. "I believe you."

Internally, I felt relieved because he could be easily convinced. I needed to escape from his presence. Instead of going to the restroom, I quickly made my way to the back door of the coffee shop. I pushed it open and stepped outside, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.

I hailed a cab and headed back to the castle, my heart racing. I didn't know what would happen next, but I knew I had to get away from Asher. I was certain he would be angry, and that was my intention.

Arriving back at the castle, I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to be safe. I couldn't help but feel exhausted. The events of the morning had taken a toll on me, and I was ready to retreat to my room.

As I walked through the castle hallways, my emotions weighed heavily on me. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face Asher again or if I could trust him. But as I reached my room, I took a deep breath and pushed those thoughts aside. I needed to focus on taking care of myself and relieving the stress from the morning.

I quickly entered the bathroom and turned on the hot water, letting it flow until it became steamy. I undressed and stepped into the shower, feeling the warm water wash over me.

While lathering up with body wash, I couldn't help but replay the morning's events in my mind. The argument with Asher, the coffee shop, my sudden need to escape.

But as I rinsed off the soap and washed away the suds, I began to feel a strange presence in the room. With that thought in mind, I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around myself. Maybe I was just imagining things.

Then, to my surprise, I screamed. In shock, the towel slipped from my hands and fell to the floor. My eyes focused on the man standing before me as soon as I opened the door.

How did he get in so quickly? He was at the coffee shop when I left. And he had tattoos on his chest too! It was too late for me to cover up the private parts of my body that were visible to his eyes. Panic set in, and I tried to shield myself.

To make matters worse, he was also naked and held a towel in his hand. I tried to look away, but it was too late. I had already seen it! As time went on, I felt a heavy pressure on my chest or heart, making it difficult to breathe.

I struggled to save myself from complete embarrassment, but my body gave way, and Asher quickly caught me! He carried me outside, to my bed, and gently laid me down in the center.

"Relax. I'll help you," he whispered.

As I listened to his calming voice, I couldn't shake the feeling that he had discovered something about me that he shouldn't have. He had caught me in an embarrassing situation for the second time!

He searched my room for something, and I directed his attention to a brown bag that I could use. He quickly retrieved it and returned it to my mouth.

"Take a deep breath in, and out," he instructed.

I followed his command, continuing until my breathing returned to normal.

"I'm not weak," I assured him.

"No, you're not," he whispered.

"Thank you, but it would be better if you didn't walk around naked so close to me," I told him, apologizing. "I'm sorry for running away from the coffee shop."

"I don't understand why you're so against having a bodyguard when I was hired to keep you safe at all times. Your father told me there have been abduction attempts on you in the past," he stated, and I nodded.

"I'm okay with having a bodyguard as long as it's a woman, but my father doesn't hire women. Have you noticed that most of the servants here are men? He dislikes women, and I dislike men."

"Alright, let's say you dislike men, Your Highness, but I don't think that's the only reason you collapsed on the floor when you saw me."

"I was startled. Why did you come in here without anything on?"

It was the first time I had ever seen a man's body in its full form, and it startled me. When I noticed his size, I immediately panicked because he was much larger than I expected.

"You shouldn't have come in here, Asher," I scolded him.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I thought I heard something earlier, so I came quickly," he explained.

Could the sound he heard be the same as the one I heard earlier? As I looked at him again, I realized I had made a big mistake. "Oh my god!" I exclaimed, suddenly feeling the urge to do something that would bring me joy. But what was the best course of action?