Lucas' eyes were staring intensely into hers. Eva had never seen him look at her so seriously before.
Their surroundings disappeared with the loud banging of her heart that thumped in her ears. Her face felt hot, so she was probably blushing now.
This sudden contact had surprised her and also forced her feelings to surge violently in her chest.
'If he were to kiss me right now… I… would not be able to resist.'
The sudden realization shocked her.
"Uh…"
Her voice broke as soon as she tried to speak. She wanted to ask Lucas what was wrong. Why had he suddenly grabbed the side of her face and why he was looking at her so handsomely?
Wait, it wasn't about how handsome he was.
"I will hunt today. Wash up while I am gone."
Then he was gone, like nothing had happened. Her face fell into her hands as she tried to process what had happened.
'Why didn't he kiss me?'
She had anticipated it. They had gotten closer yesterday. It was not hard for her to admit that she had been thinking about him all day.
'No, now is not the time to think about him kissing me.'
She flopped onto her side and turned over onto her back looking at the leaves in the trees above her.
'Idiot.'
Her hand grabbed at a patch of grass beside her and pulled it up roughly. Was this her fault?
She felt frustrated about something that didn't happen, for something that she herself denied and told herself to forget about.
She was truly the stupid one here. Yet Lucas respected her silent decision all the same. Even though he always accepted her with open arms.
She felt like the lowest scum in all of Montfort. All of her ambitions and resolve were so easily dissolved by one elf.
His decision to leave instead of kissing her made her feelings for him increase all the more. She did not deserve this amount of devotion.
She was but a fallen noble daughter who had to rely on others to survive. A tear tickled her cheek as it fell down the side of her face.
It would be so much easier if he would just accuse her of lying about her feelings. To confront her in some grand gesture.
'Lucas would never do that.'
He was patient and always seemed to know when to back away. His guiding hands that taught her to be self-sufficient were gentle and loving.
Lucas always let her take the lead. She doubted all elven men were like this. It was probably just Lucas.
It was because he was so sweet and gentle that her decision to put her goals before her feelings was so hard. The decision tortured her, like a dull knife that was being dragged across her skin.
She wanted to give in to her feelings. Safety and comfort were guaranteed with Lucas, and he made her heart race so much that she was often worried he could hear it.
Taking a deep breath Eva sat up and got to her feet. She pulled off her gloves and hit both sides of her face using her palms.
'I need to refocus.'
She got her bathing supplies ready and headed to the water source they camped near.
The refreshing cool water always seemed to clear her mind. Lately, she could feel energy under her skin that was gradually getting stronger by the day.
Attempting to pull the energy through her hand she began trying to manipulate the water. She had only practiced the smallest bits of water magic as a kid.
A knight who had a small bit of magic had shown her a few tricks. He would always encourage her and even promised to hide her magic from her father until she could show him how amazing she was.
That same knight had died in an expedition soon after, but Eva had still practiced in secret. It had been a long time since she thought of that time.
The water in her palm rose up like a tentacle about an inch in height before falling back into her palm.
'I am still no good at this.'
She thought that, now that she could start feeling mana around her, she would somehow be able to do more.
Eva wondered if she could find a teacher in the Capital once she became an adventurer.
A pang pierced through her chest as she remembered what the Capital meant. She wanted to scold herself for forgetting about that.
Splashing her feet into the water she hoped that arriving at the Capital would still be a long way off.
A slight rustling in the trees behind her made her reach for her clothes. She cautiously looked behind her.
'I better hurry back.'
She pulled her clothes on roughly and hurriedly gathered her things before heading back to the camp.
She could not shake the feeling that something was staring at her. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up.
Breaking through the trees, her heart calmed somewhat as Lucas had already returned. She slouched over as she caught her breath.
"Eva?"
His voice danced into her ears with a slight tinge of concern. The sense that something had followed her through the trees only became bigger.
Lucas had heard the hurried footsteps in the trees before he saw Eva hurry back to the camp with her bag in her hands.
HIs eyes narrowed as he used his senses to pick up on what else was in their surroundings. He only needed to see the slight fear in Eva's eyes to know something was off.
"I think I was followed," Eva managed to say in between breaths.
Lucas set his hand on the hilt of the sword at his side and stepped around Eva. He had no reason to doubt her words as her senses were gradually becoming sharper as she spent more time in the woods.
It also frustrated him that something would sneak up on her while she bathed. Perhaps he had become too complacent again.
The usual sounds of the forest were quieter as if the trees themselves were waiting for what was about to happen next. It made Lucas' skin prickle.
'Only a beast would have this sort of presence.'
He cursed inwardly. It had been a long while since they had come across the last beast. Getting through the forest was impossible without encountering at least one.
However, this was the third time they had come across a beast. He was starting to wonder if he just had bad luck. This part of the forest in particular was a bit uninhabited.
Drawing his sword from its sheath, he stayed in the clearing he had chosen for their camp. He would have more of an advantage in this open space.
******
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