MAGNOLIA WATCHED THE WOMAN who was sitting across the table from her with curious eyes. She was truly beautiful, her hair was black, long, and straight all the way to the bottom where small curls formed. Her skin was smooth and slightly sun-kissed, and her eyes were as dark as a moonless winter night.
"I don't recall that." Daniel shook his head.
"Oh, I do," Laya shot back. "You almost passed out and I had to carry you back to camp."
"I will never admit to it, Laya." He raised his eyebrows with a shrug.
"I know you will not, it doesn't mean it didn't happen."
They both look at each other for a moment before they burst out into laughter.
Magnolia cut another piece of her mutton while trying to keep her emotions from reaching her face.
She knew she was jealous.
Her mind understood that it was silly, that they were only friends, comrades from the war. But she could not control her feelings. They seemed to have many memories together, adventures and jokes that only they knew about. Magnolia did not like it.
'This is childish, just like I had a life before I met him, Daniel also did.'
She sighed, a little louder than she had intended.
"Ah, my apologies, Your Grace. Our stories are probably boring to you."
Magnolia's face colored immediately.
"Not at all," she responded. "I would love to hear more."
"Only the non-embarrassing ones," Daniel said. "Apparently, my friend only remembers the ones that I would rather take with me to the grave than share with others."
Laya chuckled. "I think your wife wouldn't mind those stories either." She turned back to meet Magnolia's eyes. "There are so many, but maybe for another time."
"You must be tired," Magnolia smiled as sweetly as she could manage, ignoring the turmoil in her chest. "It's a long way from the Tower of Gods."
"Indeed. You will forgive me if I retire early then, Your Grace." Laya pushed to her feet.
"Of course." Magnolia nodded. "Please, rest well."
Daniel stood as his friend left the table and Magnolia motioned to one of the footmen to guide the guest.
The couple left the dining room soon after. Daniel excused himself to finish some work in his office and Magnolia headed to their bedroom for a bath before bed. She reprimanded herself the whole time for her silly jealousy.
'Daniel loves me, and I love him. We are married and she is just his old friend.' She repeated to herself.
The thoughts calmed her down for a moment. Then, she remembered how beautiful the woman was, and the thoughts returned. She lost her confidence again.
When she finished her bath, she lay in bed and grabbed the book she had been reading for the past few nights.
She wanted to stay up and wait for Daniel, but her eyelids were heavy. She did not even remember when she fell asleep. She only opened her eyes when Daniel was moving around the room.
"Ah sorry, did I wake you?" he apologized.
"Oh my, is it morning already?" Daniel nodded. "I wanted to wait up for you." She pouted.
"It's alright, you were probably exhausted." He took two steps closer to the bed and kissed her forehead.
"Why don't you skip training this morning and come back to bed?"
Daniel saw mischief in his wife's eyes. He grinned.
"I wish, but I promised Laya I would spar with her this morning." He caressed her face.
"I see, I will see you at breakfast then." She smiled but it did not reach her eyes.
"Yes, my love." The duke kissed her before he left the room.
Magnolia lay in bed for a moment, just staring at the ceiling. She tried to reason with herself, but it was in vain.
She was already up, choosing a dress that was easy to wear on her own. She quickly put it on and headed to the training ground.
The autumn morning was chilly, and the sky was still dark with no sun on the horizon. Magnolia cursed under her breath for not bringing a shawl with her. She was not going back though, she wanted to see Daniel sparring with Laya.
It was a way for her to confirm that they were friends, she wanted to see both of them doing their best to fight the other.
Magnolia sneaked around silently until she reached the benches and hid behind one of the trees.
She watched as Daniel grabbed two wooden swords for them both. He threw one toward Laya who caught it with a grin.
She removed her robe, revealing a sleeveless black shirt underneath and black pants. Laya was skinny, but her arms were sculpted. With every move, her muscles flexed.
'Are mages supposed to be this fit?' Magnolia raised a brow.
When Daniel mentioned his mage friend, she imagined a man, a bit frail but a master of magic. She had never thought that the Mage would be a beautiful young woman, only a few years older than her. And someone who can keep up with the Ice Sword.
Magnolia watched them fight for a bit before her emotions calmed down. She smiled to herself.
'I should really stop with this behavior.'
She took a step back and turned away from the training ground to walk back to the castle, but a loud thud drew her attention back to the pair.
When she looked, she saw Laya pinning Daniel down to the ground with a smirk. She had her sword to his throat and was saddling him.
"You lose, Your Grace," she said while leaning closer to his ear. But in a swift move, Daniel slammed her to the ground and was on top now.
"You were saying?" The duke wiggled his brows.
"Well, I only loosened my grip so that I don't embarrass you in front of your wife." Laya shrugged.
"My wife?" Daniel frowned.
"Yes, she has been watching from the benches for a while."
Daniel looked toward the benches, but Magnolia was already gone.