I drag myself back to the carriage where General Calais is. Without waiting for him to offer his arm, I enter the carriage and sit. General Calais enters and sits opposite me. He scrutinizes me as if trying to deduce what happened inside based on my reactions alone.
"Let's leave," I say. "I am very tired."
"How was your visit?" he finally asks.
I look away from him and whisper, "As you can see."
Suddenly, he transfers to my seat and places his arms around my shoulder. I tense at his touch.
"It's fine," he says, probably noticing the way I stiffen.
I look up at him. With him this close, it feels like I can forget what transpired inside. I look at his straight nose and eyelashes with the same color as his short, dark blue hair. Then my eyes go to his lips. I've read multiple times how he had kissed Eliana, soft and gentle kisses as if she's a fragile porcelain that he can't afford to break. I've long wanted to be kissed like that as well.
"You can sleep on my shoulders for now. It will take some time before we return to your house," he says, his breath tickling my face. I look away. What am I even thinking about in this situation?
Then, I feel his hands massaging the small of my shoulders. This time, I relax at his touch and my eyelids feel heavy. I lean towards him and fall asleep. Even if he doesn't love me, I will take him up for this offer of comfort.
**************************
Marcus' arm is on me, forcing me against the bed. I struggle helplessly. But then, something changed in the air, a variation. It increases and heightens. One wrong move and it will explode. Calais comes to save me, his sword going through Marcus' head, instantly killing him. The static in the air decreases. Calais hugs me, and the variation lessens into that of a simple humdrum in the air.
I jolt awake. My head is leaning against General Calais's shoulder. That friction in the air. I am sure of it now. It's undeniably magic. Anyone with magic could have sensed it, including Calais. Is that why he saved me? To avoid the death of all the people inside the mansion? My father and siblings also have magic, right? They should have felt it.
Everyone hates me, I recall from the prophecy. I sit up properly and move further from Calais, while remembering Lyrica's repeated tantrums. Because of those episodes, Lyrica's family learned to defend their rooms from any damage she might cause. That's why they didn't care if Lyrica's magic destroys the house. They have enough protection!
"What are you thinking about?" Calais asks.
I look at him and I blush at how he looks—with his tousled hair and sleepy-looking eyes. Did he also fall asleep with me?
"Nothing. Just my brain replaying that night with Marcus."
"I'm sorry," he starts. "I traumatized you by killing him in front of you, didn't I?"
I look away again. He's panicking that night. My magic is about to explode by then. He never cared about me anyway, so I'm sure my mental well-being is the last thing on his mind. I look out the window. We are near the mansion now. We've passed the chaos of the city and the surrounding area has become filled with vegetation.
Once at the mansion, it is only the servants who welcome us. They usher us, not to my room or the receiving area, but to Calais' room. I sigh. Nineteen years old. I'm still a teenager and yet, no one cares enough for Lyrica's decency.
I sit on the edge of his bed as I watch him take off his outer clothes. He is a pretty sight. Being a General, his body is nice, muscular, and perfect, like how I imagine it to be. There was this one time when Eliana caught him swimming in a river. The narrator says that Eliana also thinks he looks perfect, handsome, and has a gorgeous body, even going so far as to describe each edge and ripples of his muscle. But what made me attached to his character is how he's kind and gentle to almost anyone he meets. He even knows how to protect someone. For me, he's the very definition of perfect. His only flaw is his undying loyalty to Eliana that makes his life less than perfect.
Still, I hope Eliana ends up with him, rather than with the always jealous Prince. Even the Prince and Eliana's lovemaking in the middle of the story is so aggressive and wild that I'm not surprised when she cried during their first time. Still, she loves him, so she decided that she is going to get used to it. And all those pleasures, Lyrica is jealous about.
"You're not going to change your clothes?" Calais asks.
He stands before me, now wearing indoor clothes, and for the first time, I realize that he's huge. No one I know from my world has this type of body frame. I swallow and look away. I may look nineteen, but inside I am already thirty years old. An adult woman who can clearly see his charms. Calais is only twenty-five, Cornelius a year younger than him, and Eliana is twenty… Wait, ain't her birthday June? Since today is already the second week of June, did it already pass?
I look back at Calais. "When will you leave?" I ask.
It's his second day of staying here. From what I remember, when he broke up with Lyrica, it only took a few hours, and then he left—so he can be with Eliana for her birthday. His gift was his offer of marriage. Since Eliana is the daughter of a lowly knight and Calais is the son of a Countess, many will frown upon the match, not knowing that Eliana will be with someone with a higher standing.
For Calais, it doesn't matter, but for Eliana, it does. She doesn't like to be perceived as someone who doesn't deserve what she had. That is why she joined the Queen selection. It's her only hope to rise because that competition doesn't care about the family status, as long as they have the qualities of a Queen.
As per the novel, Eliana didn't accept Calais's offer of marriage, because, around this time, invitations for the Queen selection had been distributed.
"I am supposed to be here just for one day, but…" he trails off.
"But? You don't have any plans?"
"No more plans," he says.
Probably because he can no longer offer marriage to Eliana because I am still his fiancee. And thus, he's still not free of his obligations towards me. But I can't give this to him. After he's rejected by Eliana, he's hurt and goes on a drinking spree. He's not able to properly perform his duties, and he was badly injured. There will be a long gash of a sword cut across his chest. It will be the first visible scar that Eliana has given to him.
I take a deep breath and lie on the bed. Should I really keep him here? Even if it's for his protection? I close my eyes. What should be the correct decision here? Right now, it's only Calais who has shown me kindness. The rest, even the servants, look at me with hatred, something that I learned to ignore. Should I reciprocate the way he treated me?
I open my eyes and look at him. He's staring at me, and… is that desire in his eyes? I feel a shiver of delight. I am exquisite now, so maybe… Wait… does this mean that Calais still feels desire for other women and stops himself because he's loyal to Eliana? If only he will fall for me, I won't mind falling in love with him, either.
I sit up. "You should leave. I can take care of myself," I say.
I watch the look of desire in his eyes disappear. Regrettable. I've always had a massive crush on him. I freeze. And I feel a blush creep into my cheeks. I hope he can't see it, but when a smile forms on his lips, I know he noticed, which makes me blush even more.
I look away, but Calais' hand goes to my cheeks and makes me look at him. He leans towards me and plants a quick kiss on my cheeks, close to my lips. I blink. Did Calais, for just once, ever kiss Lyrica on the cheeks? I'm sure there are no events like that!
"Thank you. I'm glad you are changing for the better."
"I only told you that you can leave, and you already assumed that I am changing?"
Then, I remember, even if Lyrica does not love him, she wants to have him in her bed once. She knows he'll be all gentle. Yet, she still wants to experience that and maybe she'll have a taste for it. However, Calais never allowed it to happen. But is lovemaking possible between him and me? I flush again and I hope I don't look like a ripe tomato.
Calais gets up and takes his outer clothes. "Then I will leave now. Before we do something, we'll regret later."
The moment the door closes, I want to scream in embarrassment. What was that?! Did I just have a moment with my favorite character?! Not wanting to be heard by him, I take a pillow and scream at it, muffling my squeals of delight.