In the afternoon, after taking a bath due to the mess of our lunch preparation, I lounge in a study room with Calais. He is looking over some documents before he leaves for the capital. And I lie on the couch with my head on his lap as I read one of the spell books I got from his library.
Servants come and go. Sometimes, they place snacks on the table and sometimes they refill our drinks. From time to time, I hear Calais groan, and at times, I feel his hand on my hair, unconsciously playing with it.
"Damn," he mutters under his breath again.
I pause my reading and look up at him. "What's wrong?" I ask, looking at his knitted brows.
"Just some monsters trying to get into the Kingdom."
"Can I help?" I ask and reach up to his face to massage the part between his eyes.
"Don't worry, Lyrica. This is my job as a general."
"I am powerful. I can wipe them all in one go," I say. "That is, if you like. And by wipe, I don't mean to kill them. I'm just going to make sure that they second guess themselves before trying to enter."
He smiles and his fingers entwine into my hair again, massaging my scalp. I'm not sure if it's conscious or not, but I am finding out that wherever he touches me, I instantly enjoy it.
"And let you steal the limelight from another knight? I think not. One Jonathan Dunnett is enough."
"I am sorry about the damage I've done before. I just really want my father's recognition then."
"And you don't want it anymore?"
I am still thinking about it when a knock comes on the door, followed by an announcement. "Young Master Parcell, Miss Eliana Pellegrini is here to ask for your audience."
Calais' hands freeze on my head, and I can feel that same sting again whenever Eliana is involved. I get up from his lap and fix my clothes.
"I will just go to the library and get new books," I say, excusing myself.
Calais reaches for my wrist and pulls me back to the couch, making me sit on his lap. I look at his unreadable face and try to get off his lap.
"I am with my fiancee," he asks, wrapping his arms around my body. "Why is she here for?"
"To discuss something… important…"
Calais tightens his arms around me.
"Calais!" I hiss.
Instead of letting me go, he pulls me towards him and then touches his lips to mine. The kiss is chaste and fluttery and I can't help but touch his jaw and let my fingers run along his chin.
The door opens, and Eliana enters with a gasp. I break away from the kiss and am about to stand up when Calais' arms keep me in place.
"I just said I am with my fiancee," Calais remarks, an admonishing tone in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Miss Marilen pushes me inside."
"What for again?"
Eliana comes forward and places a basket on the table. "It's been a while since we last talked," she says.
Then her eyes shift to me and to the way my hands are on Calais's chest and shoulder. When Calais pulls my body closer to him and lifts my legs to the couch, to make me closer than ever, Eliana blushes. And the redness on her cheeks makes me flush, too.
Calais shifts his attention to Eliana and asks, "What are we going to talk about?"
She looks away and answers, "Anything, really. But if you are busy, I can leave and I will just return at a later date."
Calais takes a deep breath, gives me a quick kiss on the lips, and lifts me off his lap. I fix my clothes—to make me look as respectable as possible, but when Calais' arms wind around my waist and pull me to him, I know that my reputation has been tarnished forever—at least, in Eliana's eyes.
"And then?" Calais asks again.
Eliana looks close to tears. I don't get it though. She's the one who forces herself into the room when Calais said he's busy. Now, she's in tears when the man she rejected has another woman in his arms?
However, when Eliana walks away and leaves the room, Calais pulls away from me and massages his head in frustration. My chest hurts as I watch the pain in his form. I touch his shoulder, but he jumps on my touch.
"Calais, you can go to her. I can just finish this book and wait for you here." He holds my eyes, or rather, he scrutinizes my face. "I'm fine, really," I add.
Suddenly, he pushes me down the couch, and his mouth descends on mine. He's angry, I can feel it in his kisses. He lifts and folds my knee, sliding my dress in the process. He bites my neck and licks it and bites it again. Then, he goes back to my lips again, while his hand caresses the inside of my legs.
I allow him to do whatever he pleases, wincing every time his teeth graze on my tender skin. All the while, I lie on the couch with a furious Calais on top of me. Honestly, it hurts the way Eliana affects him like this. But despite all this anger, I am willing to accept it, until he learns to love me instead.
"You are my fiancee!" he growls on my face. "Why are you always making me run after another woman!?"
My eyes widen. "Because…"
"Because what?!" he roars.
"Because you love her. I thought… I thought that…"
He smashes his mouth on mine, and I start to cry. His kisses are becoming rough.
"What!?!" he urges, a little loud for indoor voice.
And yet, despite his obvious anger, I reach up to him and hug him. "I thought that's what you want to do," I whisper. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Calais."
"Don't do that again," he whispers as I sob on his shoulders. "You have a claim on me, and I have on you. We belong to each other now. All we need to do is to make it official once I return," he adds, massaging my back as if to comfort me.
And all I did is cling to him while feeling as if I am the happiest woman in the world.