I wake up as the rays of the sun shine between the heavy draperies. There's no Calais beside me, but there is a tray of food on the bedside table. I feel nervous and I cover myself with the blanket, somehow expecting someone to kill me while in bed.
I try to calm down while telling myself that, at least, I am still alive. That it is just an unfounded fear. When my heartbeat normalizes, I get up from the bed and dress myself up while getting bits and pieces of the food.
Outside, I ask for Calais and the servants said that he was in the courtyard, practicing his swordsmanship. I run towards it and my steps only slow down when I finally see him, wrecking some stand-ins for his training.
I breathe a sigh of relief and sit on the ground while looking at him. I am calm now. Seeing him really does wonders. On the contrary, Calais looks angry. Is he angry at me because I caused his servant's death? Or is he angry because I am causing a disturbance in his house?
"Lyrica!" he calls and waves at me.
I wave back and make a small nod. He continues his practice while I observe his every move. He is a pretty sight and I hear giggling from maids whenever they pass by the courtyard.
I want to giggle like a schoolgirl too, especially on the way he swings his sword and the way his muscles flex in each. However, with that maid's death, I don't think it is appropriate. Besides, I am still a bit shaken by that latest attempt on my life. And I wonder, what kind of attempt will happen to me next?
I sigh and look at the ground. The hem of my gown touches the dirt. Thankfully, I didn't slip earlier while walking briskly towards here. I sigh again. Tomorrow, Calais will leave for the capital. And tomorrow, I am supposed to meet the slaves and monsters that Lyrica has.
But should I postpone it until tomorrow? If Lyrica is as rotten as the rumors say, should I really prioritize flirting with Calais and make him fall in love with me, rather than prioritizing the lives of all these people who are waiting for my help? Does that make me trash like Lyrica?
"Why is my fiancee crouching on the ground?" Calais interrupts my thoughts.
I look up at him. He's half-naked and sweating while holding a sword. One flick of his wrist and he can impale me—it is that easy. I stand up to face him and wipe my skirt.
"Good morning," I say, uncertain how to act around him after what happened last night.
"Why do you look guilty?" he asks. "What happened last night is not your fault."
"Yes, but a life is still lost."
Before that girl impaled himself, I could have stopped her. I have the magic to save her life. But I am so focused on my happiness that I didn't notice the murderous aura emanating from her until it was too late.
"Did you not get a good sleep?" he asks.
I gaze into his eyes, in his irises with flecks of blue. "Calais, I need to return to Dunnett's."
He knits his eyebrows. "But it's only your third day of stay here. You didn't like my place?"
"That's not it!" I say, taking his other hand in mine. His hands are rough, but every time he touches me, all I could think of is the heat emanating from his fingers, and the soft and gentle way he touches me. "Except for the attempts on my life, I like your house. It's bright, it's happy, and more importantly, you are here."
"But?" he asks. "Because you still want to leave."
"I need to check something."
I watch him swallow and take a deep breath. "Is it because of my servant? It's already done, Lyrica. No attempts in your life will happen again."
"It's not that."
"You will not be alone at night anymore. I will stay with you. You will be safe. Or is this because of Eliana?"
I bite my lower lips. Suddenly, he lets go of his sword and pulls me into his embrace. I touch his shoulder, but realizing that it's slick with his sweat, I withdraw my hands.
"If you're jealous, I promise you, I will not see her while you are staying here."
"I'm not—"
He pulls back and his lips touch mine again. He sucks into my lower lips and nibbles on them too. I pull away. If he continues, I don't have the courage to say no to him.
"Stay for one more day, Lyrica," he whispers in my ear. "I want you here."
A shiver runs through from my ear down to my stomach. I try to remove his hands around my waist, but he won't let go. Instead, he continues to play on my lips.
To extract him from me, I activate my magic and drench us both with cold water. Instantly, he lets me go, but I almost fall to the ground without the support of his arms. I peer at him to see if he's angry. He wipes the water on his face and glares at me.
"Sorry," I whisper. "It's to cool you down."
Suddenly, he attacks and pushes me down the ground. "You little rascal!"
My initial surprise is replaced with delight when he rams his lips into mine, and without warning, his tongue enters my mouth. Our tongue play with each other as I wrap my arms around his neck.
The cold seeps into my back, and his hands explore the side of my torso. When he sucks on my chin and neck, I start to massage his head and pull him down to me. But when his hand cups my chest, I moan and close my eyes, no longer caring about the servants who can see us.
"Stay," he moans at my neck, warm. "Stay here with me."
"Hmmm," is all I could mutter as he sucks on my neck and his hands start to massage my chest. I am breathless and I badly want to stay. I feel hot and I want more of him, even in this light.
I hear coughing on top of us, but I didn't care. I start to arch my back and Calais places his arms behind my waist, to rub himself against me.
"Calais…" I call, like a cat in heat. I am getting dizzy from the sensation.
"Young master! This is not an appropriate activity in a courtyard!!"
Calais suddenly stops, and I am left wanting for more. I look at the voice and see Marilen looking down at us. My eyes widen and I automatically sit up.
"Rolling in the mud with a Duke's daughter! What are you even thinking!?!"
"Sorry," is all he can say as he scratches his head and sits before Marilen.
"Go and fix yourselves!" she scolds.
"And you!" I jump but thankfully, Marilen is referring to a nearby maid. "Go fix the bath in the young master's room!"
For the first time, I see red-faced maids looking at us. I flush in embarrassment. What am I even thinking?!
Calais stands up and holds my hand. He pulls me towards him and leave the courtyard. In his room, another bath was being prepared. The maids are flushing scarlet as they look at their master in another light, their eyes traveling on his perfect form and then on his hands that are enclosed on mine.
"That's enough. Leave!" he growls. And the maids scurry away and close the door. And the instant it shuts behind them, Calais pulls me to him and continues with the kisses.
I push him away. This intensity—I know what's on his mind. He wants us to make love, and he doesn't care about his promise to my father anymore. But if we do that, I am sure that I won't be able to leave today. No, I am sure I will have a hard time leaving tomorrow as well.
"Calais, it's about lunchtime now. We need to prepare and leave. I need to be at the Dunnett's before sundown."
He frowns at me. "What? Are you tired of me already?"
I look at him, shaking my head. "I'm not! You know that!"
He's angry. I can see it in the way he clenches his jaws. "Are you changing your mind about marrying me?!"
"No!" I scream in vehemence. "Calais, in these past few days, I think I am falling in love with you. I am certain you can sense that!"
"You are just saying that. Once you return to your place, you will forget about me and play with your sex slaves—to men who are more sexually experienced than I am."
I stare at him. My fist closed. Is this how he sees my love for him? Something that is so shallow that when he's out of my sight, I will forget about him?
"And yet, you're the only one I promise to marry."
Of course, I am not the one who has sex slaves. But Lyrica is a part of me now. Denying something that he's sure of will just confuse him.
"Once you return from the capital, nothing will stop us anymore. We will marry, then I will stay here with you," I add.
"I thought you wanted to do this with me, too?" he asks, his voice persistent.
"I do. But you promised my father."
He clenches his jaw. "You don't care about that promise."
I groan in frustration. I glare at him and boldly, I say, "Fine! Do you want the truth? If we start now, I could never let you go afterward! I will come running after you to the capital. No! I will cling unto you until you get the King's approval and we are happily married and back here! Are you happy now?! Will you let me return to my house now!? Before I become that creepy, clingy lover that I would hate to become!"
Calais' features brighten. Then he smiles at my embarrassment. He leans forward and kisses the top of my head and says, "You love me that much, huh? Don't worry, I will go through with this so fast that you won't even notice that I've been gone at all."
I look away. "You just need me to say those things."
Calais laughs and pulls me into an embrace. "Made me happy, though."
"At least my embarrassment is worth something to you," I retort and respond to his hug.
"Young master, I hope you are not doing something that you should not before your marriage," Marilen warns from outside the room.
"Seems like my head servant is worried too," he says, giving me a lingering kiss on the lips. "Take a bath first and call me once you're done. I don't think I have the self-control to watch you bathe and do nothing."
"I think the same too," I admit, my cheeks getting hotter.