Sigrid's response echoed through the silent night a little too loud as she quickly put her palms on her mouth as if to hide it, staring at Oliver with her bright green eyes. "Sorry." Sigrid murmured weakly. "That was a bit too loud..." She apologized embarrassingly, still holding her palms above her rosy lips as if trying to hide herself yet her eyes were twinkling in mischief.
Oliver let out a long sigh shaking his head. "Stop playing Sigrid, I know you don't care about him hearing. So, stop joking and get serious… It's hard for me to speak about it."
Sigrid narrowed her bewitching eyes pretending to be serious and apologized in a pouty tone. "Fine, I'm really sorry, continue."
"What I want to say is that in my eyes Jerome has been staring at you too much. And not only that, his gaze... the way he looks at you, I don't like it." Oliver's tone got more serious as he started explaining his concerns to Sigrid.
Sigrid's mesmerizing face now showed a deadpan expression. "So? I Am pretty, no... not pretty, I'm one of the strongest and most beautiful young ladies in all of Netarasia continent. Of course I will pull some heads and he will look at me. Especially knowing how lecherous he is." Sigrid responded in a monotonous tone as if such a reaction from Jerome was natural.
Oliver put his hand on Sigrid's luscious thighs massaging them gently while a bitter smile crept on his concerned face. "I understand that very well. Everywhere we go you attract many gazes and I got used to it. But…" Oliver paused a little as pain flashed in his blue eyes. "When we spoke he asked how you were doing as if he was concerned about your well being. I got irritated because I felt like he was being disingenuous. Then I confronted him about the looks he gave you and he wasn't defensive at all. He looked straight at me and just told me that I was right and that he was doing it. But that is not all." Oliver's face lit up with anger which was a rare sight." He dared to say that you... you enjoy this attention that he gives." Oliver stammered to Sigrid his voice not only angry but also laced with different emotions.
Sigrid, noticing Oliver's turbulent state, gently put her dainty hands on top of his as if to protect and support him. "Oli, I didn't even notice it in the first place." Sigrid smirked cutely and added in a boasting tone. "You know, I'm probably used to it by now and it just goes over my head."
Oliver's gaze lingered on Sigrid's white hands, her long slender fingers with nails painted in pitch black. The stark contrast between the black nails and her crystal clear hands created a strangely alluring beauty. These beautiful hands now radiated a loving warmth which always calmed his body and mind. But chilling wind outside the tent whistled in the night as if trying to extinguish the warmth which soothed Oliver.
"It's not about whether you have noticed or not. But what do you think about it?" Oliver stressed meekly.
"What do you mean by thinking? I honestly did not even notice. So how could I even think... " Sigrid's voice stopped as she started reflecting more deeply about the situation. "Did I really not notice or am I pretending to not have… but why?" Sigrid's unnerving thoughts started to plague her mind as an unsettling realization crept upon her, a realization she did not want to admit. Not betraying her state of mind to Oliver she kept the same face expression and continued. "Oliver, my dear, I understand that even after all this time he still gets under your skin because of your past. And as you continue reacting to him, he keeps doing it... And even if I had noticed, do you really believe I would enjoy attention from that bastard? He's just jealous of you. He could only wish to have such an amazing wife like you do."
Sigrid's comforting voice finally blew away a portion of bleak thoughts which hung on top of Oliver's mind like gray rain clouds before a heavy downpour. While one of his hands kept gently massaging Sigrid's succulent yet toned thighs the other slowly caressed her fair hand. To Oliver it made a lot of sense, he knew that a lot of men would kill or do unimaginable things to get a woman like Sigrid. Not only is she a one in a million beauty but she also hails from an elite mage lineage and is a very talented and strong mage herself. Any man of the guild would be ecstatic to have a wife like her, Jerome included.
"I'm sorry Sigrid, I don't even understand why I asked you such a question in the first place..." Oliver embarrassingly apologized to Sigrid. Oliver paused for a second his blue eyes finding contact with Sigrid which unbeknown to him now drowned in her own obscure thoughts. "I guess... I still... even after these 7 years after the academy I don't see myself as his equal..." Oliver stuttered in a self-deprecating way. "That's why as you say, he gets under my skin, and I just..."
Oliver clutched Sigrid's hand strongly, saying this to Sigrid hurt his pride as a man but due to the close relationship they shared, he was not afraid to share his weaknesses and fears with his wife. Sigrid was the one who encouraged Oliver to be like that as she herself due to her dark magic carried heavy dark emotions which from time to time had to come to the light and be expelled. Not holding anything in, letting it out, sharing it, learning from it and then moving on was one of the keys which allowed Sigrid to become who she is now and Oliver was the one who helped her to do it in the beginning. Now as a husband and a wife in a sacred union they shared everything of big or small importance... Or so they believed.