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Ivander blinked his eyes slowly as the sunlight filtered in through the gap in the window, disturbing him. It seemed like he was already in heaven, that's what he thought when he opened his eyes wide and found a beautiful woman standing with her back to him. Was that the angel destined for him? What a satisfying ending, he was truly in heaven. If he thought back to the twenty-four years of his life that he had spent in the world just serving the kingdom, then it was only right that he was there.
"Are you awake?" Riana asked when she turned around and found Ivander trying to get up and position himself to lean perfectly on the bed board.
Ivander turned his head in surprise, his dark blue eyes staring at Riana intently from head to toe. His gaze did not leave, how could he possibly divert his attention from the beautiful lady who was walking towards him? The red hair that fluttered slightly back with steps that felt slow really stole his attention.
"Are you feeling better?"
Ivander was stunned again, his eyes fixed unblinking. "Can angels talk?" he asked in his mind.
"Are you okay?" Riana asked several times—who had not received an answer from Ivander. Feeling ignored, she felt a little annoyed and immediately touched Ivander's forehead to check for herself his body temperature, whether it had decreased or vice versa.
Tak! Before Riana's hand could touch his forehead, Ivander had already pushed it away first. He had woken up from his fascination with the woman in front of him, but not long after that the pain came spreading throughout his body, very painful! "Aargh!!" It turned out she was still alive but who was that woman?
"Are you okay?" Riana asked anxiously when she saw Ivander wincing in pain.
Tak! Ivander again pushed away Riana's hand that was about to touch him, the dark blue eyes stared at Riana sharply. "Who are you?"
"Ri-Riana... My name is Riana," Riana answered a little stuttering, the sharp gaze made her nervous. "Now you are at my house, last night I found you lying on the street," she continued explaining what really happened. Riana lowered her head, feeling afraid of Ivander's gaze that seemed as if he was going to pounce on her.
"S-sorry, I've brought you to my house." Riana said in the midst of a slightly tense silence, she was still looking down and Ivander was still giving her a sharp look.
Although Ivander looked at her disapprovingly, he was quite surprised by Riana's sudden apology. How could someone apologize for the help they gave? Ivander, who was still staring at Riana's face, now observed her carefully from the base of her hair to the tips of her toes. Emerald green eyes seemed to be hiding behind their eyelids, long straight red hair that hung beautifully, and a slender small body that was so enchanting. No wonder he thought he was dead because he saw an angel in front of him.
The conclusion that Ivander got was that this woman was gorgeous. Damn it! That's not what he should have concluded, all of this must be because of the damn fever! Right now, the most important thing was that he had to be careful and alert of anyone, including the woman in front of him. If he felt the need to escape, then Ivander would immediately escape from the evil angel's trap, unfortunately his body refused to move because of the damn pain!
"Tch!" He clicked his tongue as a flash of dark memories flashed along with the pain that reappeared. The memory was clearly depicted, showing the image of when he struggled to fight a severe fever and had to face the defectors. If only the fever had not come, he would have definitely managed to defeat the stupid defectors who were rumored to have secretly sold armor and weapons to the enemy.
"Are you okay?" Riana asked doubtfully, she dared to look at Ivander but the man ignored her again.
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Since her question was not answered by Ivander, Riana was annoyed and left the man alone since morning, she didn't even care if the man was hungry. What a shame if he was hungry!
Riana hoped Ivander would thank her for helping him, but all she got was silence and a sharp stare that made her shudder with fear. "I shouldn't have brought him here," Riana muttered, cursing the decision she had made many times. Her two legs that she had been swinging in rhythm with the afternoon breeze stopped, replaced by closed eyes. The wind carrying the distinctive scent of spring blew gently on her face, she enjoyed it to the fullest while stretching her two hands up, trying to relieve the tiredness after a day of work from the remaining aches and pains. When her mood had improved, Riana went back in to check on Ivander.
"Akhh!" A groan was heard, but it was not her groan, but Ivander's.
"I-I'm sorry." Riana panicked when she realized that she had hit Ivander's body.
"You hit right on my wound," Ivander said, groaning slightly, holding back the pain from the still wet cut.
"I-I'm sorry," Riana said again, she felt very guilty. However, she only got a long sigh from Ivander as if she had not been forgiven. Riana immediately raised her head, looking at Ivander's face to make sure that the man was not angry with her.
"I'm hungry. Is there anything I can eat?" Ivander asked suddenly as if the incident that had just happened had never happened.
"Y-yes, I'll get it." With a little rush, Riana rushed into the house followed by Ivander who followed behind her. The house made of stone and wood felt quiet, no wonder because there were no other houses around it. However, the loneliness did not make the atmosphere calm, but instead made the situation feel awkward. Moreover, Riana and Ivander were strangers who had been arguing a little bit.
"Maybe this can fill your hunger." Riana handed two slices of bread to Ivander who immediately accepted them. "If you want other food, I can make it, but you have to wait patiently."
Ivander did not answer, he was busy devouring the bread greedily, showing how hungry he was. Seeing Ivander eating greedily, the corners of Riana's lips curved slightly, forming a small smile. She approached Ivander and without permission touched his forehead. "No more fever," she said after making sure Ivander's body temperature had returned to normal.
Ivander who was busy chewing then stopped, surprised by Riana's action of suddenly touching his forehead. His focus was broken, and he could no longer enjoy the bread that was still half a slice left.
"What about your wounds?" asked Riana who was now busy looking at the wounds on Ivander's body which were wrapped in white cloth as bandages. "Actually, who are you? Why is your body full of wounds?" Those clear green eyes kept observing every inch of Ivander's body. This was the first time for Riana to see someone with a body full of wounds, even she was the one who bandaged the wounds.
Unlike Riana who kept on babbling, Ivander just stared at her in silence. He had even lost interest in the half-slice of bread that was still in his grasp. The woman who was standing just an inch away from him was truly unpredictable. So, who was she really?
Realizing that Ivander did not respond to the question that was more like a chatter, Riana raised her head, looking at Ivander's figure. The man in front of her was tall, making Riana look short, only as tall as his chest. Straight, jet-black hair with shiny tan skin, and a pair of dark blue eyes that were staring deeply at her made Riana immediately avert her gaze. "I-I, I'll make some tea, do you like it?" she asked while turning her body away from Ivander.
Ivander just nodded. His gaze that was staring intently at the girl was now gone, he turned his gaze to the corner of the room, looking for the slightest clue. The corners of the kitchen were only filled with a few eating and cooking utensils, it seemed that it was only built to prepare simple food. Ivander occasionally watched Riana, he still couldn't guess who the woman who was preparing the tea was. Even since he was left alone, Ivander couldn't guess, this house was quite mysterious, located far from the village settlement. Moreover, this building looked quite luxurious from the carvings and ornaments that decorated the walls. Although this house was not big, the items inside looked expensive. Wait! Is she a witch?
"Tea for you." Riana handed him a cup of warm tea that she had just made, the sweet and bitter aroma of the tea wafted, arousing his sense of smell. Instead of accepting it immediately, Ivander was silent, staring at the tea suspiciously. "You don't want it?"
Ivander shook his head, then reached for the cup even though he was hesitant to take a sip. Thin puffs of smoke from the warm tea flew, emitting an increasingly thick sweet and bitter aroma. If this tea was poisoned, at least his body could still withstand it even if not for long—because his body had been trained to be immune to several poisons. Right now, the most important thing was not to show any suspicious behavior. Hopefully there was no poison!
"I don't know you yet, what's your name?" Riana asked Ivander who was currently looking at Riana for a moment, before he took another sip of his tea. The tea served by Riana was so delicious that it made Ivander forget his suspicions.
Seeing Ivander who was just silent—not saying a word, made Riana annoyed again. She felt stupid of herself, if only that day could be repeated, she would not want to carry that pathetic man and bother to treat him. "If you are healthy, then get out of my house immediately!" That was the only sentence Riana could say, even though she really wanted to curse.
Rather than staying silent with an ungrateful man, Riana decided to start her evening routine. She closed all the windows and lit oil lamps in the corners of the room. This activity had become a habit that she had been doing for less than a year. Learning to live alone without friends, servants, or family in her small house made her have to be independent. Although it was a hard decision, it was the only way for Riana to escape from the feelings of sadness that continued to gnaw at her mind.
After finishing her work, Riana returned to the kitchen and found Ivander still standing with a cup of tea tightly gripped in his hand. His dark blue eyes showed a blank stare, as if he was being controlled by many thoughts. "I'm going to rest," said Riana. Ivander turned his head, just staring at Riana indifferently. "You can rest in your room. There's no food tonight, I'm tired and not hungry. If you want to eat something, cook whatever is here." That's how Riana ended her conversation with Ivander in the evening. She hoped that she really wouldn't be hungry tonight.
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