"Are you alright, My Lord?" Elowyn asked as she climbed up the bed, pressing her body against Orion. Her fingers trailed his sculpted muscles, running up and down the peaks and valleys of his pectorals. "You seem a little… distracted."
Orion blinked rapidly a few times before he turned his gaze to Elowyn. She looked ever so sweet, just as he always remembered. But for some strange reason, there was something… wrong about it.
"Perhaps I am just worried for my friend," Orion said.
His mind flitted over to the conversation he just had with Ralph and Soleia― especially with regards to the aphrodisiac possibly being spiked in his tea. All the while, Elowyn smiled sweetly and innocently at him. She always reminded Orion of a delicate flower blooming in the cold frost of winter. But now, she seemed more like a rose with hidden thorns than anything.
He slowly continued, his tone careful. "I wonder," he said, "how Ralph ingested the aphrodisiac. He has always been careful."
"One can never be too careful," Elowyn said, shrugging slightly. She closed the distance between them even further, her index finger grazing Orion's bottom lip.
Pressed so closely to him, the low collar of her dress went down further, revealing the peaks and valleys of her breasts… along with the brilliant purple pendant nestled right in the middle of her cleavage. It glowed like a star in the night sky.
"It could've been Lady Soleia's doing… Maybe she's feeling a little lonely…" she trailed off. "I surely know how it feels. You were gone for so very long…"
"I… was," Orion's Adam's apple moved up and down; he felt strangely parched all of a sudden, "wasn't I?"
"Yes," Elowyn said with a pout. "Won't you stay with me? I can't bear to be apart from you."
"I…" All of a sudden, Orion jolted out of bed.
He tossed the sheets off himself in haste, and Elowyn fell back on the soft mattress in surprise. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, her lips parted, and her fingers tightly clutched the pendant that hung from her neck.
"I have something I need to do," Orion said. He swallowed, his mouth dry.
That's right. Soleia had mentioned the servants' quarters being run down and impossible to stay in.
They might not have many staff members left in the estate, but those who did stay were a little older in age. Their thin clothing would not be able to tide them through the harsh winters too if not for the warm shelters they could reside in.
Orion needed to fact-check Soleia's words. If things were indeed as bad as she claimed, then something ought to be done. He hated to admit it, but his relatives might just have a hand in the events that led up to this point.
"Whatever is it?" Elowyn asked, coming over. She hopped off the bed, her feet padding across the floor as she closed the distance between them. "Can't it wait for the morning?"
Orion frowned. "No, it cannot," he said. "It will just be for a short moment. Besides, a physician needs to be called in tomorrow morning for Ralph―"
"Sir Byrone is a strapping young man," Elowyn said, her voice silky smooth as she enunciated every word slowly. Every dip and rise of her tone was akin to that of a siren, pulling Orion deeper and deeper into the dark, uncharted waters. "He will be fine. However, as for I…"
She closed the distance between them, holding onto Orion's hand before carefully leading it to rest on her stomach.
"I need you. Our baby needs you," she said, her voice barely even above a whisper. "Won't you stay with me?"
"Yes…" Orion said, nodding once.
His head felt a little light, as though he had one too many servings of mead. He then looked down, his gaze meeting Elowyn. Orion slowly raised a hand and cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing the smooth and fair skin.
"Of course I'll stay," he said.
"And what about the thing that you needed to do?" Elowyn asked, batting her eyelashes. "Is it not important?"
"Nothing is more important than you and our baby," Orion said without hesitation. "There's nothing that needs to be done other than be with you."
"Perfect," Elowyn replied with a smile. She then leaned in, pressing their lips together.
Only then did Orion finally react, cupping the back of her head, deepening their kiss further before they fell back onto the bed together.
***
"Quick, Lily, fetch me a new basin of water!" Soleia ordered, wringing out the water that was absorbed into the cloth.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Lily exclaimed from the other end of the room.
Soleia turned back and looked at Ralph, cursing internally.
This stupid man! If he hadn't had the bright idea of burying himself in the snow to cool his body down from the effects of the aphrodisiac, perhaps he wouldn't have caught a cold.
Ralph Byrone's temperature had risen quickly through the night. If Soleia hadn't woken up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water, no one would've noticed his fever until dawn broke. With such a high fever, who knew what that might mean for the soldier?
"Here it is!" Lily said, swapping the water out for Soleia. The latter muttered a word of thanks and dipped the towel back in, wrung it, and continued to sponge Ralph. She had been repeating this action for the last few hours. Now, the sun had already risen.
"Get Duke Elsher," Soleia instructed, her gaze falling on the golden sunlight that streamed in through the window. "Tell him that Sir Byrone is unwell. He needs a physician."
Lily nodded and dashed out without another word. However, she returned just shortly after, her cheeks slightly blushed from the cold and her breathing haggard.
"Well?" Soleia asked. "Where's the Duke?"
"Your Highness…" Lily said, panting as she winced. "I wasn't allowed into the main estate. I passed the word to Jerome, and he said the Duke had warned everyone that he wasn't to be disturbed today as he wishes to spend time with Lady Elowyn!"