Aside from lunch break, Laurel worked diligently, though the conversation had left a sour taste in his mouth. There was also the matter of what he'd write in the next letter home. As far as things looked, it was definitely best to start packing. Definitely. In any case, he preferred focusing on his studies than dwelling on it. At some point during the afternoon, Olga gave him one of her spare blotters to practice on. No luck. He set it aside and sighed. "Olga…" She raised her head, but something about the way he said it made her get up and walk over. "Yeah?" He got up as well, scratching his nape and looking away for a moment. "I feel like you completely brushed me off earlier," he said, focusing his eyes on her, "It's not like I'm gonna reprehend you or something. As I said, I do have feelings for you. So I guess I do get concerned when you say things that sound self-destructive." 

She bit her lower lip and held her eyes closed for a while. Then, she took a deep breath and returned his gaze. "Sorry. I did get defensive," she said, "I just don't like it when it seems like people doubt my skills and measurements. And it was you, who must be a prude when it comes to black magic." He chuckled. "I'm not that prudish. You've said it yourself," he took her hand and traced it with his fingers again, "And I don't doubt your judgement. I'm just… overly protective of you right now." She outright laughed in his face, but grabbed both his hands and played along. "Oh yeah? What are you gonna protect me from?" she asked, forcing him to take a step back. She looked quite smug. "I guess that was cheesy, huh?" he said. She nodded and, after glancing off to the side, pressed a quick kiss to his lips. It was really just a touch, but it made Laurel wish he could get more. 

"Did you make any progress in your studies?" she asked. He let their hands drop and swayed them side to side, taking peeks at the door and windows all the while. "I was actually gonna ask for your help," he said, "But I'm quite tired. Maybe I can just… come back later." She grinned. "Sounds to me like you're not that tired, then," she teased. Olga tiptoed to bring her lips to his ear: "It's not fair that I was the only one undressed, you know." Feeling her breath that close to his skin sent a shiver across all of it. She backed off, smiling awkwardly. "If you'd be fine with it, I mean," she amended. "Don't tease me so much when I'm about to leave," he said, his face heating up. "What's the difference?" she chuckled. Laurel squeezed her hands. "I can't leave if…" he cut himself short and sighed, deciding on just kissing her goodbye to leave the matter behind.

Things seemed generally normal the rest of the day. There was no weird chatter in the halls and the overall atmosphere contrasted the dinner party he'd attended. He took the time to sit down and properly write another letter to his uncle, promising to return home soon. Well, it's not like staying would really inconvenience him personally that much. At most a delayed coronation, but likely not even that. Not that he was excited for that anyway. Should send the people who'd come with him back though. There was no realistic reason to stay; none that he could explain to his family, at least. Laurel was acutely aware that dating a peasant he had no intentions of marrying — who also happened to be a black magic practitioner — wouldn't fly at all. 

Still, at night he found his way back to Olga, who soon took him to her room once again. After she closed the door and they were securely alone, he noticed how exhausted the look on her face was. She smiled faintly anyway. "You talked about enjoying our time together," she said, "How much longer do you wager we have?" He pushed her glasses up the crooked bridge of her nose and sighed. "I think I'm staying regardless," he admitted. "That's such a shit political move," a corner of her mouth raised, "If their crown prince stays here, the Ashen Valleys' regents will be nothing short of obligated to side with us." He smiled. It was easier to smile when he didn't really know whether it would happen. "Or they stay neutral and we wait it out, which is most likely," he said, taking a step closer, "Staying here wouldn't be so bad anyways."

She grabbed him by the arms and touched her chest to him, frowning. "This really better not be because you're desperate for affection or something," she said. "Well… As you were saying?" he asked, shrugging lightly. Her hands ran up to his shoulders. "Enjoying our time," she recalled, pulling him down towards her, "I think your decision is fucked, but I'm not gonna stand here and chastise you when you could be kissing me instead." Their noses touched and he found himself wrapping his arms around her. "Ah," he whispered, "So you were gonna use time as an excuse to jump me." Olga grinned, "Don't make me sound that shallow." Still, she didn't deny it.

She kissed him viciously, barely giving him time to breathe. In any case, it only took him a moment to adjust to her intensity. Before he knew it, she'd made him step back all the way to the bed and pushed him down. She straddled him and then straightened her spine out, looking down on him while she caught her breath. It was like she didn't know where to go from there. "Is this too much?" she muttered. He took a deep breath and, after a lot of consideration, put his hands on her thighs. "Why are you wearing a skirt?" he asked, gripping her a little. She smirked, suddenly aware. "I often do." His hands were somewhat numb; perhaps his heart rate had really picked up. 

"It's not too much," he said at last, "Well, it is. But I'm fine with more." Her hands found his and dragged them a little bit upwards. His fingers suddenly dug into tender flesh. "Then you can touch me more," she whispered close to his face before reaching in to kiss him again. The blood in his body felt like it was being reheated again and again, waves of warmth dispersing throughout all of him. In comparison, the cold touch of her fingers sliding under his shirt felt like frostbite. "Olga…" he said, gripping her tightly to get her to remain still for a while; when his thumbs dug in, he realized they were dangerously high up her thighs. He felt lightheaded. "Now you're torturing me," he completed. 

"Are you afraid of getting too close to that line?" she asked, her voice surprisingly calm. "To be honest, it feels like we've been kinda threading along it," he replied, too conscious of every slight movement of her hips. "We will only go as far as you and I both want to," she whispered, laughing as if it was obvious. "I know," he said, raising his arms to hug her, "It's just… I can hear my heartbeat." Laurel pressed her down and immediately regretted it. "It feels like you might kill me," he whispered. 

Olga pulled back a little to smile at him. "You also make me feel like that," she said. Her lips quivered and her breath caught. Then, her smile got a bit crooked. "Maybe we can do something to stabilize you," she said, her hair tickling his forehead when she inched closer, "Can I touch you a lot?" That stunned him for a moment, mouth agape. "You…" he started, biting the rest of it down. "If I can also touch you a lot," he said instead.

A kiss to the forehead and soft hands woke him up in the morning. He opened his eyes to find Olga's smile; her naked body was still under his arms and their legs, entwined. "Hey, Laurel," she whispered, "I have to get up. Same as yesterday, okay?" His own bare skin felt terribly cold when she pulled away, so he pulled her back, her skin sticking to his. She laughed. "You feel so good," he said, "Don't go." Still, she put a hand on his chest and pushed him away so she could sit up. "Don't worry," she said, lowering her voice to a whisper to add: "You can finger fuck me every night as long as you're here."  His cheeks heated up and he pulled the blankets up, feeling too exposed under her overly analytical eyes. "So you… liked it?" he asked. "Yeah," she was embarrassed, as if she hadn't said something much more scandalous right before. "But I had no idea what I was doing to you either," she said. 

"Stop making me think about yesterday," he said, turning away. It took a while, but soon she dug her elbows into his waist to look down on him with a grin. He could feel her chest despite the covers and it only made matters worse. "Why? Are you horny again?" she teased. He closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her smug face anymore. "I'm going back to sleep," he said. She gave his hair light pats and he felt her weight fade away. "Sleep well."