Weakly, Levi finally opened her eyes and found herself still in her bed. With the constant snow, it was hard to determine if it was night or day. The faint sound of the crackling fireplace was heard and the soft wind brushing against the windows. She managed to sit herself up. Her body was covered in cold sweats and she felt uncomfortably light headed. With her powers sealed away, it would take her longer to heal than usual. She started rubbing her eyes to regain her focus and looked around her room. Everything was the same as usual. Then she felt something when she moved her leg. 

As she looked down onto her bed, she nearly gasped on her own air. On her bedside, was Casitas! His arms crossed to support his face, his cloak draped over him like a blanket. Levi didn’t realize she was staring at him for so long. He was breathing so softly that it was almost unheard, his face had never looked so relaxed before. Levi carefully leaned closer and her heart started beating loudly. Her hand reached out and her fingertips lightly touched the base of one of his horns. Casitas didn’t flinch, instead he exhaled faintly and his mouth started to smile. It was the first time she saw him look like this and it made her blush. Casitas had such a kind smile that it was unreal. She gently rubbed his horn with her thumb, only to make him look even more at ease. She didn’t realize he could feel the sense of touch in his horns.

As much as Levi enjoyed the moment, she knew she had to wake him up. She placed her hand behind his back and gently started rubbing it back and forth.

“Casitas?” said Levi. His smile went away and just went back to his relaxed face. His body shifted but not enough to wake him up. She placed her hand on his forearm and gently rubbed it. Amazingly, she was surprised at how stiff his muscles were. His clothes were so thick, that it was often forgettable. “Lord Casitas?”

Suddenly,Casitas placed his hand on top of hers. His touch was ice cold but it was so comforting. His eyes opened weakly. The two looked at one another, Levi in a state of shock but Casitas still half asleep.

“Levi?” he moaned.

“Y-Yes?”

Casitas snapped out of his daze and immediately realized he was holding Levi’s hand. His face went back to his stoic nature as he let go of her hand. As Levi placed her hand back on her lap, Casitas sat himself back up and cleared his throat. Then, he remembered what happened before and turned to Levi.

“Are you feeling better?” Casitas asked.

“Oh yes. Just a little light headed but it will pass,”

“Then you will stay in bed today,” Casitas ordered as he sat up.

“I am not sick. I can still do my duties,” said Levi. She pulled the blanket off of her lap, only to have Casitas immediately pull them back on her. He kindly tucked Levi back into bed.

“I’ll notify my mother and brother and tell them you are in your room today. I’ll make the chef cook some light food for you and I’ll come back to check on you,” said Casitas. He turned to her and saw her face look completely lost. “What is it? Are you feeling alright?”

“Why are you being so kind to me?” she asked.

Casitas stared at her with such a harsh expression on his face. “You exhausted your body because of what I asked of you. Tending to you is the least I can do. It doesn’t mean things have changed between us.”

Levi looked upset over hearing those words, but she tried not to show it but failed. “So, did you read the letter?”

Casitas turned back to her as he stood up straight. “I have but I stayed here until you woke up.”

“How long was I asleep?”

“All night and all morning. It's past noon now,” said Casitas. Levi realized that her healing was moving much slower than she expected. Casitas noticed how troubled she looked but he wondered what was wrong.

“Do you remember what happened?” he asked.

Levi gathered her thoughts. “I remember charming Beryl and being able to see in her eyes. Then I flew to the mountains where you told me where the knights were. It was especially hard because I’ve never done something in such harsh conditions. The snow made it hard to see where I was going; but I managed to find them. The knights weren’t happy to see me after Galen knew who I was. He took your letter and then wrote a new one for you to read. Then I flew back.”

Casitas gazed at Levi to sense her aura. This time, her aura did show she was being honest, but it wasn’t as strong as before -meaning she wasn’t telling him everything. Casitas wondered if she could hear him when she was playing the flute or when she was sick in bed. He leaned in close to her and gave her a stare that was chilling to the bones.

“I will ask you this question again when you are feeling better. I can tell you are hiding something,” he scolded. Levi swallowed hard but didn’t break eye contact. She nodded in agreement. “Levi, next time warn me if something would take such a toll on your body. Then I wouldn’t have asked you to do this.”

“I understand,” said Levi.

Then there was a knock at the door. It was a maid with a light meal for Levi to eat and another large portion of food for Lord Casitas. He placed the food on a table by the fireplace. The flame bothered him but he didn’t seem to care. Carefully, he walked over to Levi and dug his hand under her legs. So swiftly, he lifted Levi up in his arms and carried her to the fireplace.

“You don’t have to do this! I can walk on my own,” Levi panicked. Casitas ignored her and continued to carry her. He carefully placed her on the couch facing the fireplace and scooted the small table closer to her. He held onto her plate of food. It was a similar meal his mother always eats -a thick soup with many chunks of vegetables and meat. He scooped up a large amount in a bowl and placed it by Levi’s lips. Amazing, she started to blush. The thought of Casitas feeding her was overwhelming.

“Do you not like this?” he asked.

“No, I just didn’t expect you to do this.”

“I don’t understand. You’ve eaten this before,” said Casitas. She realized he was talking about the food, not feeding her. Already the warm feeling faded.

“I can feed myself,” said Levi. Casitas noticed Levi’s hands trembling, meaning she was too weak to even hold up a spoon.

“Just open your mouth,” he complained.

“I can do it,” said Levi. She took the spoon from Casitas hand and started feeding herself. Slowly, she started eating. Casitas groaned and grabbed the extra plate for himself. It was the same food as Levi but a much larger bowl. “That is for you?”

“I haven’t eaten either,” said Casitas.

Levi felt that warm feeling again, the thought they were having a meal together.

“When you finish, I will put you back to bed,” said Casitas. He noticed Levi trying to eat fast and almost feeling overworked just by holding her bowl. “Don’t rush yourself!”

“But don’t you have a lot to do?” she asked.

“I just have to do Galen's request in the letter and my duties to the kingdom,” said Casitas.

“What did Sir Galen want?”

Casitas glared at her, making her stop asking questions. The two sat there in uncomfortable silence until they were close to finishing their meals. Levi noticed that Casitas was sweating a lot due to being so close to the fireplace.

“Lord Casitas, you don’t have to stay here. The fireplace is making you uncomfortable right?”

“Just finish your food, I can handle it,” said Casitas. She tried her best to finish as quickly as possible. Casitas kept wondering what exactly Levi was keeping from him which was odd because she’s been so honest since she’s been here.

“You woke up crying last night,” said Casitas. “Do you remember why?”

“I don’t remember being awake,”

“You said you miss your dad,” said Casitas. Levi paused for a moment before setting down her now finished bowl of soup. She reached over to drink her tea. After a few sips she turned to Casitas.

“I do miss him,” said Levi. “When he passed, everything fell apart.”

Casitas noticed how hurt she was. He could see her aura, instead of her usual calming color, it was a deep depressing blue.

“I dreamt about the day of his funeral. Already everyone I knew wanted to take over my life,” said Levi.

“Is that why you left your home?”

Levi nodded. “That is the main reason.”

He looked at her once again and noticed she wasn’t lying. The more he stared at her, he could sense a small violent red aura brewing inside her. He finished his bowl and stood up. Carefully, he carried Levi, like before, back to the bed.

As he laid her back down, the two of them lightly brushed their foreheads against one another. For a split second, the two of them locked eyes. Levi couldn’t help but to admire his passionate purple eyes. Her heart began beating so loud she could hear it. He kept staring at her as well. Even though one of her eyes was gold and the other brown, he still felt hypnotized by them. Everything felt like a haze around the couple. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like hours. The heat was no longer a bother to him. Unknowingly, he gently squeezed her waist and shifted his hands to behind her back. For a second, he almost leaned his head forward but quickly snapped out of it.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he complained.

Levi shyly looked away. “You just have nice eyes.”

Casitas let go of her and tried to gather his thoughts as he tucked Levi back into bed. So quickly he tried to keep his composure, but deep down he knew what he was feeling inside.

Then there was another knock at the door. It was a different maid with the owl Beryl perched on her hand. Casitas took her and walked to Levi.

“Beryl!” she smiled. “Is she alright?”

Casitas started petting her as she began cooing. “She is perfectly fine but I think it would be better if you keep an eye on her.”

Beryl carefully flew down to Levi’s lap and already began to nuzzle in comfort. Levi petted her soft feathers until she began to doze off. Casitas noticed how sincere her smile was. Again, he almost found himself approaching her but didn’t.

“I promise to watch over her,” said Levi. Casitas nodded and headed out the door. “Thank you for everything, Lord Casitas.”

He immediately stopped and realized that Levi didn’t remember that she called him ‘Cas’ when she was sick. Meaning that she didn’t remember asking her questions to him. A part of him wished she remembered that but his head was telling him it was best because now he could keep his distance from her. He left her room in silence; but before so, he lightly touched his horns just to remember her soft fingertips making him smile.