You’re My Flame

Chapter 10

Feeling light as a feather, Chersinia headed to the butcher shop with a spring in her step.

For beef, twenty thousand shillings was more than enough to spare, but with fifty thousand? They could have red meat every day for a month.

Although she had initially planned to save a little by buying cheaper cuts of meat, her good mood now called for something finer, like rib-eye steaks. After days of just soup and bread, she was sick of it. The thought of indulging made her so happy that she hummed a little tune.

As she entered the butcher shop, the cheerful-looking owner greeted her with a smile. “What can I get you?”

“Two sirloins, please.”

“How thick would you like them?”

“Very.” Thick cuts are the best, Chersinia thought. She nodded to herself, pleased with her order.

The butcher pulled out some fine-looking sirloin steak and sliced it thick. He then personally wrapped the two hefty pieces in paper and handed her the package. “Here you are. That will be two thousand shillings.”

She left the butcher shop feeling great and began her shopping in earnest. With the sun still high in the sky, the market was bustling with people. It was lively and filled with things to eat and see. If Ben had been with her, he would have probably enjoyed curiously gawking at everything.

Chersinia bought as much as she could carry, aiming to stock up on non-perishable foods to avoid having to make another trip too soon.

Now that her arms were filled with heavy paper bags, she wished she had brought Ben along. The shopping was heavier than expected. As strong as she was, it wasn’t the weight that was challenging, but rather the ungainly handling of such a load. A baguette poking out of a bag obstructed her view, adding to her struggle.

“Next time, I’ve definitely got to bring him,” she muttered to herself.

She stopped short. “Next time?” She had thought of it so naturally, but there was no “next time.” In a few days, she and Ben would part ways and there would be no chance for a future joint shopping trip. She’d already grown accustomed to sharing her space with him and had forgotten about their impending separation.

The once cheerful tune she hummed faded into silence. To think she had forgotten her solitary life so quickly, after just a few short days with him…

Suddenly, Ben’s question from a few days back, about whether she felt lonely, resurfaced in her head. She had carelessly replied that she didn’t, but reflecting on it now, perhaps she was lonelier than she thought. It was plain to see since she was already considering future outings with him.

Get a grip! Chersinia shook her head. As much as she pitied Ben, money still topped her list of priorities. It didn’t matter if this was real life or the world of a novel—money was essential to changing her life. She truly wanted to avoid the tragic fate of the original Chersinia, and to do that, she needed funds.

Her spirits had been high, but now she felt as though her feet were weighed down by sandbags. Her heart was as heavy as her steps.

How could she wash away this guilt? She thought about how she never should have taken Ben in the first place. Meeting someone was easy, but parting ways was always hard. A sigh tangled with complex emotions escaped her.

Realizing she was standing still in the middle of the busy market, Chersinia resumed walking. She needed to get home. Ben was waiting, after all.

She pushed through the bustling crowd and headed toward the quieter side of the market. If she went just a bit further, she would be on the path leading to the forest. She hastened her steps home, in a hurry to return to Ben.

“Excuse me, have you seen a boy around sixteen years old and a woman with red hair?”

Chersinia stopped in her tracks. Are they talking about me?

Her head turned toward the source of the voice and saw a familiar face. Two men were questioning a market vendor. One of them was the employee she had seen at the chip exchange. Realizing they were from the casino, Chersinia was certain they were looking for her.

“I don’t think I’ve seen them,” the vendor answered.

“All right, thank you.”

The men resumed walking, their faces full of irritation. It seemed they had been coming up empty-handed all day.

Worried she might be spotted, Chersinia quickly ducked into the shadow of a nearby alley. Her black hood blended perfectly with the darkness, making her virtually invisible. She wondered why they were looking for her. Clearly, it couldn’t be for anything good.

What should I do? she thought. Do I confront them and find out why they’re looking for me? Or do I quietly slip away?

Just then, the men walked past the entrance to the alleyway. Chersinia held her breath.

“Let’s make one more round and then head back.” Their footsteps and conversation faded as they moved away.

Chersinia watched their retreating figures intently. The casino cashier? If he was here, the viscount must be behind it.

But why? She tapped her chin thoughtfully. The viscount had vanished, and his staff claimed he had no money. She had declared she would return in a week to collect the debt. What if the viscount had never intended to pay her from the start?

Surely not. Her red eyes flashed like flames. If that was his plan, there was only one disturbing way he could avoid paying her and get away with it, a method that left very few loose ends.

“By getting rid of me.” She felt calm as her reasoning concluded. So, he was never planning to give me my money at all… Still, she was only making assumptions. It was too early to jump to conclusions.

When the men had disappeared from sight, Chersinia stepped out of the shadows and moved on. She needed to get home quickly. Some of the viscount’s goons may have already raided her house.

The image of Ben, smiling warmly as he bid her goodbye, flashed through her mind. Her steps quickened, though she couldn’t tell if it was because she feared losing the collateral without being paid, or if it was out of pure worry for Ben. She just needed to check that he was still safe as soon as possible.

***

Ben entered the house after saying goodbye to Chersinia, trying to calm his racing heart.

His heart had felt odd since last night. Every time she touched him, from patting him to comfort him at night to brushing her fingers against his hair that morning, his body warmed and his heart raced. He took a deep breath to settle his emotions. After several breaths, he felt a bit calmer.

Only then did Ben look around the empty cabin. With Chersinia, it had been a cozy haven, but without her, it felt chillingly cold. When they were together, it was a comfortable and warm sanctuary. The only thing that had changed was that she had left, but with just that, the temperature seemed to drop. Ben shivered as the cold seeped through his thin clothes.

It had been four days since he’d arrived. Life with Chersinia had already become familiar. The few days with her made the years of gloom and loneliness he had endured seem to fade away, leaving him feeling warm and loved. Those tough times seemed distant, and they were softened by just four days.

“I shouldn’t get too used to this.” His melancholic voice filled the cabin. Chersinia had taken him in only as collateral, with plans to exchange him for her money in three more days.

A bitter smile touched his lips. Wanting more would only burden her, and he couldn’t allow that. Being happy just for this week would be enough. He couldn’t weigh her down.

Ben took a seat at the dining table in the place Chersinia always sat, hoping some of her warmth remained there. But all he felt was the chill of the wooden table, making him feel even colder.

He sprawled over the table and buried his head in his arms. Turning his head slightly, he held one hand up in front of his muted, dark eyes. It was bony and unimpressive, but his wounds were healing well, and his fingers looked much better than before thanks to his weight gain.

Ben’s eyes stopped on the tips of his fingers. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the bandages that Chersinia had applied herself.

“Does it hurt?”

Chersinia had grimaced as she looked at his hand, bleeding where he had cut it on broken glass. It almost seemed like she was feeling the pain herself. She’d been tender with every action as she treated it, from carefully applying the disinfectant, worried it might sting, to blowing gently on it.

Despite her cool exterior, Chersinia was very kind-hearted. It might seem like she spoke bluntly, but she was merely a straightforward person who could not lie. She was genuinely good-natured.

“Ben…”

As he savored his new name, Ben let out an airy chuckle like a deflating balloon. It was the first time anyone had called him by a name, and Chersinia had given it to him and been the first to use it, which made it all the more special.

Ben gently kissed the bandage wrapped around his hand. It still held the sweetness of her care, infused with her concern for him.

He thought of the red-haired woman. On the first day she reached out to him, her hands tenderly stroked his forehead under the dim moonlight, and her red lips gently blew on his wound. Those lips, plump and red like a pomegranate, looked like they would taste as sweet as the fruit if only he dared to kiss them.

I wish I could taste— “Ah!” He sat up abruptly, startled by his own impure thoughts. His face flushed so strongly that he thought his cheeks might burst.