Chapter 84

Sep 05, 2023

Having finished her bath, Roxana sat on the window ledge in her room and watched as the night sky silently darkened. The breeze coming through the open window was rather cool, but she resisted the urge to close it.

She had yet to meet the Master Pedelian and his wife who had supposedly left on a journey the day of her arrival. Whether that was the truth or simply an excuse Cassis had made up was something remained uncertain of. If it were the latter, it likely meant that the clan leaders were far from thrilled about her presence in their territory.

Nevertheless, neither Cassis nor Sylvia had mentioned anything more about their parents to her, and Roxana also felt that she could not broach the subject without prompting, so the matter was left to fizzle to nothing. Of course, she could have learned the truth by sending her butterflies to spy in the main castle, but she both lacked the desire to do so and also felt there was no need to go to such lengths.

Apart from what seemed absolutely necessary, Cassis seemed reluctant to go into too much detail about pretty much anything. Had she chanced to ask him, she was certain he would give her an answer just as he had done when they sat together in front of that campfire. However, his responses had been curt even then, and he had limited himself to only answering specific questions.

She had actually detected something in his eyes that almost appeared to be signaling her to ask him a specific question, but that night was already far in the past and she had not taken the bait. Putting her thoughts on the matter to rest, Roxana slowly withdrew the knife she had hidden during her dinner with Cassis, then made a long gash on the inside of her forearm.

Drip... Drip...

As her blood rushed to the surface of her pale skin, a swarm of butterflies descended upon the gaping wound and began to suckle the ruby beads that were forming. As they lapped up even the droplets that had landed on the floor, there was no mess to deal with. Then Roxana sighed as her ears pricked toward the door to her room.

“Don’t give me that look,” she said. At some point, Cassis had quietly made his way into the room. Since she hadn’t turned on the lights in her room, he stood outlined by the ones still lit in the hallway. But with his face and body backlit, there was no way for Roxana to discern what his expression looked like. She was willing to bet that he had sensed something amiss and rushed over from his room to check on her. Per usual, he was acutely keen to catch even the tiniest details. “This is just something I have to do regularly until I die.”

He made no attempt to reply to Roxana’s pronouncement, and instead simply marched toward her while leaving the door ajar. As he drew nearer, she was finally able to make out the look on his face. To her surprise, it was devoid of any particular emotion.

“Give me your arm.”

As soon as he made contact with her skin, the bleeding stopped, and her wound closed. With their snack disrupted, the poison butterflies swiftly disappeared one after the other. She watched the scene play out before finally looking up to address Cassis. “How convenient. Since you can fix it up for me so neatly, perhaps I should make another cut. I’ll need to feed them again as I’ve been pretty remiss about it lately.”

Upon hearing that, his grip grew tightened around her arm as his gaze seemed to be a few degrees colder than the breeze from earlier as he scanned her. She slowly closed then opened her eyes as if to signal that she had received his warning loud and clear.

“Oh, fine. I’ll stop for today,” she said.

Cassis gently took the knife from her hand, which was free of any trace of blood. The butterflies had taken care of any and all cleanup. After watching Cassis for a moment, Roxana blurted out the question she had been meaning to ask for quite a while. “Why aren’t you doing anything to me?”

Cassis’ hand halted just as he was about to place the knife on her table. As he turned to face her, Roxana slipped down from the window ledge. Before he had determined how to respond, she was upon him the utmost swiftness. With her head tilted in confusion she studied him more closely before going on.

“It’s just odd, you know?” Roxana said. “I mean, you definitely have that look in your eye every time you see me.”

He stared at her golden locks as they flowed down to frame her narrow face, then before he realized what she was doing, he felt her soft palm touching his chest. Unlike their previous tryst when she had deliberately taunted his body, she seemed purely focused on ascertaining something she had evidently been curious about.

“You know something?” Her scarlet eyes had refocused on his face. “Your heart is racing as if you just sprinted around your compound.”

He detected the faintest scent of perfume emanating from Roxana who had evidently finished her bath not too long ago as she was only wearing a gown at the moment.

“I’d really like to know why that is,” she said.

Cassis was lost in thoughts imagining that he might taste sweet nectar if he were to sink his teeth into her alabaster skin.

She continued, “When you’re with me, it’s clear that you want to touch...”

Gulp.

“...and kiss me.”

It wasn’t that Roxana was trying to tempt Cassis into doing anything, but merely making an attempt to understand him. The only problem was that despite her honest intentions, she was simply too seductive.

Finally finding his voice, Cassis offered her an answer. “You speak as if... you know what I’m thinking.”

Just as quickly as the words had quietly left his lips, she countered, “Then are you saying I’m wrong?”

“No, you’re correct.” His admission had been so rapid that it almost surprised Roxana. He wrapped his hand around the one she had placed over his heart, then pulled it up toward his lips so he could kiss her fingertips. A soft whisper drifted out from his parted lips. “That night we left the Agrece compound...”

Taken aback at the mention of her old home, Roxana winced subconsciously.

“...it may not have mattered to you who came to your rescue, but...” Cassis must have sensed her apprehension, but he continued to speak softly as if he didn’t care, “...the only person I would have rescued was you.”

His eyes appeared to be seeking hers out in order to form a knot where they intersected. “Even now, if the person in front of me were anyone but you...”

As her breathing had become shallow, Roxana finally met Cassis’ golden stare.

“...I wouldn’t have such thoughts about wanting to swallow you whole from head to toe so that I can make you entirely mine. Nor would I be suffering from trying with all might to reach the deepest depths of your heart.”

Her hair danced softly in the cool breeze blowing through the room as he spoke. The window was behind her, which meant the wind was blowing against her thinly clothed back. Yet all she could feel was something immense pushing her away from where Cassis stood.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from him. Nor could she dare to open her mouth again. Once the moment that had felt both fleeting and infinite came to an end, Roxana noticed that he was smiling down at her sheepishly.

“Um... Not that it’s anything terribly important. I just wanted to let you know.” He added this last bit as if to lighten the gravity of his words and the burden they might give her. Then putting her hand down gently, he left her with his usual, peculiar way of wishing her a good night. “It still gets fairly cold at night, so be sure to change into a thicker gown or pajamas before you go to bed.”

As he left her room, she felt the remaining warmth from his touch slowly dissipate. Just as had been the case the last time they had been intimate, Roxana remained transfixed upon Cassis’ departing form.

* * *

Orka and Pandora Fipellion had been freed without much delay thanks to the Fipellions’ quick and timely response after learning of their transgression.

Since the White Demon Tamer was infamous for his unpredictable nature, the speed with which his clan had resolved the matter gave the impression that they had a response team on permanent standby to do the necessary damage control. His clan seemed equally mortified by their heir’s antics since there was already enough turmoil between the clans without his immaturity adding to the confusion.

To make matters worse, the heads of the four remaining clans had been in the midst of an impromptu meeting in Yggdrasil in order to discuss recent events, when the news about Orka reached them. It was only after the Fipellion Master had appealed for leniency that the Pedelian leader agreed to drop some of the restrictions placed on Orka and Pandora while they remained in the Blue clan’s custody.

As the White Heir also wasn’t a complete stranger to them, the Pedelian leader could not allow his forces to grossly mistreat the young man either. But above all, in order to avoid feuding with the other clan, they needed to observe and follow a certain protocol. Regardless of whatever agreement the two clans had struck, Cassis ordered the Blue forces to stand guard around the annex where he and Roxana were staying in order to protect against any additional unforeseen events.

He had freed the two Fipellions as an act of courtesy, but the gesture was far from meaning that he trusted them. After all, there was no telling what wacky, unpredictable thing Orka would get up to if he were allowed to roam freely through the annex halls in Cassis’ absence.

“There are people in the hallways I have never seen before.”

Roxana had evidently caught a glimpse of the sentries in the hallway, so Cassis merely answered her without hesitation.

“That’s because there are currently people inside the castle who are considerably dangerous, so they are trying to make sure that those people don’t get anywhere near you.”

Unlike most days, there was a noticeable wrinkle near the corner of Sylvia’s eye. It seemed even sweet Sylvia considered the uninvited Fipellion guests to be a nuisance.

“I suppose there will be formal introductions at tonight's dinner,” she added unhappily.

As Orka and his cousin were now “guests,” the young Pedelians had no choice but to maintain civility by playing host to the intruders.

“I guess your brother won’t be joining me for dinner tonight then.” Roxana reached the conclusion aloud and stated it in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Hm? Do I detect the slightest hint of disappointment about that?” the young Pedelian said. Unlike Roxana, Sylvia seemed to be the very embodiment of sincerity. As she raised her head, the Agrece noted that her golden-eyed companion was beaming at her yet again. “Don’t worry. If the banquet drags on, I’ll do what I can to return him to you.”

She spoke as if Roxana need only leave the matter to her. The blond was fairly certain that she already knew what her bubbly friend thought she was thinking about, but she stopped herself from clarifying the misunderstanding. What she was actually concerned about wasn’t exactly something anyone around her could understand.

Just as Sylvia had said, she and Cassis were preparing to host a banquet for the two Fipellion captives. However, seeing as Orka had not attended that year’s goodwill gathering, the dinner would also serve as the first time in the current storyline that he would set eyes on Sylvia. Roxana couldn’t help wondering if he would become lovestruck at the mere sight of the young Pedelian beauty as had originally occurred in the novel. And if he did, she was uncertain if the current White Heir would fall to the point of obsession as his character had been destined to do. The unknown variables at play had suddenly begun to trouble Roxana.

“Sylv—”

“Ma—”

The two girls spoke up at the same time, but it was Roxana who was first to concede.

“You go first.”

Sylvia fidgeted for a moment, which was a wholly unfamiliar sight given her usual conviction. Then as if she had made up her mind, the young Pedelian bit down on her lip and chanced her luck. “May I touch your hair just once?”