Since she had promised him the reward of her greeting him home, it was important that she went out to the entrance early to wait for him. Her heart raced and her palms felt sweaty. What should I do if he is still angry? I need to talk to him about Lunia. She wiped her hands on her dress, but it was pointless. Her anxiety knew no bounds.
After apprehensively standing at the entrance for the longest time, she heard the horses approaching. Her heart thumped loudly, and her mind went blank. Soon, she was able to see Alexcent on his horse. The carriages followed behind him. As they came nearer, Amethyst came down the stairs.
He got off from his horse and offered the reins to the coachman. “Welcome back,” said Amethyst, cautiously approaching him.
Alexcent paid her no mind. He turned to the knights and guards. “Good work,” he said, “Go ahead and rest till tomorrow.”
The knights, guards and the nobles bowed and disappeared. They all looked exhausted. It must have been a rough trip, thought Amethyst.
“A-Alec?” Amethyst called. He looked at her momentarily and walked away towards the mansion. Did he not receive my letter?
She turned to Gen, who shrugged as if to say he had no idea why he was acting like this. Count Glacia got out from her carriage, bowed to Amethyst and walked to the mansion as well. Amethyst was surprised. No retort, nothing? Did something happen between them?
Feeling even more anxious, Amethyst followed Alexcent. She soon caught up with him.“Alec, you didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“No.” His cold voice stabbed at her heart.
“Th-that’s a relief. You must be tired.”
He made no response. Her heart ached from his distant behavior. She tried her best to think positively. Maybe he is just too tired to deal with things right now, she reassured herself.
“Of course you are!” said Amethyst, “Silly me. It has been twelve days after all.” Still, no response. Only silence greeted her.
What should I do? Can’t mention Lunia right now, but I have to at least try, she thought.
“I… I know you are very tired, but can we talk?” she said, hesitantly, “I won’t take much of your time. It will just be a minute, I promise.”
He stopped walking. “I need to shower first,” he said.
They had arrived near his bedroom. She had forgotten where they had walked. I mustn’t be too impatient. He is tired and angry. I shouldn’t push him.
“Of course!” said Amethyst, “I am sorry. Can we talk after you shower…?”
“No,” said Alexcent, briskly, “I want to rest. I have had a very long and tiring day.” He walked into his room and shut the door leaving Amethyst in the corridor. Amethyst was just going to walk back to her bedroom when Count Glacia came into view, who was walking to her own room. Amethyst turned around. She didn’t want her to see her being rejected right now.
Amethyst walked into Alexcent’s bedroom and shut the door behind her. The sound of running water came from the bathroom. He must be showering. Amethyst bit her nails and paced the bedroom. She gathered her courage and walked up to the bathroom door. She needed to do this.
“Alec,” she blurted before she lost her guts, “I am sorry to disturb you. But since you don’t have enough time… I just wanted to say something. Won’t take long…can you listen while—”
The bathroom door suddenly opened, and a hand pulled her in. She found herself pinned to the wall, wrapped in his arms. He grabbed her chin and kissed her deeply. His kiss was frantic and hurried. His tongue devoured her insides, and his lips were hot on hers. She wrapped her hands around his neck and gave in to the kiss. Amethyst’s breath came in gasps as she tried to breathe.
“Sometimes I wish you were my enemy,” said Alexcent in a voice full of desire and passion. “Someone I could invade with no qualms.” Amethyst didn’t know what to say to that.
“I can’t bear it sometimes,” he said hoarsely, “I can’t see what you are thinking. I can’t predict what you are going to do. And sometimes I can’t bear that but…you are always on my mind.” He was confessing his affections for her in such a twisted way.
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” said Amethyst.
Alexcent laughed. Throughout the hunt, she was always on his mind. Even when the hunting match ended, he only wanted her. He wanted to fly to her side. After killing the beasts, he still felt unsatisfied. He had travelled back as fast as he could without taking any breaks in between. He was able to shorten a day’s journey to only half a day because he had travelled non-stop.
When he saw her at the entrance, some twisted part within him had whispered, shouldn’t you fix her? Maybe you shouldn’t let her behavior slide this time. It seemed he could never stay angry at her. This was the only time that he had a reason to be angry and not relent. If he let this slide, he would never be able to stay angry at her. So, he had pretended to be mad.
Her worry had been too adorable. Seeing her follow him, trying to talk to him and being as bold to enter his room and demand to talk was just too amusing. Her voice had undone him. Even when he tried to, he wasn’t able to repress his desire until he opened the bathroom door and pulled her in with him.