Celine returned to sit by Lucian's side, "We have an audience," she whispered, "Don't say anything unnecessary. Focus on your silver stage, and I'll handle the rest."
Was it normal to feel safe around a woman who had just said to her subordinates that she was going to torture him? Because Lucian did.
He thought that only money could give him a sense of security, but it turned out that Celine was also on that list. He didn't have to be alert of his surroundings and the potential threats that could harm him, besides Celine herself, of course.
If it were any other day, he would have bickered with her a bit longer, but his body didn't allow him to do that.
He started to feel the pain for real now that the adrenaline wore off. It was a surprise that he was still conscious, despite his injuries.
Even though he wanted to act though before his little wife, show off and maybe win her heart, his body was too damaged to move, much less to perform.
Celine knew Lucian too well, especially his tendency to procrastinate in her presence. She sent Edmund away and turned her gaze to the side to prevent Lucian from acting foolishly again, only holding his wrist to make sure he was still alive.
She was always the though lovey, melting his heart like a cauldron of gold.
It wasn't hard to imagine, as his body was already in that state, naturally getting into the right mindset without him having to control the process.
That's how he obtained the previous stages, living through them, dealing with them, experiencing them firsthand, and surviving. To be close to death, and then rise from the brink of it, stronger than before.
His insides sizzled, and he had to grit his teeth not to scream in agony. It felt like someone had put hot coals under his skin and was trying to cook him alive.
His muscles twitched and convulsed uncontrollably, and his skin turned red and blistered. His veins popped out of his arms, pulsing with blood.
Just a little bit more, and he would reach the silver stage; he was almost there…
Just a little more, and he could show his Celine how amazing he was.
The broken bones had already mended together, but they refused to go back to their right shape. They misshapened, protruding through his skin, making him look grotesque.
No, this wouldn't do!
The body knew better than him. He shouldn't have forced it to take the right form and should have let it do it by itself.
He assisted his body in keeping the bones soft enough for it to mold back to the way it was.
His bones were back in their sockets. The only thing that remained were the black bruises and the puffed red skin.
He slowly opened his eyes to see the dark hair of his little wife, her side profile covered in shadows.
She looked a bit disheveled, holding onto her forehead with one hand, and her other hand was holding his wrist.
The dark circles around her eyes told him that she didn't get much sleep, and he was partly to blame for it.
'How can a woman still look so beautiful even when she is weary from stress and exhaustion?'
She noticed his gaze and smiled softly at him, "How are you feeling?"
He didn't answer, just stared at her, mesmerized. He wouldn't have allowed himself to be enchanted by her beauty if it were in the past, and would have slapped himself silly, but now...she had his full permission to enchant him all she wanted.
"Like...new," he answered finally, a little bit of pain in his voice, "How long?"
"Four days," she responded.
What? She didn't sleep for four days straight?! That was unacceptable! He struggled to sit up, only to be pushed down gently by Celine.
She made him drink from a cup of water first, then lay by his side instead and closed her eyes, a tear escaping her lashes. He felt her body trembling as he palmed her cheek.
It was okay now; he was alive. She didn't need to worry anymore. He didn't know what to do in situations like this, so he just wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair, and gently whispered in her ear that everything was going to be fine.
The warmth of their bodies melted together, soothing each other.
"You scared me."
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not. I know you are not," she said, "You are going to do it again and again, and again."
"...it's not the right time to be right, Celine, but a right time to be a bit more sensitive," Lucian said, "I almost died, I need comfort, not scolding. You are breaking my little heart."
She let out a soft chuckle, her tears wetting his shirt, "Your 'little' heart is made of stone, Lucian, don't try to trick me into thinking I can hurt it with my words."
He smiled, "But I love you, so they do hurt."
Her fingers clutched onto his shirt, her face nuzzling into him, "What was I thinking when I chose to fall in love with a man like you..."
"Probably the same thing I was thinking when I fell in love with a woman like you."
She tried to hold back her laughter, which made him smile even more, "That you are an idiot for falling in love with me and thinking I was worth your time, risking your life, and going through all this trouble?"
"I was going to say 'she is the most beautiful and smartest person I have ever met, and I would give up the world to have her by my side,' but yours is also acceptable."
She sniffed and laughed at the same time, looking up at him.
He wiped the tears away, staring back at her lovingly.
She gave him a weirded-out look, "Stop giving me that look, I'm going to vomit from too much honey in your eyes."
"I'm trying to show you how much I love you," Lucian said seriously.
She looked away, avoiding his intense gaze, "What do you want?"
"Love me back."
"Already doing it."
"I want more."
"Greed is a sin."
"Love is a virtue."
"..." She covered his mouth with her hand, not letting him continue the sappy conversation, "Not before my brother."
"You are still in danger, so you'd better not get too comfortable with each other yet," Edmund said, interrupting their moment as he walked inside the cave.
Lucian's mouth was still covered, so he didn't reply. But he sent Edmund a look that made it clear that he didn't appreciate the interruption.
Edmund didn't pay Lucian any attention, continuing his talk, "There's a crazy shackled hiding in the hunting grounds, targeting nobles in the hunting competition. The royal army has already been deployed to search the forest, this time with a search warrant signed by the king."
When his sister didn't react, Edmund looked at Celine, "Do you want them to catch you torturing hay heads for fun and pleasure, or will you let Lucian leave you in peace before he gets dragged into the investigation?"