This was our first calm morning together since the battle, and she looked almost unreal. Her golden eyes caught the sunlight like twin embers, and her silver-white hair shimred softly in the morning glow. She looked like sothing out of a painting, so perfect it made feel both admiration and the faint sting of envy.
"Did you sleep well?" I asked, my voice coming out more awkward than I intended as I squatted near the fire, turning the rabbit at slowly on a stick.
"Sleep? Ah! Right, yes..." Her voice stumbled, and her gaze fell away. She didn’t look at again. Was she upset about sothing? No, she looked... shy? That was strange. There was nothing to be shy about.
Then I realized. Oh, fuck... My clothes were slightly loose from the fight, the top of my shirt slipping open enough to expose so skin near my chest. I quickly adjusted it, trying to pretend I didn’t notice. Anyway, we were both won, nothing wrong with a little exposure, right?
I cleared my throat. "The food is ready, if you’re hungry." My voice trailed off as I caught her gaze. My heart started beating faster. Sothing wasn’t right with .
"Mhm." She nodded softly, still holding the sleeping hamster in her arms. She ca closer and sat beside , her shoulder almost brushing mine. Her eyes drifted toward the open plains, lost in thought, untouched food resting in front of her.
"What are you waiting for? The food will get cold," I said, trying to sound casual, though my own stomach twisted with hunger. There were no humans nearby, and the thought of feeding on Elira crossed my mind again. I hated it. No matter how much I craved that sweet taste, I couldn’t let myself think of her like that. Sorry... I lost myself again.
"T-thank you, Beatrice." Her smile brightened as her pearly teeth sank into the at. I swallowed hard, watching her bite down with such innocent satisfaction.
"So good!" she mumbled through a full mouth, her fingers absently petting Beelzebub, faster than before. Wait... seriously, how was that tiny furball still asleep? Was it even breathing? I raised an eyebrow, half-tempted to check if the little thing was still alive.
"I’m glad," I said, smiling despite myself as I sat beside her. The warmth of the fire wrapped around us. When our shoulders brushed, I flinched and pulled back, but she leaned in again, resting lightly against .
Jeez... spare . I wanted to lt into the ground. Sothing was definitely wrong with .
She ate slowly at first, but by the end, the entire rabbit was gone. I couldn’t help but stare, a little impressed and a little alard. In my old world, I would’ve given up after the leg, yet her appetite was sothing else entirely. Was it because of the magic flowing through her veins?
Her robe shifted slightly, revealing a bit of pale skin beneath. I could even see the faint bulge of the food she’d devoured pressing against her stomach. She’s not going to throw up on , is she? I edged back a little, just in case. This kind of overeating couldn’t be good for her. I’d have to give her a proper lecture about diet later.
"T-that was so g—burp!"
I flinched, nearly dropping the stick I was playing with. What the hell was that? A monster?
"Sorry!" she yelped, her cheeks turning crimson as she hid her face with both hands. The sight was so ridiculous and endearing that I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
"It’s okay, it’s okay, it happens to everyone. I don’t mind," I said, still chuckling as I reached out and patted her back gently. The warmth of her body against my hand, the softness of her shoulder, it was enough to ease the tension I hadn’t realized I was holding.
After a while, she finally settled, her embarrassnt fading into silence. She sat with her knees drawn close, staring into the flickering fire. The way her shoulders curved in, the quiet look in her eyes, she seed lonely. I didn’t know what to say or how to comfort her, so I just stayed there beside her, letting the silence speak for both of us.
"We should move out soon. I plan to head west. Would you... um, like to co with ?" The words tangled on my tongue. "I know it’s not the best ti to ask, and honestly, I wouldn’t bla you if you stayed behind. After everything, I just... well, you know." My voice trailed off into awkward babbling, my face burning with a mix of sha and uncertainty.
She didn’t answer right away. My shoulders sank as her eyes stayed fixed on the fire, its glow reflected in her quiet expression.
"You know," she said at last, her voice soft but heavy. "I’ve never had freedom in my life. Not once. I never had the chance to go anywhere. I used to dream about it for days, months, years, but I never imagined it would co to this." She paused, her hands tightening around her knees. "I hoped, even if it makes sound cruel, that they’d die. I wanted them gone. I wanted to escape."
I listened, eyes wide, her words settling deep in my chest. There was a weight to them, sothing that didn’t belong to an ordinary girl. Whatever her past was, it wasn’t simple. Sothing in it had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
"So when I t you, Beatrice." Her golden eyes found mine and my heart lurched. "When your hands pulled from death’s embrace, I knew I might finally be free. Soone in this world saved not for the greed in their blood but because they actually cared. Isn’t that funny?"
Her voice softened and the color left her face for a mont. "The man who called his daughter used as a vessel for..." She cut herself off, shaking her head. When her eyes lit up again the smile that followed was bright as sunlight, but sothing in it felt wrong. It looked practiced, like a mask.
I did not want that fake smile for her. I wanted the real thing. From that mont I decided I would learn everything about her. No matter how long it took for her to open up, I would make sure she never suffered again. She could not beco what I had been.
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