I returned to Joel's inn after spending some extra time at my mother's tombstone. My mood was shot after that, all I want now is a comfortable bed and to sleep for the rest of the day. To top it off, due to the time I spent standing there, it's already getting late afternoon.

I walk through the open door, and to no one's surprise, Elizia and Victorian are eating together at a table. Our bodyguard is even taking the opportunity to drink quite a bit. Good for them, I guess, but where is Ravenna?

"Sweetie, she's in the room" Elizia says, reading my thoughts. "It was pretty obvious you were looking for her as soon as you walked in."

"It's not my fault you know me so well. Move over, I'm hungry too."

I take a seat between the two of them and ask Joel to bring some meal to the table, anything is fine.

We're only staying here today, and tomorrow morning it'll be time to hit the road. We don't need to be in the greatest rush in the world, since the Northern War of Independence won't worsen or disappear overnight, so arriving there in one piece is priority number one.

A plate is placed in front of me, a stew with a piece of bread in the middle. Nothing very luxurious like the city restaurants or the palace, but that's how I like it.

"Thanks, you bastard, I was hungry."

"Who are you talking to?"

That voice belongs to a woman. Damn, seriously, did I confuse who it was? Did I not even pay attention to the little arm placing things on the table? I'm really scatterbrained after going on this trip, but what can you do, it's my uncle's fault.

"My bad, it's... wait..."

I tilt my head to the side, seeing that the girl is actually too familiar. Ah, I know who it is.

A shiver runs down my spine. I can't believe this... crazy woman is still here. Short brown hair highlights her freckled cheeks, which are then folded into a small smile that disgusts me more than anything else.

"Darius! Is that really you?"

She holds both of my hands while setting the tray aside. We are the only customers in this place, so no one would complain about this casual action, not even Joel... except that the thing I want most right now is someone saving me from this mess.

"You've grown so much. Do you still remember me?"

"Yes, I re-remember, Scarlet..."

The name itself leaves a bitter taste on the tip of my tongue. I've lost my appetite.

"Do you two know each other?" asks Elizia, tilting her head to the side like a little dog wanting to understand what's happening.

"Yes, we've known each other for a long time, ever since he was a baby!"

Scarlet's smile stretches even wider, and suddenly, her hands are already around my neck, with her breasts touching the back of my neck. What do I do now? This crazy woman wasn't even supposed to be here, why the hell did I have to run into this demon in a skirt right now?

"H-Hum, Scarlet, weren't you supposed to... you know."

"Oh, working as a mercenary? Yes, yes, I just took my vacation after working so hard. My savings are still great, but it's nice that you worry about me, lil' Darius."

She leans in and kisses my cheek. Damn, I can't react, the worst thing in the world would be this damned woman causing trouble for us. Think, Darius, think about how you get out of this woman's grasp...

"Ah, I just remembered something!" Elizia says and gets up from the table, pushing her plate away, then putting her hand on my wrist. "Darius, can you help me organize some things in the carriage? We left in a hurry, so it's good to check just to be sure."

Good one, my angel!

"Sure. Excuse me, Scarlet..."

I remove the arms wrapped around my neck, but just from the pressure, I can say with certainty that her desire to give up is nonexistent, until I finally manage to break free from those shackles and follow our coachwoman back to the carriage with the horses. I don't look back, but I feel a pair of eyes stabbing my back.

Fortunately, I brought Victorian, if anything happens, I can call him, and I think he can handle it. We both walk to where our things are. I don't waste time opening the chest at the back of the vehicle, also bringing a small ladder to see things properly.

Fuck, fuck! I almost died back there, what shit! I feel like my heart is going to explode! I can barely breathe properly...

A gentle touch comes to my hand. Elizia runs her fingers over my skin, having already noticed that I must be going from bad to worse while standing here.

"You're cold."

"Am I?"

"Yes. Trembling, too. Let's get in the carriage for a bit, I'm afraid you'll end up falling flat on the floor if this continues."

Right... I follow without making a sound. She closes the door behind us and sits me down on the bench, before sitting next to me and pulling my head onto that phenomenal pair of thighs. Elizia's nails run through my hair, my uncontrolled breathing seems to return to a normal rhythm while my head is being caressed... it's a bit embarrassing, I admit, but this technique is super effective, and on top of that, this kind of affection is this woman's trademark.

Time passes more slowly outside. A sigh escapes my mouth, the tremors go away little by little, until I finally manage to become more aware of what's happening to me. The young woman who lent me her thighs as a pillow fixes my messy hair, managing to still poke my cheek.

"Does she scare you, Darius?"

"Yes."

"Is she the bride you left crying behind?"

"No."

Even a joke like that isn't able to lift my mood, which signals a red flag for Elizia that the situation is serious.

"She... is complicated."

"Complicated in a bad way?"

"Yes."

"Did she do something bad to you?"

"Yes."

Damn, it's really hard to talk. It seems like my head can't formulate sentences properly, freezing in the middle of the process and letting out something dry instead of something more complete and concise. It's one of the few times I've felt like this, but almost every time involved Scarlet. I didn't want to come back here precisely because of her, and I was hoping with all my soul that we wouldn't meet.

Elizia doesn't push, she doesn't ask anything else, she just keeps running her fingers through my hair as if she were untangling invisible strands. Her breathing is calm, steady, almost as if she were lending me her own rhythm to imitate. Gradually, my throat stops scratching, but there's still a bad taste stuck in the back of it, the one that always comes back when I think of Scarlet.

"Darius... If you don't want her around, I can handle it."

"You can't" I answer quickly, and immediately regret the harsh tone. "I mean... that's not how it works. Scarlet is like a plague, she shows up uninvited and sticks around until she sucks the last drop."

"Hm." Elizia crosses her legs, making my head slide further up her thigh. "So you need someone to hold up the scarecrow while you run from the crow, is that it?"

Despite the venom in the comparison, her ironic tone pulls a snort of laughter from my mouth. Still, I can't sustain it for long, the memory of Scarlet pulls me back, and my hand clenches into a fist on my knee.

"I thought she had disappeared. I swore I'd never look at that face again. When I saw her inside that inn... damn, it felt like the floor was going to open up and swallow me."

Elizia leans her face forward.

"What did she do to you, Darius?"

The question hangs suspended, heavy, and for the first time, I think about answering. My tongue touches the roof of my mouth, but nothing comes out. Just a thick silence, filled with memories I don't want to bring up. All I can do is turn my face, hiding part of my expression in her thigh, like a coward who doesn't even have the courage to face himself.

Elizia doesn't insist. Instead, she lets her palm rest on the side of my face, warm and firm. It's nice, one of the few times I feel safe around someone, without anything bothering me or messing with my head.

Outside, I hear heavy footsteps, probably Victorian returning from the inn, and that reminds me that time is running, even if I want to stop right here inside.

"We continue our journey early tomorrow morning" she says, her voice returning to its usual practical tone. "So, if this Scarlet wants to keep sticking to you, she'll have to run after our carriage."

It's a comforting thought, imagining the crazy woman being left behind, kicking up dust without being able to catch us. But... I know it's not that simple. Scarlet was never simple.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.