Chapter 77
I stood in front of the mirror trying very hard to convince myself that everything was going to be fine.
Unfortunately, I was the one doing the convincing, and I knew exactly how unreliable my reassurances were.
"You are a capable adult," I told my reflection while adjusting the strap of my satchel. "You have survived magical disasters, emotional damage, and Theo's lectures. Surely a small expedition cannot be worse."
My reflection looked entirely unconvinced. Honestly, same.
I had already packed my essentials into my satchel, while the rest of my belongings were loaded into the carriage.
Apparently, Theo had contacts scattered throughout the kingdom and beyond-people who quietly tracked suspicious activities and enemy movements.
The man collected secrets the way normal people collected hobbies.
Rhaevan and Theo had gone over the mission details early at dawn. I had technically attended the briefing, but I would like it officially recorded that my attention wandered approximately five minutes into the discussion.
There were maps.
There were routes.
There were technical magical terms.
There were phrases like strategic infiltration and reconnaissance.
I remembered none of it.
After packing, I said goodbye to Cookie, who seemed personally offended by my departure.
"I'll be back," I promised, scratching behind his floppy ears. "Please try not to replace me while I'm gone."
Cookie barked once in response.
Martha stood near the doorway, watching us with a soft sigh. I walked over, wrapped my arms around her, and whispered, "Thank you. For everything."
She looked surprised by the intensity of the hug, but she returned it warmly, patting my back. "Be safe, my lady. I'll see you soon."
Probably not, Martha. Probably not.
After entrusting Cookie to Martha's care-and reminding her approximately three times to make sure he was fed on schedule-I headed outside toward the waiting carriage.
Lysenne was already there. Beside her stood Rhaevan.
Naturally. The universe truly loved consistency.
"Good morning, Cassiane," Lysenne greeted warmly.
"Morning."
"All set?"
"As much as someone can be before voluntarily walking into danger."
Lysenne laughed softly. Then she stepped closer and took my hands in hers. "Be careful out there."
There was genuine concern in her voice. I forced a smile. "I will."
She gave my hands one last reassuring squeeze before turning to Rhaevan.
For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke.
Then Lysenne stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
It wasn't the brief, polite embrace of nobles. She held him tightly, as though trying to convince herself he would indeed return.
The sort of hug that lasted just long enough to make an innocent bystander suddenly fascinated by the nearest wall. When she finally pulled away, her fingers lingered on his sleeve.
"Return safely," she said softly. "Please."
Rhaevan simply inclined his head. Then, almost absentmindedly, he rested a hand atop her head for a brief moment before letting it fall.
That was all.
...Right.
Apparently, that was all it took to make my stomach perform a spectacular imitation of a sinking ship.
I looked away before either of them noticed me staring.
Of course she'd hug him.
Of course he'd let her.
Of course he'd pat her head like that-as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Why was I surprised? I was just the unexpected complication who had wandered into their story halfway through.
I crossed my arms tightly across my chest. Why can't these two just get a room? Do lovers with PDA issues have zero respect for single people forced to stand five feet away?
An arm landed across my shoulders. "There you are, my favorite person."
"Good morning to you too, Lucien."
He grinned down at me, looking entirely too pleased with himself as always.
Rhaevan opened the carriage door and glanced toward me, his expression cooling instantly. "We should leave."
"Thank the heavens we're not teleporting," I replied. Some experiences were simply not meant to be repeated voluntarily.
I murmured a final goodbye to both Lucien and Lysenne and prepared to climb into the carriage. But before I could step up, Lucien caught my wrist gently.
"I'll miss you," he said.
Before I could respond, he leaned forward, pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, and pulled me into a lingering hug. "Try not to get into trouble," he whispered into my hair.
He stepped back. My internal system completely shut down.
I stared at him. He smiled back. I continued staring.
"Right," I managed finally, my voice a octave higher than normal. "Okay. Yes. Goodbye. I am leaving now."
I scrambled into the carriage as quickly as humanly possible, leaving behind whatever was left of my dignity. Before the carriage door closed, I glanced outside one last time. Lucien was standing there with a smug expression, wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I narrowed my eyes. He grinned wider. I hated him-affectionately, but intensely.
When I turned around inside the cabin, my eyes immediately landed on Rhaevan. Or more specifically, the rigid line of his jaw. He looked toward Lucien, then shifted his gaze toward me. His jaw tightened further before he abruptly turned his head away.
The carriage jerked forward, and suddenly the cabin atmosphere became awkward enough to qualify as a localized natural disaster.
I sat opposite him. He stared out his window. I stared out mine. We were both inspecting different trees with intense, furious focus.
The silence stretched. And stretched. And somehow continued stretching.
At first, I told myself it was fine. But after fifteen agonizing minutes, I began reconsidering. This wasn't normal silence. We had been angry before. We had argued. We had shouted.
This was different. It was cold. Distant. Like he had built an impenetrable wall overnight and intentionally withheld the instructions to get past it.
Did Lysenne tell him to keep his distance from me? I wondered bitterly. Is she being possessive? As if I'm going to steal him away. As if he would ever agree to that anyway. He chose her in both timelines; she has nothing to worry about.
Still, I needed to keep things civil if I wanted to survive this journey and get my freedom.
Eventually, I cleared my throat. "So."
No response. Excellent start.
"So... where exactly are we going?"
"To find the artifact," he replied flatly.
Right. Technically correct. Completely unhelpful.
"Theo mentioned that," I muttered.
Silence returned. I tried again, digging deeper into my empty well of small talk. "How's life?"
The moment the words left my mouth, I wanted to throw myself out of the moving carriage. How's life? Really, Cassiane?
Rhaevan looked at me-not a full look, just enough of a glance to communicate Are you serious? -before turning back to the window.
Wonderful. Fantastic. This conversation was thriving.
"How long until we arrive?" I asked.
"A while."
I leaned back against the leather seat, completely defeated. There was only so much social humiliation one person could endure before lunch.
Speaking of lunch, we stopped at a roadside inn several hours later.
I immediately claimed a small table by the window, already far too excited about the prospect of food. Rhaevan followed me into the inn, and I patted the seat opposite mine, gesturing for him to sit.
He stopped.
His eyes dropped to the chair, and for a moment, I thought he was actually going to take it. His hand even lifted slightly toward the backrest before he seemed to reconsider. He drew in a slow breath and, to my utter lack of surprise, walked past me and chose an entirely different table.
One far enough away to qualify as its own sovereign kingdom.
I stared at his back, scoffing under my breath. He's taking Lysenne's warning a little too seriously. Great teamwork. Excellent expedition strategy.
A waitress approached my table, took my order, and left. Then she approached Rhaevan.
And stayed there. For a while. A suspiciously long while.
I watched her smile at him. I watched him smile back-politely, warmly-and actually engage in a conversation.
Words were exchanged! Several full sentences!
Meanwhile, I had spent the entire morning extracting single-syllable responses from him like an archaeologist excavating a brick wall.
I stabbed my vegetables aggressively with my fork. So he could talk. Good to know.
We continued traveling afterward-still in silence, still awkward, still emotionally exhausting.
By evening, we reached a small, secluded house near the base of the mountains where Theo had arranged our accommodations. The owner was an old friend of his-a retired arch-scholar named Master Benedict who had abandoned tower politics for a quiet life in the countryside.
Honestly? A very smart man.
Master Benedict greeted us warmly at the door, his snowy eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Welcome! Come in, come in. You both look positively exhausted. Freshen up first, and we can discuss business over supper."
I immediately liked him.
Later that evening, we sat down together at a rustic wooden table. The food was hot, the broth was rich, and the company was pleasant-for approximately five minutes.
Benedict looked at me, then at Rhaevan, and then back to me with a kindly smile. "So... are you two a couple?"
I nearly inhaled my soup, breaking into a harsh cough.
Across the table, Rhaevan answered immediately. "No."
The word was sharp. Immediate.
I grabbed my water glass, swallowing hard.
"She is assisting with the mission," Rhaevan added neutrally.
The words landed strangely. Not cruel, not angry-just distant. Assisting with the mission. Not a friend. Not a companion. Not even Cassiane. Just... assistance.
I lowered my eyes to my bowl and forced a light, polite smile. "That's correct," I murmured softly.
I picked up my spoon again, suddenly finding the floating vegetables in my broth fascinating.