The Hidden Heir's Love

8: Cold

Ragar does not understand what he has done for the gods to give him another person who is difficult to handle because of her impassiveness. He already has Srugor whose attitude is making him question whether it is fatherly or just plain propriety. They rarely talk—just about their everyday lessons and about what he Sees which he sometimes shares with him. And now, he has to tend to another person who he does not even know the name of.

“You should eat,” he said, looking at the tray of untouched food he has delivered to her room a while ago.

She has been like this since morning. He does not know what exactly happened but she became unresponsive to him and became more distant than before. It is mayhap something he has done but he could not think of anything that would be the cause of her aloofness. He had been nice and accommodating—something he does not typically do with their guests. He has always been neutral but it is different with her since it is obvious that she needed more attention.

The woman was lying on the bed and had her back on him but he knows she is awake. She has been sleeping all day long that it would take some time for her to drift into slumber again.

“You have to regain more of your strength so you could heal faster, therefore, you need to eat.”

He heard her breathe deeply before turning. He had to turn his eyes somewhere else since the glow of the candles makes the woman’s curves on her nightgown more apparent. It is different to look at her now since she is conscious compared to the other night when she is unconscious and covered in blood. It was necessary to remove her clothes and clean her body at that time so she would feel better.

She took her utensils and ate using her good arm. Obviously not wanting for him to assist her, he just leaned by the wall and watched her feed herself silently. He wanted to start a conversation but he is certain she would not reply since she has been keeping her mouth shut for a long time already, therefore, he remained in his own space. He is not the type to force himself on something or someone when it is obvious that he is not needed at all.

He just grabbed the dishes when she is done. “I will prepare a bath for you. The water from the falls could help the wounds heal faster.”

He did not wait for her to answer and just went on with finishing his task. He has no complaints. He is the one who attends to Srugor’s patients when he is done mending them. The difference now though is that the woman does not seem to be grateful for his efforts. He has nothing to gain from helping her, therefore, the least she could do is show that she appreciates him.

With two pails in both hands, he threaded the path back to the woman’s room where he has placed a bathing tub beforehand. It took him a total of twelve returns just to fill it up and the woman merely watched him while sitting at the edge of the bed.

“Soak in for as long as you like. The longer you stay underwater, the better,” he said, closing the door. “I’ll leave you be.”

He closed the door and went on with the other chores he has to do for the night. Srugor has already gone to bed, not interacting with their guest after he has applied his treatment. For some reason, her father did not like the woman. His distaste is plainly seen unlike the people from before—which made him question what the woman has done for Srugor to treat her so coldly.

He returned to check on the woman and to discard the water she has soaked in. Srugor would not like it if the arrangement of the house is disturbed, the reason why he has to make efforts on setting things in order in which he has memorized. Other than that, he does not want the man to slip in case the water from the tub gets spilled.

“Miss?” he called, knocking on the door but there was no reply. “Miss?”

She might be asleep already and since she does not want to talk to him, she thought it best not to inform him that she is already done with her bath. Ragar sighed deeply before twisting the knob and opening the door completely, only to be welcomed by the woman still in the tub, soaking with her whole body under the water and only her hands were shown since she is holding the rim,

“Miss?” he called. “Are you alright?”

She did not answer and she was unmoving—which only caused him to panic. Thinking that she has drowned herself, he immediately picked her up. He was taken aback when upon he has settled her on the floor, he saw her open eyes looking at him, blinking—far from what he has expected of being closed and unconscious.

“What are you doing?” she asked so calmly that he does not really know if she is offended by what he did or not.

“I thought you drowned,” he said, breathless.

That was the first time in a while that he panicked like that but the woman remains impassive, moving away from him in an easy manner. Realizing that she was sans clothes, he grabbed the robe by the table and did not dare on looking at her again.

“If you are done, I have to take the water out."

"I'm done," she simply said, moving towards the bed where her clothes and a new set of gauze are laid out.

He heads towards the windows and opened them so he could get rid of the water easily from there. Upon turning, his eyes unknowingly darted to the woman. She was seated on the bed with only the towel on, trying to tie the gauze to her wound properly. He wants to leave her be. She was not precisely asking for help but it was he who could not put himself at bay. He still walked towards her and crouched down to take what is in her hand.

“Let me.”

She did not stop him though, even raising her arm more so he could tie the gauze properly. Her skin is cold yet she is not shivering as if the night and the water she has been on a while ago are things she has been accustomed to that her body does not respond to it as normal people do. She has been fighting in the war based on her state when he has seen her the first time, therefore, he shouldn’t be surprised at how well she adapts in order to survive. His eyes darted at her face and saw her already looking at him, watching his every move as if one wrong act from him and she would snap.

He did not say anything as he went back to disposing of the water while the woman resumed clothing herself. When he was done and he hear no more movement from her, he looked at the bed. She was already lying down with her back on him, clearly not wanting to talk to him or anything. He just grabbed the bathtub and pulled it out of the room, leaving her be.

Before dawn could even break, he roamed around Alhalla to keep his mind out of the woman. He chased down animals without any intention of bringing them back home for meat since they have lots of supplies already. He just wanted to let out some steam, allowing himself to be free for a moment. He just hated how the woman is treating him without any gratefulness for everything he had done for her but he is not one to condemn the woman when she has been through so much already.

He got back home, sweating profusely and headed to the bath to wash before cooking breakfast. The sun was shining brightly already when he was finished. Srugor was by his rocking chair and he was about to go to the woman's room to give her a tray when he saw him walking towards the dining area.

She pulled a chair and slowly took a seat. He must admit that the woman is a tough one. She was able to recover faster than what was expected. She could even walk all on her own now. Even that night when he took her, she did not give them a hard time while she is in a deep sleep and the poison was spreading on her body. There were no violent reactions, no thrashing or screams. She was just silent as they clean her wounds. It bothered him since he thought she is already dead but the rise and fall of her chest tell otherwise.

“I can sense that you are getting better,” Srugor suddenly said, taking his seat by the table as well.

“I will leave the soonest I can handle myself on my own," the woman said, glancing at him.

He did not say anything and just looked at his father looking delighted with that news. They said their prayers before eating what he has prepared. In the middle of it, he could not stop himself from asking the woman what has been bothering him since he saved her.

"Will you go back to war?"

The woman simply nodded before reaching for her glass to drink.

"Do you want to?"

"It is my duty," she replied immediately. "And you have that same duty to your kingdom yet you remain in this place, hiding."

He frowned. "I am not hiding."

"Then you should be out there, fighting for a cause. You are sinning by staying here while a lot of people are risking their lives for the betterment of the kingdom."

He puts down his utensils. "Is this the reason why you are acting so differently since yesterday?"

She did not say anything and glanced at Srugor who, surprisingly, is minding his own food rather than stopping them from their row. "It is apparent that the Seer knows how to live by himself. He does not need you so there is no reason for you to stay here. Unless, you are, indeed, a coward and would not think of rendering any service to your kingdom."

It is very rare for him to lose his patience. He has Srugor to deal with so he has mastered keeping his control intact. He was just pent up that the woman has the nerve to dictate his life when she does not even know him completely.

"I have lived all my life in this place. I haven't ventured anywhere else in Sinag than that one time when I found you. As for rendering my service, I have no plans of taking sides with any of the Lords of Sinag since their causes are twisted. They are driven by their own ambitions yet you, people, are blinded to following them so as to complete what you have all started—because there is no turning back now. The damage is too great already to regret the actions the citizens of Sinag have done to their kingdom. They are the ones who have failed Sinag since they sided with the Lords rather than staying true to their King." He looks at Srugor and finally spoke what his opinion on what the man has been sharing for a long time. "My loyalty is to the King. Him alone and no one else." Then looked back at the woman. "As you should do as well."