Free Web NovelChapter 142: Chapter 142
The morning rays of sunlight streamed in through the tall curtains, scattering across the floor and the edge of the bed where Circe lay. The warmth touched her skin, stirring her from sleep.
By the time Ragnar had returned to their room the night before, she had already fallen asleep, exhaustion finally overtaking her after the whirlwind of emotions that had consumed them both.
Now, as her lashes fluttered open, her vision cleared to find him standing by the dresser, naked from the waist up.
Her breath caught.
His back was to her at first, broad and muscled, the morning light tracing the strong lines of his shoulders. He was pulling a plain tunic over his head, the movement fluid and smooth.
The moment their gazes met in the mirror, the memories of last night came rushing back all at once, the warmth of his hands, the feel of his lips, the way her body had responded, eager and unguarded.
Her cheeks flushed crimson, her stomach twisting with disbelief.
She had truly kissed him. It wasn’t a dream or something conjured by her overactive imagination. It had all been real. Terrifyingly, wonderfully real.
Her throat went dry.
Unaware of her internal turmoil, Ragnar turned toward her, his tone gentle.
"Good morning," he said. "Did you sleep well?"
Circe swallowed hard, nodding once. Words failed her; her voice felt trapped somewhere in her chest.
He gave a faint smile before reaching for his coat. But as she watched him move about the room, her shock slowly ebbed, replaced by something else. Concern.
She noticed there was something off about him today.
There was a tightness around his jaw, a stiffness in his posture that hadn’t been there before.
"Is something wrong?" she asked before she even realized the words had left her mouth.
Ragnar paused, then shook his head.
"Not at all. Nothing is wrong." His tone was steady, but the reassurance he hoped to give her didn’t quite reach his eyes. "I’ll be going to the palace tomorrow. There are important matters I need to discuss with my father."
Circe’s brows drew together. Perhaps that was what weighed on him, the thought of leaving and being away from the estate he loved so much.
She couldn’t fault him for it. After everything that had happened between them, something had shifted in their dynamic. It was subtle, but she could feel it, although the change itself was still a mystery to her.
"Does it have something to do with the scouts the messenger was talking about?" she asked.
He nodded. "Yes. It’s a matter I have to look into as soon as possible."
He turned then to face her fully, and just like that, the sternness in his expression softened.
That simple shift made something flutter in her chest.
"How long will you be away?" she asked quietly.
"Not long, if everything goes according to plan."
She almost asked what would happen if things didn’t go according to plan, but the question remained lodged in her throat.
There was no point in putting negativity into the world.
Ragnar crossed the space between them without a word.
Before she could think of what to say, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Like it was something they always did.
Circe froze. For a moment, her mind went blank.
The forehead kiss was such a small gesture compared to what had happened between them the night before, and yet under the clear light of morning, it felt so much more intimate. So much more real.
Her heart fluttered wildly as he straightened and stepped away. She didn’t speak until after he had left the room, his footsteps fading down the hall.
Only then did she exhale, the silence of the room pressing in on her.
She rushed through getting dressed, trying to quiet her racing thoughts, but the moment she was done, her feet carried her to one place without thinking.
Nieah’s room.
Once she was in front of the door, Circe lifted her hand and began knocking, perhaps a bit too urgently.
It was still quite early, but that didn’t stop the manor from bustling with activity, staff flitting about as they attended to their morning duties.
For a brief moment, Circe wondered if Nieah was even inside. She might have already risen and gone to work.
But the door swung open moments later, revealing a neatly dressed Nieah standing in the doorway, surprise flickering across her face.
Circe stepped back, anxiety knotting in her chest. Seeing Nieah there brought all her tangled emotions rushing back. The confusion, the nerves, the heat of last night replaying in vivid bursts behind her eyes.
"Oh, Your Highness," Nieah said with a quick bow. "Can I help you with anything?"
Circe opened her mouth, closed it again, then groaned softly. "Can I come inside? I promise it won’t take long."
All she needed was someone to talk to, someone to help her make sense of this chaos inside her.
Nieah had proven herself an excellent listener, and despite Circe’s initial reluctance toward her, she had begun to see Nieah as something close to a friend.
She was almost certain Nieah felt the same.
Nieah blinked, startled by the request, but quickly stepped aside. "Of course, please come in."
She shut the door behind them as Circe stepped into the modest-sized room. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
It was tidy, with sparse furnishings. A bed was tucked beneath the window, a simple wooden chest at its foot, and a single table by the wall with a vase of fresh lavender and an empty high-backed chair.
Everything about it was humble, yet warmly kept, much like Nieah herself.
"Did something happen?" Nieah asked, worry already creeping into her tone. "Did you hurt yourself again?"
"I’m fine. I’m not hurt," Circe said with a sigh, gathering her courage. Then, before she could second-guess herself, she blurted, "I kissed him."
Nieah froze, blinking in confusion. "What?"
Circe’s uncertainty surged back tenfold. She hadn’t felt this nervous when Ragnar had drawn her onto his lap and kissed her senseless, so why did saying it aloud make her heart race this wildly?
"I kissed Ragnar last night," she said in a rush. "And now I don’t know how to feel about it."
