Free Web NovelChapter 298: Chapter 298
Moments later, the carriage lurched forward. For a few seconds, the only sound between them was the rhythmic sway of the carriage and the faint creak of wood.
"I hope the queen didn’t give you much trouble while I was away," Ragnar said at last, his tone light and casual, though his eyes searched her face intently.
"Not at all," Circe replied. "On the contrary, I was the one who caused the most trouble today."
She folded her hands neatly in her lap and met his gaze head-on. Her fingers didn’t tremble, not even slightly, which was no small feat given what she had done. She looked as composed as she ever had. Her posture was straight, her expression serene.
Ragnar frowned, his brows knitting together.
"What do you mean?" he asked as the carriage rocked gently beneath them.
"They can search all they like," Circe said evenly. "They will not find her, at least, not alive. I killed Irah. Her body is in the forest as we speak, hopefully already being torn apart by wild animals... though one can only hope."
Her voice didn’t waver. She spoke the words plainly, without triumph or regret, as though she were reading out what someone else had written.
A heavy silence fell between them.
Ragnar said nothing. He turned his gaze away from her and looked out the carriage window instead, his jaw tightening as the scenery blurred past. Circe watched him carefully, acutely aware that this was no small thing to hear. Irah had once been a destructive force in his life and now she was simply... gone.
It was a lot to take in. Circe allowed him the space to process it.
"Did you do it because of what I told you?" Ragnar asked finally. When he looked back at her, there was something in his eyes she couldn’t immediately decipher. At first, it resembled apprehension.
"I promised, didn’t I?" Circe said softly. "Irah will never get the chance to hurt another child ever again."
Something shifted in him then.
A warm smile slowly spread across Ragnar’s face. He leaned forward and took her hands in his, his grip gentle yet reverent. He pressed a tender kiss to each of her knuckles.
"Then I’m glad," he said quietly.
There was a raw vulnerability in his expression as he held her gaze. "Thank you, for doing what I never had the courage to do. But I love you, and I worry that what you did may put your life in danger."
There it was again.
Those words.
They sent a familiar coursing warmth down her spine. A soft tender feeling bloomed in her chest.
"My life has always been at risk," Circe replied honestly. "From the moment you brought me into this kingdom as a prisoner... then when you made me your wife. It doesn’t matter how careful we are, or how much we try to avoid the queen’s wrath. Those who wish us harm will always strike first, regardless."
She exhaled slowly. "But today was different. Today, I wasn’t waiting to be attacked. I was the aggressor for once and it felt incredible." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
She didn’t soften the truth or sugarcoat it. They had been lucky so far, surviving every attempt against them with minimal damage but luck was a fragile thing. If they truly wanted to survive what was coming, they couldn’t remain on the defensive forever.
"So what do you suggest we do when Nheera discovers Irah’s body?" Ragnar asked. "She won’t let this go."
Circe noticed the way he said ’we’.
A fuzzy feeling unfurled inside her. He was already shouldering her burden as his own, just as he always did, so instinctively it had become second nature. Her problems were his, and his were hers now. This kind of unconditional support was something she wasn’t used to.
"We attend the celebration tonight," Circe said calmly. "We dine with your family and the nobles, and we behave as though nothing is amiss. You were in the forest with witnesses who can vouch for your innocence. As for me..." A faint smile curved her lips. "I killed Irah with magic—magic the queen does not know I possess. She would never suspect a lowly human like myself of wielding such power."
For once, Nheera’s tendency to underestimate humans might work in Circe’s favor.
The evening celebrations passed without incident.
Though they were keenly aware that search parties were likely still combing through the forest searching for Irah, neither Circe nor Ragnar allowed it to show. They played their parts flawlessly, laughing when appropriate, conversing politely, moving through the hall with practiced ease. Not once did their composure crack.
And when the celebration finally came to an end, they left the palace without a backwards glance.
The carriage door had barely swung shut when Ragnar pulled Circe onto his lap and kissed her deeply like he’d wanted ever since she walked toward him with that sweet, knowing smile of hers.
"I love you," he said softly. "I fear that no matter how often I say it, it may never be enough."
Then his expression shifted, the tenderness in his eyes hardening into something resolute. He lifted her chin slightly so she could not look away from him.
"Hear me when I say this," he continued. "It does not matter what happens from here on out. It does not matter if the truth is discovered, I will protect you from all harm, just as you have protected so many others with what you did today."
He would do anything to ensure her safety, no matter the cost. No matter how many laws he had to break, or how many people he had to kill. He would do it all without hesitation.
He would do anything to ensure her safety.
And if the moment came when blame needed to be shouldered, he would take it gladly. He would stand in her place, suffer the queen’s wrath in her stead, and let them all condemn him if it meant she remained untouched. That was how much he loved her.
