The long dining table was a tapestry of steam and color, a sharp, delightful contrast to the austere halls I'd grown used to. As I took my seat, I found myself flanked by the two people who had fundamentally shifted my world… Snow to my left, her presence cool and commanding, and White to my right, her warmth radiating like a steady hearth.
I lifted my spoon, the silver catching the light of the chandelier, and took a generous bite of a rich, herb-crusted stew. The flavor was vibrant, savory, and deep… a world away from the metallic, hollow taste of the liver soup I'd been enduring. I let out a soft, involuntary sigh of genuine pleasure.
Nearby, a group of maids, Miera among them, had paused their duties, their eyes fixed on me.
They weren't whispering in the usual way of servants gossiping about a soldier; they were looking at me with a mix of wonder and hesitant admiration.
"She... she really is the Hero of the Ravine, look at her. The maid's uniform, the braids... she looks like a servant, not a warrior covered in blood."
One of the younger maids whispered, her voice carrying clearly in the quiet room.
I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, but I didn't reach for my neck to hide the scar, nor did I shrink back into the shadows. I looked up, offering them a small, amused smile.
"The dress is a bit different from my armor, but I've found that a bit of my maid lace is far more comfortable than a steel breastplate. And as for the braids… Well, credit belongs to a friend. I've decided that being a hero doesn't mean I have to look like I'm constantly ready for a funeral."
I replied, my voice steady,
The maids giggled, their expressions softening. It was a strange, liberating feeling…being seen as me rather than just the weapon or the monster.
Beside me, White chuckled, her hand resting briefly on my arm.
"You wear it better than any of us, Roxy."
Suddenly, White shifted in her chair, a slight frown crossing her face. She leaned in toward me, lowering her voice.
"Forgive me, Roxy. The journey and the excitement have caught up with me. I need to step away for a moment. I need to take a leak!"
She stood up gracefully, smoothing her dress.
"Don't let them have all the pheasant before I get back,"
White added with a wink before walking toward the arched doorway.
I watched her go, a flicker of protectiveness stirring in my chest, but then I looked at the empty chair beside me. For the first time, I wasn't just a guard or a companion…I was a guest. I turned back to my plate, and was ready to eat.
Suddenly, Cassius slipped in, sat at White's seat and fully locked my eyes on him, I knew that he would tease me again.
"Greetings, my blushing rose."
"Hey Cassius, do you know White is sitting in the same chair you're sitting on?"
"Oh my blushing rose, I don't care about my sister. I only care about you, Roxy."
Cassius acting skills was one of the worst in the movie industry, he didn't even knew how flirting works, he just made up and call it a day. Then, Cassius brothers stared at me.
Calix was the first one to notice, he spit out his stew and began teasing me.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? I was just enjoying my stew… then the hero Roxy flirted around with my little brother."
Then Constantine added,
"In broad daylight, kids sure are troublesome these days."
As the two brothers burst out laughing and mocking me straightforwardly. Plasma decided to join in.
"Ah, look at you two. Take the chance, Roxy, raise a child under Cassius' name."
"You too, Plasma!"
"You two should be in good pair tonight, you two in bed, smooching, kissing and fucking."
"Shut up your pervert!"
The laughter in the room had become a physical weight, a thick, suffocating wall of noise. I could feel the brothers' eyes on me, sharp and expectant, waiting for me to break. They wanted a reaction, they wanted a show, and suddenly, a dangerous, impulsive thought crossed my mind:
"If they want a scene, I'll give them the most ridiculous performance they've ever seen."
I leaned back, smoothing out the lace of my Victorian-maid dress with a practiced, dramatic flourish. I turned toward Cassius, fixed a look of heavy-lidded, mock-affection on my face, and leaned into his personal space.
"Honestly, Cassius. Must you tease me? We've barely had a moment to ourselves since the battle, and here you are, parading our... lovebirds ... in front of your brothers."
I said, my voice thick with exaggerated, syrupy sweetness that didn't reach my eyes.
The table went deathly quiet.
Calix's fork clattered against his plate, his mouth hanging slightly open. Constantine, who had been mid-laugh, froze. Even the maids standing near the sideboard stopped their chores, their eyes wide as saucers. Snow, who had just returned to her seat, looked like she had been struck by lightning, her poised regalness momentarily shattered by the sheer absurdity of the statement.
I didn't blink. I kept the "smitten" mask on, though I was practically vibrating with the effort not to burst out laughing at their expressions.
But then, the air in the room shifted. It stopped being a lighthearted game of social chess and turned cold. The brothers weren't laughing anymore. They looked at Cassius, then at me, their faces tightening with a sudden, serious intensity. They clearly realized I was playing, but the way I was playing so brazenly, so convincingly, it seemed to have hit a nerve they hadn't expected.
Plasma seemed to be quiet as well, his mockery inside my head stopped as I said that.
Cassius, however, didn't back down. He didn't laugh. He looked at me, his gaze dropping to my lips and then back up to my eyes, his expression shifting into something far more predatory and focused. He reached out, his hand hovering over my wrist before settling firmly, possessively, on the back of my chair.
"You're a brave one, Roxy. Playing with fire like that, do you really want to see where that game leads?"
He said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous rumble that silenced the rest of the room.
He leaned down, his face inches from mine, and his eyes glinted with a mix of genuine amusement and something sharper, something that made my heart stutter for real this time.
"My beautiful, blushing rose," he whispered, the same hanging in the air like a taunt.
My performance faltered. The annoyance, which had been feigned, suddenly surged into real, stinging irritation. I shoved his shoulder, pulling away with a sharp huff, my face turning a genuine, furious shade of red.
"Ugh... not this again, I tried to play along, I really did, but you have absolutely no sense of restraint! Can we please, for the love of all that is holy, just finish our meal in silence?"
I groaned, throwing my hands up and dropping the act entirely.
I looked around the table. The brothers were still stunned, the maids were looking at their feet, and Snow looked like she was trying to decide whether to laugh or reprimand us all. I had won the battle of nerves, but looking at Cassius's smug, satisfied smirk, I knew I had definitely lost the war.
The heavy, arched doorway creaked as White glided back into the room. She paused, her regal posture impeccable, her eyes scanning the table where the air was thick with tension and heat.
"What is all the ruckus?"
White asked, her voice calm but carrying the authority of a queen.
I seized the moment, pushing my chair back with a sharp, desperate clatter.
"White, thank the gods! You wouldn't believe these three. I'm just trying to eat a decent meal, and Cassius here has decided that flirting with me is a full-time occupation. He's been teasing me for a minute, and his brothers are just as bad!"
I expected White to scold them. I expected her to put a stop to the foolishness and restore some semblance of order to my morning. Instead, a slow, playful smile spread across her face… a look I hadn't expected. She pulled her chair out and sat down, her gaze sliding from me to Cassius and back again.
"Oh, is that so?. I suppose I can see why he'd find it so difficult to focus on his meal. You do look particularly radiant this morning, Roxy. Perhaps Cassius is simply a man of good taste."
White murmured, her eyes dancing with hidden mischief. She leaned her chin on her hand, looking at me with a deceptively innocent expression
My jaw dropped.
"White! You're supposed to be on my side!"
"I am on the side of romance,"
She replied with a wink, effectively throwing me to the wolves.
"See? Even my sister sees it! You can't fight fate, Roxy. Maybe you should just admit that you've finally met your match."
Calix crowed, slamming his hand on the table in delight.
Constantine joined in, his voice smooth and taunting.
"She's already blushing again. Look at her ears, they're turning pink. It's almost like watching a flower bloom under the sun."
I felt the heat rising until I was sure I was practically glowing. My annoyance was sharp, I hated being the target, but beneath the frustration, a tiny, forbidden warmth blossomed in my chest. To be teased, to be noticed, to be surrounded by this chaotic, living family… It was a far cry from the cold, lonely path of an adventurer I had walked for so long.
"Ugh, you are all insufferable!" I muttered, though a reluctant smile twitched at the corners of my mouth.
"Insufferable, or just perceptive?"
Cassius leaned in, his voice a low, intimate hum that cut through the brothers' ribbing. He didn't look bothered by the noise at all; he looked like he was exactly where he wanted to be.
The manor, which had been so stiflingly quiet and somber just a day before, was now ringing with laughter and bickering. The heavy, formal atmosphere was completely gone, replaced by a rowdy, human mess of teasing and affection. I let out a long, dramatic sigh, picking up my fork again, but I didn't reach for my usual cold, defensive mask.
I was annoyed. I was embarrassed. But for the first time in an eternity, I wasn't alone.