Chapter 128. Just one night...
Eventually, I finished the last crumbs of bread and downed the remaining soup in a single swig. The warmth spread through my chest, easing the tension I didn’t know I’d been carrying.
Kael had also emptied her bowl, wiping her mouth with a neatly folded handkerchief—an unexpectedly graceful gesture for someone dressed like a mercenary.
Evelyn, meanwhile, was still munching slowly on her bread, eyes flicking between me and Kael with a mixture of suspicion and irritation.
A smirk tugged at my lips.
Time to poke the dragon again.
Leaning slightly toward Kael, I lowered my voice just enough to let it curl between us like smoke. "So, Kael... would you mind accompanying me upstairs?"
She paused mid-wipe, eyes narrowing a bit as if uncertain she heard me right. The surprise hit her quick and sharp—she even coughed, caught off guard.
But then her eyes gleamed, lips curling into a mischievous smile. "My, oh my. I didn’t think boys from outside Opalcrest had balls. I figured you were all polite little puppies, a bunch of pussies."
I tilted my head, letting my voice dip into something darker—mocking, confident, and just a little suggestive. "I like to beat pussy too, you know."
She blinked, confusion flashing in her eyes. The double meaning flew right over her head. But Evelyn choked on her bread.
I didn’t bother clarifying. Let her stew in the ambiguity. I stood up casually, stretched with deliberate slowness, and made my way toward the stairs—ignoring the murmurs of nearby women and Evelyn’s sharp glare.