Chapter 174: Twilight Reflections
The sky was growing late, the twilight deepening.
After playing all day, Phoebe and Ray bid farewell to Bamboo and the others and set off on the path back to Ragunna.
On the path returning, Phoebe and Ray walked side by side, their fingers interlaced.
The young woman's steps were light as a fawn in the forest. The cool breeze brushed her flushed cheeks but couldn't dispel the sweet, uncontainable smile at the corners of her eyes and brows.
Though their relationship had already crossed the line of friendship, perhaps due to Phoebe's reserved and gentle nature, even now she still, out of shyness, didn't dare make further requests. She only occasionally created small, affectionate touches as they walked.
Ray indulged these little gestures.
He knew Phoebe's personality well, so he didn't call her out on them.
Though...
a shy Phoebe was very cute, he could let her relax a little sometimes.
Phoebe would occasionally hum fragments of hymns learned in the Order of the Deep, her voice soft as a dream, scattering into the deepening dusk.
This homeward journey seemed much shorter than the way there.
When the lights of Ragunna began to glow in the distance, Phoebe unconsciously slowed her pace, holding his hand tighter, as if that could make this hard-won tenderness last a little longer before night fell.
"Mr. Ray."
Ray turned to see the young woman with her head slightly bowed, a thin blush on her cheeks in the twilight, looking as nervous as if she had done something wrong.
"What's wrong?"
A brief silence flowed between them, only the rustle of footsteps on the dusk path.
Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she lifted her head. Those violet eyes were full of unease and struggle.
"What about you and Miss Carlotta..." Her voice was as light as a breeze, almost dissipating into the night. "If she finds out... won't she be really angry?"
When the happy, joyful moments faded, the young woman was left to face the harsh reality.
The guilt briefly forgotten now wrapped around her still-celebrating heart like thorns.
She gazed at their clasped hands. The warmth of that touch was real enough to make her heart ache.
Ray's acceptance had once made her heart light, almost ready to take flight. But after the joy settled, what crystallized inside were even more complex emotions.
She knew better than anyone between Ray and Miss Carlotta, her own late-coming feelings, no matter how you looked at it, had an element of stealing someone else's love.
An acolyte who had listened to the Sentinel's teachings since childhood and upheld kindness should have extinguished this unwanted affection with her own hands.
And indeed, she had countless times told herself in the dead of night: stop here, Phoebe.
The dam of reason was built, then collapsed.
Every time she resolved to stay away, it all crumbled the moment she saw him.
It only took an unconscious glance from him, a casual greeting, and all her carefully constructed resolve would melt like spring snow, falling apart.
When this feeling had begun no longer mattered.
What mattered was, she liked him.
That was an undeniable fact.
This feeling was rash yet real, carrying an undeniable weight that heavily crushed all hesitation and guilt.
"The Second Young Miss..." Ray lifted his head, gazing at the gradually emerging stars. "That is indeed tricky. But it's okay. Since I've chosen to hold your hand, it means I'm ready to take responsibility for everything. I won't let go of either you or the Second Miss."
This bold declaration warmed her heart, slightly diluting the guilt in Phoebe's heart, though only a little.
She pressed her hand lightly to her chest, as if that could calm her restless heart, her voice still hesitant. "But... the Sentinel taught us that one can only have one partner in a lifetime. Wouldn't doing this be..."
"Rules are fixed, but people are living." Ray turned, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Phoebe, have you read knight novels?"
"Knight novels?" Phoebe paused, thinking carefully. "I have read some... why?"
"Since you've read them, you should remember that those great knights, while fighting evil and saving the world, always had many admiring female admirers around them, right?"
"Huh, did they?" Phoebe blinked in confusion. "I don't remember that in the stories..."
"You must not have read enough." Ray cleared his throat and continued expounding his theory in a serious tone. "Anyway, how many girls surround a person doesn't determine their worth. What really matters is their character. For example, Phoebe, do you think I'm a bad person?"
Phoebe shook her head without hesitation. "Of course not."
"There you go." Ray spread his hands, an expression of pure sincerity on his face. "Not only am I not a bad person, I've helped many people. So the Sentinel will surely understand us."
"Huh, is that so..."
Phoebe frowned slightly, her fingers unconsciously twirling a strand of hair. She felt something was off about his reasoning, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
After a moment, she murmured softly.
"But... it still feels wrong."
"That's just your imagination." Ray continued gently. "Or is Phoebe saying she wants to part ways with me?"
"...Mm." A flicker of panic passed through the young woman's eyes. She gripped his hand a little tighter, closed her eyes, and shook her head, answering in a weak voice, "No."
"Then that's settled." Ray said firmly. "People should face their desires head-on! For example..."
He spoke as he gently cupped Phoebe's soft little face in his hands.
"Right now, I want to 'bully' Phoebe again."
"M-Mr. Ray, don't..." The young woman's voice trembled slightly, her gaze flitting nervously to the distant lights of the city. "We're almost back to Ragunna. What if someone sees..."
"It's fine. No one will notice."
"Th-Then just one kiss... and no tongue! It's dirty!"
"How can that be? Actually, Phoebe's saliva tastes sweet."
Ray didn't wait for any more protests. He tilted her chin up and captured her lips in a deep, lingering kiss.
Phoebe's breath hitched against his mouth, her small hands instinctively clutching the front of his shirt. At first she tried to keep it chaste, but his tongue gently coaxed her lips apart anyway, sliding inside to taste her with slow, deliberate strokes. She whimpered softly into the kiss, her body melting against his as he sucked on her tongue the way he knew made her weak.
The sweet, warm flavor of her filled his mouth, and he groaned quietly, one hand sliding down to rest at the small of her back, pulling her closer.
"Mm... Mr. Ray..." she gasped when he finally pulled back just enough for her to breathe, her lips shiny and swollen, a thin strand of saliva still connecting them. Her cheeks were burning crimson, but she didn't push him away.
...
...
Ragunna.
Phrolova spent the entire day in the silent room, she was already used to being alone.
Ray had gone out early in the morning. Where, she neither knew nor cared to ask.
Where else could he go?
He was probably occupied with some salvation that had nothing to do with her, carrying the burdens of strangers on his shoulders, things that had nothing to do with him, yet he put more weight on them than anything else.
Or...
he was on a date with some other girl.
Fresh from the bath, Phrolova wore only a loosely wrapped towel.
Water droplets slid down her pale, flawless skin, tracing slow, glistening paths over the graceful curves of her breasts, the flat plane of her stomach, and the smooth flare of her hips before disappearing down her long, toned legs.
Her nipples, still tight from the cool air, pressed visibly against the thin towel. Barefoot across the cold floor, the droplets continued to roll down her bare legs as she moved with quiet grace, making herself a cup of black coffee.