TYWS Chapter 34
AN: Hey, sorry for this chapter being a bit late! I've suddenly gotten quite busy! Sadly, this means that for the next one or two weeks I'm probably only going to be able to put out a chapter at a time, but then after that it'll be back to two a week, I promise~!
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Siffia sat there, staring bewildered at the scene that had just transpired in front of her. For all that Margrave Mescal had just been acting the part of a jovial overbearing father, Siffia had heard tale after tale of his bravery and martial prowess while growing up, just as everyone had; After all, one does not continue to hold the title of ‘Margrave’ without having impressive enough abilities to keep it. That’s precisely why it was downright astonishing that Eris was able to so easily remove him from the room with him struggling against her so much, no matter how incredible of an omega she might be.
-But it also made it quite understandable why Eris was stuck panting against the door for so long afterwards.
“Um…”
Siffia slowly got up from her seat, picking up a long forgotten glass of water and bringing it over to Eris.
“Is… Is everything alright, Lady Eris?”
She hadn’t forgotten Eris’s words, saying that her entire family seemed to have a problem with her. From the moment that the Margrave entered, Siffia had been watchful, prepared to shelter Eris from her father’s violence just as Eris had done for her, no matter the cost.
However, she’d never expected the teasing tone and showers of praise that had come from his mouth. It didn’t align at all with how she’d thought their first meeting might go.
Though she could tell that much of it had been said with the intention to get a rise out of his daughter, it certainly didn’t seem as if any of it came from anything close to malice.
As Siffia stood there worrying, Eris sighed and finally straightened herself up from her slump against the door, quietly accepting the offered drink from Siffia before downing a gulp of it in one swift motion. Thankfully, Eris’s face seemed a bit more composed afterwards, although a slight hint of embarrassment still seemed to hang amongst her features.
“...I apologize for my father’s… uncouth behavior. I assure you that he meant nothing untoward by it.”
Surprised by the sudden apology, Siffia immediately flapped her hands in panic.
“Ah no, I didn’t think anything of the sort, I swear! He, um… Your father seemed quite… er…”
Seemingly noticing Siffia’s nervous consideration, Eris let a small chuckle and smile slip, taking a moment to admire her quiet kindness once more.
“Yes, he is indeed ‘quite’.”
As if remembering something, Eris’s tender expression slowly fell, becoming somewhat more sharp and perhaps exhausted. With yet another sigh, she finally moved away from the door, sitting down on what was once Siffia’s side of the couch, placing down the cup she’d been given, and patting the spot next to her as if signalling for Siffia to join her.
Of course, Siffia readily obliged, eagerly gazing at her once she reached the specified place.
“Well-”
Eris opened her mouth naturally to speak to Siffia, but for some reason she couldn’t get past the first words. She opened and closed her mouth several times, just about to say something, and yet nothing, not even a single syllable, ever came out. Noticing Eris’s face becoming more and more gloomy each time this happened, Siffia finally worked up her courage once more, placing her hand on top of Eris’s and giving it a soft squeeze.
“...It’s okay. There’s no need to rush; I’ll stay right here with you until you’re ready.”
“...”
Eris stared blankly at their overlapping hands for a short while, her eyes slightly wider than normal. And when her gaze eventually managed to swim upwards and look into Siffia’s caring and considerate gaze, Eris abruptly collapsed backwards against the couch. Her head lolled back along the backrest, and her free hand came up to loosely cover her eyes, as if to shield them from something.
“...That damned kindness of yours… I don’t know what to do every time I see it, but especially not… now.”
“Ah-”
Although it took her a beat, Siffia’s mind eventually finished processing what Eris had said, causing her to jump as it came to its conclusion.
She was certain that Eris must be angry, thinking that Siffia was ‘pitying’ her.
“N-No! I didn’t mean-!”
Siffia attempted to move her hand away, worried that it might only be making Eris feel worse. However, before she could even manage to take her hand even a finger’s breadth away, Eris had already grabbed hold of it. From the loose cover of her hand over her face, one of Eris’s deep red irises could be seen shining through the cracks, piercing its gaze precisely onto Siffia, even from the slumped position that she was still in.
It felt so intense that Siffia could only hold her breath and freeze in response, as if something might just happen if she were to move even a single bit more.
“You…”
After staring at her deeply for a while longer, Eris suddenly sighed and changed her posture, turning sideways from the position she’d been in, now resting her cheek on her shoulder along the couch’s backrest instead. It was a terribly sloppy pose, one that Siffia would never have expected the proper and refined Eris to ever allow herself to be seen in.
It was a pose that abandoned her usual commanding visage, instead making her look young and vulnerable… and so terribly cute.
“...You always seem to make me act so unlike myself, Lady Siffia.”
Siffia’s eyes felt as if they might turn into rocks from how hard they were straining. As if trying to save this picture permanently into her memory, her gaze took in every last detail that it could. The soft looking Eris. The vulnerable looking Eris. The cute looking Eris. The adorable looking Eris.
It was only when she felt the saliva that was pooling in her mouth threaten to spill over that she realized that her mouth had been agape the entire time that she’d been staring. Of course, she straightened herself up immediately and tried to subtly wipe away anything that might have escaped, but knowing that Eris’s eyes had also been pinned on her the entire time, it was impossible that she hadn’t been seen acting foolishly.
“Ah, er, L-Lady Eris, I… E-Excuse me!”
A giant red blush of embarrassment was only to be expected in the situation. Siffia tried to fan herself in the hopes of getting the pesky blush to go away more quickly, but it only served to make Eris chuckle instead.
“Hmm, no, the fault lies with me as well; I was the one who showed an odd sight of myself first.”
“Oh, no, that’s not at all-!”
Siffia tried to refute Eris’s words, but Eris had already swiftly straightened herself out again, once more sitting properly in her seat, her usual stern expression once more placed upon her countenance.
“No no, do not try to tell me otherwise like this when I am correct.”
However, when her gaze that had been briefly turned frontwards as she’d straightened herself once more returned to Siffia’s panicked face, it seemed to lose a bit of its disciplined sharpness, becoming slightly more tender and affectionate.
“As I said before, I’m more than aware of how different I can become around you.”
Siffia immediately froze once more, her eyes widening so much that one might worry that her eyeballs might pop out at any second. It was only by the grace of her previous horrible embarrassment that she was able to keep her mouth from gaping as well this time. She wanted horribly to reply to the sweet words. She’d been too shocked by the amazing scene that she’d witnessed before to think properly, but now that she was hearing it a second time, all kinds of thoughts rocketed through Siffia’s head, desperate to be expressed. They fought each other for the right to come out, going round and round inside of her mind. The desire to tell Eris that she felt the same way was great, but the building need to confess her feelings for her was also battling for its right to come out. And then there was the will to shout out and tell Eris that she’d been wrong, that she didn’t at all dislike how she’d just been acting, and that actually she’d-
“...To repay you for the poor showing I’ve made you witness today, I’d like to tell you a small secret that I’ve been holding onto.”
-Sadly, before Siffia could manage to choose what to say, Eris had already made the next move.