Chapter 165: The Village Market
Soleia sat in the parlor, her fingers intertwined together as she stared at the coffee table in front of her. The fireplace crackled, its heat gentle, blowing away the last wisps of cold left over. She waited alone for Ralph to show up.
His second bath — for whatever reason he needed it — took way longer than Soleia had expected. She had long changed into the fresh set of clothing he had brought her. It was a simple cotton dress, warm enough for the colder winds once evening arrived, but cool and breezy enough to battle the sunlight during the afternoon. More than that, it was a perfect outfit for her to blend in with the crowd.
During the time he was gone, she had found herself some parchment, a quill, and a pot of ink, and had begun to pen down her letter to Princess Nessa. Now, she just needed to wait for Ralph to return before she could ask him where she might be able to send out her mail.
"I’m sorry to keep you waiting," Ralph’s voice came from behind her, and Soleia immediately shot up from her seat to look at him.
He, too, had changed into a simpler set of clothing― it was a loose poet’s shirt that revealed his chest, tucked into a dark pair of trousers and paired with a pair of boots. His carnelian necklace was still hanging from his neck, the only pop of color in his otherwise plain outfit.
Seeing his revealed chest, heat quickly bloomed across Soleia’s cheeks as she recalled the look of his naked body. She had spent such a long time trying to wipe it clean from her memory, but just the sight of Ralph was enough to remind her of all the ridges and valleys of his sculpted figure, glistening with a thin layer of dew―
"Are you alright, Princess?" Ralph asked, quickly snapping her from her thoughts. She stiffened, feeling as guilty as a child who was caught with their hands in the cookie jar past midnight. "You’re awfully red."
"I... I-I’m fine, just feeling a little... h-hot due to the fireplace..." Soleia tried to say, only to stutter and stumble across her words.
Ralph closed the distance between them all too easily with his long strides, stopping only once he was standing right in front of her. Without warning, he placed one hand on her waist to steady her, while the other was pressed against her forehead.