309. Distance Between Affection
Ravenna’s Study, Lord’s Castle, Kim City, Kim Dukedom, Ancorna Empire
“I see... So that’s why these headlines were printed,” Marie whispered, nodding slowly as she sat opposite Ravenna. She had just finished explaining the intricate planning and the ruse that had led to this moment. Marie nervously glanced at the newspaper in her lap, her fingers curling around the edges of the paper. After a few seconds of heavy silence, she looked up and asked, “But... are you alright, Master?”
“Huh?” Ravenna was taken aback by the question, the sharp edge of her composure softening for a fleeting second. She quickly recovered, offering a rehearsed smile. “I’m fine, Marie. I didn’t exactly have a sterling relationship with my father anyway.”
“Even so... he was still your father, right?” Marie asked, her expression turning somber, her young heart unable to fathom such a cold detachment.
“Now, now, get going. It’s time for your lessons,” Ravenna said, briskly changing the subject. She leaned forward, adding a more encouraging note: “Once your studies are finished for the day, I’ll pray to Herptian to finally uncover your what the blessing is. We weren't able to complete the rite last time, were we?”
“Yes! I’ll be back as soon as I’m finished, Master!” Marie chirped, her giggle returning as she scurried out of the room with her usual energy.
As soon as the door clicked shut, the mask Ravenna wore crumbled. She let out a long, shuddering sigh and turned her chair toward the window, staring out at the rhythmic, waves crashing on the horizon.
Alice arrived a few moments later, stepping into the room with a ledger in hand. “Your Highness, the preparations for the funeral of the troops lost in the dungeon and offensive attack incident are complete.”
There was no reply. Ravenna remained motionless, a silhouette against the sea.
Concerned by the unnatural stillness, Alice walked up behind her and gently shook her shoulder. When Ravenna turned her head, Alice was startled to see a profound, sorrowful look in her eyes, one that hadn't been there even during when she was exiled.
“Ravenna...” Alice whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace.
“It seems that even after everything... I still held some affection for him as my father,” Ravenna said, her voice cracking as she buried her face in Alice’s shoulder. “He... he never once even gave me a simple birthday wish, yet...”
She couldn't help it. Just as it had been when her mother passed, tears began to fall, hot and uncontrollable.
“How... how can I shed tears for a man who pitted his own children against each other like beasts in a cage?” she sobbed, clutching Alice’s dress as the dam finally broke.
Alice offered a sad, knowing smile, stroking Ravenna’s hair with a rhythmic, maternal tenderness. “No matter what he did, he was your father, Ravenna. It’s only human to care for your family, even when they’ve hurt you.” She let out a soft chuckle, trying to lighten the heavy air. “It’s been a long time since you cried in my arms like this, hasn’t it?”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
A heavy silence settled over the study as the dark shadows in Ravenna’s heart slowly began to recede, calmed by the familiar warmth of her oldest friend and her chosen elder sister.
Eventually, Alice stepped out of the study and caught the eye of a passing maid. “Go and ask Lady Laila to visit Her Highness immediately,” she commanded.
Alice walked down the corridor with renewed purpose, her mind already shifting to the logistics of the coming days. “Maybe delaying the troops' funeral until the day after tomorrow would be a better idea,” she muttered to herself. “Dealing with so much death all at once is more than her heart should have to bear.”
After fifteen minutes the heavy, mahogany door of the study creaked open as Laila stepped inside. The air was thick with the scent of sea salt and fading incense. Ravenna was slumped in her high-backed chair, her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Even in the dimming light, the redness around her lids was unmistakable: a rare, vulnerable mark left by a grief she had never usually shown.
Laila didn’t say a word at first. She moved with the quiet grace of someone who knew every corner and every mood of this room’s master. She crossed the floor and hopped onto the edge of the large desk, her fingers reaching out to tenderly caress Ravenna’s cheek.
“She called for you?” Ravenna asked, her voice raspy, barely a whisper. She didn't open her eyes, but she leaned into the touch, her body seeking the grounding heat of another person. Laila’s hand didn't stay on her face for long; it wandered downward, tracing the line of Ravenna’s chest and her silk shirt.
“So… I shouldn’t have come?” Laila teased softly, her voice a low vibration in the quiet study.
The response was immediate. Ravenna’s eyes snapped open, blazing with a sudden, sharp intensity that replaced the sorrow. She grabbed Laila’s wrist with surprising strength, leaning forward and pushing her back onto the tabletop, pinning her among the scattered maps and legal decrees.
“You are my possession, Laila,” Ravenna murmured, her face inches from the other girl’s. “Never the other way around.”
She didn't wait for a reply. She buried her face in the crook of Laila’s neck, her kisses frantic and hungry, as if trying to consume the comfort she so desperately needed. Laila let out a soft gasp, her arms winding around Ravenna’s shoulders while her legs instinctively wrapped around the Duchess’s waist, pulling her closer into the small space between them.
“Are you feeling better now?” Laila managed to ask, her breath hitching as Ravenna’s lips moved from her neck to the sensitive skin of her shoulder.
“That remains to be seen,” Ravenna replied against her skin. With a deft, practiced flick of her fingers, she began to undress Laila, the fabric of her gown sliding away to reveal the warm glow of her skin in the twilight.
“Wait! Here? In the study?” Laila stammered, her heart racing as she looked at the door.
“This isn’t the Imperial Palace, Laila. There is no one to stop me,” Ravenna said, silencing any further protest by capturing Laila’s mouth in a deep, possessive kiss.
The grief of the morning was pushed back, replaced by the electric friction of skin on skin and the desperate need to feel alive in the face of death. As the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, casting long, amber shadows across the room, the two figures moved from the desk to the soft leather sofa. The world outside ceased to exist. There was only the heat of the moment and the rhythmic, low sounds of two souls intertwined.
The orange glow of the sunset eventually faded into a deep, bruised purple. A soft, hesitant knock sounded at the door, breaking the spell.
“Your Highness? The evening has settled. We are here to clean the study for the night,” a maid’s muffled voice called out from the hallway.
Inside, the two girls remained on the sofa, naked and hopelessly entwined in the shadows. Ravenna didn't answer. She only tightened her hold on Laila, pulling the blonde girl back down for another kiss, making it clear that the world would simply have to wait.