The bath water had long stopped steaming by the time he relaxed. Candles flickered softly across the bathroom casting shadows on the walls. The light crystals had been dimmed to create an ambience.

The bathing pool was large enough to hold ten people but somehow it felt smaller, more comfortable, and warmer tonight.

Lilith sat behind Atheline with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, carefully combing her fingers through white strands of his wet hair. The strands slipped through her fingers like silk.

Usually, he carried himself with excessive energy or sharp like a blade but once in a while he was as he was tonight.

He looked tired.

His eyes remained closed as he leaned back against the edge of the bath between her spread legs, one arm dropped lazily across the stone beside her.

"You seem to have lost weight, " she said, breaking the silence.

Atheline leaned his head back and met her scrutinising gaze.

"I’ve only been gone for three days," he reassured her," I never skipped a meal."

Her eyes narrowed. " You still lost weight."

A small laugh escaped him at her insistence," It seems your cooks have spoilt me."

"They have. Intentionally."

She dipped the cloth into the warm water before gently wiping dirt from the side of his neck. There were faint cuts, but they all seem to be healing on their own.

Her fingers paused over one.

"You were hurt," she calmly said.

Atheline looked to the front.

"Barely," he jokingly added," You should see the others, they seem to have missed part of their bodies. "

She did not look impressed. Her hand tightened around his hair slightly.

"You’re terrible at reassurance."

"I returned alive, didn’t I?"

She poured a small cup of water on his head in spite. His eyes fell closed.

"That’s the bare minimum expected from you."

He opened one eye slightly, glancing back at her.

"Harsh."

She didn’t respond.

"I’ll always come back alive," he said," I’ll keep telling you that every day if you want. I have nowhere I would want to be other than here."

She clicked her tongue softly, but the corner of her lips betrayed her.

For a while, only the sound of water echoed between them. Her hands softly massaged any tension, as she subtly motioned for Atheline to shift whenever she needed to move to the next muscle.

"I feel like a king now," Atheline said, breaking the comfortable silence, "I would die a happy man in your arms."

A small sound left her lips. Atheline glanced up at her, smiling.

"Light... you’re beautiful."

"I know," she flatly replied.

Atheline gave her a flat look. She smiled back at him.

"Aren’t you narcissistic?"

Her hand pressed harder on his shoulder muscles.

"Between the two of us, you’re the most narcissistic."

"Well, you liked my face first didn’t you?"

She clicked on that. He wasn’t wrong, his face was the first thing that had attracted her to him before she came to understand him fully.

Now, he was her whole world.

Her hand paused at the small line on his chest. Atheline flinched slightly at her touch. She pressed down harder and he caught her arm.

"How did you get this scar?" She demanded, she hadn’t looked at him fully in the dim room when he undressed.

Atheline had indeed hidden the scar from her during the whole undressing process.

"Tell me! Who hurt you? Who dares to mark your skin, I’m the only one supposed to leave a mark."

Atheline linked both there hands. He finally exhaled slowly.

"... Actually it was a bit more challenging than expected."

Her hand loosened but he didn’t let go.

"The competition?"

He nodded. " And the forest itself."

His voice lowered slightly as if remembering it too clearly.

"I hadn’t expected there to be really strong and interesting participants. You had described it as boring and I went in with that view," he mummbled.

He knew it was his fault. He always forgot Lilith was a walking cheat in this world.

"I enjoyed looking at the rankings. There were strong participants I had never heard of that just rose out of nowhere, " he glanced at her," you should recruit some of the unaffiliated ones, it doesn’t hurt."

"Stop going around, get to the topic," she said, cutting his roundabout speeches.

"I learnt something disturbing," he quietly said," There is someone named The Protector. Have you heard of him?"

She nodded. "I’m not really sure but from my investigation, they’re related to my brother’s revival."

Atheline frowned slightly.

"I got the scar from one of his minions," he said and paused.

"Who?"

"I was attacked by Gladia kingdom prince. Prince Igrad, you’ve heard of him right, he’s quite famous. They call him the flame prince."

Lilith was quiet for a moment." Yes, I think I’ve heard of him. Neill’s first child, he was supposed to take the throne after his corrupt father, " she dismissively said, but her eyes said otherwise.

"He suddenly attacked me out of nowhere, saying that the protector promised his kingdom a lot of treasures if he could kill me..."

Atheline wrapped his hand around her thigh to prevent her from standing up. The temperature in the room dropped faster than he had expected.

"Listen," he whispered," let me finish."

She was quiet for a moment then sighed.

"Fine."

"Thank you," he said then continued," he suddenly attacked me, but I can say it brought more advantage than disadvantage. I advanced during his fight. This mark was sort of a careless mistake on my part. Do not worry, I brought his body to you." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"The phenomenal in the forest was you and him right?" She asked quietly.

Atheline nodded." Yes, I tried to emulate his technique at that time."

She nodded slightly. At this point, she had stopped her massage.

"Did it have any effect on you?" She worriedly asked.

"Just a little. "

A tired chuckle left him before he tilted his head slightly further back against her thighs.

"He was insane."

Now that earned her attention.

"You’re still praising the man who tried to kill you."