Chapter 109: Conjunction
After a journey of about fifteen days, we finally reached a town in the far south of the Tamerid Empire, after passing through the southern mountain ranges and the Black Lake. This town was where Roxanne, the most wanted criminal in the Asina Kingdom at the moment, had been hiding. Fortunately, with Evangeline's help, we were able to conceal her here.
Roxanne had severed the arm of Prince Liam, the first prince of the Asina Kingdom, and had attempted to kill him, which was why she was being relentlessly hunted.
As I disembarked from the carriage, I was greeted by blue trees with thick foliage in front of me. The essence of these trees was highly poisonous, so I had to be cautious while moving forward. After all, this place was an unofficial yet effective natural boundary between the south and the north. That's why the clans a few dozen kilometers away from here couldn't expand northward.
This forest was a difficult place to attack because of the presence of both extremely dangerous animals and highly toxic plants like these blue trees. Of course, one could bypass this area by going around from the west, but since the south was historically divided into clans, there was a different clan in the west.
Moreover, the western clan would need to fight the Avarya Kingdom to advance north, and the Avarya Kingdom was an extremely powerful kingdom.
Although its former glory has faded in recent times, the Avarya Kingdom is still as strong as the Asina Kingdom. The Avarya Kingdom's lineage originally stemmed from the southern people, which might be why they were so adept at warfare. The previous Avarya king, the butcher king Duannur, had managed to defeat the Tamerid Empire in a pitched battle, forcing it into peace.
Of course, after the death of the old butcher king, the Avarya Kingdom had lived under the shadow of its former grandeur. Based on information from the servant guild, it would not be wrong to say that it was riddled with corrupt and decayed local officials, and the current king was said to be foolish and an alcoholic.
After all, if the current king of Avarya were a bit intelligent, he would recognize the threat posed by the newly established empire in the south and take measures against it. Fortunately, for now, the southern kingdom, or rather the soon-to-be southern empire, and the Asina Kingdom maintain good relations.
As I passed through the blue trees, I set aside my thoughts and looked at the small, mansion-like cabin in front of me. It was a rather pleasant cabin with spacious empty lands around it. It was enclosed by fences, so I had to jump over them. I was alone at the moment because I had told all my knights to leave a few hours before entering this forest.
From the outside, I must have looked like a strange and intimidating man suddenly appearing in the forest. I hoped that one of them would recognize me without causing any trouble. As I approached, a figure appeared at the cabin door, and from a distance, I could see that she was wearing a gray robe.
However, when the woman who saw me approached, she suddenly jumped up from her chair and ran towards me.
"Roxanne, what are you doing?!" came a woman's voice from inside, calling out to the person running towards me by name.
Smiling, I opened my arms and waited for the emerald-eyed girl to reach me. Within just a few seconds, she reached me very quickly and leapt into my arms with great force. Naturally, I fell to the ground along with her due to her sudden and unrelenting leap.
"Ethan!!!" But it seemed that Roxanne didn't even notice this.
"Hello…" I said, hugging her tightly.
Roxanne's tight embrace around my arms felt almost suffocating. Her breathlessness revealed her excitement and how much she had missed me. Despite not having seen each other for a long time, her emerald green eyes continued to reflect the intense passion within her. Her lips were trembling, but it was hard to tell if the trembling was because of joy or obsessive love.
Even though we didn't go all the way that night we spent together, Roxanne has been much bolder with me since that night.
"Ethan… you're finally here! I'll never let you go again. Never!" she whispered, her voice trembling on the edge of madness.
Roxanne's arms were so tight that I could barely move. Her obsessive love radiated from her eyes, and her face was almost so close that I could hardly breathe. I tried to place my hands on her shoulders to calm her, but every moment of contact seemed to make her cling even more tightly. Her obsessive nature seemed to destroy every boundary between us.
"Roxanne, let me breathe," I said with a slight smile. However, this simple request only seemed to make her even more frantic.
When Roxanne quickly pulled her arms away and took a step back, I saw the worry in her eyes. Although this sudden distance seemed to calm her a bit, she was still rubbing her hands nervously. Her eyes were a mix of madness and fear of losing me.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you," she said, her voice trembling. Her lips were quivering as she looked at me as if she wanted to hug me tightly again, but she held herself back. However, the expression on her face suggested that restraining herself was the hardest thing in the world for her.
"Roxanne, everything is fine," I said in a soothing tone. "You can cling to me. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
These words reassured her a bit, but the obsessive look on Roxanne's face still remained. Her current mood was walking the line between love and obsession. She approached me slowly, this time more cautiously, wrapping her arms around my body and hugging me tightly. The interesting part was that Roxanne had grown stronger during our short separation. I could even see it just by looking at her.
Feeling her increased strength both surprised and unsettled me. I wondered what she had experienced during our time apart.
"Welcome to our little cabin, Your Excellency… I hope your journey was pleasant."
I looked at the woman slowly approaching from behind Roxanne. She was a high-ranking member of the servant guild and the one to whom I had entrusted Roxanne.
"Well, the journey was quite dull, but I'm happy to be here now," I said, petting Roxanne's head, who was still catching her breath. I noticed that her hair had grown a bit longer and her face was quite flushed as she took a deep breath to inhale my scent. Looking at her face, I could already read the indecent thoughts running through her mind.
"Roxanne…. can you get off me now?" I asked.
A slight hesitation appeared on Roxanne's face, but she finally took a deep breath, released her arms, and slowly got off me. Her face was still flushed, but she seemed to have composed herself somewhat. Nonetheless, she did not remove her obsessive gaze from me. She wrapped her arms around her body, as if she was making an effort to control herself.
"Alright, Ethan," she said gently, a strained smile appearing on her lips. "But you know, I missed you so much."
I stood up and straightened my clothes. "I know, Roxanne. But there's a time for everything."
The woman waiting behind Roxanne bowed politely and spoke. "Your Excellency, Roxanne was a bit… anxious before seeing you. It means a lot to her to see you here. However, I think she needs to calm down a bit now." Her voice was calm but authoritative, clearly trying to keep Roxanne's situation under control.
After looking at her, Roxanne turned back to me and apologized. "I'm sorry if I overstepped. I'll go to the kitchen and help the other girls."
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Roxanne bowed her head shyly and walked towards the kitchen. Although I was somewhat surprised by how quickly she composed herself, I could still feel the passion boiling inside her. Her obsessive nature, sometimes while unsettling, deeply conveyed her commitment to me. As I watched Roxanne head to the kitchen, I turned back to the woman in front of me.
"I'll be a guest this night here, but I'll need to leave again tomorrow."
The woman bowed politely and responded in a calm voice, "Certainly, Your Excellency. We will do our best to make you comfortable during your stay. However, I don't think Roxanne will be able to handle another separation."
"Don't worry. I'll be taking her with me. So, your duties here will end the day after tomorrow."
"I understand, Your Excellency. In that case, we will need to prepare Roxanne as well," said the woman, with a hint of concern in her eyes. It was clear that she sensed Roxanne would be unwilling to part from her. However, she knew she could not disobey my orders. Interestingly, she had grown somewhat attached to Roxanne in this short time.
The woman bowed politely and withdrew. "Very well, Your Excellency. I will inform Roxanne. Would you like me to accompany you?"
"Yes, that would be good. Also, I must say I'm quite hungry," I said as I walked toward the cabin.
"Dinner will be ready soon, Your Excellency."
After moving to the cabin and waiting for about half an hour, dinner was served. I learned that besides Roxanne, there were at least six other women living in the cabin. Fortunately, they were all friendly and seemed to have become quite close friends with Roxanne. This suggested that Roxanne had not been overly lonely here.
At least she had people to talk to, but Roxanne's solitude was another matter, and I planned to completely address her loneliness tonight. I intended to fulfill her greatest desire tonight and go all the way until the end. Well… I judt hoped the cabin's walls had good soundproofing.
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