The Priestess' Affair [Books 1 &2]

𝐈𝐈. 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞

-HER-

I let out a curse that would have gotten me in trouble back in the Shrine as I pushed that man back and glared at him. But he didn't stop at that. He was still reaching out to me.

"Keep your hands off me, you serf!" I warned him.

"Woman, if you want to fall in the sea, then be my guest," He snapped back. I realised that I was still standing by the railing while the perilous waves swayed the ship. As another mighty wave rocked the ship again, my hand reached out for him without my will. Those ethereal yet juddering tingles wrapped up my arm like grapevines as soon as he held my hand and tugged me to a safer place. 

As I adjusted my dress, I felt his eyes linger on me, containing an unhealthy curiosity in them. My clothes were still wet and clinging to my skin, appearing almost translucent. I shuddered as the chilly sea winds brushed my skin. Quickly, I made sure that I had all my belongings with me. Meanwhile, he stood there, staring at me as if I owed him money. 

"What?" I snarled when he continued to stand there like a statue, digging his eyes into my skin. 

"I was waiting for you to show some manners and thank me," He told me with an air of importance.

"Manners?" I said, "You were the one who didn't want to let go of my hand!" I accused.

"Didn't you just throw yourself in my arms just a few moments ago?" He provoked with the tip of his lips slightly curling suggestively. I gasped at his accusation. 

Did he think that I threw myself in his arms voluntarily? 

The cockiness on his face said so. 

Who did he think he was?

"That was the waves," I glowered. 

"Are you sure?" He asked as a smile emerged on his lips, flashing his flawlessly straight teeth. The cockiness further amplified on his face. 

"You seem to think too highly of yourself for someone dressed as a peasant," I noted, feeling annoyed, but at the same time, I was curious. In response to calling him a peasant, he chuckled without losing his cockiness. My comment only seemed to have added to it. It somewhat surprised me, feeding my curiosity. 

It made me stop for a minute and scrutinise him profoundly. He dressed like a peasant, but the way he talked, the subtle authoritative tone disguised under the cockiness, nearly reminded me of my brother when he barked orders at the people at his court. Apart from this, something else felt particularly peculiar about him, and I couldn't put the finger on it. It was beyond my intuitive powers. 

"Says a whore," He returned, making my jaw hit the deck, and my eyes widen in surprise at his savagery. 

Maybe, he was a peasant after all. 

But I'd have to admit that he wasn't wrong. Nuncia, in charge of disguises, had given me somewhat revealing clothes. I don't know what she was thinking, but I made a mental note to talk to her once I returned to the Shrine. 

"You have no idea who I am," I glowered at him, matching his domineering gaze with pridefulness.  

He arched an eyebrow and straightened up to his full height until I had to tilt my head back slightly. Suddenly, his features filled with grimness, injecting the air around us with tension. Even under those dirty peasant clothes, there was something about him that screamed of regality. 

"Neither do you," He replied coldly—this sudden drop in his temperament temperature startled me a bit. In the semi-darkness of the deck, I could feel him examining me with surfeit inquisitiveness. This strengthened the ominous feeling that I had for him. Whoever he was, I decided he wasn't worth the trouble. I chose to walk away without uttering another word.