Begrudgingly, I left the room, casting a pained glance over my shoulder. I knew she was recovering, but Arken’s skin was still so pallid, slick with sweat as her body fought off the foul toxins of the Leshy’s claw.
I wasn’t expected back at work for at least the next few days. Hanjae had made himself clear that he’d much prefer I make sure the only Light Conduit in Sophrosyne made a full recovery—and so instead, I made my way back over to Mugwort’s with a pouch full of funds and an apology for being such a blunt, demanding prick last night.
He tried to refuse me, at first, but I was persistent. The old man was as stubborn as a mule, but so was I—and I wasn’t leaving that shop until he accepted what I owed him.
“Seriously, Maxwell, just take the Lyra.”
“No, no. I couldn’t possibly accept this. It was my honor to assist, Captain. I trust your wife is recovering well?”
My fucking what now?
The slack-jawed expression on my face must’ve given me away, because the herbalist immediately stammered out an awkward apology.
“Oh! I. Well, I apologize, sir, I had just assumed. I, erm… Oh dear. I meant no offense,” Max stressed.
“It’s fine. She’s just a friend,” I explained calmly, though I was still flabbergasted. “But yes, Arken is recovering well. I cannot thank you enough for your assistance in that.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” he replied, though he wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Seriously though? What a strange assumption to make about two strangers. He didn’t even saygirlfriend, or partner, just went straight towife? A bit old-fashioned, though I guess the shoe fit the old man.
Me. Married. I snorted to myself, disguising it as a cough when the man raised an eyebrow.
But because I was apparently a fucking masochist, the image of Arken in a wedding gown was briefly conjured in my mind—and I shut it down, groaning internally.
Yeah, can we not?
I really could’ve done without that image. That was the last thing I needed to be thinking about when my next stop was to check on her in the infirmary.
Your wife.
For fucks sake.
I was usually much better at compartmentalizing, but as I made my way towards the infirmary, I was still reeling at the old man’s assumption. Every time I thought I’d shoved the thought out of my mind, I found myself revisiting the night prior, trying to overanalyze my actions and determine what Maxwell could have possibly interpreted between us that suggested matrimony, of all things.
Was it my clear panic? She could’ve died, of course I was panicked. Sure, I had rushed into his shop with the woman cradled in my arms, but again—she was fucking dying.
Between Maxwell and Fen’s cheeky little smirks…Gods.
We were just friends. Close friends. Why was everyone else assuming there was more to it than that?
I mean shit, even Hanjae had questioned if Arken and I were dating last night. I was accustomed to quips from my lieutenants, but frommy commander? Godsdamn.
“No. I was just following protocol, sir,” I had answered. “We know her safety is of the utmost importance to the Studium.”
Commander Ka had seemed skeptical at best over that excuse. Most of the guardsmen who worked in close quarters with me saw past the charismatic front to an extent, and Hanjae in particular knew that I was more solitary in nature. Not to mention my reputation for being spectacularly brutal against any threat to our city.
I supposed I could see where they were coming from, though. To prioritize one woman’s life over dispatching a larger threat was… unlike me. Me, the man without commitments beyond his oath. Me, the man with nointerestin commitments beyond my oath. Or at least, I used to be.
It didn’t matter, I reminded myself. It was human nature to gossip, and half of the people in Sophrosyne just liked to hear themselves talk.
That’s what I kept telling myself, at least. But as I entered the infirmary to find Arken sitting up in her bed, with color in her cheeks again, I was so flooded with relief that I nearly staggered.
And when she saw me approaching and immediately broke into a smile, practically beaming at the sight of me? Something in my chest tightened. I felt my own cheeks heat under her gaze.
Gods. That fucking smile.
Fen walked past me and said nothing, just gave me a knowing smirk as she carried a stack of linens into the next room.