Normal

Perspective: Conrad Garnier.

It wasn't anything new, Regina used to feed me all the time, on various occasions before, but this time, It felt different.

she delicately tore a piece of that loaf, gently dipping it within the savory soup. With grace, she extended her hand towards me, Inviting me. As her lips parted, she softly whispered, "Aaaaa." Compelled by her allure, I willingly opened my mouth, feeling her tender touch as she carefully placed that morsel upon my lips.

As my mouth embraced that morsel, that supple bread dissolved, releasing a symphony of flavours upon my tongue, that delectable aroma of the soup enveloped my senses, with each moment of my jaws, I relished in it's taste and at the end I finally swallowed it.

Then she scooped a spoon full of soup from the bowl, with chunks of meat inside it, slowly, she extended her hands towards my lips, As her lips once again parted, she softly whispered "Aaaaa".

Once again compelled by the allure, I opened my mouth, then she placed that spoon inside my lips,

as she withdrew it, I savoured each remaining drop, using my lips I savoured each remaining content of that spoon.

As she fed me, I could hear my heart beating the entire time, but I didn't show it, I had my usual expression.

I didn't know if the food was that tasty, or was it her feeding me, that made it tasty.

In my mind I was thinking,

"I shouldn't feel like this".

"She is like my sister".

After having a few bites,

Which felt emotionally excruciating.

I clenched my fists, and hit my chest a few times, which caused me to violently cough.

I wanted to snap out of my perversion, I didn't know why I was feeling that way.

Maybe the reason was my fatigue.

"Yes, It's my fatigue".

Seeing me coughing,

Regina offered me water,

I grabbed the water bag from her hands, and chugged a few drinks through my throat, relieving me of the itchiness on my throat.

Then I proceeded to take my meal off her hands, and eating it myself.

I was right, my fatigue was causing me to have, over active imaginations.

After that Regina gave me this concerned look, as she ate her own meal.

While we were eating, Patrick came with Thor Gild, his legs this time, were properly bandaged up.

He gave me that look, that intensity and fierceness of an injured beast.

According to him I left him there to die, while Patrick was the one who saved him.

I wanted it to be that way, If our situations were different, I wouldn't have done all that, just to save him, because neither him nor I could live with that stain of saving each other, upon our lives.

We would rather die.

As, I felt delighted to witness his pitiful state, I wore a sinister grin on my face, hidden but not un noticed by him.

Ohh, the struggle to restrain my lips from releasing tantalizing taunts on him, was hard, but yet I persevered.

Thor Gild sat adjacent to me, along with Patrick right beside him,

Keira asked him,

"Are you able to walk?".

He replied,

"It hurts .... but I can".

Keira said,

"Just don't push yourself too hard".

Thor Gild replied,

"Yes, I will keep that in mind".

I listened to their conversation as, I ate my dinner.

Listening them, was exasperating.

I felt dreary, so I quickly finished my dinner and left their sight.

After such unpleasantness, I took a leisurely stroll, in the vicinity of our campsite, near our carriages and horses. I happened to stumble upon those trio of armoured guys from before, I wondered how did they escape?

When I took a closer look, they had taken their helmets off, now their faces were visible.

And I seemed to recognise those faces.

They were the same guys who tried to pick on Regina on that party, later they even apologized.

I think their names were, that bald guy was Brandon and the other two were Marcus and Robin.

As I was recalling their names in my mind, I heard a voice.

"Ohh ... I see ... I didn't know that I would find one of my kin here".

"Are you too a fellow night stroller... like me?".

It was kyle,

I replied,

"Night stroller ".

Kyle responded,

"Don't say a word ..... I know it's dumb .... I am very bad at naming things".

I corrected him,

"Not bad per say, ..... It sounds like a creature from a horror story".

"You know .... keep your windows close or else the night stroller might get ya".

"Suited for that kind of stuff".

I said that while supporting his sense of humour,

Kyle replied,

"Than maybe I should start writing horror stories".

I agreed,

"Maybe, you should .... ".

Kyle said,

"So, taking a stroll...".

I replied,

"Yeah ... in a way".

"You?". I asked.

Kyle replied,

"After you and that lady had that unfortunate accident with a snake .... thought I would just have a look .... if there are any other lurking inside the carts".

I too had the same thing on my mind so I said,

"Funny thing .... I had the same intentions".

Then he gestured towards my head and then his own, uttering, "Haven't you heard the famous saying, 'Great minds think alike'?"

In response, I tittered, appreciating his sense of humor, and replied, " Yeah right".

While talking to him I spared a glance at those three,

Kyle noticed me,

He said,

"Those scoundrels ... they really are the worst kind".

I asked,

"Why? .... they were just hiding because they were scared .... it's a normal human behaviour".

He replied,

""As we battled those horrifying creatures on our own... our group was already just 20 members... and if those three hadn't been with us... that means we were even fewer than 20... when we confronted them."

"Our two men lost their lives, and two others are still injured... so now we are left with only 16 fully capable adventurers. Believe it or not, those three, you, and I make up that count of 16."

"You see... each and every person is crucial... for our survival".

"So their transgressions .... aren't that small".

I understood what he told me, I didn't know what three additional men were going to do, when we were facing such terrors but, he seemed to think that the outcome might have turned out different.

I asked him,

"So .... how did you punished them?".

He replied,

"For now, they are the first ones to keep watch .... while we sleep .... they are even doing it now ..... while they are eating".

I interjected,

"Are you sure ... you can trust those three ?".

He replied,

"Don't worry!... I will be keeping watch with them".

I said,

"I am still having a hard time understanding .... how could that be a punishment?".

He responded,

"It is not".

I was confused, so I asked,

"Didn't you say .... their transgression wasn't that small".

He replied,

"Yes, I said that .... but you can't punish someone for being afraid ... that's just basic human nature".

"After all those creatures were terrifying".

I responded,

"You know you are .... contradicting yourself right".

He spoke while snickering,

"I know ..... ".

"But I still, can't just let them off the hook .... we have to make sure they don't act this stupid in the future, ... so, I am just making them feel like they are getting a punishment".

"It is quite complicated .... so, you don't have to understand".

I replied,

"If you say so".

Then we checked every carriage, fortunately we didn't see anything out of the usual.

That night the sky was adorned with countless stars, casting their gentle glow upon us, we were in a clearing, a heaven amidst the towering trees of the forest, as I looked upon our campsite the forest seems to just curl up and fade into the shadows, a contrast to the radiant moonlight and shimmering stars that illuminated that spot, where the dark forest and moonlit ground met, creating a harmonious juxtaposition between darkness and light.

As I was enjoying the eerily silence, while admiring the night sky, Emilia spoke to me,

"Hey .... enjoying the view, huh".

As she spoke, a gentle breeze blew through, tousling her green emerald hair, revealing the depths of her brown eyes along with her porcelain smooth face, the dance of her hair in the wind unveiled every intricate strands, it was captivating, the ethereal glow of the blue moon, benevolently illuminating a part of her, she looked like an artist's finest work.

Why was everything looking so beautiful, that night?

I didn't understood?

Was I getting crazy?

Without paying much attention to her allure, I replied,

"Yes .... , their silent glow is quite ... soothing".

She agreed,

As she too gazed onto the vast sky.

While staring in to the sky she asked,

"I hope everything settled between you two".

"I wanted to talk to you at the campfire ... but I saw you guys ... she was feeding you".

"So, I left you two alone".

I replied,

"You mean Regina .... yeah, everything is settled .... not sure anything was up to begin with".

Then she asked,

"Judging by the way you to act .... are you two....".

Then I stopped her before she could finish the sentence,

"Don't ask .... Don't ask that .... atleast not now".

She agreed,

"Sure".