"You look like a man, but don't smell like one," Lucian said, and the three stopped laughing, "I wonder what injuries you are suffering from to bleed in between your legs."
The silence that followed was deadly. They all leaped away from him like a frog would jump away from the fire.
"Oh," Seb said, his voice was deep, realizing they just stepped into the bear trap, "Oh," he repeated.
Graham was too shocked to react, sniffing the air. His nose wasn't that bad, and his sense of smell was pretty sharp. He needed to bend down and get closer to Patch's crotch to confirm it, "..."
Patch was the first to recover, his lips pulled into a tight smile as he stepped on Graham's shoe, "I think the pain is getting into you, Lord Arclight. It's your mind playing tricks on you, and your delusions are—"
"I can at least recognize the products I sell, and the customers who use them," Lucian cut in. He would only turn stupid around Celine, and didn't feel like a fool now, "It's a special fabric that would soak up and absorb the blood flow during the female cycle and it also creates a specific odor when it comes to contact with blood," he paused, "Female in close proximity often get their cycle synchronized─"
"Shut up," Seb stuffed his mouth with a cloth.
Lucian closed his eyes, spewing out the cloth. It would have been much easier to hate Celine if only she was touchy-feely with other men. But no, she just had to go out of her way to make him feel even more hopeful, only to have his hopes crushed and stomped later on.
The special way she treated him couldn't overcome the fear that rooted itself inside his heart. The pain was too much to handle. Just the thought of going through the same thing again was enough for his vision to blackout.
The trio stared at each other, and then at the sleeping man, and then back at each other. They planned to transfer him to a separate tent and let the guards keep an eye on him at first, but not anymore. Not until their Lady woke up.
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Maya noticed Graham's grim expression when he came out of the tent, asking what was wrong without uttering a word.
Graham gestured for her to walk with him. He waited until they were out of earshot, and said, "Search Lord Arclight's belongings, find something, anything. Any dirty little secret we can hold over him, and threaten him with."
Maya nodded, turning around, but Graham's hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist, "Wait." He sniffed the air, and then leaned forward, making her freeze. "Make sure to wash yourself and change into fresh clothes."
She glared at him, but Graham only let out a low chuckle, handing her some ointment for bruises, "No matter how weak he looks, remember that he is still a man twice your size. Be careful next time."
Maya hit his chest, making him grunt and release her, then walked away.
"Hey, that hurts!" Graham called after her, tackling her down. He tickled her, causing her to burst into laughter before groaning in pain.
The kick from earlier had really done a number on Maya. She had narrowly avoided a serious injury, but it still hurt.
Graham's hand slipped under her shirt, and his fingers pressed against a sore spot on her stomach.
Maya winced, her voice laced with pain.
Graham's eyes softened, "Sorry." He dipped his finger in the ointment, and gently spread it across the bruise, "I'm really good with my hands, huh? You won't need a physician's help," he teased.
Maya rolled her eyes, her expression a little more relaxed now, and a little more grateful, "How is Lady Celine? Why isn't she waking up?"
Graham paused, and then resumed his task. When he spoke, it was in a whisper, "We have to wait. Patch is keeping an eye on her."
Maya took a moment to compose herself, and then got up.