Ciara didn’t mind the rain. It was like having a cold shower but with a chilly wind. She sneezed as she made her way back to the castle. She had waited too long, until her toes felt like icicles, before heading back. Her hands trembled and she slowly climbed the hill.
It felt as if all energy was drained from her. A hot soak in the bathhouse sounded heavenly at the moment, but she wasn’t sure if she deserved it.
A huge sneeze left her. She sniffled. Deserving or not, she had to get into hot water if she didn’t want to fall ill in medieval times. Who knew if she’d die here from catching a cold? She didn’t want to risk it, no matter how depressed she felt.
Ciara hurried to her room to grab a change of clothes before going to the bathhouse. Steam swirled around in the changing room when she entered. She quickly changed out of her soaked clothes and wrapped a towel around herself. She was cold and sneezed as she entered the shower area.
“Oh.”
Ciara looked up at the surprised voice of Katsuo. He was just drying his hair with a towel but covered himself up when he noticed Ciara entering the room.
“Ciara, darling—”
She cut him off swiftly. “Are you finished, or have you just arrived?”
“I’ve just finished,” he replied.
Ciara nodded then walked over to a stool the farthest away from him, but didn’t sit down. She glanced back over her shoulder at him.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
“Aren’t you going to go?”
Katsuo’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you mad?”
“I’m not!” As if to emphasize her point, she sneezed.
Katsuo had just noticed her hair dripping wet.
“Have you been out in the rain?” He took a step toward her, but she held up a hand, stopping him.
“Yes. Now, if you’d just leave me alone, I could warm up.”
“I could help—”
“No thanks. You’ve done enough.” The words had just slipped past Ciara’s lips before she realized it. She froze. There goes pretending everything was all right.
“What do you mean?” Katsuo walked closer, and Ciara backed away. He stopped a few feet away from her. “Why are you mad at me?”
“I told you—”
“I don’t believe that.”
Ciara’s eyes flashed in warning, but he continued, “What is it? Why are you putting distance between us?”
“I’m putting distance between us?” Ciara’s voice was sharp like a dagger. With every word, it twisted Katsuo’s heart. “You go pick up a prostitute, have the audacity to bring her home, and to top it off, you pretend I’m the problem here?”
“What—” Katsuo took a step back at the impact of Ciara’s words. “You misunderstand.”
“There’s nothing to misunderstand here.”
“Let me explain.”
“I know our engagement is only a fake one, but you could’ve waited at least until the month was up. No one, no one has ever humiliated me so much!” Ciara rambled, pinching the corner of her towel together. She was getting cold.
“Ciara—”
“No, I’m done!” she said and sneezed. Katsuo used this opportunity to talk.
“When you were kidnapped, you were held in that brothel.”
“What?” Ciara’s face was full of disbelief.
“There’s a shed in the backyard. It had a hidden stairway to the room you were held in,” Katsuo quickly explained. “I’d never lie to you, believe me.”
“That still doesn’t explain what you were doing at the brothel today. I saw you. Then you turn up with some random woman. What’s your explanation for that?”
She sniffled, feeling another sneeze coming soon. She crunched up her nose.
“That woman saw you being carried off. If she hasn’t told me where to go, I may not have arrived in time.”
“That’s it?” Ciara asked.
“Yes.”
“So what is she doing here?” Her eyes narrowed.
“I bought her.”
“You did what?”
“I paid off her debt because she helped us. I never intended to bring her here.”
“Yet you did.”
“I wanted to give her some money to start a new life, but she insisted on being employed by me,” Katsuo replied. “She might be an asset.”
“An asset.” Ciara inclined her head. “I see.”
“So? Do you understand?”
“What I do understand, Katsuo”—Ciara’s eyes smothered him—“is that you are a warlord, yet you cannot seem to stand by your original decision when it comes to this woman.”
“Ciara—”
“Don’t!” She raised her hand, backing away. “Please don’t. Leave me alone, I don’t want to catch a cold.”
Katsuo waited for a heartbeat before nodding.
“I don’t want you to fall ill, either. We’ll talk later.”
With that, he turned and walked to the changing room, his steps confident. Ciara snarled at his back. We’ll see about that.
She quickly started scrubbing herself. She couldn’t wait to get into the hot water.