Even the warmth of Noah’s arms couldn’t drive away the fear gripping Lorelei. The cadence of his speech, the way he looked at her with sad longing, his witty comebacks when they bantered, the habit of ruffling his hair when nervous - everything was still the same as she remembered. And yet, she knew Noah was a creature of secrets. No matter how much he persuaded her that his memory loss was a trifling thing, there was no way to know how serious his condition truly was.
Lorelei tried to remember whether there were any changes in his interactions with Duncan and Willam, but nothing of significance came to mind. He had rarely spoken about Neli, but it was probably due to Lorelei’s obvious discomfort when it came to the old Marzbanati. Even though she never mentioned the source of the Bitter Water to him, she was sure that Noah had his suspicions. So, at least on the surface, his lost memories seemed not to affect him. Still, Lorelei swore to keep an eye on him and make sure he never put that vile armor on again, acolyte or not.
She lifted her head. Her first kiss found his chin, the second - the corner of his mouth. The third robbed both of them of the ability to speak for some time, but neither one complained. A warm tingle spread throughout Lorelei’s body. Noah’s smell - pine and musk, mixed with the faint fragrance of incense from the temple - was stronger than any love-potion she could think of.
A need filled her.
To hold him closer. Close enough for their heartbeats to humm in unison in a single chest.
To feel his jagged breath on her skin - a gaspy chanting of her name, brushing past her neck, along her shoulder, and down her collarbone.
To trace his body with her fingers - exploring the highs and lows of every muscle and every scar, her touch marking him as hers.
What started as a means to pull Noah out of his dark thoughts almost made her lose her sanity. A naughty part of her mind pointed out that they were married, even more - in love, and her actions were the normal consequence of it all. The next moment, however, a sudden, irrational fear pushed all the fluffy fog away and turned the butterflies in her stomach into poisonous snakes.
Her muscles cramped, but just in time, the carriage violently shook from driving through a pothole. The tremor separated their lips, hurling them forward. As the wagon suddenly came to a tilted hold, Lorelei found herself pinned under Noah’s body.
“Damn it! Did I hurt you?” he panted, his bangs brushing against her forehead.
“N-no.” Lorelei needed a second to organize her thoughts. “However, dear Beast, it is shameful to have such a shabby road leading to your den.”
“I shall order it repaired immediately after our return,” he grumbled, but then a devilish light lit his eyes. “On the other hand, I must say that our current arrangement doesn’t seem so bad, my fair physician. Actually, I might consider digging a few more holes from here to Ildemar and make a carriage outing in your company a daily routine.”
“Have you no shame, Lord Husband!?” Lorelei pursed her lips, the momentary panic attack starting to subside.
“Now, now. You dare utter these words with the very same mouth that was eating me eagerly just a second ago?” He gave her a pearly grin, savoring her flustered expression.
“Y-you… tactless prick!” Lorelei knew that her face was about to burst into flames but still held his gaze.
He laughed heartily and pinched her cheek.
“I get seduced by a rose and then get called a prick? The irony!”
“A bramble calling the rose prickly? The nerve!”
“Heh, this only proves that we are a match destined by the heavens, my sweet wife.”
Stolen story; please report.
He brushed a naughty strand of hair that had fallen on her face and kissed the tip of her nose. Just as he was about to place his lips on her temple, a clamor outside made both of them freeze.
“Your Highnesses!?” The panicked voice of the coachman came through the closed door. “Are you alright?”
In a flurry of hands, hair, skirts, and suppressed giggles, Noah and Lorelei hurriedly disentangled. While she straightened her clothes, Noah shouted a response and pushed the wedged door open. Climbing out of the tilted carriage, he helped Lorelei outside, his face not showing even a trace of the naughty playfulness from just a moment ago. His mask would have been perfect if Lorelei couldn’t see his sparkling eyes. She was forced to avert her gaze or face the perspective of bursting into laughter. However, a quick look around sobered her up.
The horses were neighing agitated and the carriage’s front wheels were tilted at an unusual angle. The axis looked broken, and the coachman’s avalanche of apologies and curses confirmed it. William and the escort knights had dismounted and gathered around the wagon, their faces now less tense since they knew their masters were unharmed.
“We are about halfway there.” William pinched his nose. “One of the men should ride to Ildemar and bring another carriage.”
“Hmm, I think I have an alternative solution.” Noah shot Lorelei a glance and before anyone could stop him jumped into the saddle of William’s steed. “I will personally ride to Ildemar with the Duchess and send someone to collect you.”
“Wait! Your leg…” William protested but stopped mid-sentence and rolled his eyes, waving his hand in resignation.
Not wasting any more time, Noah bent down past the horse’s neck and grabbed Lorelei, placing her in front of him. He tapped the steed slightly, bringing it to a leisurely pace. Half of the knights scrambled to their mounts, tactfuly giving their lord and lady a head start before they followed behind.
Leaning back on Noah’s chest, Lorelei remembered the last time he had galloped towards Ildemar with her in his arms. That time, she almost died. The vision of the curse spreading over her skin and Noah’s face twisted in fear and worry was like a cold shower. Sensing her tremble, Noah wrapped his arms around her tighter. He propped his chin on her shoulder, head leaning against hers.
“Let bygones be bygones, my love. The sun is shining. The leaves are green. I promise I’ll give you a good memory to replace the bad one.”
“I know.” She patted his hand and twisted her neck to give him a kiss. “And I’ll do the same for you. No matter how many good memories Nerodris took, I will give you new ones two-fold. I won’t allow that thing to make you into a soulless monster.”
“Oh, so your kisses in the carriage were just a way to save me from Nerodris’ corruption?”
“Yes… No! How can you think that I kissed you only because of that!?”
“Goodness, Lorelei! It’s such a pleasure to tease you.”
“Villain!”
“Indeed, my fair physician.”
“Rascal!”
“At your service, my lady.”
“Boorish beast!”
“For you, my love, I’d gladly be a pig in the mud or a beast in… on a leash.”
“I’d prefer a knight at my side and a husband in my arms, thank you.”
“We can arrange that.”
“Noah, have I told you that I love you?”
“No, my heart. I don’t remember such statements. You see, my memory is bad.”
“Well then, I love you, Lord Norden.”
“What? What did you say? I have trouble hearing.”
“I love you.”
“Eh? What was that? The leaves rustled too loudly.”
“I love you.”
“So noisy! This damn horse is stomping like an elephant. What did you say?”
“I love you, Noah Lux Norden.” Lorelei giggled and snuggled in his arms. “But if you push your luck one more time, I’ll be forced to prescribe you some bitter medicine to heal your hearing loss.”
“No! No bitter medicines! Only your sweet kisses can heal me! I suggest you start the treatment immediately before this patient's condition becomes critical.”
"I think I've heard this threat before."
"Quite possible. After all, I'm suffering from a persistent chronic illness."
“Well, the way to Ildemar isn’t that long.” She nibbled on his earlobe and felt his pulse hastening. “So I better begin with the first dose of medicine.”