I'm back.
Some things I should say:
1- I've decided to reveal who Gakupo is going to end with: ...Luka. I have to admit that the 'harem' comment really pissed me off, because I thought I was making a good job conveying that Gakupo/Maika is not going to happen, and that Maika is seriously messed up in this story. Apparently not. Also, if any of you were hoping he'd end up with Kaito, sorry. I'm working on another Kaigaku story, 'Endling', though, so please go read that instead.
2- As always, please consult my author's page for a more detailed explanation of what to expect from my fanfics.
3- GakupoGoneGhost: Glad to see you back. I took a break due to several factors. For starters, my beta is now too busy to help me, so I didn't have anyone to help me with this (I'm actually finishing chapter 14 right now, so I have quite the buffer). Secondly, well…I haven't received positive feedback in a while, so I assumed everyone had lost interest in this story. I did consider taking it down completely, and retool it as a completely original thing, since it seemed that it wasn't a good fit for the Vocaloid fandom. In a sense, it's a repeat of what happened to me when I was writing Prince x Wanderer; I had a huge hiatus in the middle of that, because I was getting such a mixed response that I sincerely thought it was pointless to keep on trying. But now, like back then, I eventually decided that I should just finish the thing, and let the readers decide whether they like or not.
Chapter 7 – The mage of the servant girl
The morning sun filtered through the closed curtains of Maika's little room, promising a fine sunny day. She peeked outside, while fastening the bow in the back of her freshly-pressed uniform. Her clothes from the previous day laid crumpled on the untouched bed, where she had left them before the quick bath in the maid's bathroom. Maika then checked herself in the mirror and grinned, remembering the envious glares and insults the other girls of the orphanage had thrown at her, when she was picked to go to the castle. If only they could've seen us last night, she thought cheekily.
Maika had spent the night in her mage's bed. She could scarcely believe it, even now, but every time she recalled his embrace, she wanted to sing out loud. True, he didn't seem too enthusiastic when she tried to kiss him, but he was a bit tense over the antics of Castelo and Blanca. Moreover, her mage had told Master Verdigris he wanted her, back in the dining room. It was just a matter of being patient.
She quickly stepped outside and walked towards the palace's kitchens, to collect her mage's breakfast. The corridors were already quite active, with servants going back and forth transporting goods, cleaning the floors, polishing the metal fixtures and watering the many plants lining the walls. It was a wonderful spectacle, so orderly that it almost seemed like a dance. And unlike the times before the liberation, it wasn't just to support fat, corrupt aristocrats. The mages, despite their eccentricities, had brought real progress to the land. People lived longer, healthier lives than in any other part of the continent, there were no slaves or indentured servants, and anyone had the opportunity to rise to the higher posts in the government.
Maika herself was a good example of that. Her parents had lived miserable lives, working from dawn to dusk a piece of land that didn't belong to them. The lord that owned it didn't care when her mother fell ill. His only concern was that they couldn't produce as much, and so threw them out of their own home. The life in the poorest district of Alm-Ardjalus had finished her mother off, and forced conscription into the king's armies had done the same to her father.
But she didn't begrudge Master Verdigris, even if her father had probably died as result of his invasion. It was the fault of the king, for not surrendering when the warmage first reached the city with his forces. Master Verdigris had even offered the king the chance to continue living in the palace; without any political power, of course. But no, the despicable ruler had died protecting his throne, trying to burn the whole city so everyone would die with him. Thankfully, Verdigris' and Invicto's powers had put a quick end to that nonsense.
Looking at the nation now, it was hard to believe all that had happened a mere fifteen years ago. The city was clean and well-organized, the few remaining nobles had been stripped of their titles and worked like any other servant, and wealth was shared in a pragmatic fashion. And now that Alm-Ardjalus was running well, and Master Verdigris had gathered a cadre of mages to help him, the time to expand was coming. Maika would have a privileged vantage point to the destruction of all the backwards institutions that were chocking the life of the common people.
She finally reached the kitchens, where every part of the breakfast that could be consumed at room temperature was already waiting for her in the cart. As soon as she appeared, two cooks turned to the stoves, the first to pour some water into a kettle for her mage's tea, the second to toast some bread. Maika inspected the contents of the cart with a critical eye. It was more food than strictly necessary, but she wanted a good variety for her mage to choose whatever he wanted. And he really needed to eat more, in any case. He was altogether too thin and pale, though actually in better shape than someone that had spent six years in a cell had any right to be. Maika guessed a mage's body was simply sturdier than a commoner's, just like they tended to live longer lives.
The cooks placed the kettle and a plate of toast on the cart and Maika wheeled it out. As she walked, she started composing a list of things she could suggest for her mage to do that day. Tutoring classes for him (fencing, military history and strategy, exact sciences and more) started next week, so it was a good time for the young mage to get to know the city and surrounding area. Since the sun was shining, perhaps a ride through the Royal Woods (now commonly referred as the Witching Woods by the commoners) might be fun. Then they could visit the scholars' quarter, or the botanical gardens. He seemed somewhat nervous around crowds, so perhaps the marketplaces were ill advised for the moment.
"Ma- Gakupo, can I come in?" Maika knocked on the door of this bedchamber and waited for a few seconds. After hearing his muted permission, she opened by door and pushed the cart inside.
Gakupo was still in bed, to her surprise. The outfit she had prepared before leaving to change was still draped over a chair.
"It's a beautiful day outside," she informed him warmly. Gakupo didn't reply, but the ghost of a smile crossed his withdrawn features. He observed Maika prepare the table in silence, only speaking out to remind her to place a cup and cutlery for her as well.
"Is anything the matter?" Maika inquired when he failed to get up. He seemed substantially less cheerful than when she left him, first thing in the morning.
Without lifting his head from the pillow, or even changing position all that much, Gakupo lifted a folded note with one hand. Maika approached him and took it in her hands, surprised.
It was a message from Master Verdigris himself, ordering Gakupo to eat lunch with a separate member of the lesser mages for the next five days; afterwards, they were to show him around their ministries, and give him an overview of the responsibilities a mage like him was expected to shoulder. All in all, it seemed like a good idea, if a bit sudden. The only problem was the first person he was supposed to meet: Blanca. Obviously, the warmage expected them to put their little scuffle at the dinner table behind.
"She said she'd kill me," Gakupo said quietly.
"I'm sure it was just the emotion of the moment," Maika replied. And even if Blanca was that resentful, surely she knew better than to attack a fellow mage?
"I saw her eyes as we were leaving yesterday," Gakupo explained, staring at the wall. "I've seen that look many times before."
Thinking of contradicting Verdigris' orders was against the whole structure of Maika's mind, but her devotion towards her mage was enough to stop and ponder about the issue. "Maybe we could send her a letter stating you're still unwell? I think you definitely should meet with Arevalo and Rossemara, though…" Maika studied the list on the note and discovered that Castelo was next to last, before Invicto. Until now, she had little experience dealing with the other mages and their inner circle, but even she had heard of Castelo's wild parties and pranks. She dearly hoped Master Verdigris had managed to drill into his head that her mage was to be spared from his ribbing or unwanted advances. Nevertheless, Blanca was more worrisome, given her explosive temper.
"What's the point? I'll have to face her sooner or later," Gakupo replied in the same lifeless tone as before. Contrary to his words, he remained curled up in bed without moving, and even closed his eyes.
Maika waited, but he made no further comments. She sat on the bed by his side and leaned in closer to touch his face. "Gakupo?"
"I'm sorry," he finally said, sitting up. He smiled tiredly. "We have a couple of hours until we have to go, right? Let's go walk outside for a while."
The carriage carrying Gakupo and Maika advanced slowly, giving him ample time to observe the crowds walking along the sidewalk or haggling wares in the stores lining the sides of the street. The variety of body shapes and fashions was frankly dizzying. And there were so many! How could there be so many people in one city? Gakupo was thankful they couldn't see him, peeking as he was through the curtains covering the windows of the closed carriage.
"The High Tribunal used to be a noble's residence," Maika said. She was sitting across him, her hands folded primly on the lap. "Now it serves as the highest court of appeals and Blanca's residence. She presides over the six high judges and has the final saying when the voting on a case is evenly divided."
"Sounds like a wonderful system," Gakupo said. Why not leave your important judicial cases in the hands of a woman like that? He then smiled, amused at his own thoughts. It wasn't like he was the paragon of mental health, after all.
"It works well for the most part," Maika replied, either missing or choosing to ignore the bitterness in his tone. "From what I hear, she can be very professional when she chooses to."
The carriage finally rolled to a stop in front of the massive doors of the High Tribunal, and Gakupo and Maika descended. He craned his neck upwards, taking in the massive marble structure. It was smaller than the palace, but only barely. The noble family that once lived there had surely been one of the most powerful of the kingdom, before Verdigris exiled them to a modest farm in the countryside. Maika pointed out the spot over the door where the family crest had once been; the stone still had the marks of the tools used to hack it to pieces.
One of the guards at the door sent a messenger boy to inform Blanca of their arrival. The boy jogged ahead of them and quickly disappeared up the stairs at the end of the long entrance hall. Maika and Gakupo were escorted at a more leisurely pace by another guard.
The interior was more sparsely decorated than the palace, with dark wood and black marble in place of the gold and white decorations. There were no paintings on the walls nor tapestries, and the vases on the furniture stood bare of any flowers. Their steps echoed glumly. There were only a few people around, some of them magistrates in black robes, others clearly plaintiffs or defendants impatiently waiting for a verdict. The whole place had a different atmosphere from the sunny palace, for sure.
Blanca's personal apartments were in the third floor of the building. The guard left them in front of her door at the top of the stairs, and walked away without making any comments, just a respectful nod at Gakupo. A moment later, the door opened, and one of Blanca's beautiful servant boys showed them in.
It was like entering a completely different space. All the color missing from the bottom floors were here, blossoming in indoor plants, vibrant paintings and luxurious recliners. The boys looking at them in silence from every corner seemed to merge with the décor effortlessly: they wore simple white pants, and flowers in their hair and around their necks. There wasn't any adult males or females around, just boys and young men.
"I feel kind of overdressed," Gakupo whispered to Maika to a nervous laugh. He was wearing a silken shirt, an embroidered vest and a long purple coat over dark pants, so he was wearing three more layers of clothing than any other male in the immediate vicinity. These boys seemed ready to go for a swim in a beach, instead of being in the middle of a large city. There were clearly not expected to do any actual housework.
The pair was guided to a terrace overlooking the back garden of the judicial building. The food was already waiting for them in a small table, mostly vegetables and fruits Gakupo had never seen, along with colorful bowls of different sauces.
Blanca stood by the table, flanked by more boys in minimal clothing. For her part, she was wearing a dazzling bright green outfit with flowing sleeves and a narrow skirt. Her hair was in a bun adorned with feathers, with only two tufts of hair artistically curling at the sides of her face. She smiled when she saw him, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. Gakupo felt an almost overwhelming impulse to pick up Maika in his arms and jump off the balcony. He smiled weakly instead.
"I'm so glad you could make it today," Blanca said after the first greeting. "I trust that you're beginning to acclimate to our fair city?"
"Um, yes, thank you," Gakupo nodded, feeling completely over his head. The intense staring of all the servants around them wasn't helping. "…I appreciate you having us here."
"Master Verdigris' wishes are our commands," Blanca replied almost mechanically. "Please take a seat."
Gakupo sat across her, thankfully at a greater distance than the previous night. Maika took her place standing behind him. The boy servants were still standing all around the terrace, as if waiting for something.
The first dish before him was a long dark vegetable cut in half and stuffed with a mixture of shredded leaves in a thick paste. It was actually quite delicious, and much more pleasant to focus his attention on than the creepy stares of the servants around him or Blanca's sarcastic pleasantries. He ate with more appetite than usual, as the green mage chatted frivolously about Alm-Ardjalus' most picturesque spots.
As the meal progressed, Gakupo felt more and more uncomfortable in his fancy clothing. The temperature seemed to be rising steadily, and there was no breeze to cool him off. By the time Gakupo was almost done with his food, he was down to his white shirt, and beginning to ponder if going shirtless was restricted to the servants.
"Master Verdigris seems very impressed with your magical abilities," Blanca said suddenly. "He stressed very strongly that you weren't to be permanently harmed."
The stress on the word 'permanently' made Gakupo straighten out on his chair in alert. He immediately sensed something change in the mood of the terrace.
"I have a few tricks of my own, though. For instance, poisons and brews with delayed effect," Blanca informed him, narrowing her eyes. "I imagine the paralysis will set right about now."
Gakupo gasped, as he began to feel a numbness take hold of his whole body. The heat continued to grow, but centered in his stomach and groin, while his arms felt heavy and useless. He tried to speak, but nothing came out of his clenched throat.
Maika screamed behind him, and he heard the sounds of a scuffle. He tried to turn, but his body was dead stone.
Blanca climbed on the table, and crossed the distance between the two ends happily stomping on the plates, kicking the food towards Gakupo to splat him in the face and chest. "Oh my, what a messy eater you are, you miserable little peasant." She laughed nastily. Then, Blanca grabbed a bottle of wine and took a sip, before emptying the rest on top of Gakupo's head.
"Master Verdigris didn't say I couldn't humiliate you, you know?" The green mage sat on the border of the table. With her bare feet, she began smearing the food further on Gakupo's skin and clothes. "Or break your toy."
Gakupo's chair was pulled back so he could see to his right. The view made him almost sick with horror: several of the boys were roughly pulling Maika's arms and legs, holding her face down in the air while she struggled and screamed incoherently. One of them was cruelly yanking her long hair, so Gakupo could clearly see her panicked expression.
"What a coarse uniform. Fitting for a peasant's toy, I suppose, but it's still an eyesore. Remove it."
The boys began tearing Maika's uniform amidst jeers and laughter, while tears began to spill down her face. She knew what was coming next.
Gakupo almost passed out trying to scream. Blanca could do anything she wanted to him, but Maika was completely innocent! Why punish her? He again struggled to move, but to no avail.
"Because you care. You know Master Verdigris can round up a dozen beauties for you in an hour, and you still care about this tart. Too bad for her," Blanca stood by Gakupo's side, toying with his ponytail with one hand, the other rubbing his chest under the stained shirt. She then added in a louder voice, "Do your worse, boys."
"I don't think so." A woman's velvety voice resonated in the air, silencing the lewd comments and laughter of the servants. The boys seemed paralyzed, shrinking back against something only they could see. Maika's naked body dropped to the floor, after the hands holding her became lax; she crawled sobbing towards Gakupo and hugged him, while Blanca took a few steps back, turning her head in all directions searching for the owner of the voice.
"What a predictable little piglet," another voice commented, deeper and older sounding than the first.
"Oh, not you crones…!" Blanca spat, as two figures suddenly materialized next to the table. It was Arevalo and Rossemara, and the air seemed to crackle with invisible power around them.
Rossemara removed her orange cloak and placed it over Maika's shoulders, smiling kindly. "It's going to be alright, dears." She tied the ribbon of the cloak around Maika's neck to keep it in place, since the girl seemed more preoccupied with trying to fuse with Gakupo by way of squeezing him between her arms.
"Very brave of you, attacking an untrained younger mage and a commoner girl," Arevalo said, staring at Blanca with her blood red eyes. Blanca shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. "Rose and I will take it from here, if you don't mind."
"I'll teach him a lesson, sooner or later," Blanca growled in a low tone.
"Don't you realize we're doing you a service, you dumb girl? This boy will burn you to a crisp in a couple of months, if you don't behave. Just let it go already," Rossemara scolded her like a child. She then gently pried Maika and Gakupo apart, squeezing Maika's shoulders for a few seconds. "Let me get your beau, child." The woman lifted Gakupo from the chair, holding him bridal style as if he weighted no more than a doll.
"You do seem to lack a certain amount of foresight, Blanca." Arevalo's eyes never seemed to blink. "You think Verdigris would allow you to undermine his authority by violating these two?"
"He punched me!" Blanca shouted, but evaded Arevalo's crimson stare.
"And you should be thankful that's your only experience confronting another mage. Unless you want to try to stop us now…"
"Take him with you, I don't care." The green mage crossed her arms. She turned and walked away as casually as her temper allowed, without another glance to Gakupo or Maika. Her servant boys followed her like trained monkeys, glancing nervously at the two mystic women.
"Your place?" Arevalo questioned, her eyes still fixed on the doorway through which Blanca had passed a moment before.
"Yes, my daughters must have everything prepared by now," Rossemara replied placidly.
Arevalo raised one arm, and the four were engulfed in a black smoke that quickly swirled around them. Before Gakupo could process what was happening, they were in a completely different location. It was a big, comfortable-looking bedroom. Through the open doorway to the left of the quilted bed, Gakupo could see the tiny girl from the previous night, placing the last touches on a round table with seven chairs around it.
"Down you go, young man." Rossemara lowered him onto the bed, over a conveniently placed blanket. "I'm afraid we'll have to wait until the effect of Blanca's poison wears off on its own, but at least we can clean that pretty face of yours." Next to the bed was a big bucket of steaming water, and a pile of clean towels over a chair.
The woman turned to dab one in the water, but Maika wrenched it out of her hands saying, "I'll do it!" A moment later, the girl froze, watching the older woman with big scared eyes.
Rossemara only chuckled in response. "Of course, of course. I'm sure you want to take care of your boyfriend, dear. I just thought you'd like to recover a bit first, maybe wear something." She gestured towards a dress laid towards the end of the bed. Maika looked down with red cheeks. The cloak wasn't doing a particularly good job at keeping her body covered, at least her front.
"Perhaps we should give them some space, Rose." Arevalo placed her arm around Rossemara's stocky shoulders.
"Oh, you're right, Ary. I'm sorry, dears."
"We'll wait in Rose's study. Pull that cord when you are ready to talk." Arevalo gestured to a long silk cord hanging next to the bed, and then the two women exited the bedroom.
"Is everything ok?" Gakupo heard the girl ask in the next room.
"Yes, dear. We arrived before that naughty girl could hurt them."
"I'm glad, she's really mean!"
"She didn't have a mother quite like yours, Kanon." Rossemara laughed. "Come on, let's give them some privacy."
The voices died down, together with the sound of feet descending stairs. Gakupo and Maika were alone.
"I'm…sorry…" Gakupo managed to slur. His tongue was an unwieldy swollen thing inside of his mouth, but finally he seemed to be gaining some control of it. His entrails and lower body still burned, and he felt a strange impulse every time Maika's movements caused the cloak to give him a peek of the white skin beneath. It had to be part of the effects of the poison, like the ache in the base of his head and around his eyes.
Maika shook her head, without looking at him. Still sniffling, she laid next to him on the bed and rested her head on his chest. She didn't seem to even remotely care that she was dirtying her hair.
Gakupo could only speculate what was going through her head. One of the mages she adored so much had turned out to be a capricious monster. As much as he wanted Maika to see that mages were people like any other, this was a horrible way to reach that conclusion.
After a while, Maika rubbed her face and rose up, the left face of her head as sticky as him. She picked up the dress at the end of the bed and examined it, before taking a look around the room. There didn't seem to be any adjacent rooms to change besides the one with the round table. She paused for a moment, but then she simply dropped the dress back on the bed. She resolutely untied the cloak and let it fall to the ground. "This is yours," she said, displaying her body. "Not anyone else's."
Again with that crazed talk. We must be all crazy, every last one of us, Gakupo thought. "Belongs to you, not me…." He mumbled. Not the most elegant of responses, admittedly.
"Then it's mine to give," Maika replied. She picked up a towel and wiped herself a bit before putting the garment on. "And I chose you." The dress fit oddly, too loose on the chest and hips and too short for her torso. It was Rossemara's, probably.
"Now, let's see. Ugh, we're going to need to wash your hair when we get home." She rubbed his head vigorously after untying his hair ribbon.
"Maika…I don't…" Gakupo paused. "Stop…throwing yourself at me, I'm not in love with you." He finally managed a complete sentence, and felt a spark of satisfaction, before realizing what he had just said.
"I know," Maika replied casually. "But you want me. That's enough for me."
"It's not right," Gakupo said. He was glad he couldn't pull down Maika down to the bed with him, like he suddenly felt like doing. It had to be the poison.
"Who says so?" Maika unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled it off with some effort. "These stains are going to be difficult to remove." She stared at the garment with disgust. "I can't believe…" Maika scrunched her face. She threw it to the floor, and cleaned Gakupo's chest with another wet towel.
"I guess you were right. Not all mages are the great idols I expected them to be," she whispered after a while, wiping more tears from her eyes. "When I was growing up, they always taught us that the mages were here to guide and protect us commoners."
"I shouldn't have brought you with me…" Gakupo knew enough about cruelty to expect some kind for revenge, though the extent of Blanca's viciousness shocked him.
"I belong on your side," Maika said. She climbed on the bed and draped herself around his body. "Especially if you are going to face an enemy. I may not have powers, but I can help you in other ways." She laid her head on his chest again. "Your skin feels so warm…"
The sensation of her body pressed against his sparked a disjointed torrent of images to run through Gakupo's already altered mind: Luka's head resting on his arm, as she slept next to him. Then Kaito holding him, every time he was close to collapsing. Luka's fingers touching his cheek, as she cupped his face. A myriad of sensations that had kept Gakupo together over the years, even when he felt the walls of the cell threatening to crush him.
Gakupo gradually drifted away from the present; he remembered Luka's innocent kisses, leaving blazing marks on his skin. Her soft hair and her beautiful, shy smile. Like a flower slowly opening its petals, she reached out for him.
And then the direction of his thoughts shifted and Luka was crouching on the floor of the central square, terrified. She was deadly afraid of him and his flames; tears ran down her cheeks, and it hurt more than anything else. Gakupo ran away from those tears, knowing that he was never going to be close to her again.
Like the self-serving beast he was, he searched for Kaito in the recesses of his hallucinations, begging him to stay with him. His friend had kissed him once, even if Gakupo was sure it was more pity than anything else. Kaito was such a good person, it was unfair for him to be shackled to a monster, but Gakupo still clung to him, hiding from unsavory reality.
And Kaito held him in the darkness of the cell, their limbs interlocked under the blankets. A huge moon shone outside the window, but its light did nothing to illuminate the room. It didn't matter. Without his sight, Gakupo's other senses were working overtime, absorbing everything about the body on top of him. He wondered if it was really possible that the heated words Kaito was whispering in his ear were true.
But then Kaito pulled back, reading the dagger. He sunk the blade repeatedly in Gakupo's chest, a bright smile never leaving his face.
Gakupo screamed, fighting his sluggish body. Maika rolled to his side with a yelp and almost fell off the bed. They looked at one another with wide eyes. In the other room, a clock ticked away the seconds of their shared silence.
"What is this place?" Gakupo asked, his eyes searching the room. He almost expected to see Kaito standing next to the bed, a bloody dagger in his hand, ready to finally claim his freedom from the hateful beast.
"This is Rossemara's mansion," Maika replied slowly. She touched his forehead. "You are running a fever, I'll ask her servants for some ice. Try to sleep, it will do you good." She brushed the humid locks of hair away from his eyes. "I'll be right back." She left quickly, a worried look on her face.
"I should be taking care of you," Gakupo muttered to the empty room. Everything was always going wrong because he was a useless, broken leech. "I should've protected you." Kaito and Luka were gone because he had depended so much on them, draining their energies and good will; he deserved their hate.
Maika said this was Rossemara's home. It felt like a safe place…but there was no way that was true. Gakupo squeezed his eyes shut, sure that at any second the bright colors of the pleasant room around him would melt, leaving only the drab stone of the tower.
The stone walls had always been there, after all. The walls and the bars and the chain tugging at his neck, and stale air, and the night filling his head. Perhaps he had been born inside of the cell, and his family and home were dreams. Even if they really existed, they were for other people that danced in and out of the darkness without a care, not for him.
Even if he truly had escaped Oto, nothing had really changed. Whoever Verdigris was, he expected Gakupo to perform like a trained dog. As long as he behaved, his cell would be nice and cozy. And Maika would allow him to consume her like he had consumed his friends, because she was misguided and compassionate.
Gakupo was desperate and lonely enough to consider accepting such a life.
When Maika returned, she found Gakupo staring up the ceiling with a dark expression in his face. She sighed internally. How exactly was he expected to improve under these conditions? Master Verdigris had to have his reasons for allowing Blanca to upset him like this, but the servant girl couldn't even begin to fathom what they were.
Her mage closed his eyes and relaxed when she pressed a bag of ice over his forehead. "That feels nice."
"Rossemara sent someone to the palace to get us some clothes. She says we can stay here tonight, if you like. Arevalo and Balthazar are staying here as well." She presumably referred to the crimson-eyed mage's male servant.
Gakupo glanced at her, his face still reddened. "That dress doesn't suit you."
Maika blinked. The hungry way Gakupo was looking at her…was that an effect of the drug? What had Blanca intended to do with him? The possibilities were incredibly unsettling. It was one thing to hurt her, but that horrid woman couldn't be allowed to touch her mage.
"…Lay with me," Gakupo whispered, all youthful and innocent awkwardness. "You're right, I do want you near. But I'm out of my mind, Maika. You realize that, right? I'm not going to be a good partner for you. I'll just use you and feel sorry for myself."
"Perhaps you have it backwards," Maika said with an impish grin. "Perhaps I'm the one using you."
"Perhaps…" Gakupo tried to raise his arms; Maika waited with delight to see how he would touch her. However, the movement was shaky and clumsy. He gave up half-way, a hint of annoyance in his face. "I'm not doing anything for a while, am I?"
"I don't think so." Maika chuckled at his bemused expression. She didn't feel disappointed at all; he had at least tried to reciprocate.
"…I can think we can succeed in this city." Gakupo changed topics abruptly; it seemed to be a tendency of his, from Maika's observations. "You and I. I'm going to study hard and obey every order Verdigris gives me. That's how it's supposed to go, right?"
"Yes, of course," Maika replied, but she felt somewhat confused. What was bothering him now?
"I'll share everything he gives me with you. I won't just consume you."
So he still felt some guilt over accepting her? Her heart pounded, moved by his tenderness. My poor silly mage, why do you care so much? I'm here for you. "You'll bring us success," she agreed, instead of pointlessly trying to dispel his worries. "You are my mage, after all."
He seemed somewhat reassured after that, and even smiled. Maika smiled back and kissed him, not caring one bit that there was no true affection in his lips. It was just a matter of being patient.