Chapter 7: Don’t Ever Leave

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Don’t Ever Leave

"Xavier," Mira said.

She remained in his arms for a long moment before finally speaking.

"Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me today. You gave me something I thought I’d lost forever." Her voice grew quieter. "Hope."

Xavier didn’t say anything.

Mira lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening against his shirt. "But I can’t stay here."

His brows drew together. "What are you talking about?"

"I’ll only bring trouble to you and you are already dealing with a lot. " She took a slow breath before forcing herself to continue.

"I’m not the person I used to be. My Celestial Core is gone. My magic has been deteriorating for months, and no one knows why. I’m barely capable of protecting myself anymore." She looked up at him.

"And my family won’t leave me alone forever."

Mira had finally calmed down enough to think clearly. Staying beside Xavier felt wonderful, and that was precisely why she couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t allow the first person to offer her genuine kindness in months to become another victim of her circumstances.

Her uncle, Adrian Sinclair, wasn’t someone she could afford to underestimate. He had always been ruthless.

There was a saying he repeated often: once you decided to deal with an enemy, you had to make certain they could never become a threat again.

Mira knew what that meant. The only reason she was still alive was because her current condition made her appear harmless.

She had lost her Celestial Core, been expelled from the family, and was barely capable of supporting herself.

Perhaps Adrian believed she was no longer worth worrying about. But that could change. If he ever decided that her existence posed even the slightest risk, he would eliminate her.

And now that she was married to Xavier, Xavier would inevitably become involved. She couldn’t let that happen.

"So I have to leave," Mira whispered, the words nearly breaking her. "I don’t want to, but I have to."

Xavier stared at her. Then he raised his hand and lightly knocked her on the forehead.

Mira blinked. "Why did you hit me?"

"Because you’re talking nonsense," he said, sighing. "What exactly am I supposed to be afraid of? Your family?"

Mira looked at him anxiously. "You don’t understand."

"I understand enough."

"It’s not that simple."

"My wife is worried that she’ll become a burden, so she’s decided to disappear without even asking me." Xavier gave her an exasperated look. "Does that sound reasonable to you?"

Mira fell silent.

Xavier’s expression softened. "Listen to me. Yes, the Sinclair family is powerful. Yes, your condition is serious. But neither one is a reason for me to abandon you."

"But Adrian Sinclair..."

"I’ll deal with him when the time comes."

Mira stared at him. "You really aren’t afraid?"

"I’m not stupid enough to pretend I can’t be killed," Xavier said, smiling.

"But I’m also not going to spend my life running from people who might come after me." His voice became firm. "If your uncle is stronger than me, then I’ll become stronger."

Mira’s eyes trembled. "You don’t understand how powerful a Spirit Platform mage is."

"Maybe I don’t," Xavier shrugged.

"But you don’t know how capable your husband might become either." He gave her a confident smile.

"Besides, didn’t I tell you already? I’m your husband. Stop worrying about problems that haven’t happened yet."

Mira looked at him for several seconds. Something inside her finally began to soften.

"You’re really stubborn," she murmured.

"You just figured that out?"

A tiny smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe I’m learning quickly."

"Good," Xavier said, nodding. "Keep learning."

The room gradually became quiet. Mira continued looking at him, gratitude and relief mixed with something else she couldn’t quite put into words.

Then, almost before she realized what she was doing, she leaned forward as their lips briefly touched.

Mira immediately pulled away, her entire face turning bright red. She lowered her head, suddenly too embarrassed to meet his eyes.

Xavier stared at her in surprise. Then his lips curved upward. "So that’s what you’ve been thinking about."

Mira’s ears burned. "I haven’t."

"You definitely have."

"I haven’t!"

Xavier laughed softly. "Come here."

Mira barely had time to react before he leaned toward her again. This time, she didn’t pull away.

********

Nearly half an hour later, they finally left the bedroom. Xavier hadn’t gone any further than that.

He had wanted to, but Mira was still far too shy, and when he remembered the terrible scar left across her abdomen by the removal of her Celestial Core, whatever desire he had immediately disappeared.

They returned to the kitchen. The food Xavier had prepared earlier was already cold, and neither of them had the energy to start cooking again, so they simply reheated everything.

While sitting across his new wife, sharing a simple meal under the warm glow of a single candle, Xavier found himself strangely content.

He didn’t feel lonely.

Neither of them knew that someone else was already looking into their marriage.

*******

At the Sinclair family estate, Adrian Sinclair sat behind his desk, studying the report his subordinate had brought him.

A photograph of Xavier sat among the documents. Adrian looked at it for several seconds before laughing.

"Not even an awakened mage," he said, tossing the report onto the desk. "My niece really has fallen far."

Standing beside him, his younger brother, Victor Sinclair, shook his head. "He is more interesting than you can imagine brother. I hear his previous wives had died mysteriously."

"Wow, interesting." Adrian’s lips curled in a cunning smile.

"So do we need to act or just let our dear niece meet her own miserable fate with her unfortunate groom?" Victor asked, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

Adrian glanced at him. "Why? Who says we can let our dear niece be?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"Her fate has been sealed. She would definitely die. If not under that curse her new husband has, it would be from the lose of her core. Someone like Mira won’t endure that injury for long. She might as well soon take her own life due to shame soon enoigh." He exhaled deeply as if talking about someone’s life was a mere topic.

"But before then, we would make both of their lives miserable." He completed and looked at Victor with a sinister smile.

"Brilliant, brother. Brilliant. Also something strange had happened with that Xavier Kane." Victor placed another document on the desk. "One hundred thousand crowns suddenly appeared in Xavier Kane’s account."

Adrian’s expression changed slightly. "Where did he get it?"

"We traced it to the Treasure Pavilion." Victor paused. "He sold nine Second Tier elixirs."

Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Nine?"

"All genuine." Victor leaned back. "Apparently, he had them in his possession before today."

Adrian considered it for a moment. "They could have been inherited from his parents or grandfather."

"That’s what I thought," Victor said, smiling. "But there’s something amusing about what he did afterward."

"What?"

"He sold nine elixirs, then went back and bought three more."

Adrian stared at him. "He bought them back?"

"At a higher price." Victor laughed. "I honestly can’t figure out what kind of person does that."

Adrian laughed as well. "A fool, apparently."

Victor shook his head. "Still, Mira seems to have found someone willing to spend his entire fortune on her. Comes with the package of his being cursed I guess."

"What a pity." Adrian’s amusement slowly disappeared. His eyes fell on another document. "Have you found my sister in law?"

Victor’s expression became serious. "Not yet."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Adrian’s fingers tapped against the desk. His older brother had disappeared inside the Mistfall Forest. Everyone believed he had died, but his wife had survived. That alone made her dangerous.

Adrian’s expression darkened. "How unfortunate." He leaned back in his chair. "After all this time, she still managed to slip away."

Victor remained silent.

After several seconds, Adrian finally spoke. "Keep Mira under observation."

Victor looked at him. "For how long?"

"A few more days." Adrian’s voice was calm, but there was a coldness beneath it.

"If my sister in law still refuses to reveal herself," he said, glancing toward the photograph of Mira, "then we’ll give my dear niece and her new husband a reason to remember the Sinclair family."

His lips twitched with a conniving smile. "Maybe pay them a visit or something."