Concealed Knight

NI-JU KYU

My alarm beside my table woke me up; I rolled out of bed, finding that no one was beside me; where did Raiden go? Looking at the time, it was six in the morning; I wanted to sleep more, but my work said no, I have to go to work by eight to nine in the morning, this is such a hassle.

I immediately went to the shower after my workout, a cold one; having cold showers in the morning strengthens your immunity, improves your blood circulation, promotes weight loss, and increases metabolism; even if it is cold, it is worth the benefit.

My body shivered as the cold water gushed down; I stretched out more. I played soft songs to vibe while I am showering; as soon as I finished, I went to my closet and picked out a black blazer and trousers; I then picked a sleeveless top for the inside, for my shoes, I just wore a classic black stiletto. I curled my hair at the ends, applied light makeup, and sprayed perfume.

As I entered the kitchen, I saw Raiden in his usual white shirt; it displayed his toned muscle; he looked dazzling just in a simple shirt, "You awake? I didn't bother to wake you up, you slept soundly like a baby in its cradle." He commended, "I have work to bother me from sleeping more than you'll ever know," I sighed.

He laughed as he made tea, "I made tea, I should have declined your offer last night, I'm not a fan of coffee," He retorted, "Is that so, I barely had any tea left, where did you get those?" I asked.

"I love tea as much as you love coffee, so I always bring extra, although these are just teabags, I prefer the real tea," He commended, "I should stock some tea here, also I can't afford the pricey tea you like," I said in advance, I am not someone who will spend a hundred just on some tea that you will drink.

"I should cook breakfast, I'll be late to work," I said, "As much as I want to eat your homemade foods, it's better to eat outside right now," He answered.

"I'll shower first, wait for me, it will be quick," He stated; "I understand," Nodding, as he went inside; I should tidy the room first. I headed to the storage and fetched my robot vacuum cleaner, it turned it on and did its job, and I cleaned the counters, and our teacups and all.

After a while, Raiden went out wearing his suit with a yellow tie and his brooch; his hair was down as always; we were about to leave the house when I stopped in my tracks, "Is something wrong, Kerstein?" He asked; I held his hand and looked up to him, "Raiden- uhm-," I started; I immediately felt shy and flustered.

"Why, is there a problem?" He again asked, "Nothing's wrong, uhm- How should I say this, well," He lifted my chin in his direction, I gazed down.

"Say it properly, I won't understand you if you don't say it properly," He diverted my attention to him, "Thank you for everything," I smiled innocently, he then stared at me with a blank face.

"Well you see, you always favor me and spend your time with me, you also share things, you saved me not only once but twice, thank you very much, Raiden," I explained, he was still staring blankly, "Raiden, did I do something wrong?" I frowned in frustration.

Without second thoughts, Raiden pulled me into a tight hug, "Geez, what should I do with you?" He announced, "If you continue to act cutely like that, I can't hold myself back anymore," He added, I patted his back.

"How can I return the favor, Raiden, please tell me," I requested, "Don't do anything, just stay by my side, and live with me forever," He said.

"Are you sure by that?" I raised a question to him, releasing myself from his hug, "I wanted to repay you at least," I insisted.

"Yeah, I'm sure, I did all those things because I favor you and I wanted to, so don't concern yourself any further," I nodded in his statement, "Still, Raiden, we still aren't sure about ourselves, we haven't decided our next step." I stated.

"Again, don't worry about it, we will work out just fine, let's start our morning with positivity, is that alright?" He bitterly smiled, I nodded in agreement, "O- Of course," I responded.

"Where should we have our breakfast?" I questioned Raiden, "Somewhere you won't expect," He replied while winking.

We then headed out to his car, "Since you let me sleep over, should we go to a café, there's a newly opened café just a few block away from the Tourism Industry Council," He uttered, "Let's go?" He openly gestured his hand.

I held it without hesitation, "Let's go," We went inside his car, "Kerstein?" He started a conversation while driving.

 "Remember the other day, when you got mad, I apologize for my behavior at that time, I went to far and got you mad at me," He confessed, "I made a decision since then, that I won't do anything unless you permit me to do so, I'll slow down myself and wait for you." He continued talking. 

"I- It's just that at that time you were being dominant, at that time we weren't lovers, so I got irritated, as to why you were doing lovely things for me." I returned, "I thought to myself that you are just messing around, and was just playing with me-" Raiden interrupted me with his hand gripping mine.

 "I'm not messing around," He stood as I looked at him, "I am honestly serious about you, Kerstein, I don't want anyone else, if you think that I'm just messing around with someone, then that someone is you, it's only you." He firmly affirmed. It went silent after; Raiden is more honest than I expected; he looks so serious about everything, it feels like that I cannot escape and run away from him.