The Reaper's Voyage

Chapter 29

It is time for supper and having still been stunned by Kalodor and Delyth's interaction, he remains calm, unbuttons his waistcoat and sits at the head of the table. The servants arrive with the dishes and place them in front of him. He takes a napkin and spreads it across his lap. As he silently eats his food, he gets the sudden feeling of loneliness that he's never had before. The feeling of wanting some company that is not Jothan Kersey.

He raises the chalice to his mouth and takes a sip of the red wine as his eyes roam around the great hall. His eyes settle on Delyth who stands at attention 20 feet away from him. He allows his eyes to inspect her in the metal uniform. She looks better in it yet than the other men.

He clears his throat. "Pulchra." She shows no sign of acknowledging that she either hears him or knows that she is who he is calling. He flexes his jaw in annoyance. "Dame Delyth Aiken."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she looks in his direction. She heard him before but she finds it hard to believe that he was calling her. Especially by such an endearment. "My lord."

He motions to the seat on his right. "Why don't you have a seat? Eat with me."

She curtly bows her head in respect. "I apologize but I must refuse your offer."

His jaw flexes and a scowl falls on his face but it disappears when he blinks and flashes a blinding smile in an effort to appease her. "I insist. Take a seat."

She realizes by the hardening of his voice that he is leaving her no option. What she mistook for a question is actually a demand. Delyth's attention moves to Tiarnan who is on the other side of the great hall. The fire blazing in his eyes is a clear indication that he is very bothered by Silas's request.

Why her?

She makes her way towards the table and Silas quickly stands to his feet and pulls the chair out for her to sit. Bearing witness, Jothan narrows his eyes at Silas's peculiar behavior towards Delyth. He wasn't nearly this affectionate towards his late wife, Flavia.

"You are a beguiling woman, Delyth. I can't imagine the strength it took you to go through extensive training to get where you are right now. That in itself is admirable." Jothan's eyes bulge in his head, not believing the words leaving his friend's lips.

"I appreciate your kind words, my lord," she mutters, sitting incredibly still. Somehow, it bothers him that she's not eating the food. Does his reputation portray him as such a bad person that even having a meal with him is a bad task? Of course it is.

"Delyth, the servants worked really hard cooking this meal. I am sure you wouldn't want it to go to waste." Her head turns to look at him slowly, wanting to pluck the teeth from his mouth with the fork and knife, wiping the smile that seems stuck on his deceivingly handsome face.

She rolls her lips between her teeth then looks down on the plate that lay empty in front of her. Picking up the fork, she adds a small slice of pie, lamb and a single roll of garlic bread. She glances at Silas before putting a piece of the pie in her mouth.

The soft texture that melts her taste buds and delectable taste almost makes her roll her eyes over in her head in delight.

He watches her closely, content that she is eating and enjoying it. He takes a moment to observe how smooth her dark skin is. Something about her, he finds incomparably magnificent. What catches his attention the most is her hair. Her hair is done in two pigtails but each has five elastic bands in them giving it a certain puff. He's never seen hair do that before.

She looks like a goddess, he thinks to himself in a daze.

As his eyes gradually rake her features, he notices two strange things.