Thief of Twilight

Part Two: Chapter 59

Yohan slowly opened his eyes to a sea of messy ivory waves. Burying his face in her thick waves, he gently kissed Zurine's cheek. He sat up to stretch his arms above his head. He took another look at Zurine before rubbing her head. A warm smile grew on his face as he thought of the events that took place only a few hours before.

It's rare that she is so receptive, he thought, but I'm glad she opened up even if it was just a little.

Smiling to himself, he climbed out from under the blankets and put on his clothes. He slid on his boots and top robe before walking to the door.

She may be hungry, he thought, I'll get her some food from the market.

___

The smell of roasted meat was the first thing to wake me up. I sat up and stretched my arms out my arms. Yohan sat at the table with his back facing me. He was busy doing something but I couldn't see what it was. Sitting up, I held the blanket to my chest. My leg slipped out from under the blanket as I dragged my foot along the futon.

"...Yohan...?"

Yohan perked up before turning his head.

"What are you doing?" I could see his face was as red as cherries. What's wrong with him? Before I could speak, he tackled me onto the futon. He kissed my forehead and then looked into my eyes.

"Are you alright?" he stroked my cheeks with his thumbs.

I nodded my head. "Yeah..."

"Good. I was afraid that I was a bit rough last night..." he kissed my cheek.

"If you did...I wouldn't have stopped you..."

Yohan smiled softly. "Get some rest. I will compensate So-hee for the day."

"Huh? N-No! Don't do that!"

"Why not? I have done it before."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I only compensated her for the days that she was inconvenienced." he explained.

"So like, every day!" I spat.

"Yes, but I do not see the issue with that."

"How much did you give her?" I thought back to when So-hee handed me the pouch filled with coins. If I remember correctly, she said that Yohan had given it to her.

"Oh..." he thought for a moment. "Probably around three thousand silver."

"Three thousand!" I cupped his face in my hands. "Yohan, don't do that! I mean, I thank you for financially compensating her, but you shouldn't do that! That's a lot of money! Just give her the things she needs! Like, ask one of the guards or a few servants to come and help her on the farm for the next few days or something. But stop giving her money."

"But...I don't understand..." he said. "What is wrong with that?"

I took a breath. "Yohan...people from the lower class...we view money differently. While we understand that it is a blessing, some of us will feel like we have to return it. Even...if it is given to us as a gift."

Yohan slowly nodded his head. "Alright, I won't give her money."

"If she says that she needs any financial assistance, ask her exactly what she needs."

Yohan nodded his head again. "Yes, empress." he kissed my cheek. "I will return at sundown. Until then, wait for me here. You should-."

"I can't rest." I sat up and reached for my skirt and blouse." I have to help So-hee."