CHAPTER 156: SWEET. SHY

Ripe for guidance, asking for his help with spell theory and mathematics.

But Lor’s thoughts were far from pure.

He could already see her in that cramped little bedroom of hers, kneeling, her lips parted in awe, asking if this—his hand in her hair, his whispered commands—was part of the ritual too.

Fuck.

His cock stirred, hardening against the tight fabric of his trousers, making every step a delicious kind of torture.

He froze mid-stride, exhaling sharply, and veered toward a nearby food stall to collect himself.

Charcoal smoke curled into the air, thick with the scent of spiced meat, skewers sizzling over an open flame.

The woman behind the counter was a vision—tanned skin, a blouse so tight it strained against her generous curves, her neckline plunging low enough to make every movement a spectacle.

She flashed him a knowing smile, one that said she’d seen a hundred men pause for the same reason.

Lor leaned against the cart’s edge, pretending to eye the skewers, but really, he just needed a moment to breathe.

His gaze flicked to her chest—once, twice—long enough to dull the ache in his trousers.

He wasn’t the only one.

Half a dozen men lingered nearby, suddenly very invested in grilled chicken, their eyes betraying the same hunger.

He didn’t buy anything.

Just stood there, willing his body to calm the fuck down.

And then he saw her.

Ameth.

Across the plaza, she stood beside a handcart piled with vegetables, her grey tunic and work skirt practical but doing little to hide her figure.

Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight, no-nonsense braid, and her icy blue eyes scanned the market with a precision that could cut glass.

She stood tall, lips pressed into a thin line, posture radiating a quiet disdain for the bustling chaos around her.

Untouchable. Cold.

A queen in a peasant’s clothes.

Gods, she was beautiful.

Sharp cheekbones, curves that pressed against her tunic like a challenge, and that aura—like a blade wrapped in velvet.

Lor had always found her mysterious.

Not cold like she hated people, but cold like she’d already weighed their worth and found them wanting.

She never laughed at crude jokes, never spared a flirtatious glance.

Ameth was focus incarnate, a razor’s edge in human form.

And utterly, maddeningly untouchable.

He’d never approached her.

Not once.

But that didn’t mean he hadn’t imagined her—bent over a desk, her braid unraveling under his fingers, her icy composure melting into gasps.

Still, something about her always felt... dangerous.

Like touching her would draw blood.

Lor’s eyes narrowed as he watched her adjust the produce on her cart, her movements efficient but distracted.

And then he saw it.

The vegetables were spoiling.

Not all of them, but enough.

Lettuce heads browning at the core, squash with blackened undersides, tomatoes splitting softly where flies were starting to gather.

A faint rot beneath the vibrant display, unnoticed by her sharp eyes.

You’re flawless in class, he thought, tilting his head, intrigued.

But you’re missing this?

He pushed off the food stall, his cock finally behaving, and started toward her, his steps slow and deliberate.

His face stayed neutral, but inside, his pulse quickened—not with lust this time, but with something sharper.

Curiosity. Opportunity.

Ameth, untouchable Ameth, was vulnerable.

Her perfect facade had a crack, and Lor lived for cracks like these.

They were doorways.

Invitations.

A chance to slip past her defenses and see what lay beneath that icy exterior.

He stopped a few paces from her cart, hands in his pockets, his grin small.

"Rough day at the market?" he asked, voice light but laced with just enough edge to catch her attention.

Her blue eyes flicked to him, sharp as a blade, and for a moment, he felt the weight of her scrutiny—like she was peeling back his skin to see what kind of man dared speak to her.

Then her lips twitched, not quite a smile, but not a frown either.

"Rougher for the vegetables, it seems," she said, her voice cool but not unkind, nodding toward the cart as if she’d just noticed the spoilage herself.

Lor’s grin widened.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

Lor stepped up to the side of her cart, the sun’s heat bearing down on his back like a persistent whisper, urging him forward.

The air was thick with the earthy scent of raw greens, undercut by the faint, bitter tang of overripe tomatoes—a subtle rot that mirrored the opportunity blooming before him.

Ameth didn’t look up immediately.

Her hands moved with mechanical precision, rearranging a row of carrots as if the world beyond her cart didn’t exist.

When she finally turned, her icy blue eyes raked over him, assessing, weighing him like a dubious coin tossed her way.

"...Do you want to buy something?" Her voice was flat, a well-rehearsed barrier, laced with just enough indifference to ward off idle chatter.

"It’s me Lor," Lor said, his tone light but probing. "We’re in the same class."

Her expression remained a frozen mask, not a single crack appearing. "Okay. Lor. Do you want to buy something?" she repeated,.

He shook his head, unfazed. "No."

Her hands paused on a head of lettuce, fingers hovering like she was debating whether to crush it or him. "Then stop wasting my time."

Lor’s gaze swept over the cart again—vibrant rows of vegetables catching the sunlight, but he could spot the flaws easily: soft brown spots marring the leafy greens, squash skins dulling with decay.

"Business doing fine?" he asked, keeping his voice even, almost conversational, but with an undercurrent that hinted at more.

Her eyes sharpened, a glint of steel beneath the ice, but she said nothing.

"You don’t seem to have much of a crowd," he pressed, gesturing to the empty space around them.

The market thrummed with life—vendors haggling, shoppers laughing—but her cart stood like an island in a sea of indifference, people streaming past without a glance.

She made a faint, dismissive sound—tch—and returned to her produce, as if he were no more than a fleeting shadow.

Lor let the silence stretch, then dropped his hook.

"I have a message for you."