The Commoner Consort: The Country’s Respected Empress - Chapter 201
“Maya”
She lets out a shaky breath and speaks before Xavier could speak “I will wash my hands-“.
THUD!
The spear in her hands slips from her grip surprisingly. Maya frowns and gets diverted from her restless trance.
‘How did it slip? Was it due to my chaotic heart?’
She could only get suspicious as there is no way she turned weak. How can she be this fragile that she couldn’t even hold a spear? And when she is under the effects of her powers? It’s strange.
It might look stupid to over think this simple thing for others but for Maya it is not.
Maya knows her strength very well. She has been living with this strength since childhood. Even if she is in the death bed, she won’t let something just slip away from her grip. Metaphorically and literally too.
Once she grasps something in her palm she would never let it go.
She gets out from her suspicions and her words were stopped when Xavier comes right in front of her. When she tried to step away from him, Xavier grabs her mud smeared palm into his broad ones.
Xavier asks patting the mud in her palms softly “You like planting, don’t you?”
Maya stares him curiously as she couldn’t process his words for few moments. But when she realized, she didn’t expect him to question this out of no where.
He smiles and speaks for her while caressing her palm “You looked quite skilful before… as if you have been doing this all your life..”
Maya stammers opening her eyes wide noticing their hands together “I-I …Y-yes..”
She is nervously looking at the ground as if she likes those grass more than ever now and speaks “I told you I want to wash-“.
Xavier smiles gently and squeezes her palm “Let me wash away your fear first”.
Maya “…”
Xavier pulls her in his embrace and pats her head whispering “You must have startled. It’s glad you are not hurt”.
Maya blinks and speaks with a nervous laugh “I won’t get hurt that easily. If I did, it would be such a shame to my skills”.
Xavier smiles “I am happy that you are skilful enough to not get hurt..”
Maya smiles faintly ‘How can I not be skilful enough? I have been escaping all my life from getting hurt… I am glad I could save you…’
She blinks back her tears as she recalled her painful nights in which she had to spend in helpless conditions whenever she got hurt and takes a deep breath. His soothing words and care made her to speak out her heart but she doesn’t want to.
She speaks patting Xavier’s shoulder gently “I am not scared anymore, Sir”.
Xavier is still holding her firmly in his embrace and sighs “We should have met in a different circ.u.mstances. I really wish… things were less complicated…”.
Maya’s eyes subconsciously gets moist hearing his words as he spoke her heart out. She doesn’t know what’s with today as it is turning more and more delightful in with Xavier’s presence and words. They didn’t just stop there, those words made Maya’s heart flutter and sad at the same time for some reason.
As she too thinks the same. His words echoed her previous complaints about Kalki being the other Incomplete Soul.
Xavier who was thinking deeply about telling her his heart now hesitates. His new problem created by his own father stood like a huge barrier for him to speak out his heart.
“Can I say something, Maya?”
Maya nods in his embrace. She is lost in his voice.
Xavier frowns with a sudden thought arised in his mind “You reminded me of Xander today…”
Maya looks at him releasing herself from his embrace “Hmm?”
Xavier gets back to reality and steps back from her. He doesn’t want to scare her and speaks earnestly to divert the upcoming awkwardness “Yes. He too can hear anything precisely. I wonder how many skills are you hiding from us!”
Maya pouts displeased.
‘Xander.. isn’t he a horseman?!’
She asks raising her single eyebrow which she does when she wants to intimidate someone “I remind you of your horseman?!”
Xavier frowns “Horseman?-”
Maya scoffs “Yes! You dare to compare my skills with an horseman?! Do you even know what else I am capable of?!”
‘How dare he compares me to a human skill?!’
Xavier blinks dumbfounded “…” What did I do? Why is she angry?
Suddenly he recalls and realizes that Maya is still unaware of Xander’s identity and chuckles “Calm down, My lady-“.
Maya speaks arrogantly “Do you want me say how many times your heart beats now? I can hear them if I try hard!”.
Xavier gets stunned as her words sounded pleasant and overwhelming to him.
‘I wish you could hear my heart too…’
He could only gulp and whispers playfully “Are you sure you can do that?”
Maya who is on full thoughts of proving her skills to him, smirks “Very well then!”.
Xavier asks nervously “Are you going to lean your-“.
Maya smiles broadly as if mocking his thoughts and scoffs “You can only wish, Your Highness”.
She places her palm on his chest and closes her eyes. She concentrates on his heart and smiles hearing his heart beats. She frowns suddenly and asks clueless “Wait! How long should I count?!”
Xavier laughs lightly at her adorable way of asking question and speaks “As long as you could, My lady”.
Maya squints her eyes and nudges him playfully. She speaks closing her eyes “I will count till your mind stops worrying”.
Xavier’s broad smile disappears gradually as soon as he heard her words. He recalls Kalki’s health and feels guilty. He darts his eyes on Maya’s face who was oblivious of his reaction and clenches his fist. Even though he felt happy before, he feels ashamed for forgetting about his brother.
‘How could I do this?! My brother is fighting for his life there and what am I even doing here?!’
He grabs Maya’s hand and takes it off from his chest “That’s enough, My Lady”.
He was about to speak but frowns feeling her palm’s temperature “Your hand… is ..too cold”.