2 Mistress?!

Nilana heard the rattle noise of an animal and her eyes were opened at an instant.

And she found herself in an unfamiliar place, yet the bed she was sleeping could be compared to fluffy clouds. For a moment, she considered sleeping a bit more instead of inspecting what this place was.

She attempted to move a little,

"Ow" She winced in pain as she noticed her whole shoulders were wrapped with a white tape-cloth, which was mostly used for injuries in Windspire Kingdom.

Moreover, she noticed, she wasn't even wearing her own clothes!

The sleeveless brown male's shirt was ten times bigger than her. It covered her from neck to the knees, resulting it being the only cloth in her body.

She then looked around, hoping to find familiarity with the surroundings.

A luxurious mahogany table was set in the middle of the room, and atop the table center sat a fluffy black cat, looking at her with curious eyes.

Nilana frowned at the cat. "You seem like an intruder to me."

"Meow," the cat responded while it roamed around the table, dropping every steel utensil and the ceramic crockeries within the radius.

She ignored the cat and focused on getting out of a stranger's bed. It was still oblivious to Nilana that what happened to her.

Why was she injured, and where was she? Who saved her?

Questions flooded over her head as she took dainty steps out of the room. The living room was enormous, for what she thought was a small cottage.

What if, she thought, what if this place wasn't a small cottage?

Walking through the luxuriant living area, she found a wooden staircase and climbed downstairs.

Downstairs, the space was enormous. With a huge mahogany dining table, there was a fully furnished kitchen.

A KITCHEN WITH A STOVE?! Her inner chef self screamed in anticipation.

Calm down Lana, you don't even know whose house this is or how you ended up in it.

She thought to herself as she continued searching for a single person she could talk to.

"You're walking already?"

The low-masculine voice made Nilana's eyes go saucer-wide.

It came from behind her, so she immediately turned around and took in the scene.

The man had an axe swung over his shoulders, sweat dripping from the beginning of his neck down to the end of his abdomen.

He wore baggy black pants that covered the lower part of his body, his upper part though... Nilana gulped as she took him in. The man towered over her, sweat running down the sculpted muscles of his torso. More than anything, the enormous axe scared her shitless.

"WH-WHO ARE YOU?!" she shrieked as she went back a few steps, only to grab a ceramic plate from the dining table.

The man's silver eyes roamed on her, a brow lifted, amused by her act of reflex.

"Is this how you show gratitude towards your Savior, Dem Mari?" He took two steps closer, which caused her to stumble back.

"S-Savior?!" she stuttered.

"So who do you think was stupid enough to save an absolutely loquacious girl like you?" He stepped closer, a ghost of an amused smirk danced on his lips.

At a lost of words, Nilana stilled, yielding the ceramic plate up high, but didn't attack him.

"You saved me?" her words came out like a whisper.

Yet he heard her, "What else do you think? You are still alive and not drowned to death yet?" Her auburn eyes were locked to his silver ones. Confused, afraid, and demanding answers.

Her hand yielding the ceramic plate slowly went down, as she recalled what happened to her before she woke up in that bed.

Her dad, her sister, her mother, sleeping soundly. She escaping the house with her belongings. The riverside. The silent, mysterious rower. The boat. The storm and...

"Yo-you..you're the rower under the cloak!" She exclaimed at the sudden realization.

"Take a seat." She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the shirtless rower bring her a seat. "You've been badly injured. You need to take herb medications. Wait, I will make you some soup by adding the herbs in it."

Nilana sat in the seat, subconsciously obeying him. She abruptly closed her eyes shut and flinched when he swung his enormous axe down and placed it on the floor.

The man noticed her change of expression, looked at her for a while, then left.

The man went for a bath. Meanwhile, Nilana decided to sneak out despite her shoulder blades stinging with pain.

Outside, it was a burst of colors. The brightest shade of blue adorned the sky. The front yard was stunning, with an array of colorful roses and white daisies. Grass was a vibrant, almost surreal shade of green, the result of tireless care. Setting her bare foot on the slightly wet grass, she felt like she was in heaven.

She slowly tip toed to the centre, looking at her surroundings with a permanent awe. To her left, she noticed a pond. It was shimmering due to sunlight reflecting on its bottle green water and its surface was adorned with lily pads. The pond was surrounded by weeping willows, making it beyond picturesque.

She found her way towards it, tiptoed down the stairs until her toes grazed with water.

Only if she could swim.

"I notice someone I haven't met before." A deep accented voice followed behind her, and she shrieked again for the nth time that day.

Why did everyone have to come up to her from behind and scare her?

She turned around to see a completely unfamiliar face.

"Eek" She stumbled, about to fall into the pond. Until he caught her hand and steadied her.

"Woah, take it easy."

Comparing to the man who saved her, this man was fairer and completely dressed.

Thank god.

A brown vest, a white linen shirt underneath, and a crest with a symbol of a crescent moon sat on the extreme left of his chest. The man was towering over her, but wasn't as tall as her saviour. Judging by his luxurious attire, Nilana was sure he was some kind of noble.

"Who are you?" She managed to ask in spite of her confusion.

"Indeed, I believe such a question ought to be posed by you, fair lady." His skeptical golden eyes fell over her. "Pray, Lady, where might I find Ian?"

Her auburn eyes raided with confusion, "Ian?"

"Indeed, your lover?"

"Dylan." a familiar voice followed behind the nobleman. Nilana angled her head as he turned around to see the source of the voice.

"Ian." A smile grew on Dylan's lips.

"Wait a minute- Who's Ian and why would he be my lover, mister?" he ignored her.

"I was passing by and noticed smoke from your chimney. I had no knowledge that you were home, tending to your injured mistress. I presumed you were in Kalaket Port."

That's when Nilana realized Ian was the name of her savior, the rower. And that she never bothered to ask him what his name was.

Moreover, did this Dylan just call her his mistress?!