The Apathetic Mage Loves Cats

Chapter 15: Arguments

Authors Note:

Hey guys! Saph here! Sorry, I didn't update last week, I realized that I wasn't really fond of the way my story was going, (mainly the development between Alan and Caiden, I thought it was going too fast), so I took some time to ponder over their relationship! This is just to say that there was a minor change in the last chapter with their conversation, but nothing too bad. It isn't a big deal for you if you don't feel like reading it, I just toned down their banter a bit and changed some of their actions to better reflect the characters I had in mind. For those of you reading it all the way through to this chapter, it won't make much of a difference! I just felt like I was straying too far from my original character ideals and it made it difficult to see where I was going, oof lol.

Additionally, I don't want to bum anyone out, but my family's first cat that we've had for over ten years had to be put down this morning (July 4, 2021) at 1:20 am due to cancer. We're all doing okay, but this kinda took a toll on my emotional stability a little bit. Luckily, I had this chapter and the previous chapter already created, but that means I might not be able to feel motivated to produce the next chapter next Sunday. Of course, I'll try my best! But, I hope you all understand.

On with the show!

~~~

"So, what does that mean, going forward?" I asked, Romand. Romand scratched at the back of his hand, his ears moving back and forth on his head as he listened to the sounds around him.

"It means that we have to investigate everyone, including you."

"Mage Alan?" I blinked and looked up to see Caiden looking at me from across the room, his face filled with curiosity as I glanced at him with a frown; slowly coming back from my flashback. Caiden sat behind his desk, his left hand flipping a page in a book and his right hand wrapped around a pen that rested against a paper. His brows were furrowed as he watched me with somewhat concentrated eyes. I sat on the other side of the desk, my feet up in the chair and my head resting on my left hand.

"What?" I asked, clearing my throat. After coming back from seeing Romand, I found Caiden tucked away in his office, his sandwich half-eaten and his water still dancing in his cup.

"What did Romand want to talk about?" Caiden asked, his gaze then shifting down to the paper, where he pretended to scribble stuff down. I sighed, and leaned back in the chair, looking past Caiden and outside to watch as the sun slowly started to descend. We had been here for hours already, and that was probably why my mind had wandered off to Romand and I's conversation.

"Well..." I trailed off, my thoughts racing. Was it really something that Caiden should know? Not that I cared much for spouting that there might be a traitor (I knew it wasn't me, so who cares who it was as long as they left me alone) but I, for some unknown reason, didn't want to tell him. Probably because I knew how much he had on his plate already, and I didn't want to add to it. Though it was a first for me, wanting to spare someone like this, and it made me uncomfortable, so I just decided to focus on that later. "It wasn't much, just once again scolding me about staying with you, like always. How long are we going to be here for, by the way? You haven't slept for like, weeks." Caiden's gaze was harsh, as he realized that I was lying to him, trying to get the attention away from the situation and push it back onto him. He didn't seem too happy about it, either.

"You know, I wasn't born yesterday," he lamented, probing me to continue speaking. However, I decided to evade it once more and cocked my head in a slightly confused expression.

"Of course, that wouldn't make any sense." His gaze grew fiery, and his hands clenched.

"Alan, as your king and client, I don't think it is wise to hide things from me." His voice was sharp as he glared at me, however, I wasn't upset. Instead, I was more annoyed at his response. So, I rolled my eyes and sighed exasperatedly.