CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 227

After Raphael woke up, Angela made it a point to swing by his room every single day. His recovery speed was picking up but he still spent more time dozing off than anything else, but the doctors figured he’d be up on his feet in about a month.

Today marked the tenth day since he’d woken up.Angela brought the group along for the visit, and yeah, I tagged in too.

"Hm..." Raphael eyed us all over from his bed, then zeroed in on one of us and pointed. "You’re Cypher Knoxx, right?"

"Y-Yes, that’s me. How’d you know?" Cypher blinked, caught off guard.

"Angela used to go on about you back when she was at the Heroic Federation of the Armed Forces Academy," Raphael said with a faint smile.

Angela froze for a split second, her cheeks turning pink. She snuck a quick glance at Cypher before rushing to clarify. "Y-Yeah, I might’ve mentioned how you were this delicate-looking guy who acted like he knew everything."

"What? That’s kinda brutal, isn’t it?" Christian chimed in, grinning.

"I’m wounded," Cypher said, though he was smiling too, clearly not taking it to heart.

Angela’s face went even redder, all flustered. "N-No, that’s not what I meant at all!"

Edge burst out laughing, deep and booming. "Nah, I gotta agree with Angela on that one!"

"Edge looks just as delicate as Cypher, though," Whitney pointed out, smirking.

"No way, no way—I look manly as hell," Edge shot back, puffing up like he’d been personally insulted.

"But I’m way buffer than both of them, right Whitney?" Rex jumped in, flexing a little for emphasis.

I couldn’t tune into any of it, though. Their chatter just washed over me, in one ear and straight out the other while I sat there in the chair, lost in my head. I had to figure out how to get rid of that Rakshesha’s mark on him. No clue how long I had before it fully took hold, but this nagging anxiety kept telling me I only had a month to fix it—why did it feel so urgent?

"Remillia? You okay? You seem totally zoned out."

I blinked, snapping back to reality and lifting my eyes to the group. It was Raphael who’d said it, watching me with this worried furrow in his brow.

"N-Nothing," I said, forcing a smile his way. "Just haven’t been sleeping much lately."

"Thanks for stopping by to visit me, but honestly, I’d rather you didn’t come every day—you need to get some real rest. I can’t shake the feeling that you’re looking worn out because of me," Raphael said, his voice gentle but concerned.

"Eh? She’s been coming here every day?" Whitney blurted out, sounding genuinely shocked.

Rex and Christian just shrugged it off, Edge pulled a face like he wasn’t thrilled, and Cypher cracked a knowing smile.

"Of course she has~ She’s been tagging along with Angela every single day," Raphael added, drawing out the words with a teasing lilt.

Angela only got one visit a day, limited to about three hours—and only when Raphael was actually up and alert.

Over the past ten days, I’d basically begged her to let me come with her each time, hoping I’d get a chance to talk to him alone, maybe figure out the mark situation.

"And why are you visiting Angela’s brother anyway?" Christian asked, eyeing me curiously.

"Um, I—ah..." I fumbled for an excuse, my mind racing. "A fan... yeah! I’m a big fan of his!"

Raphael lit up with this bright smile, aimed right at me. "Is that why you proposed marriage to me?"

I lunged forward without thinking, slapping my hand over his mouth—but it was way too late. The room went dead silent as everyone turned to stare at me, eyes wide like saucers except for Angela since she’s glaring at me. My face flushed hot, basically confirming every wild thought running through their heads.

"Is that why you’ve been bringing those white lilies the last few days?" Angela snapped, shooting me a glare that could cut glass.

For the past couple of days, every time I’d shown up with her, Raphael had started this teasing routine, begging for flowers like some dramatic prince. I’d caved and brought bouquets every day just to get him to drop it.

"Is it true? Are you actually marrying him?" Cypher asked, his voice a mix of surprise and jealousy.

"Have you gone and bewitched another one, witch?" Rex chimed in, barely holding back a laugh.

Their voices all blended together in a chaotic buzz, and it made my head pound—I couldn’t help but rub my temples, trying to block it out.

Just as I opened my mouth to try and clear up the mess, Edge turned to Angela. "Let’s step outside for a sec."

She shook her head, crossing her arms stubbornly. "I don’t want to."

He nodded toward her smartwatch. "Just check it—watch."

Angela glanced down at her wrist, tapping the screen. She paused for a beat, thinking it over, then shot me a sharp look. "Don’t you dare do anything to my brother." With that, she grabbed Cypher’s arm on her way out, dragging him along. It looked like they’d both gotten some kind of message—Cypher mumbled something hesitant under his breath, but Angela wasn’t having it. She pulled the door shut behind them with a firm click.

I turned to the others still hanging around—Whitney, Rex, and Christian. Now what? I needed a way to get them to clear out, leave Raphael and me alone so I could actually talk to him about the mark without an audience.

Luckily, I didn’t have to scramble for an excuse. Raphael beat me to it, addressing them directly. "Whitney, Christian, and Rex, right?"

"Yes, sir. What do you need?" Christian replied, straightening up a bit.

"You don’t have to call me ’sir’ or anything formal—just Raphael’s fine," he said with that easy smile of his.

"So, Raphael, what’s up?" Whitney asked, tilting her head.

"Can you guys grab us some food?" he said, keeping it casual.

"Sure, let me just call—" Whitney started, reaching for her phone.

He cut her off with a grin. "No, real food. I’m so over the hospital slop—same bland stuff every day. I was thinking fast food, but don’t tell Angela. She’ll lecture me to death about it." He chuckled, like it was all in good fun.

Whitney arched an eyebrow, smirking as her eyes flicked between me and Raphael—like she could see right through the ploy. "Fast food, huh? Alright, we’re on it." She elbowed Rex, who was still snickering to himself.

"Yeah, yeah, can’t keep the future hubby waiting," Rex teased, winking at me as he headed for the door. Christian followed with a wide grin, shaking his head.

"We’ll take our time with it," Christian tossed over his shoulder. "Ordering fast food’s gotta take at least an hour, right?"

I shot them a glare, but they just laughed it off as they slipped out. Jerks—they were totally messing with me!

The door clicked shut, and the room suddenly felt way bigger, quieter. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, then dragged my chair a little closer to the bed. Raphael was watching me, propped up against his pillows with that same gentle curiosity in his eyes.

"Alright, they’re gone," I said, rubbing my hands on my knees to steady myself. "Look, about what I said that first day we met... the whole marriage thing? Total accident. I was just flustered and—"

He held up a hand, his smile soft but reassuring. "Hey, no need to explain. It was actually pretty funny—broke the ice in here." Then his expression sharpened just a touch, those hero instincts kicking in. "But you’re not just here to apologize, are you? You’ve been showing up every day. What do you really need from me?"

Of course he’d pick up on it. Even laid up like this, an advanced Hero’s senses were still razor-sharp. I’d finally gotten him alone, but my thoughts were a total whirlwind—worries about the mark, how to bring it up without freaking him out, what if it was already too late?

"...How’s your body feeling?" I asked, easing into it.

"Getting better every day," he said simply, shifting a little against the pillows.

"What about your head?" I pressed.

"My head?" He tilted his, looking puzzled.

"Yeah... have you felt any sudden urges to do something bad? Like out of nowhere?"

"Huh?" He blinked, clearly caught off guard.

"You know, horrible thoughts popping up, or maybe sensing something off inside—like demonic energy instead of your usual magic power?"

Would he even believe me if I straight-up told him he’d turn into a Demon? Could he bring himself to sacrifice everything to keep Angela safe? Or would he claw for his own survival, fighting tooth and nail to protect her from whatever came next?

"...Mmm, I’m not sure. Are you maybe talking about the Myriad Operation?" Raphael said, his brow furrowing like he was pulling from some old memory.

But he was still caught up in the past, missing the point entirely. I couldn’t get the real questions out—couldn’t risk spilling everything and watching it all unravel.

I dropped my head, frustration bubbling up. My teeth ground together as I gripped the arms of the chair so tight my knuckles went white. Sitting there, words failing me, this wave of worry crashed over me from deep inside, making my whole body tremble.