CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228

What now? How the hell was I supposed to save him when I didn’t even know where to start? There had to be answers, right? No way that crappy author would dangle this curse without some kind of fix hidden in the plot. But how? How could I—

Then, out of nowhere, his hand settled gently on my head. "I don’t know why you’re so worried about me but—"

Thud!

The door flew open right then, slamming against the wall.

"Brother, did you wait—" Angela’s voice cut off mid-sentence. She froze in the doorway, eyes locking onto Raphael’s hand on my head. Her glare hit me like a laser—pure fire. And it wasn’t just her; the whole group piled in behind, including those three idiots who’d been sent for fast food, all staring like they’d walked in on a crime scene.

"Get your head off my brother’s hand!" Angela snapped, her glare drilling into me.

Wait, what? Why was I the one getting chewed out? I hadn’t laid a finger on him—he was the one who had reached out first!

But before I could even pull back, Raphael tugged me closer, his arm firm around my shoulders. "Gela, don’t talk to Remi like that. She’ll be your sister-in-law soon enough."

My ears started ringing like a bell had gone off in my head, and the whole group’s jaws practically hit the floor.

"Raph!" I yelped, yanking against him to break free, but he held on tight. When the hell had he gotten this strong? He was supposed to be recovering, not turning into some immovable wall.

"Wow, we step out for like five minutes, and now you’re on pet-name basis?" Whitney said, grinning ear to ear. She was clearly loving every second of it, especially since she knew how much this was winding Angela up.

"No! I—uh—argh!" I couldn’t even spit out a decent explanation. It wasn’t like I could tell them I’d only started calling him Raph because he’d been such a pest the other day, pushing my buttons until I snapped and used the nickname he wanted me to say just to shut him up.

"Brother! What are you even talking about?!" Angela stormed over, her face a storm cloud as she reached out to pry us apart.

Raphael finally let go right before she could grab me—probably to avoid her yanking my hair out by mistake instead of my arm.

Cypher jumped in quick, pulling me back and positioning himself like a shield between me and the bed. "You two are just messing around, right?" he said, glancing between us with wide eyes.

Before I could get a word out, Raphael cut in with a laugh, light and easy. "We’re just joking, right, Remi?" He shot me this look, eyes sparkling with that mischievous glint—like he was having way too much fun at my expense.

"Yeah, you know how your brother gets, Angela," I said quickly, trying to play along and defuse things.

Angela whipped her glare over to him next and smacked his arm—not hard, but enough to make her point. "And you! What was that I heard from Whitney about you wanting fast food? The doctor said no way yet!"

Raphael pulled this exaggerated pout, looking all innocent. "But Remi wanted some, so I figured I’d have the three of them grab it for me."

My jaw straight-up dropped. He was throwing me under the bus again! Just like he’d done the past few days—using me as his scapegoat to dodge Angela’s nagging. Why me, of all people?!

In the end, Raphael did step in to help clear things up, but only after he’d had his fill of laughing at my expense. I shot him glares the whole time, but he just grinned like it was the best joke he’d heard in years.

As the three-hour visiting limit started winding down, the group said their goodbyes one by one, until it was just me and Angela left again.

I was itching to bail—especially since Angela was clearly trying to nudge me out the door so Cypher could stay instead. But as much as he wanted to hang around, he couldn’t; some emergency had come up for him. I figured I’d tag along with him and make my escape, but Raphael wouldn’t hear of it—he flat-out insisted I stick around. Angela fumed for a second, but she had no choice but to let me stay.

"I heard you’re heading into closed-door training with your master, Gela?" Raphael said, watching Angela carefully slice up an apple.

"Yeah, um, Master Claude pushed back his camp by about six days, so I’m leaving on the 25th," she replied. "...But brother, maybe I shouldn’t go instead?" She finished peeling the apple and handed it over to him.

The Shadowfire Sect was perched way up on the peak of Brimstone Mountain—one of the spots with the densest mana concentrations anywhere in the world.

That made it brutal to climb; you couldn’t even reach the top unless you were seriously skilled. And once you got there, the training was no joke—it forced your lungs to adapt to the thin air. Angela, Cypher, and Edge wouldn’t be able to set foot outside until winter break wrapped up.

Raphael smiled and ruffled her hair gently. "You should go, Gela."

"But what about you?" she pouted, looking worried.

I snuck the apple she’d peeled right out from under them and took a bite for myself. I’d noticed Raphael wasn’t big on apples anyway, so I figured it was fine. I just sat there quietly, munching and watching them.

"Gela, this might be your only shot at the Shadowfire Sect," he said, his tone encouraging.

"But still..." she trailed off, biting her lip.

"You don’t need to worry about me—you can visit anytime. And besides, Remi’s here to keep me company," he added, glancing my way.

My mouth fell open again as a piece of apple dropped. I was about to snap back at him, but then I stopped—wait, wasn’t this actually perfect? It’d give me time alone with him to figure out how to fully erase that Rakshesha’s mark.

"Don’t tell me you’ve already granted her permission coming around without me?" Angela said, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously.

"You want me sitting here all lonely while you’re off training?" he shot back, playing up the guilt trip.

Angela groaned, throwing her hands up. "Fine! But just this once. When I get back, she needs me here to visit you—no solo trips."

Raphael chuckled, clearly amused by her. "You’re still as clingy as ever."

"Anyway, I bought a camera," she said, switching gears and digging into her bag. She pulled out this sleek, high-end one and shoved it toward me. "Here, take a picture of us."

She dashed over to Raphael’s side, hopping onto the edge of the bed. He looked a little surprised at first, but then this big, genuine smile spread across his face.

I just watched them for a second, then lifted the camera. "Say cheese."

They went all out with the poses—Angela wrapping him in a tight hug for one shot, planting a quick kiss on his cheek for the next, then resting her head on his shoulder like they were in some family ad. It was sweet, honestly, seeing them like that.

We snapped maybe fifty photos before...

"Now Remi come here by my side. We should take a picture too," Raphael said out of nowhere, turning that smile on me.

"I’m good, really," I said fast, already scooting back a step. No way was I jumping again beside him.

"See, brother?" Angela jumped in, sounding relieved. "She doesn’t want to."

"But I want a picture with her," Raphael said, his eyes lighting up like it was the most important thing.

"And why’s that?" Angela asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Just as a memento—that this girl was the first one to propose to me," he replied, already fighting back a laugh.

Angela sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, just one!" She snatched the camera from my hands and leaned in close. "No funny business," she whispered to me, her voice low and warning.

I shuffled over stiffly, positioning myself awkwardly by the side of his bed, arms at my sides like a statue.

"Alright, say cheese~" Raphael said, turning that grin on me.

"C-Cheese," I mumbled, forcing the most rigid smile I could manage.

"Wait, come a little closer," he added.

I leaned in just a bit—and that’s when my foot hit a stray apple peel on the floor. I slipped hard, pitching forward right toward the bed. Raphael caught me effortlessly, his arms wrapping around me steady and sure, pulling me in before I face-planted.

Angela, totally shocked, hit the shutter without thinking—snapping the moment just like that.

When Raphael glanced at the photo on the screen, a soft smile crossed his face. It was this perfect candid shot: him looking all prepared and calm, arms open wide as he caught me mid-fall. Me? I looked like I was reaching out to him, wide-eyed and trusting. The whole thing screamed ease and tenderness, like some scene from a romance novel.

"Delete that!" I yelped, lunging for the camera to snatch it away. My face looked ridiculous in it!

"Nope!" He hit the button on the side of his bed without missing a beat. The door swung open, and those three mercenaries from outside marched right in.

"Visiting hours are over—please escort them out," he said smoothly, holding the camera just out of my reach.

"You—!" I made a grab for him, ready to wrestle it free, but the mercenaries were faster. They scooped me up gently but firmly, like I was some unruly kid.

"Be careful with my fiancée," Raphael called out, all innocent.

"I’m not your fiancée!" I shouted back, twisting in their grip.

"That’s because you didn’t propose properly," he shot back with a wink.

I could only yell in frustration as they carried me out, dumping me unceremoniously in the hallway. There I waited, fuming, for Angela to finish saying a proper goodbye to her brother.