Chapter 246 Initiative
On the way, Juniper lay quietly on Magnus's shoulder, just watching him.
They had only been apart for eighteen days, but it felt like a lifetime, probably because they had been through so much together.
She had so much she wanted to say. But now that they were finally together, she didn't know where to start.
"Magnus."
''Yeah?''
"Where have you been these past eighteen days? Why didn't you come back to Royal View? Jenny and I almost had to put up a cenotaph for you," she said.
Since they hadn't found his body, even if they were to bury him, it would have to be an empty coffin.
Magnus stopped, turned his head slightly, and asked, "Juniper, are you checking up on me?"
Juniper's ears turned a bit red, and she tightened her grip around his neck.
But Magnus didn't answer her question; he just kept walking down the mountain with her on his back.
For some reason, even though he was right there, he seemed so distant, like he could vanish at any moment.
From the moment they met until now, Magnus had dodged all her questions or just ignored them.
Juniper didn't like to push people for answers, thinking he didn't want to talk because it involved the Shadow Syndicate and Agency 719, which were probably super secretive organizations.
She didn't press further, just held onto his neck tightly.
As long as he was alive, nothing else mattered.
They arrived at the Sherlock Valley Inn.
The landlady was still there, with her big wavy hair, red lipstick, black stockings, high heels, and red nail polish, holding a cigarette between her fingers.
After taking a couple of puffs, she looked at them standing at the front desk and found them familiar.
"Haven't you stayed at our inn before? You look familiar," the landlady asked.
The smoke was choking, and Juniper, who had weak lungs, couldn't help but cough twice on Magnus's shoulder.
He glanced coldly at the cigarette in the landlady's hand. "Can you put that out?"
Magnus looked cold and intimidating, not someone you'd want to mess with.
Even though his words were polite, they sounded more like an order than a request.
The landlady, who had a bit of a temper, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and complained, "So demanding. What kind of room do you want?"
Juniper said, "A double bed room."
Magnus said, "A standard room."
The landlady paused, looked up suspiciously at them, and asked, "So what kind of room do you want?"
Juniper just patted Magnus's shoulder. "Put me down."
"Your ankle is sprained, don't push yourself."
He didn't let go and kept carrying her.
The landlady snorted lightly, looking at Magnus with a hint of disdain. "A double bed room, right? Got it."
Her eyes seemed to say, "You're already so close, why pretend?"
Magnus was a bit speechless.
After booking the room, the landlady handed over the room key and asked, "Do you need any condoms? There aren't any in the room, and it would save you a trip later."
Juniper said, "Yes."
Magnus said, "No."
Juniper blushed and wished she could disappear.
The landlady's eyes moved back and forth between them with a hint of amusement, and she finally grabbed a few condoms from a nearby box and handed them to Juniper. "Here. Don't get pregnant unexpectedly, it's we women who suffer in the end."
There were at least five of them.
Juniper didn't know whether to take them or not.
It was quite embarrassing.
It seemed like she was eager to have sex with Magnus, but she wasn't.
"I..."
She was about to say she didn't need them.
But Magnus suddenly asked, "How much is it altogether with the room fee?"
"$200."
He paid.
The landlady stuffed the condoms into Juniper's hand and reminded her, "Stay safe."
Juniper clutched the condoms, her palm burning as if on fire.
It was so embarrassing.
She buried her face in Magnus's back and pinched his back. "Hurry."
The room was near Sherlock Valley, a mountain view room, but it was at the end of the hall.
It was still a themed room with a waterbed.
Magnus carried her to the bed, placed her on it, pressed the waterbed with his big hand, and frowned. "How can you rest on something so shaky? I'll go ask the front desk if they have a regular double bed room."
The waterbed was just a gimmick; besides shaking a lot, it didn't offer much else.
He was about to get up when Juniper, sitting on the bed, suddenly grabbed his hand.
Magnus was slightly stunned and turned to look at her. "Do you like it?"
His words were innocent enough, but to Juniper, it sounded like he was asking, "Do you like having sex on this?"
They had stayed at this inn before, slept on a waterbed, and had sex on it.
It didn't feel particularly special, just shook too much. If one of them was a light sleeper, even a slight turn would make the bed shake.
For novelty, you could try having sex on it.
But for sleeping, a regular double bed in an executive suite was much better.
Her face flushed slightly. "I just think if we keep picking, the landlady will think we're being difficult."
Magnus clearly didn't agree. "We're customers. It's our right to choose a room. If someone in the service industry finds even this request troublesome, then they deserve to have no business."
Juniper was a bit speechless. Is that the point? She let go of his wrist. "Then go ahead."
Was she angry?
Magnus sat down on the chair by the bed, facing Juniper, and said directly, "If you like it, we won't change it. But if you're just afraid of bothering others and end up not sleeping well all night, then it's unnecessary."
Juniper looked up and met his deep gaze.
Her heart inexplicably started to race.
She didn't answer his question but instead asked, "Did you want a twin room earlier because you didn't want to sleep with me?"
Magnus stared into her eyes for a long time, ultimately unable to hurt her.
He simply said, "You have a stress reaction to me, right? Sleeping separately might be better."
After saying that, his gaze fell on her injured ankle.
He leaned over, placed her leg on his lap, and gently massaged the swollen ankle. "Does it hurt?"
"A little."
"It doesn't seem to be a bone injury. I'll go ask if they have any ointment."
He put her leg down and got up to leave again.
Juniper quickly stood up, her ankle hurting, but she tightly hugged his waist from behind. "I'm fine."
"Juniper?" Magnus was confused.
Perhaps because Magnus had been so indifferent since they met, Juniper's throat felt a bit sore. "I don't want to change rooms or get ointment."
He let her hold him, neither pushing her away nor taking the initiative. "If you don't apply ointment, your ankle will swell up tomorrow."
"Then let it swell. I don't care. Magnus, since we met, what are you avoiding? Or do you not like me anymore?" Juniper asked.
If he didn't like her anymore, she wouldn't cling to him.
Clinging to someone and causing them trouble was the most undignified thing, something Juniper despised and didn't want to do.
In the international sea, after experiencing life and death, she thought they had silently crossed that high emotional barrier.
But Magnus, after narrowly escaping death, didn't come back to her immediately. She didn't know why, but her intuition wasn't good.
She always felt that since Magnus returned, even the way he looked at her had become much colder.
With his back to her, he said, "No, it's not that I don't like you. It's just, Juniper, there are some things I can't do, and I can't make any promises."
Forever was too difficult, and a lifetime was too long.
He couldn't promise that.
He had already fulfilled his initial promise by taking over Agency 719 and had been poisoned by Venomshade, which had no antidote. He didn't know how long he would live.
The Shadow Syndicate had set its sights on the SY, and had completely declared war with Agency 719. Peaceful days were numbered.
If he still recklessly flirted with her and wanted her under these circumstances, he would be a scoundrel.
He had to completely remove Juniper and Jenny from the situation, ensuring they couldn't stay in the Imperial Capital.
Over the past few days, he considered secretly sending them to Solara, a politically neutral and peaceful place with no Shadow Syndicate influence, suitable for retirement and offering a high quality of life. He knew what Juniper wanted, but he couldn't respond.
Juniper leaned against his back, sniffled, and said, "But I don't want promises. Last time at this inn, you rejected me. Now, are you going to reject me a second time, Magnus?"
"Juniper..."
Juniper was upset. "I want to know what happened to you in these eighteen days, who you were with, and if you were hurt. But since we met, you've avoided answering these questions. If it's because of confidentiality, I can understand, but why now..."
Her slightly hoarse voice carried an unconscious sob. She was clearly trying to hold back but couldn't.
Before she could finish speaking, Magnus suddenly turned around, grabbed the back of her head, ran his fingers through her thick hair, and kissed her forcefully.
Juniper froze in his arms for a few seconds.
But soon, she wrapped her arms around his waist and tilted her head to respond to the kiss.
She even hoped he would kiss her more deeply.
In the international sea, when the cruise ship exploded, she thought he was dead. But tonight, he appeared without warning. She was afraid, like in a dream, that she couldn't hold onto him.
She urgently needed to do something to prove he was real, whether it was hugging, kissing, or something more intense.
She just wanted to feel his real presence.
She wanted Magnus to be hers, completely and utterly hers.
As their lips and tongues intertwined, tears welled up in Juniper's eyes. She looked at him with those wet eyes. "Magnus, make love with me."
Each word was clear and hit him hard.
While he was still in a daze, Juniper reached up and pulled off his tie, pressing closer. "Hold me."
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