RR 35

Chapter : 35

Emblin, almost without realizing it, asked again.

“Did you really break it? Did Took lose?”

Tris, teasingly, puffed up arrogantly and replied.

“Do you think I would lose? I’ve never lost. It’s just that I don’t fight often.”

Then he reached out and brushed the hair away from the corner of her mouth.

“Does that put your mind at ease now?”

“Huh?”

“Because I don’t lose. Weren’t you secretly worried?”

“No, not really. I’ve heard a bit about you, too. They said you were amazing during the knighthood training. I also heard that if you weren’t the heir, you would have become the commander of the city’s knights.”

“Rumors are just rumors.”

“I see. Now the real thing is here.”

Hmph. Tris twisted his lips into a faint smile and suddenly asked,

“You seem more relaxed than earlier. Is that right?”

Emblin turned her head quickly, trying to avoid his gaze, regretting her chattiness a moment too late. That was when Tris, with his large hand, gently touched her hair, as if stroking it, and said,

“Let’s get along well, Emblin.”

Her entire focus instinctively went to her head. Stroking hair… even though she wasn’t in a daze. She had to push him away. Yet, she hesitated.

Every time his hand touched her, warmth seeped in. Each strand of hair seemed to come alive.

It was unexpected. She hadn’t anticipated this feeling. Unconsciously, she glanced at Tris’s face. The faint curve of his lips like a smile, the softness in his eyes. Emblin felt her eyes grow hot. She felt like she would cry if she spoke.

Why am I like this? She must be losing her mind. Her eyes kept growing warm. She tightened her gaze.

The moment they arrived at Wintergarden, tired as she was, she headed for the stairs leading to the second floor. Tris grabbed her ankle, saying,

“You’ll sleep here tonight.”

It had to be done. Even if it was a contractual marriage, Peta couldn’t be allowed to send unnecessary letters to the Aike estate. It was already known that she came for the land, but still, there was a big difference between whether the first night had been consummated or not.

Emblin was taken aback.

“What do you mean? We’ve already agreed.”

Tris spoke calmly, as if to soothe her.

“I’m not saying we’ll spend the first night together.”

“Then?”

“We just need to make it look like we did.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, looking like an innocent deer. Tris looked at her steadily and said firmly,

“Listen, there’s a reason. Do we really need to tell others the purpose of our marriage? I don’t want any complaints, and I certainly don’t want anyone saying my wife isn’t pure.”

Emblin’s gaze flicked toward the kitchen. Two maids. They’d return tomorrow morning. Then they’d try to find evidence, wouldn’t they? And giggle while imagining all sorts of dirty things.

There was a well-known first-night procedure: displaying the sheet that bore the marks of the night. Nobles valued bloodlines above all else, so a wife’s purity was critical. Without proof, villagers would gossip, just as Tris said. Emblin remembered Peta’s dissatisfied gaze and felt an uncontrollable surge of rebellion.

“I don’t care!”

Tris snapped in response.

“Don’t act like a child! Why invite unnecessary misunderstandings? I’ll handle it!”

“What does it matter what others think? I’m nothing to them anyway. What difference does it make if I get a bit more scorn?”

Tris’s eyes narrowed. She was eighteen, yet she felt far younger than Idela. Stubborn. He didn’t know exactly what kind of life she’d lived, but this wasn’t it. She wasn’t alone anymore.

Tris cut to the point.

“I said it matters. If you want my protection, you should learn to compromise.”

Emblin’s lips trembled. Compromise? What does that even mean? We already negotiated, that should be enough. What more does he want? Her mind went blank. Didn’t she just need to live as she wanted? Why did it have to be so complicated?

Tris’s voice turned icy.

“Let me make it clear. I won’t touch your hand. I will never see you as a woman.”

At those words, memories of his actions flashed in her mind: checking her forehead for a wound, brushing hair from her mouth, and stroking her hair.

Emblin spoke sharply.

“Then what was that all about? Even stroking my hair.”

“You asked me to treat you like a younger sibling. That’s normal for me.”

Tris continued coldly.

“So stop at that and give me your sheets. Let’s be wise.”

“Wise,” she muttered, sulking. Annoying. This wasn’t what she had thought. Tris sighed and said,

“If that’s impossible, how about granting me mercy? I’ve traveled a long way to get here, and immediately after arriving, I had to marry. I’m exhausted. I want to collapse and sleep.”

He ran his rough hands through his hair, as if exhausted by everything. Ugh! Emblin spun around, went up the stairs, threw the sheets over the railing, and slammed the door shut with all her strength.

Tris bent down to pick up the sheets, chuckling. How childish she was, even locking the door. Who would break it down? No one. Yet he frowned slightly.

It felt like an unexpected hardship awaited him. Not a mercenary’s life, yet Emblin, with her stubborn pride and blue eyes framed by brown hair, would make him work hard.

“Cute,” he muttered.

Emblin, shocked at the word slipping out, crumpled the sheets. Cute? At that moment? Her eyes must be playing tricks from exhaustion. Tris shook his head, took a dagger from its sheath, and pricked his finger. Red drops stained the white sheet.

“That should do it.”

He tossed the sheet on the floor and looked around the first floor. Exhausted as he was, his eyes were sharp. Marriage fatigue? He didn’t feel sleepy. Stretching, he murmured,

“I should check the ledger.”

Morning would be busy. First, he needed to survey the village and set up defenses at the entrance to Wind Valley. Access had to be controlled. Rumors would already bring wandering knights here. Only he and Peta could fight for now, so defense came first.

Then his gaze drifted back upstairs. He began to understand Emblin’s stubborn pride. It was probably her bravest posture while defenseless. Ugh. The taste in his mouth soured.

Finding the study wasn’t difficult. Wintergarden was modest compared to the castles in the city or the Aike estate. He opened the study door—creak. Dust tickled his nose.

“A never-used place.”

Apparently. The dust on the ledger suggested it hadn’t been touched for a while. He brushed it off, sat, and began reading. His mind cleared gradually.

“The village leader is quite diligent.”

Population, demographic ratios, climate, production, all recorded with surprising accuracy.

“Who did this?”

He searched around and found the name.

“Here. Jack. Village representative, Jack.”

Tris smiled faintly. A good talent. He focused on the ledger, losing track of time.

Meanwhile, Emblin couldn’t sleep deeply. Exhausted from the day, every time she nearly fell asleep, her eyes opened. She gave up and sat up on the bed. The house was quiet, as if everyone had fallen asleep. She approached the window and looked out.

Burg Village was cloaked in darkness. Only starlight lit the world; no other lights were visible. Then—whoooosh. The wind made her shiver. It sounded almost like a high-pitched scream.

At first, the sound kept her awake all night. Later, she realized it came from Wind Valley. But it still gave her chills.

Emblin wrapped herself in her arms and approached the door.

“Is it still here?”

She pressed her ear to the door. Quiet. She unlatched it and opened it cautiously. The hinges creaked loudly. She listened through the crack. Tap, tap. The fireplace still burned. But Tris’s sound—his breathing—was gone.

“Did he leave?”

She looked down the hall. The fire flickered in the wind, casting shadows, but he was nowhere. He must have really left. As she was about to go back to the bedroom, she noticed the sheets on the floor.

Emblin picked up a candlestick, intending to spread the sheets on the bed again, to complete the illusion of the first night. Carefully descending the stairs, she picked up the sheets—only to see faded bloodstains. She laughed involuntarily. Leaving the sheets like this on the floor would make anyone think the first night had been spent there like a wild animal.

“The one who cares so much about others’ opinions…”