Chapter 14
When Anna left the stables, chatter poured from the mouths of the shields.
She hadn’t recognised her from the thick cotton gown she wore at the wedding, but she was much more beautiful than she had expected.
She was surprised that she didn’t seem to be intimidated by him, and that they seemed to get along surprisingly well, but she was even more surprised that she actually seemed to like him.
He was a warrior who was said to be so fearsome that even the demons who howled on the battlefield stopped crying at the mere mention of his name. Those who had been close to him knew all about his murderous nature.
When those red eyeballs start glowing, it’s a campfire in hell.
But… but!
She’s giving him such a sweet look?
Selene had no idea, but the shields had been locked together long enough to recognise the slightest change in the Grand Duke expression.
She thought he was a bear in a honey trap.
That night, the taverns outside the outer castle were abuzz with talk of Barath. It had started out with a certain pink vibe with Duke.
But after a certain point, the drunken shields began to talk about how terrifying their lord was.
No, they weren’t even sure if he was human or not, and the conversation turned to his cruelty… No one knew why.
***
As far as Barath was concerned, he couldn’t leave in this condition.
He dismounted and wrapped the cloak back around Selene, who must have sensed something, for she flushed deeply and did not restrain him.
Only after he had thoroughly examined her hips and legs did he feel comfortable enough to climb back on.
It was still too much for Barath. Trapped in his arms, bracing herself against him, she was so curvy, so… It was too much. It was too much.
Then she lifted her elbow and nudged his arm.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
Barath didn’t say anything, just quietly urged his horse to start. The horse began to walk slowly, as if to show respect for Selene.
On the moving horse, Barath concentrated on his breathing.
His back and legs were rubbing against Selene’s, and his whole body was moving. And, perhaps it was just her imagination, but he seemed to be tensing up as if he were embarrassed.
Barath forced his head upright and concentrated on breathing deeply, as if he wanted to bury his face in the nape of her neck. Pain and happiness mingled together.
Selene was glad Barath was behind her. The feel of his hard, gnarled arms around her and his body against her back felt feral.
Especially his thighs, which were so firm and hard they felt almost erotic.
They rode on for a long time, both of them straining and sighing in silence. At last they arrived at Lebelaberg, where there was a small log cabin.
Barath drove his horse slowly and effortlessly into the log cabin’s enclosure and leapt from the painfully ecstatic position that had awakened his senses.
Then he tapped her on the shoulder and held out his hand to Selene, as if to beckon her to come down.
As soon as Selene came to a halt, she clamped down on the corner of her mouth that was shyly curling upwards. She made a face and put her hand on Barath’s shoulder as he reached out to her, but it was more embarrassing to get down than it was to get up.
On the way up, she could put her foot in the stirrup and put her weight on it, but on the way down, she had to take her foot out of the stirrup, and that was the same with the other foot, so there was nowhere to step. There was nowhere to put her weight.
After a moment of panic, Selene leaned in further. She moved her hand from Barath’s shoulder to slip her arm around his shoulder and spoke in a low, polite voice.
“Excuse me.”
Barath’s jaw tightened. Just when he thought he was starting to breathe easier, he was pulled into an embrace… and then her breath on his ear, her voice in a whisper, made it hard to breathe again.
He found again that thing he hadn’t known what to do with, that thing he hadn’t thought he needed, patience.
As casually as he could, he picked her up by the waist and set her down lightly on the ground.
As she felt his arms untangle themselves from her body, she struggled to remove her grateful hands.
Compared to Barath, Selene’s mind was in good shape. Her whole body screamed with tension as she pushed herself to her feet.
It was the horse’s legs that had carried me this far, and they shook as if she had walked up on her own. Her back ached and her hips ached from the strain of standing on the swaying horse.
Her good spirits were only enhanced by the pain in her body.
The little log cabin seemed to be regularly maintained by someone. The grass in the yard was well mown and the little stable looked clean.
Selen watched Barath leave his horse in the stable and separate his luggage, then went to the steps in front of the cabin, sat down, and spoke to him.
“Is this where you come once in a while?”
“It’s been a long time,” he replied as he dismounted and placed them on the terrace beside the steps.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here, so I don’t know if it’s a once-in-a-while place.”
Setting down his pack, he began to light a fire in the fire pit he had built around a circle of stones. There were two fire pits close to the terrace, and as he lit them both, a faint warmth filled the air.
This time he picked up a small pot from his pack and set it to one side.
“Can I help you?”
He smirked, as if he’d heard the strangest things.
She heard some really weird things. He laughed like he was laughing out loud.
His face looked strangely attractive. He was suddenly more handsome.
Why?
She blinked a few times in bewilderment and did some eye exercises, and when she looked at him again, there was no trace of a smile or sneer or anything like it on his face.
***
The food being grilled was all nicely trimmed and skewered. Meat, vegetables, mushrooms, and fruits were all cut into bite-sized pieces.
When the food was ready, Barath took his packed trunk and placed it in front of them. From it he took out several types of liquor and cheese, put the lid back on, and placed a plate on top.
Selene liked the trunk’s little table; it reminded her of a child’s playpen.
He skewered the cooked food and placed it on the plate.
Barath looked at Selen’s mood.
She didn’t seem to mind the smallness of the cabin, or the fact that they had to eat out of a trunk without a table. Rather, she was busy wolfing down the meat with a childlike twinkle in her eye and a whistle.
He had also prepared a bottle of wine from Lafon, Selene’s favorite, though he don’t usually drink wine.
Selene glanced at the bottle, and when she didn’t see the Laphorn wine he expected, she looked away like a cat looking at water. Next to it was whisky. Then she locked eyes with me, her eyes big.
It was clear she was asking for a drink.
Barath hesitantly opened the whiskey and slowly filled her glass.
“Have you ever had a drink before?”
Selene shook her head as she watched the drops roll down the glass. On the other side of the world, they drank shochu, and it was quite strong, and she’d gone through about three bottles on her own.
“No, but I don’t like wine, it’s astringent.”
Barath’s eyes narrowed; he was looking for something in her, though he didn’t know what it was.
But from what he had researched, the reason Selene liked wine, especially Laphorn, was because of its low alcohol content. As for whisky, she said she couldn’t drink more than two shots straight.
“Do you drink?”
At his question, Selene smiled confidently and nodded.
The woman in front of her picked up a small glass and took a tentative sip, her lips moistening.
Then, as if to indicate that she liked the taste, she took a small swallow and set the glass in front of her.
Barath watched her pick at the cheese, and then downed the whisky in his glass without even touching it.
He set it down on the trunk, ignoring the liquor that flowed out of the glass, and refilled it.
“There are many small animals around here.”
Selen glanced up at Barath with interest.
“Squirrels or hedgehogs?”
He lifted the clinking glass and poured another shot into her mouth.
She tilted her head back and swallowed, looking at him again.
“There’s also rabbits and foxes.”
The empty glass landed on the trunk and he filled it again.
As he raised it again, Selene grabbed his arm.
“Aren’t you drinking too fast?”
Her cheeks were already flushed from the wetness of her lips, and her worried eyes were as bright as they were pretty.
He looked into them and asked.
“I should have brought my bow so we could go hunting, do you like that?”
Barath’s mood was growing serious. His voice lowered, his gaze intense.
Selene swallowed hard and took a drink of her own, feeling a chill run down her spine as his gaze grew calmer.
He stares at her with a glint in his eye, as if he can see right through her… Somehow, she thinks they’re going to kiss tonight.
She laughed awkwardly and clinked her glass against his, taking a mouthful of liquor after him.
She didn’t want to have her first kiss drunk, but she was so nervous she couldn’t help it. She’d have a heart attack before she could kiss him.
Deciding to stick to one drink, she swallowed hard and set the glass down, ready to answer his question.
“Hunting is…”
Suddenly, her head pinged.
