Chapter 31
Selene sent Methyle away, asking only for warm water to soak in. Anna didn’t bathe herself, and she didn’t feel comfortable leaving her naked to someone else.
She sat in the warm bath and looked at the anklet that was still on her sprained ankle.
Luckily, her ankle wasn’t swollen, so she didn’t need to adjust the length. But shouldn’t she take it off while she was soaking in the water?
The shape of the anklet is clunky, but she likes it because it’s the kind of shape Barath would have chosen.
When she took it out of the water to dry, she looked for a loop somewhere, but it was nowhere to be found.
She couldn’t get a good look at it because of her skirt when Barath was filling it. As a result, she had no idea what to do with the anklet.
“I’ll ask him later.”
[Day 14].
Selene slept through the night.
Unable to fall asleep due to the complexity of her thoughts, she left her bed in the early hours of the morning and went out onto the balcony.
The snow hadn’t melted when she first arrived, but now there was no sign of the white stuff.
She lifted her head and let the cool breeze cool her head.
The moon was still high and bright, and the sky was dotted with countless stars that she could never get tired of looking at. One in particular, a reddish star right next to the moon, was particularly bright and caught her eye.
Like a jewel, it seemed to remind her of someone.
After a while of stargazing, Selene unwillingly turned her head and looked down.
She saw Barath entering the inner court, his stride as strong as ever, his cloak flapping haphazardly behind him.
The leather vest he always wore was never thin, but it didn’t hide his hard, gnarled body.
That burly man was her husband.
Suddenly, she remembered the look in his eyes when she hugged him yesterday.
There seemed to be a hint of heat in those red eyes, and she wondered if they would have kissed yesterday if Methyle’s carriage had come a little later.
Selene pressed her cheeks together, her cheeks burning.
She doesn’t know how many times already. She was embarrassed that she kept thinking about kissing him.
Barath glanced up from the balcony of the Grand Duchess’s bedroom as something stirred.
The distance and darkness were no obstacle to him. He could make out Selene’s dazed eyes with her hands cupping her cheeks, her loose tunic blowing in the breeze, revealing every inch of her body.
He felt embarrassed, as if he were peeping, and he wanted to look away, but his gaze was glued to her, unable to move away.
In the moonlight, she glowed a pale blue, which, combined with those eerie eyes, created an eerie atmosphere. He was reminded that a witch is a witch, even if she’s flawed.
That stunningly beautiful witch was his wife.
Even though he had to brace himself for a slap on the shoulder if he even tried to touch her, it was clear that she was his wife.
The next morning, after breakfast, Selene came out for tea in the middle of the day.
Alone with Anna, Selene’s eyes fell on the small room off the corridor where Robin had once appeared.
She wondered what had become of him.
If she hadn’t known Barath so well, she would have assumed he had been stripped to the bone and fed to the crows.
But having been around him, she found him to be surprisingly kind, and sometimes even gentle. She doesn’t think he would ever hurt someone for no reason.
Sure, he was a bit on the prankster side.
What would have happened to him? Most likely, they sent him back to his hometown.
Still, it seemed likely that they would have cautioned him not to come north again.
She soon wondered what might have become of the original Selene’s soul. But it was a conclusion she came to when she thought about it alone.
The question lingered, and she stood up and walked away, lost in thought.
Outside, people were bustling about their daily lives.
Some were just coming through the gates, pulling large carts. On one side, a knight shyly handed a small gift to a blushing maid.
The book she was reading, The Monster Grand Duke, had few characters. There was only a male and female protagonist and a few close aides, and the background was very introspective.
No Robin, no sister, no Methyle. They were all characters who didn’t appear.
But she had seen the outer marketplace and the fountains with her own eyes, and she had visited Lebelaberg.
As the world she knew began to expand, it was no longer a fictional place in a book.
A world where everyone she touched had a life of their own, and she had one of her own to live.
Vaguely, she hoped it was just a dream, that she would never have to return to that lonely reality, that this dream would never end.
She turned slowly and looked at the inner door through which she had come.
The half-open door swung open and a huge man stepped out.
He looked her straight in the eye and walked toward her with an unwavering gait.
The man who made her think this could be a dream.
A man who, despite the short time they’d known each other, had already made her heart race and made her want to kiss him.
A man who made me imagine a long future together.
Barath Velias.
***
Barath had come to Zart in the morning and asked him to redo his research on Selene.
If he went back to the beginning, he could see holes where information might have slipped through.
He needed to know how it would lead to his sister.
There was only one question she asked Selene, and it wasn’t about what it was like to be up north now.
It was about her hometown.
It was just a question she wanted to ask.
Selene had an answer, but it was better to know what was on her sister’s mind beforehand.
Also, since flowers were mentioned, he had to research and organize all the things that Selene used to love, not just flowers, but places, landscapes, colors, foods, and so on, and bring them to her.
Since she mentioned memory loss, he’ll hand her the materials and tell her he prepared them in case they help her find her memories.
She’s smart, so she’ll know what he means. No, it doesn’t matter if she’s dumb.
He memorizes it all first, and then he tricks her into answering her sister’s questions.
It’s a little over a week until the Crown Prince arrives in the north.
Unlike Chyntia, who traveled alone, he had a large party following him, so even if he was delayed, it would still be two days.
It wouldn’t be more than ten days, to be generous.
As long as they could keep Selene’s identity a secret and keep her at a distance, they could rest easy.
He noticed that Selene had been sitting in the courtyard since the early hours.
As he followed her down the hall from the second floor, he suddenly remembered that this had happened before.
Back then, when she’d gotten upset, he’d frantically chased after her as if she were running away.
Without Anna by her side, she walked at a leisurely pace, even as Selene slipped completely out of the inner sanctum and he could not even see her shadow.
He didn’t hurry his steps, even as he passed the windowless staircase he’d run up in frenzied pursuit of her, even as he passed the corridor with its blindingly bright light.
As he slowly exited the inner sanctum, there she was.
Her eyes locked with him, as if she knew he was coming.
Time seemed to stand still as he approached her, and everything around him but her seemed to fade away.
Barath looked down at her, brighter than the sun, and instinctively reached out his hand.
***
Selene casually took his outstretched hand and led him to stand beside her, nudging his arm with her shoulder.
“Did you sleep well?”
Barath blushed irresistibly at that small touch. He turned his head away, the corners of his mouth pressing together as he tried to climb up without hesitation.
He couldn’t have slept well.
This scared-cat had waited all night, wondering if she would come. The night had felt long, even after a trip to the training ground.
When his breathing finally stabilized, he turned to her, still staring at him, and asked.
“Why didn’t you come yesterday?”
Selene had to think for a moment, did he mean they were supposed to meet yesterday?
Barath continued, looking slightly less than understanding.
“I thought you would come to me to escape Nephthys.”
Selene’s expression softened at his words, and she jerked her hand out of his grasp.
She took a step away from him, her eyes darting toward him.
“After what happened, when you played your Nephthys joke on me.”
Barath looked at his empty hands and their distance. He was at a loss for words as he realized that his lie had been exposed.
“Uhhh…”
As he fumbled for words, Selene spoke firmly.
“That joke was too much for me, you owe me an apology.”
Her words trailed off, and he apologized before he could catch his breath.
“I’m sorry.”
Barath studied her expression as he apologized.
The pout was pretty, but it was hard to keep looking at her because she was angry with him.
When her expression didn’t change after he asked for an apology, he repeated his apology.
“I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
In fact, Selene was already very angry, but she was stalling for time because she was grumpy and liked his reaction more than she expected.
It was strange.
She doesn’t know why she liked seeing him fidgeting and apologizing to her.
But she felt too bad for him to take so long.
Sighing inwardly, Selene held out her hand to him in a defiant gesture.
“Escort me to the fountain.”
Honestly, it’s not enough to say sorry. She was so scared…
She didn’t mean to be so blunt with his apologies, she just wanted to take his time.
Barath looked at the white hand extended to him.
The Northern ruler’s hair stood on end at her queenly gesture, as if she were treating him like a knight of the last rank.
He took her bloodless hand in both of his own, grasping it respectfully.
Then, bowing deeply, he pressed his lips to the back of her hand and said.
“It would be my honor.”
