A Marriage Alliance for Revenge - Chapter 38

The murmurs of the people resonated like a distant echo, causing ears to feel muffled as if submerged in water.

 

Due to the height difference, Briella’s toes, nestled in Lucas’s embrace, faintly lifted, mirroring the precarious nature of their relationship.

 

“In situations like this, my lady, one should always be ready to deceive, no matter when or where.”

 

A languid voice whispered in her ear, snapping Briella back to attention.

 

The once muffled ears and unclear voices of people now sharply penetrated her senses.

 

Briella, cradled in Lucas’s embrace, slowly raised her hand to meet his gaze, a movement so slow that it seemed as if her heart might burst for those watching.

 

Yet, some women, witnessing this small gesture, turned their heads away, tears glistening in their eyes.

 

The eyes of the Lady, who had bravely gathered people and prepared for the future, were vacant.

 

Until she faced Lucas, she seemed unable to find the lost light within herself.

 

But as she tenderly touched him, Briella herself, her emerald eyes regaining their lost sparkle, found solace.

 

The moment her eyes, reflecting sunlight and shimmering with moisture, met his, a feeling familiar to a woman who had sent her husband and son to battle became palpable.

 

It was only when Lucas held her, exuding such warmth, that he truly returned to her embrace.

 

Briella, like many women before her, was reciprocating the emotions that so many had felt.

 

“A truly fortunate turn of events,” Briella quietly murmured, relieved that it wasn’t him who screamed in agony within those barracks, nor him trying to cross the treacherous Lete River.

 

His reaction was a mix of surprise and words inadvertently uttered in response.

 

He tried to justify his actions that came before his thoughts, feeling the need to validate the authenticity of his sudden gesture.

 

Yet, in Briella’s sincerity, Lucas felt ashamed.

 

To deceive others, mix falsehood with falsehood, and to deceive oneself and others, mix truth with falsehood.

 

The words Sir Sergel, the Marquis, once spoke came to mind, but if asked whether falsehood was woven into the current situation, he couldn’t confidently respond.

 

The sharp ache in his chest wasn’t from a physical injury.

 

Still, Lucas felt a pang of pain in Briella’s touch, a touch laced with falsehood emotions and contractual ties that had gradually blurred the line between truth and falsehood.

 

As Briella turned away and Lucas grappled with the truth, they stood like clothes soaked in a drizzle, testing each other.

 

“Madness.”

 

Despite being the one to first embrace Briella, Lucas hastily withdrew her from his arms.

 

“This should be enough for Lady Eve to no longer doubt our relationship.”

 

Amidst the murmurs around them, Lucas, with a sly smile, gazed at Briella.

 

The hastily crafted smile seemed awkward.

 

In the warmth conveyed through the tender touch that gently brushed her pale cheek, a different sentiment from the voice, Briella nodded her head.

 

“Of course, Your Highness.”

 

Under normal circumstances, Briella, who had spent the night without a chance to rest in Perta, would have noticed how odd Lucas was now.

 

Rather than checking on Lucas’s condition, she was more concerned about her own state.

 

After seeing Lucas unharmed, her legs seemed to lose strength incessantly.

 

“I should probably wash up. It’s a mess.”

 

“I will prepare myself.”

 

Hurriedly, Briella turned her body.

 

Watching Briella leave his side, Lucas let out a soft sigh as he felt his body collapse.

 

After the battles, living for several days was unbearable.

 

Drinking alcohol and forcing himself to get drunk were the only ways he could barely fall asleep.

 

Inexplicably, at the simple question from Briella about whether he had returned, all strength left his body.

 

Lucas followed Briella’s departure with his eyes before swiftly changing his steps.

 

The overwhelming fatigue that made him feel like collapsing pressed down on his entire body.

 

But it was better than standing there exhausted.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Lucas, unknowingly following Briella, halted his steps and turned his head at Baron’s call.

 

“What has happened now?”

 

In response to Baron’s anxious voice, Lucas stopped and smirked slightly.

 

Baron, who stayed up night after night inspecting the injured knights, was not in a very good state himself.

 

“Nothing at all.”

 

Briella had already hidden her traces.

 

Watching her disappear, Lucas turned his head.

 

“Do you have any injuries?”

 

Apart from minor scratches, there were no major wounds. Lucas shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Well, it’s not a physical issue.”

 

Baron sighed softly, glancing at Lucas discreetly.

 

Having closely observed Lucas after the battles ended and how much he struggled, Baron knew better than anyone else.

 

“…Perhaps this time, it might be fine.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

Baron looked at Lucas strangely at his words.

 

What did he mean by ‘it might be fine’?

 

Come to think of it, he seemed a bit different than usual.

 

A lack of vigor and fierceness in his eyes?

 

There was still room for recovery.

 

Not only during battles, but also after battles, those left behind endured even more psychologically challenging times.

 

Those who had fought alongside returned as cold corpses, and those who had stood by their side were injured, sometimes unable to wield a sword again.

 

All of this was something they had to face directly after the battles.

 

Moreover, Lucas was the commander who led them into battle.

 

The weight of responsibility he carried was beyond imagination.

 

However, Lucas appeared no different from how he was before coming to Perta.

 

His gaze seemed just as it did in the palatial mansion.

 

“I should wash up for now.”

 

Hastened by the smell of blood emanating from his body, Lucas moved quickly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Tap-tap.

 

“Come in.”

 

At the voice of Lady Lawrence, Briella opened the door.

 

It was the finest room in the temporary lodging at the Perta Inn.

 

“Come in quickly, Lady Viterpan.”

 

As she opened the door and entered, Eve, supported by Lady Lawrence, rose from the bed.

 

Eve, who had risen from the bed, took Briella’s hand.

 

“How is your body faring?”

 

Upon Briella’s inquiry, Eve looked up at her.

 

Wrapped around Briella’s forearm were white bandages.

 

Even the seeping blood gave an indication of the extent of the wounds Briella sustained last night.

 

“I have improved significantly, but…”

 

“Even if you are not well, it is time for you to go outside. Lady Eve must not forget why she came to Perta, correct?”

 

In response to Briella’s words, Eve tightened the hand she was holding.

 

A slight furrow formed on Briella’s brow due to the pain radiating up her arm.

 

However, Eve had no intention of scrutinizing Briella in such a state.

 

Her eyes widened in surprise at Briella’s words, resembling a startled person.

 

“The reason for coming to Perta.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Upon Briella’s statement, Eve gazed at Lady Lawrence.

 

“Prepare my clothes. I must go out.”

 

At Eve’s words, Lady Lawrence glanced at Briella before swiftly turning her body.

 

The two maids busied themselves at Lady Lawrence’s words.

 

“Well then, I should rest for a while.”

 

No one paid attention to Briella’s words.

 

Surveying the now noisy room following Eve’s intention to go out, Briella turned her body without hesitation.

 

She had informed Emma to prepare the vacant house as temporary lodging.

 

By now, Lucas should have finished bathing.

 

He, too, would need a warm potato soup like Briella had last night.

 

Having informed Emma in advance, it would be fine even if she was not there.

 

From now on, it was intended to follow Lady Eve’s instructions.

 

The outside was bustling.

 

“Madam!”

 

“Emma. Lady Eve will be out soon.”

 

“And what about you, Madam?”

 

Since last night, she has been the one who faithfully followed Eve’s orders by Briella’s side.

 

A large cauldron hung in the village square, with warm soup and water constantly boiling.

 

The men were out mending the collapsed embankment.

 

The goods brought from the capital were stacked according to Briella’s instructions, except for the necessary amounts.

 

“I shall take a brief rest and then go out.”

 

Emma nodded in response to Briella’s words.

 

Her pallid cheeks, devoid of vitality, seemed on the brink of collapse at any moment.

 

Moreover, had she not bled profusely?

 

“I will disinfect the wounds and fetch the ointment for you.”

 

Recalling the raw fear on Lucas’s face, Briella beseeched Emma.

 

“Yes, just a moment.”

 

At Briella’s request, Emma swiftly moved to fulfill it.

 

She remembered Briella, who had left her wounds undressed and untreated last night.

 

As the sun rose and preparations for food and the barracks began in earnest, the bandaged wounds wrapped tightly around her continued to come to mind.

 

Briella diligently carried the medicine given by Emma and hastened her steps.

 

Her exhausted body, reluctant to quicken its pace, felt cruel.

 

“Perhaps I should engage in some exercise upon returning.”

 

Muttering softly, she walked down the narrow alleyway.

 

Arriving at the small, two-story house at the village entrance, Briella opened the door and stepped inside.

 

Standing by the door, hesitating momentarily in the silence that enveloped her.

 

The faint sound of water drew Briella forward.

 

Lucas’s discarded clothes lay haphazardly on a chair.

 

Emma, who had come with her, must have been occupied attending to the tasks she had assigned.

 

Hastily rummaging through the bags, she retrieved Lucas’s clothes.

 

She had brought them all the way from the capital to give to him when they met.

 

As Briella picked up Lucas’s clothes in the room, she was just about to open the door.

 

“Ah…”

 

The first thing that caught her eye was the white torso reflected in the sunlight.

 

What captivated her gaze next were the scars that adorned his chest.

 

At the sound coming from behind, Lucas turned his head.

 

The sunlight reflecting off the window dazzled, obscuring the face of the one standing by the door.

 

Lucas raised his arm to shield his eyes from the sun. The long shadow coiled around Briella’s ankles.

 

Although she was merely ensnared by the dark shadow, strangely, she could not move.

 

“Oh, I brought your clothes.”

 

Briella hastily shook the clothes she was holding.

 

Yet her eyes remained fixed on Lucas’s bare body.

 

Silently, Lucas reached out his hand.

 

However, she hesitated to hand him the clothes she held for him.

 

A small parlor in the small house.

 

It was a distance of merely a few steps to traverse.

 

However, for some reason, her legs refused to budge.

 

A fever slowly rose on her face.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

At Lucas’s urging, Briella slowly began to walk.

 

The sunlight was too bright, revealing his naked body all too well.

 

The cold breeze blowing in through the open window cooled the warmth on her face ever so slightly.

 

Softly.

 

As if feeling his fingertips touch, the clothes that had been resting in her hands were handed over to Lucas.

 

“Thanks to you, I’m dressed in clean clothes. Thank you.”

 

With a smile that only lifted the corners of her mouth, Briella nodded like a fool.

 

“… “

 

“So are you going to keep watching?”

 

After putting on his top, Lucas held up the pants and looked at Briella.

 

“What?! No, no.”

 

Hurriedly, Briella went into the room.

 

As the door closed with a thud, she found herself unconsciously sitting in place.

 

The sunlight streaming through the window halted at her feet.

 

Even the slightest noise from outside made her ears perk up.

 

“Hehehe.”

 

Lucas’s laughter faintly reached her ears.

 

In that suppressed laughter, her face flushed momentarily.

 

“You could change in the room.”

 

Though she pursed her lips belatedly, there was nothing Briella could do now that she was trapped in the room.

 

Tap, tap.

 

“You can come out now.”

 

At the knock, Briella sprang up from her seat.

 

Unnecessary pride ignited at the teasing tone.

 

Thud!

 

“Eek!”

 

Startled, Lucas stepped back.

 

“Let’s have a meal first.”

 

Leading the way to the kitchen, Briella served up a steaming bowl of potato soup.

 

Placing the steaming potato soup on the table, she handed Lucas a large spoon.

 

Though curiosity abounded, Briella asked nothing.

 

She played her part as if the most crucial task now was to feed Lucas the warm potato soup.

 

“Smells good.”

 

Observing Briella’s fidgety demeanor, Lucas slowly took his seat at the table.

 

The sturdy wooden chair creaked under Lucas’s weight as he sat down.

 

“And you?”

 

“I have already eaten.”

 

Gurgle.

 

Eerily, a gurgle emanated from Briella’s stomach before words could even be spoken.

 

The potato soup Emma had given her last night was Briella’s final meal.

 

Since then, unable to eat anything and perhaps relieved by Lucas’s unharmed appearance, her body sought rest in various places.

 

“Wouldn’t you eat together?”

 

At Lucas’s request, Briella ladled out some potato soup from the small pot.

 

Two bowls of potato soup adorned the rustic wooden table.

 

Outside, people moved to and fro, occasionally interspersed with cries of pain.

 

Yet inside the house, the scene resembled the peaceful daily life of a peasant couple in the small village of Perta.

 

A fleeting moment in life, but a memory etched in the hearts of Briella and Lucas.