Chapter 14 - Apology And Forgiveness

I woke up to my door opening violently. I saw Lord Reo walk towards me, his clothes lined with animal fur. I closed my eyes, expecting him to pounce on me yet again but he simply hugged me. I could feel him shivering. I patted him on the back and smiled meekly.

"Did you finally grow up a little? Jealousy is something a child normally feels, Reo." He then looked into my eyes and I truly saw the regret in his eyes. "You aren't... mad?" I then hit him on the back of the head, angry again. "Of course I am, you fool! You forced yourself on me again! But as long as you regret it, truly regret it, I can find it in my heart to forgive you." He smiled. "I'm glad... I'm so glad... Mimi, I'm so happy that you don't hate me!"

He put his arms around me, desperately clutching my weak back. Actually, I did hate him. I'm only bearing with him because he can get me the resources I need fast. But one thing is for sure, I won't allow him to touch me like that again!

The rest of the day was spent with Reo. He showed me around the palace and then, for our final destination, we arrived at his secret place from where he was a kid. It was a small burrow under a tree which could barely fit him. His clothes got terribly muddy but he didn't seem to mind. This place was amazing! He had carved out a table and even had a mossy bed to sit on.

"I've never shown this place to anyone before. Having you inside however just makes it feel better." He then felt my hand tightly. Despite my strong feelings to pull away, I beared with it and eventually tore off, rushing towards the table. There were a few books and scrolls lying on top of it.

"Are those official documents? What are they doing down here?" I asked him as he chuckled. "It's just some light reading, nothing too important. Now... I want to bring you out to the town. You wanted me to show you the world, did you not? The capital is the best place to see it!"

After dressing me up in inconspicuous clothing and putting a veil over half of my face, we headed out towards the market place. There, Reo smiled and gestured towards the stalls. "Buy whatever you want. I'll see that it is delivered to your manor effective immediately."

I shook my head. "Hm... let's see..." I looked around, and didn't seem to find much that I wanted to buy. Then, something caught my eye. A jewellery store selling beautiful accessories sat there and a golden locket made me remember something about the past.

"Look at this bracelet I got! It cost me a fortune but isn't it so pretty?" "Hold on, seriously? I wanted to be the first to get one, that isn't fair!"

Back in those days, accessories would just get in the way or become an annoyance while I studied or developed theories. That doesn't mean I never wanted to wear them. I bought a pair of earrings that my classmates were raving about but proceeded to throw them away in the trash once I approached school.

Realising that I had paused, Reo smiled and took my wrist, pulling me towards the stall. I quickly said "Oh, no Reo! Jewellery doesn't suit me anyway..." He frowned. "Nonsense. If my wife wants to wear hundreds of hairpins, I'll buy her hundreds of hairpins! You can wear what you want, as long as you are comfortable."

I once thought that Reo was a man who cared about keeping appearances... but it turns out that he's a fool who is obsessed with pleasing his wife. For the first time, I felt like I belonged here. That I belonged in this time where no one could exploit me or throw expectations to be delivered to them. It was... nice.

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