As we ca out of the forest, many people were waiting for us.
Gibson looked at us as if acknowledging us as a married couple.
Adam Hyung wore a smile on his face.
Baran nodded his head in congratulations.
Gidon simply observed Ner.
Looking at them, I said, "It's done."
Gibson nodded and addressed the crowd.
"Well then, let's head back."
Ner, standing by my side, lowered her head.
"... Once we see off the newlyweds, our role will be complete."
****
This ti, I positioned Ner in front of .
There was also a desire to protect her from the nurous rcenaries following us.
Everyone threw mischievous jokes, and each ti I heard those jokes, I could see Ner's tail wagging even more.
From my perspective, those pranks didn't cross the line, but to Ner, they seed uncomfortable to hear.
'Different cultures, different social statuses...' There was a mountain of things to understand.
Ner soon stopped in front of a door.
It was a room where we would spend the night.
Amidst that unfamiliar feeling, even my heart swayed.
This was the place where we would truly beco a married couple.
Uniting our bodies and leaving marks on each other deeper than re rings.
The fact that Ner would be my first experience would never change, even until death, and it would be the sa for Ner.
It was about sharing a once-in-a-lifeti experience with each other.
Ner stood in front of the door for a prolonged period.
She didn't budge.
As I looked at her, I reached out behind her and opened the door.
There was no point in continuing to stand here.
Since she would hesitate anyway, I gently nudged Ner into the open room.
"Ugh...!"
She resisted for a mont but eventually walked inside, weakly.
After safely sheltering her, I looked at the people who followed behind and spoke.
"Now everyone should return."
Mischievous sounds of sighs and laughter followed once again.
mbers of the Blackwood family glanced at our rcenaries with slight unease, then turned away.
As they dispersed, Baran also led the rest of the group.
Only Adam Hyung stayed for a mont and looked at ...
Once again, with those apologetic eyes.
I clicked my tongue and lightly pushed his face with the palm of my hand.
"Hey, this is for you, Hyung...!"
"G-Go now. Rest."
Since Hyung couldn't bring himself to move, I pondered for a while and whispered as if holding my breath.
I uttered empty words to put him at ease.
"I like her because she's pretty. So, stop being sorry and leave.
Huh?
Adam Hyungs expression straightened out like never before.
"Did you really...?"
"Yes, so just go."
He started nodding slowly.
Even a faint smile also ford on his lips.
"Got it, Berg. I'll go then."
As I watched Hyung turn around, I entered the room and closed the door.
-Thud.
Then, as if the world had been severed, complete silence filled the air.
...The silence was so profound that even the sound of breathing could be heard.
In a corner of the dimly lit room, a small candle flickered.
The candle swayed as it burned, creating a gentle sound.
I could see Ner's silhouette shimring.
The fragrance of blooming flowers from the scented candle filled the room.
Every elent in the room seed to foreshadow the forthcoming actions.
The atmosphere was different compared to when only the two of us remained in the forest.
Ner had sohow weakly seated herself on the bed.
Her tail hung down, scattered randomly on the bed.
'Did she accept it too?'
I couldn't read her mind, and her expression was not visible, so I couldn't tell.
Nevertheless, I had to proceed with the final stage of our marriage.
As a man, I had a duty.
With a long sigh, I took off my clothes slowly.
One sleeve at a ti, I took off my coat.
Soon, I hung the coat I had removed on a nearby chair.
Ner didn't move.
I also slowly organized the clothes that had been layered on one by one.
Perhaps it was a formal attire, as there were certainly nurous layers.
Even during that ti, Ner remained motionless.
No words were exchanged, and there was no movent.
I removed the final upper garnt.
My upper body was exposed.
A slight cold air passed over .
At the sa ti, Ner's yellow eyes briefly looked at .
A short silence followed.
I blinked for a mont, realizing that it could beco more awkward if we continued like this.
That was why, with a strained throat due to the morning training, I slowly approached her.
-H-hiccup... Huh...
And soon after, she began to shed tears like little droplets.
Huh?
****
Ner tried to hold it back, but she couldn't stop her tears from flowing.
As soon as Berg, the human rcenary, began to undress, her heart trembled with fear, and her breath stopped when she saw his bare body.
Tears followed as she watched him approach, loosening his tie.
Nurous scars. Well-defined muscles...
It was clear to Ner that if he had the intention, she wouldnt be able to resist him.
She had to offer her body to soone she didn't love.
Until the mont she entered this room, Ner had a plan.
To have a rational conversation with him without shedding tears.
And to make a request that she knew was unreasonable.
Not to take away her purity... To tell him that there was a destined partner for her.
But all those words transford into sothing unspeakable due to the fear of retaliation.
She already understood that expressing such absurd thoughts served no purpose. Not only would it invalidate all the rituals of the day, but it might also provoke him.
Ner had heard that there were also humans who took pleasure in violating won who resist.
She had heard that so people derived pleasure from witnessing the distorted expressions of won.
She couldn't be certain that Berg, with his sarcastic and cruel deanor towards won, wasn't one of those individuals.
But now, all of those things had beco futile.
She had shed tears.
She didn't know how he would perceive those tears, but she was certain it would be negative.
Ner hastily wiped her tears with both hands, but unfortunately, her eyes remained wet.
"J-just... wait... h-hiccup... g-give ... a little more ti..."
Berg stiffened and slowly moved closer.
"Uh... Ugh...!"
Ner crawled backward on the bed until she reached the wall, with no way to escape.
She couldn't even bring herself to look at Berg. She was too terrified to witness his expression, too afraid to confirm it.
Ner could sense that Berg, who was approaching her, was reaching out his hand.
In the end, she tightly closed her eyes.
Tap.
?
Then, sothing light was placed on her leg.
Ner struggled to open her eyes and confirm what it was.
It was a white cloth.
Perplexed, Ner looked up as Berg spoke.
Wipe away your tears.
Imdiately, Berg shifted his body and gently sat on the bed. He didn't co any closer.
Instead, he let out a long sigh.
Haaah
Ner was anxious but looked at him carefully.
She couldn't even lift the cloth placed on her knees.
"I'll not let go of my words. We're a couple now."
He said.
Ner was making an effort to comprehend this bewildering situation.
Berg was sitting on the bed with his elbow resting on his knee.
She couldn't tell what he was thinking as he let out another long sigh.
Then, he slightly turned his head and asked a sudden question.
"...It's said that the Werewolves only love one person for a lifeti... Is it true?"
Ner pondered for a long ti, wondering about the intention behind the question, but couldn't find an answer.
In the end, despite being scared of the nurous scars on his back, she slowly nodded her head.
Y-Yes.
Not all mbers of the werewolf race adhered to this, but generally, they focused their love on one individual.
Ner, too, had kept her heart devoted to loving only one person.
Berg remained silent for a prolonged period, revealing no thoughts, as the wind whispered through the window with a natural sound.
'What was he thinking?'
Berg stayed still for a while.
The wind rustled through the window, creating a natural sound.
"...Then, it must be equally difficult to like soone else."
After a long silence, Berg threw the question nonchalantly. Ner couldn't discern his intentions, but answering truthfully didn't seem harmful at all.
Ner cautiously nodded her head again.
Berg chuckled.
"...But if soone suddenly tells you to mix your body with soone you don't even like, of course, you'd naturally dislike it."
Even during the previous dinner, she had sensed it to so extent, but there was nothing to be afraid of in Berg's behavior.
Whether it was a consideration or an act, it made her feel foolish for being scared like this.
Ner felt that a montary opportunity had co.
She tightly held the dress she hadn't even taken off yet and spoke to him.
"...Haaa... I...I don't want to..."
"...I don't have the intention to force you either."
With his response, Ner felt a heavy burden lifting from her chest.
As if her blocked airway had opened, a tingling sense of relief spread through her body.
Tears stread down her face once again.
Ner used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears.
The cloth Berg had handed her still remained on her knees.
Looking at her like that, Berg said.
"...We beca entangled due to our circumstances, but whether you like it or not, we're a couple now. I don't want to start off on the wrong foot. I don't want to spend our lives... hating each other."
Ner managed to calm her tears sohow. She lifted her shoulders intermittently and took a deep breath.
She hadn't expected Berg, who she had feared, to say such things.
"...How long does it take for the werewolves to like soone...?"
His words sounded like a grace period.
Ner swallowed her saliva and recited a number that montarily ca to her mind.
"...One year... Ah, two years..."
It took a long ti for the werewolves to fall in love, but there wasn't a specific number that existed.
Even so, Ner intentionally ntioned a specific ti, naturally harboring an intention.
However, Berg shook his head.
"...No"
Yes?
"It's too long."
In an instant, Ner held her breath. Her heart sank.
Her ears trembled as she turned towards him.
"...But...but...still..."
"A few days later, our troops will go into battle. They will fight for their lives. So will get injured... So will die. It's difficult for to have you by my side, crying every day, after they went through all of that... It's inconvenient," Berg said.
Berg slowly turned his upper body.
Ner locked eyes with him.
His gaze seed sowhat sad.
"I know. I understand. In the end, we're tied together because of our circumstances. You probably can't love yet. It must be scary and unpleasant. But..."
"But, we're staking our lives. Even for the sake of my comrades, it's inconvenient to have you like this. mbers should be proud to accept you. You have to prove that their life is worth it."
"Of course, I'm not telling you to smile by my side every day. But still, distancing yourself from too much becos a problem. Being happy next to was not a condition of our contract, but..."
Berg, as if deep in thought, tightly closed his lips before speaking.
"...I'll make a promise."
Yes?
I am also aware of the labels attached to our race. There will be resistance to the human race, and I know that interspecies marriage will be as embarrassing as it was unexpected.
Ner had her own reservations, of course, but what bothered her more was the fact that she couldn't connect with her destined partner.
Having endured a lifeti of suffering alone, she had been waiting for the hand of salvation to co, only to find herself faced with another arduous path.
But Berg continued speaking.
"It will undoubtedly be difficult in the future... With different cultures, there will be monts when we don't understand each other."
"But I won't do things that you would hate. After all, I am now... your husband. I'll stand by your side."
Ner was confused at Bergs much friendlier appearance than she expected.
Where did the cruel person go?
The one who hated won?
Human race which was said to be in heat while ti?
The rcenary who enjoyed debauchery?
Among the many words used to describe him, not a single one could explain the man before her.
For the first ti, Ner saw the true face of Berg. Compared to any other appearance she had witnessed, his current self seed devoid of any pretense.
So, dont be afraid of anymore. Therefore
Berg slowly rose from the bed and reached out his hand.
Ner quietly observed as he approached.
There was still fear stemming from his approach itself, but she had nowhere else to run.
His subsequent actions were incredibly gentle.
His hand enveloped hers.
She could feel his warm touch.
So hide your feelings for us. Endure it. At the very least, do that much."
It was a sincere and polite request. It was the plea of soone who cherished their loved one.
In the end, he even spoke with a smile.
"...And if you keep acting like this, Adam Hyung will start to get annoyed."
Ner looked down at her hand, embraced by Berg's.
His hand was rough, but it didn't elicit as much aversion as it had throughout the day.
Of course, even this was one thing she didnt want to do.
She wanted to keep her body as clean as possible for her destined partner.
Nevertheless, perhaps Berg's heartfelt request as a person was being conveyed.
For so reason, it felt like her heart was being transmitted through his touch.
Ner stood still for a while and asked quietly.
Pretending to be goodActingYou an? Until I Like you?
"As long as we're alone, you can behave however you want."
Once again, she gathered her courage.
"...What if I never co to love you?"
It was a response tinged with a faint conscience.
Already, Ner had been looking only at her destined partner.
Betraying him, dismantling the rcenary group, simply reverting the contract, and paying the price to leave... Ner had thought of leaving Berg soday.
She didn't want to wait for a love that would never co.
Berg did not answer right away.
His upright shoulders seed to droop slightly.
And then, he spoke.
"...I hope that doesn't happen."
End of Chapter
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