The Devil's Son and His Fated Bride
Chapter 44: Not losing

Chapter 44: Not losing

"Ah, this feels so good! Rub harder!" Ren slurred, her cheeks painted pink. After staying up all night, enduring so much anxiety, and being overwhelmed by a formidable demeanor, she truly deserved the warmth of the water dancing on her skin, pleasing every fiber of her existence.

Gloria was already gasping from the massive steam that blurred her sight, but she put the loofah sponge away, complaining, "You are asking me to peel off your smooth skin, milady. This water is too hot and is getting hotter. Is that you?"

Ren opened her eyes in shock and looked around. Oh, goodness!

"Gloria, what is happening?"

Ren couldn’t estimate the temperature of the water, but the thick steam clouding the air spoke for itself.

"Are you angry? Has your magic started to..." Gloria slammed her palm over her mouth. She shouldn’t have scared her lady, how reckless of her.

Ren closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She had to settle down. Her anger could harm others, even if it didn’t hurt her. She had practiced calming herself since she first realized her magic. As she controlled it, the steam began to dissipate, and the water temperature adjusted.

Gloria clapped her hands. "You did it, my lovely lady!"

Ren chuckled at her reaction, but that wasn’t enough. Suppressing her power felt like caging a raging beast.

"Thank you for motivating me!"

Gloria pouted as she had to bring up this matter. "I cleaned the floor, and Butler Siamon replaced the broken window frame. And when I was..."

She hesitated, unsure whether to reveal the rest.

"Say it. I am already blamed for somebody’s crime. What else has happened to wreck my nerves?"

The handmaiden pursed her lips, lowering her gaze and playing with her fingers. "The vial of cologne you prepared for His Highness with so much effort is... also broken."

Ren snorted. She had already known, and she wouldn’t deny the ache that seized her heart when she smelled the lingering scent in the air.

"I knew it. We just wasted good-quality beer."

But Gloria’s eyes remained downcast and sad. "You were so happy to make that gift, and it wasn’t easy."

Ren beamed bitterly. "He treated me like I stabbed Orgeve, not his mate." Then, thinking that knowing more could help her later, she added, "Let us forget that. I won’t make another cologne for him unless he apologizes. But are you up for an investigation?"

Gloria glanced at her lady, dumbfounded. "Investigation?"

Ren bobbed her head sweetly and brought her forefinger up. "We have clues about the sudden attack on that village and the borderline attack, right?"

Her handmaiden tilted her head. "Do we?" She shook her head and changed the subject. "My lady, we have Beta investigators. You don’t need to trouble yourself. Also, the generals will handle this."

Ren shrugged. "I just believe these two attacks are related." She stood up and stepped out of the stone bath. Gloria brought her a jar of water and smoothly poured it over her body, washing away the remaining soap.

"Are you going to the training hall?"

Ren hadn’t slept last night, yet she didn’t feel exhausted despite the grueling events of the previous day. It must have been the surge of her magic sustaining her. She was well aware of the potential health damage, but she had questions for Agara.

"Master Agara is in the library, isn’t he?"

Gloria dried her lady’s body as she confirmed.

"No training today. I’ll visit him first, then return to my room. I need to review my notebooks. I don’t know much about shifters’ bodies and nature. I have to take notes so I can be more useful."

As they walked to the dressing room, Ren noticed the countless dresses that had been added. She hadn’t owned this many belongings before; Lora had only packed two small bags for her in haste. These were new.

"What are these, Gloria?"

"His Highness ordered them. He hired a tailor the day you fainted and had them take your measurements to sew suitable dresses for you."

Why? Why was he confusing her over and over? If he didn’t care about her, then why foresee her needs? And then, her mind answered: keeping face in front of others and that damned pretense.

"Choose one, my lady. A dark green velvet dress matches your pale skin and dark hair."

Ren couldn’t deny that these dresses were beautiful. They weren’t puffy and troublesome like her royal gowns back in Zillgaira. These were slender, incredibly light, and long. She loved how loose the laced sleeves were. Her husband had good taste.

But no way... She wouldn’t wear them and give him the satisfaction of thinking he could seduce her with wealth and grandeur. He had hurt her constantly. She wasn’t Elaika, the woman who clung to him despite his coldness. He had pushed that woman out the door, and she had kept crawling back through the window, claiming, "He is mine!"

Argh! She didn’t know whether to praise herself for resisting him or be disgusted by how much she still thought about him. Either way, she wouldn’t fall into the same trap.

"No, I want my own black velvet dress, that simple one with the white sleeves."

Gloria gaped. "My lady..." Her features betrayed her disagreement.

"I like that dress!" Ren gave her a determined look.

"Alright..." Gloria exhaled, but her hands trembled. His Highness wouldn’t like this. He didn’t tolerate defiance, and his own woman was ignoring him. Damn! She prayed they would stop arguing. Even the huge black mouse in the basement knew something had kindled between them, except for themselves.

Half an hour later, Ren stood behind Master Agara, who was reprimanding the healer apprentices for treating the library like a mere storeroom rather than a sanctuary of knowledge.

"This is unbelievable. I saw cobwebs on the roof! From today onward, each of you will take a day of the week to keep this place clean and intact. You will make your damned people read these books. Some of them are fables passed down from your ancestors!"

They lowered their heads, taking the harsh blow.

One of them dared to murmur, "Yes, we will let everyone in the academy read the books..."

And then they all suddenly bowed. "Luna Reneira, it is good to see you." The young shifter added. It seemed they deemed her as their savior.

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