The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 168. A beautiful change.

Chapter 168: 168. A beautiful change.

Was such sudden change possible? Really? Was it really possible for a person to change so suddenly? Barak had asked himself those questions over and over again. His wife was acting strange and as much as it surprised and delighted him, it made him worry too.

A single near-death experience was enough to change a person for a lifetime so he had heard, was that really what had happened with her?

She was saying things she had never said, admitting to things that the Neriah he had come to know would never admit to. She was initiating kisses and unabashedly seducing him. Not only that, she admitted to liking him and even asked for him to do things with and to her. To think she incited coitus! No matter how much he thought about it, the change was good, but it was so sudden and unexpected that it was hard to take everything in at once.

It made him anxious of what would follow this change. It was indeed a good thing but what would come after this change? Did the change mean peaceful days were to come?

Even as they just casually lay on the bed together with their bodies still intwined, and too lazy and tired to rise, it all still felt unreal. That she had her arm on his chest and snuggled closer to him not because he pulled her, nor because she had mistakenly moved to his side due to sleep, rather it was just for the simple reason that she wanted to be next to him.

Was it okay to be this happy about her sudden change? He was skeptical, and yet he could not help feeling happy.

He had no idea what she was planning. He knew she did not love him. He was grateful she at least liked him and could admit it.

When he had returned from fighting the orcs, Farhan had given him details on her movements. She didn’t go out much, and according to the information he had received, she had met with her lover again.

However, the reports stated she didn’t stay long and also came out looking rather angry and it was safe to say that her meeting had not ended well.

Could that be the reason for the change? Because she probably had a fight with her lover. But whatever it was, he was glad for it. It was stupid of him, but he couldn’t help it.

The look in her eyes when she gazed at him now was so beautiful and different that he could not help but be enchanted by it and love it. Whatever it was, he hoped it lasted until she was completely lost in him, never to be able to find her way out of him. He hoped she would be completely blinded by him that she would not see any other man aside from him. He hoped again that she would realize how much he cared and loved her and she would love him till she could not think of a life without him ever again.

"You should go see Regina." He suddenly said, he waited for a response, a reaction even, but nothing came and his hand that stroked her hair continued to run through her hair. "Riah," He called gently. "Riah you—"

"I know." She murmured, pressing her face upon his chest. "I know I should, but I cannot bring myself to do it."

She muttered into his chest, grumbling, then she lifted her head and those brilliant green eyes stared at him, looking like a puppy in the rain, so pitiful and small. "Will you go with me?" She asked and he could not help the laugh that touched his lips.

"Was I with you when you deceived her in the first place?" He asked and the puppy-like look in her eyes instantly changed to irritation.

"You are wicked." She hissed and tried to rise from his side but he pulled her and stopped her from moving. "Let go of me you oaf, will it kill you to come with me?" Now this was the Neriah he knew. He chuckled as she hissed and frowned like an angered cat.

"Will it kill you to go on your own and apologize?" He asked in turn. "You were able to apologize to me and I believe I am much scarier than Regina." He shrugged and she moved from his arms again and this time he let her. She reached for the sheets and drew it over her body.

"You and her are different. And I am not scared of her, I am just—" She paused as though she was thinking of the right words to use.

"Just what?" He asked.

"Just—" She paused yet again. He turned to his side, pressing his elbow into the bed and resting his head upon his knuckles. He reached for her hand and she let him take it.

"What?" He asked again.

Her lashes fell over her eyes as she sighed deeply, "Well, you are her friend and I just think it would be easier with you around." That was her reason. She was being truthful, but could he even tell a lie from the truth? But then again, with those eyes staring at him even if her words were to be a lie, he would believe her with no further questions.

"I can’t." He said and the disappointment on her face was sad enough to break the heart of any man. "I will be visiting the knights who were wounded, so I cannot come with you." He explained.

"Oh, I see. Then what if you come with me first and I go with you to see the knights afterwards." Did she really mean that? "I also want to meet them too. They risked their life for me. The least I can do is pay them a visit." She said.

Indeed, this change was scary, but interesting too.

"You will go with me?" He asked.

"Aye, so come with me to see Regina." She said, her hopeful eyes staring at him, waiting for his positive response and he could give nothing else.

"Alright then. We shall go together." He said and the smile that instantly lit upon her face was radiant and beautiful unlike anything he had seen before. Again, this was another change. She was giving him more of her smiles, it was sweet and at the same time scary.

"Uhm," They both said in sync and chuckled.

"Go on, speak." He urged but she shook her head.

"You talk. I will come after."

"So be it." He said as he sat up straight on the bed. Her eyes went over his body and she blushed. She pushed the other end of the sheets she was still holding in her hand and covered his groin with it, causing a scoff to escape his lips.

"What? I need to focus to listen." She shrugged and he just shook his head with laughter. Again, this change was beautiful and as much as it caused something in his heart to flutter, it also feared him.

"Well, I will be going to Fortia soon." He continued.

"Fortia? Your dukedom?" She asked and he nodded with a smile, as for some reason it made him happy that she remembered that little detail.

"Aye, I have work to do there and it should take about a week."

"Ah, I see." He studied her expression, the way her lashes blinked, and her lips suddenly trembled as she spoke. It almost seemed as though she just heard that her favorite person was going away forever.

"It has only been a week since you returned, yet you are leaving again." She said and Barak wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him or her voice was actually sounding sad.

"Aye, I can no longer put off the work I have to do there. There are things that need my attention. I have to be there." He said and she suddenly rose from the bed, carrying the sheet along with her, not minding her naked husband any longer. Her lips were folded into a menacing pout, one that was as adorable as it was unpleasant.

"Go then. It is not like I need you for anything. Go away to Forra or Fortra or whatever you call it!" She hissed and walked round the bed, going towards the table where drinking water was kept in a jar. She poured herself a cup and without any further talk, she stomped her feet and matched into the bathroom.

Only to match out again, almost running to stand by the bedside, while still gripping her bedsheet, "On a second thought, if you are the duke, then it means I am the duchess, does that not mean I also have work to do there? I mean taking care of the duke’s estate which I believe is in existence. And as your duchess, I have a right to meet the people who you govern over, to familiarize myself with the dukedom in short. So I believe it is only right that I journey with you to Fortia!"

That very long speech just now, it was just to say that she wanted to go with him to Fortia, wasn’t it? Barak wondered to himself with a pleasant grin on his face.

"Why are you grinning like an overfed cat?" She asked with much irritation.

Like an overfed cat indeed, he climbed down from the bed slowly and when he stood before her, she eyed him wickedly as his hand reached up and touched her chin.

"Oh, my dear impatient Spitfire." He mused, "The reason I brought up the matter in the first place is because I was going to ask you to come with me." At first there was no reaction from her, his words didn’t seem to sink into her head in time. But then it did, and he saw those big green eyes go bigger and her lips divided. She was pleasantly surprised.

Her cheeks flushed and she could not hide the glint in her eyes. "So what say you? We could finally have that tryst that was pushed aside due to somebody’s own personal tryst in the dungeon." He said and she hissed.

"You are not going to let that go anytime soon, are you? You are so petty." She hissed.

He nodded and said, "You have no idea how petty this husband of yours can be."

"So? You will come with me?" He asked, but then shook his head in a big no. "You will come with me." He changed his tone to a definite one and leaned closer to her lips, kissing her there. "Now, your turn... Tell me what you wanted to say."

"Ah_ ah, uh... well uhh, the thing is uh... AhAh ha, I Just wanted to apologize for ruining the plans we made that day." She said but then suddenly a loud growl echoed in the room and it took him a second to realize that it had come from her stomach.

He let out a loud boisterous laughter, "Come on, it is way past breakfast but I believe we can still have lunch, so let us have a bath and then we talk food." He scooped her up into his arm, sheets and all, eliciting a range of giggles as he walked toward the bathroom.

He suddenly paused, "Neriah, guess what."

"What?"

"I won."

"Won what?"

"’Twas even a double win."

"How, what are you talking abo—"

"Last night, you asked for my forgiveness and you asked me to hold you with your very own mouth... double win."

Only after he moved again and entered the bathroom did his words make sense to her and she screamed and called him childish and the most petty man in the universe.

Again, it was a beautiful change, but would it last?