The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 180. A book I read.

Chapter 180: 180. A book I read.

By the time the sun was up and high in the sky the next day, the news about the crown princess being able to fluently speak Tragonian reached the ears of every maid and man-servant within the entire Fredah estate. Even the dead buried deep under the Fredah estates would have heard the news.

However, that was not the news that had caught Barak’s attention. No, what had caught his attention was the new rumor he was hearing in whispers, going around the entire castle about how he had met his wife.

"Are you finally ready, my lord?" Neriah asked with a smile as Barak walked into the room they shared and for the first few minutes, no other words passed between them. He just stared at her and her gaze did not wander. They remained on him too. It was as though they were telepathically communicating with one another.

"My fair lady," Barak finally broke the silence, continuing the act that she had started. "You look lovely."

"As always, I know." She gave a playful bow and he took a step closer to her.

"It has come to my notice," He took her hand which she had stretched out to him, "that there is a new story of how we met and how I had fallen head over heels for you at the first meeting." He took her second hand and gently pulled her closer to his body.

"Really? I have heard no such thing." She lied with a perfect smile.

"Is that so?" He asked and she nodded. "That is quite odd, because the rumor of our meeting is so much like the truth and yet so far from it that I believed somehow you would know something." He twirled her around in his arms, and just like that, they were both slow-dancing even though there was no music.

"Oh, my lord duke, I know nothing about this. In fact this is my first time hearing about such a rumor." She giggled as he twirled her once again and brought her close to his body, staring into her eyes as though it contained every single thing he had ever wished for in life.

"Hm." He hummed and she raised her brows playfully, "Okay." He said as his hands held her face, pulled her close to him and his lips touched hers. "If you say so, then it is so." He placed another quick kiss on her lips, causing her to grin foolishly.

"Alright, can we go now?" Neriah asked.

"Oh curses!!" He exclaimed and Neriah flinched. "Come on, we have to go now. I completely forgot." He pulled her hand, practically dragging her with him.

"Gently, Barak. What is it?"

"Come on, before that old man finds out I’m out of the study." He said as he reached the door and pulled the door open and, "Argh!!" He flinched and almost swore as standing before him, right outside their door was the old man whom he spoke of. On his face was the same old languid expression that clearly meant he cared not what Barak was up to, but was not going to let it happen.

"" Hakan, I just came out for a second. I shall return in no time, I just need to show my wife around the estate and—" Neriah could see her husband fighting for words! Her husband, Barak!!! Fighting for words? And all because of the very old man standing before them.

""I am certain Her Grace would not mind if I give her a tour around the estate myself."" Hakan said and turned his head toward Neriah and for some reason, he reminded her of the Grand Duchess Bretton. There was this aura radiating from him and she could swear she had not felt it before, at least not until he turned his attention to her and asked her a question.

She looked at Barak hoping he would say something, but Barak looked like a defeated child, ""H_Hakan, you should rest too. I am certain you must have had a lot to prepare as I was coming to Fredah, so rest and—""

""I am perfectly fine, Your Grace."" He bluntly cut Barak off, "" Now, My Lady, why don’t you leave this man to his business and come with me. I promise I shall be a better tour guide than His Grace, for I have been here longer.""

The man stretched out his hand to Neriah and she shifted her gaze from it to her husband’s hand that still held hers.

Slowly,she removed her hand from his own and slipped it onto the old man’s palm with a very forced smile. ""Now, Your Grace, I am certain you recall the way to the study. Your work awaits you."" He said and Barak saw it again. That almost invisible smile. He could tell, the old man was having fun tormenting him.

With no other option, Barak was forced to return to his work and Neriah had a new escort.

For the next three days, the work continued non-stop. Barak stayed in his study till late in the night and by the time he would return to their room, Neriah would have fallen asleep and by the time she woke up in the morning, he was already gone to begin his very tiring work.

Thankfully, the Fredah estate was huge with a lot of places to see within it, so she was not so bored. She just missed her husband, nothing more...

And Barak on the other hand could not wait to finish all the excess work he had piled up so he could spend some time with his wife. He had promised to take her round Fortia but unfortunately, Hakan had other plans for them both.

By the fourth day, Neriah could no longer take not seeing him so she had barged into the study, "How much longer will it take you?!" She had asked.

"A_about a day?" He had said, then, "Maybe two?" He sighed and wearily dropped the ink brush on the table, covering his face with his palm as he groaned. "Forgive me, but it will probably extend to the weekend." He confessed.

Weekend! And it was just Monday!

"I have no idea why I did not think of this earlier, but, I shall help you with your work. Being you duchess, I shall share your burden with you." She had said and at first he tried to persuade her, saying it would be tiring and very boring but in the end, his eyes on her were like that of a lost puppy on a rainy day, staring at someone who had come to rescue it from the cold rain.

"I know, there is no one better than me." She had said while blushing when he gave her those big golden puppy eyes, "You can never find a better wife."

She was quick to understand the additions and subtractions of his work and with her help, it became much easier and by the afternoon of Wednesday, they had covered all the work he had and he was finally free.

"I cannot believe we finished all that work already." He said as they both sat in an open garden with a table of food set before them. It was Hakan’s reward to them for a job well done.

"It is all because I am such a brilliant woman. You have no idea what a precious jewel you have married." She praised herself as she finished off her food, washing it down with water.

"First you were a rose, now you are a jewel? What will you be next?" He asked and laughed all by himself while she just stared at him unamused about anything he had said. His laugh ended, the instant he saw the expression on her face, "Indeed, I should visit your parents and present them with a much greater gift for birthing such a precious jewel." He nodded and she just eyed him.

There, that gaze of hers, sometimes it was so very uncomfortable. That gaze where she looked as though a person was spitting nothing but pure nonsense. It could make even the mightiest man feel foolish.

"Why should they receive the gift when I am the jewel?" She suddenly asked.

"What?" It took him a minute to understand what she was saying, "Ah, tell me. Whatever it is, like I said before, I will give it. You just name it." He said enthusiastically.

But then he was quickly regretting saying those words as he saw the smirk rising on her face.

"Well, I read this book about a Duke and a duchess..."

"And?" He asked with a skeptical look.

"And," she rose from her seat and walked toward him and then he noticed his wife was walking like a cat. A mischievous cat with a mission. What could she be thinking? "In the book, the duke and duchess had a meal like this together in an open garden."

"Neriah, where is this story heading?" He asked and before his question could even be completed, his dear Spitfire had reached his side and for some reason she was climbing atop him.

"In the garden where they ate, they did that."

"Did what?"

She leaned closer to his ear and whispered into it, "what we do when we are alone."