The Romantic Trials Of A Transmigrated Empress
Chapter 62: Subtle seduction.

Chapter 62: Subtle seduction.

Roland felt uneasy when his wife acted dutiful by offering to help him undress for his bath. The unease, he surmised was a product of the guilt which was eating away at him like a worm munching on leafy greens.

He knew how she felt about Emmah, she did not like her that much was obvious. But, what was he to do? Emmah had saved his life, she was ill and there was no proper place for her to spend the night.

She had started to cry when he offered to put her up at inn and she coughed up blood, he could not very well leave her out there to suffer when he had a castle with ninety bedrooms, twenty of which were set aside for guests.So, he brought her over reluctantly, he did not see the trouble in it.

After delivering the news to Sigrid, he drew in a breath filled with suspense, waiting for her to explode in anger, march out of the bedroom and drag Emmah out. If she did not react that way, he expected her to sob and threaten him before running off to her duchy of her family to complain.

Unexpectedly, Sigrid did neither of things, she just moved her hands to his coat and started unbuttoning it. Her silence made him uncomfortable, he had come into her bedroom prepared for a fight.

He caught her hands to stop them from moving, it prompted her to look up into his eyes.

"Aren’t you going to say anything in response to what I have said?"

She shook her head, her shoulders lifted up slightly in a shrug, "It is your castle Roland, you are allowed to bring as many guests as you wish."

He bit down on his teeth, for some reason her response angered him more than her silence. Anger, he could understand but indifference was confusing to him.

"I know that you are angry, you feel betrayed Sigrid and I cannot begin to understand what you are feeling."

"Ahh...what an A-hole." Sigrid muttered under her breath. If he knew that she would feel this way then why do it?

She continued unbuttoning his shirt as if she had said nothing and neither had he. Once again, Roland stopped her, this time it was with one hand and the other tipped her chin up.

"I am not sleeping with her." he said in a raised voice.

"I did not say that you are your highness, in fact I have not said anything at all to stop you from bringing her over. I already said no when your sister proposed it so you knew where I stood on the matter and yet you still went ahead and brought her into our home anyway. Am I angry, maybe, I don’t know but I don’t have the energy to argue or fight, it’s your castle not mine." She scoffed, "You seem to be displeased that I am unwilling to weigh in on the matter but do I even have a right to be angry?"

He had made it more than clear on the wedding that he did not want her to play the role of his crown princess. In light of that, there were some things she was going to stay out of.

She wrenched her hands out of his hold and took a moment to gather her thoughts. Her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Did she want to shout, yes, did she want to punch him, absolutely. Did she want to run out of the room, grab and toss Emmah into the fire in the kitchen, a thousand times yes.

But, her instincts to survive were greater than any other desire so she stopped herself. Nobles did not marry for love, they married to continue the lineage, jealousy was not a useful emotion. Besides, of what use was it to be jealous over a man she did not know well except through what she had read about him and the few times she had met him.

"The water is warm, you should have your bath before it gets colder." she told him.

She stepped away from him with his shirt in her hand, the cloak and coat were on the floor. He was standing before her bare chested, and she could not resist taking a peek. He had a muscular build that was a result of years of rigorous training and battle-hardened experience.

His broad shoulders and arms were well defined, shaped to perfection as a result of thousands of hours spent wielding his sword.

His torso was chiseled with a toned chest and rock-hard abs, he had a body that one could not look away from after one glance. In simple terms, he was hot, Roland Maximus was possibly the hottest man that Sigrid had ever set her eyes on.

As her eyes lingered on him greedily, Sigrid wondered what the rest of him looked like, his thighs and legs were bound to be as strong as the rest of him.

The last time she had seen his chest, they had been fighting, she did not get the chance to admire it as she was doing now.

"Should I call a maid in to help you scrub your back?" she asked him.

He growled at her in response, which befuddled her and confused Roland even more. He did not understand why her question displeased him. First, it was her attitude towards Emmah’s presence, she did not care and now it was her willingness to send in another woman to assist him in his bath.

Where was the neurotically jealous woman that sent her knights to beat up any woman he interacted with? Had she reformed? What was going on with her?

"No need." he growled out and marched to the bathroom, but not before kicking away the cloak and coat that had fallen to the ground.

He pulled off his trousers and stripped completely, then dived into the warm water. Roland drew in a deep breath, urging himself to calm down, since when did Sigrid Thorin arouse such conflicting emotions in him?

As he drew in long breaths and exhaled them, he slowly started to relax, his nostrils picked up the refreshing scent of roses in the bathroom.

There were no roses in the bathroom when he looked around the smell appeared to be coming from the water. He got a handful of water and sniffed it.

"It’s rose oil." Sigrid’s voice came from behind.

He turned around and saw her, somehow she had managed to walk into the bathroom silently without alerting him. She was wearing light white thin transparent long pants and a matching shirt that only covered her breasts, barely at that. Her hair was tied up but a few strands were flowing down, dancing around her neck slowly.

She used the small steps to lower herself into the water, joining him.

Roland drew in a sharp breath and he clenched his hands as she approached him. The closer she came, the clearer he could see, and his body liked what it was seeing. She came to a stop before him, so close that they were nearly chest to chest.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Sigrid raised her hands and smiled,"I am here to heal you, don’t worry your innocence is safe in my hands."