244 Strange Reiju

The wedding concluded successfully, and the banquet continued until evening.

Creaaak~

As the scent of alcohol faded, Lynch opened Reiju's door.

Boom!

A heavy object landed on him, and a fragrant wedding dress draped over his head. Before he could react, a venom-coated dagger came stabbing down with fierce speed.

"Assassinating your husband on the wedding night? Are you trying to become a widow already?" 

With his heightened reflexes and sharp vision, he caught the dagger mid-air, snapping it effortlessly in one hand while pulling the wedding dress off his head with the other.

What greeted him was Reiju, now free of her wedding dress, standing confidently in a tight black corset dress. 

The daring outfit barely covered her hips, and the deep slit on the chest exposed a generous amount of her curves.

Her eyes gleamed with a mischievous yet challenging look, clearly unfazed by the situation.

Her makeup was subtle but stunning, making her look especially captivating under the bright light.

"Bah! Who wants to be your wife? Even if you're handsome, rich, strong, and influential—" Reiju trailed off, her voice growing quieter as she realized her words were going in the wrong direction.

"Anyway, I won't marry you! You better give up!" she shouted, her cheeks flushed. "I'm not some easy woman!"

"But you're already married to me," Lynch replied calmly, his words cutting through the room like a blade.

The atmosphere turned silent and tense.

"How about we sit down and talk?" Lynch suggested, breaking the quiet.

After hesitating for a moment, Reiju let the broken dagger drop from her hand and sat down beside him.

"If you didn't want to marry me, why did you agree?" Lynch asked, his tone soft yet curious.

"It's because of my father," Reiju admitted, her voice tinged with frustration. "He never stops until his plans succeed." 

She sighed heavily, her gaze lowering. "And before today, I had no way to disobey his orders."

"It was only close to the wedding that he finally released his hold on me."

Reiju's words carried no blame toward Judge, but sadness was written all over her face.

Unlike her three emotionless brothers, Reiju was human, with feelings and a heart. Being controlled by her father for so many years and then forced into a marriage with someone she had never met—it was impossible to be happy about it.

"What about the wedding? By then, you should've been free to choose. Why didn't you resist?" Lynch asked gently.

"Because... I didn't want to disappoint my father," Reiju replied softly, lowering her head until her face was almost buried in her chest.

In that moment, she looked utterly lonely, as if the weight of the world rested solely on her shoulders.

"He's my father, after all," she continued, her voice trembling. "If I backed out of the marriage at the wedding, it would've been like slapping him in the face. It would've ruined the relationship between you and him, turning it into hostility."

She paused, her eyes glistening. "To be honest, I don't like my father, but I don't want to hurt him because of me."

As she poured her heart out, a sense of relief washed over her. For the first time in a long while, she felt a bit lighter.

"Are you afraid that West Blue will become your father's enemy?" Lynch chuckled. "But you still dared to try to assassinate me."

"Who said I was going to assassinate you?" Reiju blushed and hesitated. "I just wanted to teach you a lesson, to show you that I'm not someone to be bullied."

"I never imagined you were so powerful," Lynch replied, noticing her wrist still aching.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"I'm married to you, so of course, I'll stay with you," Reiju answered matter-of-factly.

"You're staying by my side to help me cooperate with your father, eating and drinking well, but without me touching you?"

"Why do you think about all the good things?"

"You're just freeloading," Lynch teased.

Reiju puffed up her chest proudly. "I'm good at fighting too. I can help you take care of the little soldiers easily."

"Really?" Lynch raised an eyebrow, glancing at the dagger on the ground with a smirk.

Reiju noticed his gaze and felt both embarrassed and annoyed. "Don't you believe me?"

"I believe it, of course, I believe it," Lynch said, almost reaching out to pat Reiju's head but then pulling his hand back.

"Let's go. I'll see you tomorrow," he added, standing up and preparing to leave.

"No, you just don't believe me!" Reiju snapped, feeling insulted.

Apart from her father, she was the strongest in the Germa family!

"I'll prove it to you! I only held back earlier because I was afraid of hurting you!"

She kicked Lynch in the back of the head with her long, powerful legs.

"Pa~"

Lynch caught her ankle with ease and held it in his hand like a chicken, smirking. "Good move, you brought it right to me."

"Barbie fan," he teased. "I didn't realize you were so girly."

"What do you mean?" Reiju, who was upside down, didn't immediately react.

Then, it clicked. She quickly covered herself and yelled, "You bastard! Don't look!"

"Pink poison arrow!"

Reiju's lips parted, and she fired a venomous arrow at him.

"Ouch~"

A small dark green dragon suddenly appeared from the darkness, swallowed the venom in one gulp, and then disappeared.

Reiju was left stunned, forgetting to cover herself in shock.

There were creatures that could eat her own venom?!

How is that possible?

"Alright, alright, I was going to let you off, but now you've asked for this," Lynch said. Venom was Reiju's signature attack, her killing move.

"I treat you like my wife, and you try to kill me?"

"Let me go!" Reiju exclaimed.

With that, Lynch casually carried her under his arm and started walking toward the back room.

…

The next morning, the first ray of sunlight filtered through the curtains. Both of them slowly opened their eyes.

The room was in disarray—clothes scattered across the floor, sheets stained red, and their hair a mess.

"Good morning, Mr. Lynch~"

Reiju, wrapped in a quilt, lay close to Lynch, holding his ear playfully with her delicate hand and lifting her snow-white chin.

"Good morning, Reiju," Lynch replied, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"Did you sleep well last night, Husban?" she whispered softly in his ear.

"Not bad."

"Is there anything you want to eat? I'll cook it for you later," Reiju offered, brushing her pink hair from her forehead, trying to appear graceful.

"For breakfast, omelette rice."

"Is it just omelette rice you want?" With a soft smile, Reiju moved closer to Lynch, eventually pressing her smooth cheek against his.

"Huh?!" Lynch snapped out of his daze, standing up and meeting Reiju's gaze.

After several exchanges that felt both natural and strange, Lynch began to realize something was off.

What's going on with this girl?

"Lynch, is something wrong?" Reiju tilted her head, still smiling brightly.

"Why are you reacting like this?"

After ruling out possibilities like being poisoned in his sleep or her developing feelings for him, Lynch was still confused. Hadn't she been so clear about everything yesterday? Why was she acting so differently now?

"Is there something wrong?" Reiju asked again, seemingly oblivious.

With that, she gracefully stood, lifted the quilt, and dressed in front of Lynch.

The smooth, pale skin of her back, the graceful curve of her neck, her shapely figure, and slender legs were all exposed to Lynch's eyes.

"From today on, I am your wife," Reiju said with a smile.

"Lynch, darling, please take care of me!" she added, bowing gracefully after getting dressed.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

___________________

I've added an advanced chapter on P@treon, where you can read 90+ chapters ahead of everyone.

Link : patreon.com/MoonEater18