chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Morning After

The first thing Nori noticed was warmth.

Not the warmth of the blankets, nor the lingering heat of the room, but something steadier, stronger.

He stirred slightly, his lashes fluttering open.

And that was when he realized—he was not alone.

Ryusoke was still beside him.

The General lay on his back, one arm tucked behind his head, his breathing deep and even.

For a moment, Nori simply watched him, uncertain.

Last night had been… unexpected.

He had braced himself for pain, for humiliation, for the loss of what little freedom he had left.

But Ryusoke had done none of those things.

Instead, he had simply laid beside him.

Offered him a choice.

And Nori had, for the first time, been allowed to decide something for himself.

Carefully, Nori shifted, trying not to wake him.

But the moment he moved, Ryusoke's eyes opened.

Dark. Sharp. Immediately alert.

For a brief second, Nori felt his stomach tighten.

Then, the General blinked, his gaze softening as he took in their surroundings.

"You're awake," he murmured.

Nori hesitated, then nodded. "Yes."

A beat of silence passed between them.

Then—Ryusoke did something that nearly made Nori forget how to breathe.

He smiled.

Not the smirk of a warrior who had won a battle.

Not the polite curve of the lips meant for formality.

But a real, quiet smile.

Something warm and almost teasing.

"You sleep lightly," he observed. "I barely moved, yet you woke before I did."

Nori's cheeks heated.

"I—I'm just not used to sleeping next to someone," he admitted.

Ryusoke hummed, as if considering this. "You will have to get used to it."

His voice was lighter than usual. Less commanding.

And the way he looked at Nori now—it was different.

Gone was the gaze of a predator watching his prey.

Now, it felt gentler.

More curious.

As if Ryusoke was seeing him not just as a wife, but as a person.

Slowly, Ryusoke sat up, stretching slightly.

His robe had loosened slightly in the night, revealing more of his chest, the scars that marked his skin.

Nori quickly looked away, focusing on his own hands.

The General chuckled. "Are you still afraid of me?"

Nori hesitated.

Was he?

He thought about last night. About the moment Ryusoke had paused, had given him a choice.

About how he had stayed still, waited, respected his hesitation.

Finally, he shook his head. "No. Not anymore."

Ryusoke's brows lifted slightly, as if surprised.

Then, he nodded.

"Good."

He stood, tying his robe properly, before glancing back at Nori.

"Come. The servants will bring warm water for you to bathe."

Nori expected him to leave.

But Ryusoke didn't move toward the door.

Instead, he turned toward the small table in the room, where tea had been set.

Then—he poured two cups.

And handed one to Nori.

Tea With the General

Nori took the cup carefully, watching Ryusoke from beneath his lashes.

The General sat across from him, sipping his own tea with an ease that was almost casual.

This… was not what Nori had expected.

He had thought Ryusoke would simply take what he wanted and leave.

That was what men like him did, wasn't it?

But instead, he was sitting with him.

Drinking tea.

As if this were a normal morning.

As if they were simply two people sharing a moment.

"You're staring," Ryusoke noted without looking up.

Nori quickly averted his gaze, cheeks warming.

"I—I'm just surprised."

"Hm? About what?"

"You… you're different from how I imagined."

Ryusoke raised a brow, finally meeting his gaze.

"And how did you imagine me?"

Nori hesitated before answering truthfully.

"I thought you would treat me like an object."

Ryusoke was silent for a moment.

Then, he exhaled. "I see."

Nori immediately regretted saying it. "I didn't mean—"

"No." Ryusoke shook his head. "It's not your fault for thinking that. Many men in my position would treat their wives that way."

A pause.

"But I am not those men."

The words settled between them.

Nori slowly lowered his gaze to his tea.

He wasn't sure why his chest felt lighter after hearing them.

Only that it did.

As the morning light filtered through the paper windows, the soft murmur of servants preparing the baths could be heard in the distance.

Ryusoke sighed, setting down his empty cup.

"Your lessons on etiquette will continue today," he informed him.

Nori nodded, already expecting this. "Yes."

Ryusoke studied him for a moment before adding, "But you will not continue the… other training."

Nori blinked in surprise. "The other training?"

"The ones meant to prepare you for the wedding night."

Nori stiffened, memories of Lady Asami's humiliating lessons flashing through his mind.

The checks. The instructions.

The thing she had forced inside him to 'prepare' him.

His hands clenched slightly.

Ryusoke's gaze sharpened, noticing the way Nori's body tensed.

"Did it make you uncomfortable?"

Nori hesitated. Then, softly—"Yes."

Ryusoke's expression darkened slightly.

"You won't have to endure them anymore."

Nori's lips parted slightly.

"You are my wife," Ryusoke continued. "That means no one but me will have the right to touch you. And if I say that training is unnecessary—then it is unnecessary."

Nori swallowed.

It wasn't just the words.

It was the way he said them.

The way his voice carried weight and certainty, like an unshakable promise.

And for the first time since this marriage was arranged, Nori felt a sense of security.

Not from his father.

Not from the traditions that had dictated his fate.

But from the very man he had feared.

A New Beginning

After finishing their tea, Ryusoke finally stood.

"I will have the servants draw your bath," he said.

Nori nodded. "Thank you."

Ryusoke turned to leave—but then, just before stepping out of the room, he paused.

He glanced back at Nori, his expression unreadable.

Then, quietly—

"You may call me by my name."

Nori's breath caught.

It was a simple offer.

But one that meant everything.

For in this world, a wife was never meant to address her husband so informally.

To call the General by his name would mean he saw Nori not as an obedient bride, but as an equal.

And that was something Nori had never expected to be.

The door slid shut behind him, leaving Nori alone with his thoughts.

Slowly, he brought a hand to his chest, feeling the soft beat of his own heart.

He was still afraid.

Still unsure of what the future held.

But now—

Now, there was hope.

 Chapter 10

A week had passed since the wedding, and Nori was still adjusting to his new life. He had spent his entire existence within the confines of noble walls, where his biggest concerns were etiquette lessons and embroidery, where his mother dictated his every move, and where he was expected to remain delicate, polite, and obedient. Now, in the home of a military general, everything felt unfamiliar.

The estate was quieter than he expected, despite its size. Servants moved efficiently through the halls, respectful but never intrusive. There was no overbearing presence of courtiers, no constant whispering of noble gossip. It should have been comforting, but instead, Nori felt adrift.

Ryousuke, for his part, did not hover. He did not make demands of Nori, nor did he pressure him into conversations or obligations beyond what was necessary. He seemed to respect the distance Nori unconsciously placed between them, never pushing but also never letting him disappear completely.

"You're too quiet," Ryousuke had remarked one evening over dinner.

Nori had frozen mid-bite, unsure of how to respond.

"I—I don't mean to be," he had said finally, setting his chopsticks down carefully.

Ryousuke had studied him for a moment, his gaze unreadable before he reached for his tea. "You don't have to force conversation. I just wonder what's going on in your head."

Nori had not known how to answer that either.

The truth was, he didn't quite know what to do with himself. He had spent his life preparing to be married off, but he had never considered what came after. He had assumed his husband—whoever it ended up being—would expect complete submission, that he would have to obey without question, that his life would be dictated just as it had been under his mother's rule.

But Ryousuke was nothing like that.

If anything, he seemed… patient.

That, more than anything, threw Nori off balance.

One morning, as he walked through the estate's garden, he found himself wondering if he was expected to take up duties within the household. His mother had always said that a wife should ensure the smooth running of a home, but this wasn't a noble house filled with ladies-in-waiting. This was a general's estate, run with military precision. Did Ryousuke expect him to take charge of the household affairs?

Before he could dwell too much on the thought, a voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"You look troubled."

Nori turned to find Ryousuke standing at the entrance to the garden, arms crossed over his broad chest. He was dressed in his usual dark uniform, the one that reminded Nori of who he really was—not just his husband, but a man who had spent his life on battlefields, a man who commanded armies.

Nori lowered his gaze. "I was only thinking."

Ryousuke stepped closer, his presence steady but never overbearing. "About what?"

Nori hesitated. "I'm not sure what's expected of me here."

Ryousuke raised an eyebrow. "Expected?"

"In running the household," Nori clarified. "I know you must be busy with military affairs, but I don't want to be idle. If there is something I should be doing—"

"You don't have to prove yourself," Ryousuke interrupted.

Nori blinked, surprised by the certainty in his tone.

"I didn't marry you because I needed a housekeeper," Ryousuke continued. "The estate runs fine as it is. If you want to involve yourself in something, that's up to you. But I don't expect anything."

Nori was silent for a moment.

He had spent his whole life fulfilling expectations. His mother had shaped him into the perfect noble son, a fragile beauty meant to be admired, not to have opinions or ambitions. The idea that he didn't have to fulfill a role here, that he was simply allowed to exist, was… disorienting.

"I see," he said softly.

Ryousuke studied him for a moment longer before sighing. "Come with me."

Nori hesitated but followed as Ryousuke led him toward the training grounds. Soldiers sparred in the distance, their sharp cries cutting through the morning air. Training dummies stood in rows, straw figures lined up as if waiting for battle. Nori had never been near anything like this before.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked.

Ryousuke stopped near the edge of the field, watching as two men practiced with wooden swords. "I thought it might help."

"Help?"

"You spend too much time in your head," Ryousuke said simply. "I thought seeing something different might give you a new perspective."

Nori glanced at the soldiers, then back at Ryousuke. "And what perspective is that?"

Ryousuke's lips quirked slightly. "That there's more to life than worrying about what's expected of you."

Nori didn't have an immediate response to that.

Instead, he watched the men train, listened to the sound of clashing wood and the rhythmic steps of disciplined movement. He had always thought of war as something distant, something that belonged to others. But standing here, beside Ryousuke, he realized how much it was a part of his husband's world.

And now, in a way, it was part of his world too.

As the days passed, Nori tried to settle into this new life. He found that the more time he spent around Ryousuke, the less anxious he felt. He was still cautious, still uncertain, but there was something reassuring about the man's steady presence.

One evening, as they sat together in the study, Ryousuke spoke without looking up from his papers.

"You don't have to be careful around me."

Nori glanced at him, startled. "I—what?"

"You hold yourself back," Ryousuke said plainly. "You don't say what you're thinking. You're always watching your words, measuring every action."

Nori swallowed. He had been doing that, but he hadn't realized it was so obvious.

"I just…" He hesitated. "I don't want to overstep."

Ryousuke finally looked at him then, his gaze steady. "You're my husband, not a prisoner."

The words were spoken so simply, but they struck something deep inside Nori.

Husband.

The word still felt strange, unfamiliar. He had been raised to believe that marriage meant submission, that his life would be dictated by the will of his spouse. But Ryousuke had never once treated him as lesser.

That night, as Nori lay in bed beside him, he found himself staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Maybe—just maybe—this marriage wouldn't be the burden he had feared. Maybe, instead of being a cage, it could be something else.

Something he had never dared to imagine.

A few days later, Nori decided that if he was going to stay in this household, he should at least understand how it functioned financially. Apart from being raised as a noble, he had always been skilled with numbers. His mother had often dismissed his interest in accounting, insisting that such matters were beneath him, but he had studied in secret whenever he could.

So, one morning, he approached the butler.

"I would like to see the estate's accounts," Nori said, keeping his voice firm but polite.

The butler, an older man named Tadashi, blinked in surprise but quickly nodded. "Of course, my lord. I will have them brought to you immediately."

It didn't take long for the ledgers to be set before him in the study. Nori flipped through them with practiced ease, scanning the columns of numbers and noting the estate's expenses—supplies, wages, maintenance. Everything seemed in order at first, but as he delved deeper, something caught his attention.

A discrepancy.

The numbers didn't add up.

His brow furrowed as he traced the transactions again. There were several small withdrawals that seemed insignificant on their own, but when totaled, they amounted to a substantial sum. Someone had been siphoning money from the household.

Nori's grip tightened on the edge of the table.

Whoever had done this had been careful, taking only small amounts at a time, but they hadn't expected someone like him to notice.

He straightened and called for Tadashi.

"Gather everyone in the household," Nori ordered, his voice steady despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "I want to speak to them immediately."

Tadashi hesitated, clearly sensing the tension in Nori's tone, but bowed and left to carry out his order.

As he waited, Nori tapped his fingers against the table, his mind already forming a plan. He may have been new to this household, but he would not allow deception under his own roof.

Whoever had been stealing from them would soon learn that he was not someone to be underestimated.