When Alaric came back at dusk, he saw Pearl still reading Tales of the Martial World. He wasn't surprised. He walked over naturally, wrapped his arms around her, and gave her a kiss on her soft, pale cheek, nuzzling against her.
Not long after, someone outside came to announce dinner.
Pearl pulled away from his arms and went to sit at the table.
Alaric followed and sat beside her, unusually close. Pearl found it strange. After being scolded by her the past few days, he had kept his distance. Why was he sitting so close now?
Dinner dishes included: braised lamb, roast goose, fish balls, stewed soft-shelled turtle, stir-fried bok choy with garlic, and black chicken with morel mushroom soup.
At the end of the meal, Alaric, as usual, thoughtfully served her a bowl of soup.
Pearl drank it all, got up from the table, and went outside to take a walk.
Alaric soon followed, came to her side, and grabbed her hand. They walked together. Pearl struggled to pull her hand away, but when she couldn't shake him off, she gave in and let it be.
After walking, Pearl went to bathe as usual.
When she came out, drying her hair, Alaric smoothly took the towel from her and began drying her hair for her, then used his inner energy to warm and dry it completely.
After finishing her hair, he went to bathe himself.
When Alaric came back from his bath, he saw Pearl still reading. He climbed into bed and snuggled next to her.
Before long, a large hand grew restless, slipping under her clothes, touching her soft skin.
Pearl didn't notice at first. But when she suddenly felt warmth on her chest, she realized what was happening. She immediately reached out to stop the wandering hand and glared at him.
"Take your hand out," she snapped.
Alaric acted as if he didn't hear her. He leaned in to kiss her cheek and ear, his hand still groping.
Pearl was furious. She pushed him away with all her strength and shouted, "Did you forget what I warned you about?"
Alaric, now pushed aside, looked at her with his extremely handsome face full of grievance. He murmured softly, "Wife, I want you. Please give yourself to me."
Pearl stared at him coldly. "No."
Her eyes unintentionally fell on the open collar of his white sleepwear, revealing his firm and pale chest. It looked smooth.
Pearl was surprised. His injury had healed already? That fast? It should have taken at least ten days to half a month. What kind of medicine did he use to heal so quickly? Then again, she remembered he had always healed faster than most people. She didn't find it that strange after all.
She quickly looked away, picked up the book next to her, and continued reading.
Alaric crawled back again, pressing closely to her, and whispered by her ear in a deep, tempting voice, "Wife… I want you. I promise I won't hurt you."
His large hand once again sneaked under her clothes.
Pearl noticed it, grabbed her book, and slammed it down on that hand. Then she pushed him away forcefully and glared at him.
"Do I really have to hit you?" she growled.
Alaric only looked at her with a pitiful expression.
Pearl stared at him and coldly warned, "Stop touching me or you'll regret it."
After glaring at him for a while, she looked away, finished reading the few pages left in her book.
When she was done, she noticed that he really hadn't come over again to bother her. She glanced at him. He was sulking, his face dark with gloom. She ignored him, put the book away, and closed her eyes to sleep.
The next morning, when Pearl woke up, she found that the dog of a man was holding her tightly. His heavy arm was wrapped around her waist, grabbing her soft belly. She twitched at the corner of her mouth, closed her eyes, and decided to lie in bed a little longer.
Just as she was about to turn over, the heavy arm around her moved, and his hand began wandering along her side and waist.
On her other side, something was slowly pressing against her from behind. She could clearly feel how hard it was.
Pearl immediately reacted. She quickly got out of bed and ran into the bathroom, where she sat down in a daze.
Damn it, she was almost scared to death. Just now, she was terrified that the dog of a man would turn into a beast and devour her. As expected, when a man gets aroused, he can't control himself at all.
She had to think of a way to sleep separately from him. But then she thought about it again and realized it probably wouldn't work. This was his place. As long as he wanted to be near her, there was nowhere she could hide. Besides, she couldn't even leave the courtyard.
Sleeping in separate beds in the same room was also unrealistic. He could crawl over at any moment or just pick her up and carry her back to the bed. If she woke up the next morning still in the same bed, wouldn't all her effort be wasted? That would drive her crazy.
The only way was to intimidate him, so he wouldn't dare cross the line.
With her mind made up, Pearl stood up and started washing up.
As she washed her face, someone appeared behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. A deep voice whispered into her ear, "Good morning, my wife."
Pearl's body tensed. She was terrified that thing of his would poke her again from behind. When she didn't feel it, she let out a sigh of relief.
She quickly finished washing her face, pulled away from his arms, and said, "I'm done. You can wash now."
She left the bathroom quickly and sat at the dining table. She picked up a walnut bun and started eating slowly, sipping a bit of milk.
As soon as she took a sip, she realized it was cow's milk. She was a bit puzzled. She had eaten so many meals here, but not once had she seen a dish made with beef.
Still confused, Pearl kept eating. Alaric came over and sat beside her to eat as well. It had been several days since they had breakfast together again.
Only now did Pearl realize that it was already late in the morning and he was still at home. He probably didn't have anything to do today. Realizing she had to face him all day made her feel pretty annoyed.
"Wife, don't you like the breakfast today?" Alaric suddenly asked.
His question snapped Pearl out of her thoughts. She realized she hadn't even finished one bun after all this time.
To cover up the fact that she had been spacing out, she replied, "No, it's pretty good."
She quickly took another bite of the bun and began eating.
Alaric added, "Today is a rest day. I've asked people from Yingchang Pavilion and Langyu Pavilion to bring over some clothes and jewelry. We can pick out some nice ones together. What do you think?"
Pearl's first instinct was to reject him. What would she do with that useless stuff? She didn't even want to go out and meet people.
But then she had a better idea. Jewelry could be sold for money. When the time came for her to escape, it might come in handy. So she agreed, "Okay."
Alaric looked happy when she agreed. He picked up a red bean bun and passed it to her, his tone cheerful. "Here, try this one."
Pearl didn't know whether to accept it or not. She realized that trying to keep a distance from this dog of a man was really hard.
She finished the bun in her hand, then silently picked up the one he gave her and ate it. She finished breakfast feeling speechless inside.
Yesterday, she finished reading the book about martial arts tales. Pearl asked someone to find her a few more casual reads.
The books arrived. Pearl sat on the bed reading while Alaric came over and sat right next to her, reading along.
After a while, someone reported from outside, "Master, Madam, the people from Langyu Pavilion have arrived. They're waiting outside."
Alaric said, "Tell them to place the things inside and then leave."
"Yes."