He heard people say he had been missing because he was with his new wife.
Thinking about how nervous he was before the palace gate, and later hearing rumors that he doted on his wife, all of this did not seem like his usual behavior. It was just an unusual act to repay a favor by marrying her.
This made him very curious about his new wife. They said she looked plain, so how could she be treated like a treasure? Even after more than half a month, it was still like this.
So he decided to quietly find out for himself what kind of plain-looking person could make his friend act so strangely.
Only then did he realize what "plain-looking" really meant. It was all just a trick his friend used to hide the truth.
No wonder he disappeared every day and ignored him when he looked for him. Having such a beautiful and delicate wife made him willing to die for her happily.
After watching for a long time and seeing it was almost time to get off work, Dilwyn Ling quickly withdrew and hurried back to the palace with his restless heart bouncing.
Alaric returned at noon and saw Pearl lying outside, leisurely reading a book. He smiled slightly and walked over, kissing her forehead, then said, "Wife, you seem quite relaxed today."
Pearl's face darkened the moment his kiss landed. This dog of a man...
She gave him a cold look and ignored him.
"What kind of book are you reading today? A Western geography book..."
Alaric smiled. "Wife, you are so studious. Why not read some poetry and songs to cultivate your mind?"
Pearl rolled her eyes inside. She was already preparing to run away. She had studied poetry and songs for over ten years. Was it ever enough?
She just kept reading and didn't respond to him.
Alaric came closer again, pulling her into his arms, kissing and nuzzling, making it impossible for her to calmly read.
She had reached her limit with his endless teasing. Enough, she did not want to keep enduring this all the time. She wanted some space to breathe.
So that night, when they both had free time, she said to him, "I want to stay at the estate for a few days. If you don't feel comfortable, you can send someone to follow me."
"Why do you want to go to the estate?" Alaric frowned.
"I heard there are many fun things and delicious foods at the estate."
"Who told you this? Which estate?" Alaric's face calmed down.
"It's Servant Xin's estate," Pearl said calmly, showing her face with an expression that said, I just want to have fun, nothing more.
"Fun and food? Can you tell me what exactly is so fun and delicious that attracts you?" Alaric asked with great interest.
"Just some fun things and good food. You won't be interested," Pearl replied lightly.
Alaric smiled warmly. "How do you know I am not interested if you don't tell me? I think, as long as you like it, I will like it too."
"Or maybe you want to use this chance to run away!" he teased.
"I said if you don't trust me, you can send someone to follow," Pearl raised her voice.
"I don't think those people can handle you," Alaric said with a gentle smile.
She wanted to say her medicine was almost finished, but she definitely could not say that.
"What's wrong? Not answering means I hit the mark?" Alaric's gentle smile suddenly turned dark and chilling.
He pulled Pearl into his arms and bit her lips hard.
Pearl felt the pain and bit back fiercely.
Alaric felt pain too and immediately let go, but his eyes looked at her like a wild beast.
"I have said before, you will be the wife of this Marquis House for life. You can never escape. Looks like you never learned your lesson."
Then he kissed her again fiercely, as if he would not stop until he broke her bones.
Pearl was shocked by his wild behavior and pushed him away with all her strength.
Pearl spoke urgently, "If you think there aren't enough people, you can send more. That way, you can rest assured, right? I really just want to go have fun. I'm not thinking of anything else."
Alaric snorted. "Do you really think I'd believe that?"
He roughly tied her up again and kissed her fiercely, biting along her neck.
Pearl struggled hard. Suddenly, he tore her clothes open in one quick motion.
Feeling the chill against her skin, she immediately slapped him hard across the face.
A sharp sound echoed. Five clear red marks appeared on Alaric's sculpted face.
The slap snapped him out of it. He stared at her in a daze, his eyes deep and unreadable.
She was glaring coldly at him, her expression like frost, completely void of warmth.
Alaric touched his aching cheek and sneered.
"So, you really can hit me. You truly have no feelings for me at all."
He looked at her for a long moment, then smiled darkly.
"You want to go have fun at the estate?"
"Actually, I don't mind letting you go. I only have one condition. From now on, whenever I want you, you'll give yourself to me. If you agree to that, I'll let you go."
"And later, if you want to go anywhere else, I'll consider it or maybe even say yes."
Pearl's brows furrowed tightly. Her voice was cold.
"Keep dreaming."
Alaric's smile was icy. "You have two days to think about it. If you don't answer by then, the offer's off the table. You'll stay in this manor for the rest of your life. Don't even think about going anywhere else."
What was that supposed to mean? Was this bastard threatening her?
Pearl's brows furrowed even more.
"Think it over, my dear wife," Alaric said before getting out of bed and leaving.
Pearl stared at his back as he walked away, still stunned.
Late into the night, Pearl was half asleep, her mind foggy, when she felt herself being tightly held from behind. A firm chest pressed against her back.
Disgust surged inside her.
She tried to pry his arms off her body with force. She almost succeeded before the arms quickly locked around her again.
Pearl tried again, but this time, she couldn't budge them at all.
She refused to give up and tried several more times.
"Don't bother. I'm not letting go."
A deep, low voice whispered near her ear.
Pearl's body went stiff. Her groggy mind instantly sharpened. She stopped moving.
"You're being so obedient." The voice praised her softly.
Furious, Pearl tried to struggle again. But she could clearly feel something hard pressing against her from below.
She froze, too scared to move again. The head behind her nuzzled into her hair, then went still.
Only his burning-hot chest and that hard thing pressing against her remained.
Pearl lay there, wide awake, frozen, unable to sleep. Not until the sky turned faintly bright and her eyelids finally grew heavy did she manage to fall asleep.
When she woke up again, it was almost noon. Her eyes opened slowly and she lay there stiffly, not moving, her heart sinking.
Thinking of his threat from last night, she didn't know how much time passed before she felt something warm and wet touch her forehead. Startled, she looked up at the person approaching.