Survive As The Brute’s Wife - Chapter 100

“Why? I just wanted a part of your nutritious diet…” Elrich didn’t leave her alone and stood in front of her. “Hey, Pricilla, do you have one of those potions that would make someone younger?” he asked.

“Potions to make one younger?” Pricilla knitted her brows. “Is it for you, Sir Elrich?” she stepped closer. She found his interest in a potion for youth a lot intriguing and her lips curved up to a mirth-filled grin.

“Me?” Elrich took a step back letting out a chuckle, dusting the dirt only he could see on his shirt. “I am in my thirties looking like I am in my twenties. Why would I need those potions?” he looked away and then his eyes ended up focusing on a particular spot before he leaned at Pricilla. “Don’t tell others. It is for Julius,” he whispered cupping his hands on her ears.

Pricilla hugged herself and turned to the side avoiding Elrich’s face altogether. Oddly, the warmth from Elrich’s breath as it reached her neck, made her feel weird.

“I have n such thing,” she gathered herself and looked at him. “I am a doctor, not a mage.”

“Ah,” Elrich let out a sigh. Pricilla observed his eyebrows furrowing and he chewed the insides of his cheek. “Maybe ten years is not that big a gap…” he mumbled.

“What?” Pricilla had good ears and she heard what he said. But she wanted to know what he meant by that. Because she believed the age gap between the two of them must be at least ten years. But if he is thinking about this, it made her wonder if he is thinking about getting together with her.

But what of the other woman?

“You are a woman, right?” Elrich asked and Pricilla sat back and started eating. She is holding faith in vain.  There is no way this man is interested in her for real. All he thinks of her is his plaything who he can tease as he pleases.

“I meant no offense…” Elrich realized that he has spoken something that offended his wife once again, and so he apologized without even knowing how he offended her.

Pricilla was not willing to continue the conversation. Turning her body away from his direction, she started to eat. Elrich could see her defensive pose and thought she wants to eat in silence.

His wife is an attractive woman. Her animated eyes and her curled locks that are waving in the breeze, those lips… He sucked in a breath and looked far away. They are sitting closer but their hearts are far away.

He won’t blame her. They have a good ten years between them, and women her age would prefer a man close to her age. He is old and is a soldier with no guarantee of how long his life would be. No woman would be able to accept him so freely; at least no woman who wants stability in her life. At least that’s what he understood from the women around him.

She, an amazing woman would want that too.

“We’ll be reaching Esthansia by tomorrow,” he said.

It is her homeland and she had an entire life there until she had to leave. At times he would feel as if she is missing her homeland although she never opened up about it to him. She had to leave because her life was in danger. But the situation is not the same as when she left.

Pricilla’s hand reaching for her mouth paused and shook a little. She suffered a lot and almost died in that Kingdom. The King had no gratitude and tried to kill her just because she practiced medicine as a woman. She had no lingering attachment towards that place where no one offered her help and left her to die.

But for him to bring it up…

“I know you are from the North-eastern part of Esthansia. And it would take us three more days on the Royal Road to reach there… Do you…” he fixed his eyes on her.

He knew it in his mind that it would be best for her to leave him and find another man to marry. Also that is the promise upon which their contractual marriage was signed. She even mentioned the name of a guy who she is interested in who is also a doctor and well-suited for her.

Between a dirty knight and an educated doctor, won’t any woman choose the doctor?

But still, he wanted her to stay with him. He expected her to agree to stay with him although he knew that won’t happen.

“Do I want?” Pricilla bowed her head and started playing with the piece of bread in her hand.

She understood what he is asking. He is telling her that in a couple of days he would leave her in her homeland. It is something they’ve agreed on and she should be doing what she promised. But why is it hard for her to leave him?

“We have hawks we can send message… Avery, was it his name? We can send messages to the village head to send Avery to meet us on the way so that he can come and…”

Pricilla froze solid and everything Elrich said went over her head. She vaguely remembered that name – Avery. That is the imaginary name she told Elrich on their first night to avoid getting “ravaged” by him. She told him many stupid words and cringy words that she would never utter, just to not lose her chastity with his ruffian-looking guy who offered to marry her out of nowhere.

She couldn’t believe that Elrich is remembering that name even after three years when she had forgotten about it. And she doesn’t mind getting ravaged by this guy now. A lot has changed.

“…Just tell me the name of the town he’d be at and his full name. I would talk to-”

“He’s not real,” Pricilla interjected him. She bowed her head seeing Elrich looking at her with plain horror on his face. Or it could be anger.

“I lied about him. I never had a man,” she stood up. “I pretended to be a man, didn’t I? How could there be a man?” she explained further trying to see if Elrich’s expression changed.  Her heart started ramming against her chest and she wanted to leave that place.

But then she composed herself. Why should she get scared when Elrich is hiding his secret too?

“But you can leave me at the border if you want to. After all, you have a woman waiting for you back home. She even left you a lock of her hair and you are carrying it around!” she said and marched away from him.

Elrich was stunned. He couldn’t believe that he would hear this from her. He scratched the back of his head for a long time watching her disappear in the distance.

“My woman waiting at home?” he mumbled as he finally got to her words. “What is she-” his hand ended up in his chest where he keeps the locket.

“Ah!” he hit his forehead with his palm. This is not something that he wanted to hide from Pricilla. She never showed any interest in him and he figured that she doesn’t want to know about him. But now, she sounded bitter.

He rushed forward, pushing through the hundreds of soldiers around. His shoulders rammed through others and not minding the curses hurled at him, he reached his wife. She turned to look at him and with a slight curl of her lips that caused a tsunami in his heart, she turned back and started to run away from him.

His wife is jealous and he wanted to clear the misunderstanding as soon as possible.

“Stop!” he gained on her pretty soon and stopped her by grabbing her arm. “If you were talking about the woman whose hair I keep in my locket, I can only stand above her and lay flowers by her feet for I can only visit her, not meet her,” he whispered in her ear and kissed her earlobe.

“Go meet her with flowers or a flower garden for all I care, Sir,” she walked to the front gritting her teeth. “And drop me wherever! Who cares what happens to me! I don’t! I don’t care! Flowers! As if I don’t have men lined up to give me flowers!” she screamed throwing her hands to the sky.

Elrich stood there with a smile. It seems like his wife still hasn’t understood the meaning behind his words. Shouldn’t she be the smartest one among the two? Why is she acting dumb?

Is this… love?

He placed his hand on his chest as he was dragged away by the soldiers whom he banged on previously. Feigning anger, they dragged him away while punching him playfully. Elrich didn’t even struggle to get away from the grip of his playful comrades as his eyes were on his wife.

When will she figure it out?

Pricilla, holding back her tears walked away repeating what he said.

“Give her flowers… standing above… Visit…”

Only after a short time did she realize what he meant.

That woman is dead? Did he mean visiting her grave?

Her eyes widened and she turned at the direction a commotion is heard. And her husband usually would be found in the eye of a commotion.

Her eyes met with him easily as his eyes were trained on her.

This feeling in my heart…. Love, is it?