My Fiancée Hates Me
Chapter 29: Painted Memories P.2

[Past Life]

"...Why don't you stay in for a bit longer?"

"Don't make any mistake. It was a one-time thing..."

"I thought we had something really special yesterday."

"It was just your imagination. I never thought of you more than the last person I was with."

"How can you say something so cruel?"

"I only speak the truth." I said as I began changing into my clothes. "Erik...can we finish this nonsense?"

Erik saw that play fighting once in a while would help keep our relationship interesting. I thought it was rather interesting enough as it was with our bed habits, but this rather enjoyable as well. He pulled on my arm and brought me back to his embrace.

"It's been a while since we have been together like that...I want to see your face for a little longer."

I felt embarrassed.

"Get dressed," I said as I struck his chin with the palm of my hand.

I noticed that my legs were still suffering from the aftershocks of last night as I began walking along the walls of the fortress.

I had missed dinner and much of sleep because of Erik.

His libido had never changed even after marriage...

I rubbed my stomach slightly as I leaned against the wall.

I visited the training grounds first thing in the morning. The new training regime had not been implemented. Since the Commander was nowhere in sight, I approached Marquis Pillar's son. "Good morning, Sir," I said.

His eyes widened as he stood properly and greeted me.

"Good morning, Beauty," he said as he bowed slightly. "To what honor, do I owe this pleasure?"

...He cannot tell that I am the Queen?

I did come in disguise by wearing training clothes and styling my hair upwards.

"I come from the capital."

"A civil officer?"

"Something like that...I heard that a new training regime was implemented."

"That sheet? I threw it out the moment I received it. A soldier only needs to slash well." "Would you like to test it?" I asked him.

"Excuse me?"

"How about if you can land a strike on me, I will put in a good word for you at the capital?"

"No...I would like dinner with you."

Erik may not be too happy with me accepting this kind of deal.

"In that case, I hope that you join in the same training as everyone else if you lose."

I stood before him without any armor. My opponent wore a breastplate and a long sword. All I had on me was a short sword. We gathered a crowd before we knew it.

Marquis Pillar's son took the first strike to which I dodged. For someone who sat around often, his athleticism was not awful. I returned various strikes and cornered him with my speed. From an outsider's perspective, it must look like I had the upper hand. My skills were of a higher level, but I had limited stamina from my recent sedimentary lifestyle.

I tried to finish as fast as I could by increasing my speed even further. It only aggravated my opponent as he had resorted to using his feet.

He brought a kick to my left arm. Had I not been wearing gauntlets under my clothes, my arm would have shattered.

"Arielle!" Garett yelled.

I changed my grip and knocked the sword away with all of my strength and held my blade towards his neck.

"...Hah...I win!" I said triumphantly.

I soon gained the cheers from the people around us. As I was about to fall to the ground from relief, I was suddenly caught by Garett.

"You did well," Garett said.

"Thank you," I told him.

"I will take care of my wife from here," Erik said as he tapped his shoulder.

"Your Majesty!" Marquis Pillar's son said.

"My wife was kind enough to help with adjusting the training regime and supplying the fort with newer weapons. It seems that her efforts were not appreciated enough," he said as he lifted me in his arms and walked off.

"You just had to appear..."

"It is not a secret that one person of royalty was here. They just have to add one to that number...Goodness! Do you intend to die from overwork, my wife?"

"I would have been in better condition if not for you," I complained.

I was carried over Erik's shoulder and brought to the bath together.

Without letting me change, he dropped me inside of the bathtub and joined me fully clothed.

"Erik? What is this about?"

We were fully clothed for God's sake...

"I don't like how another man's scent is on you," he said as he approached me.

He locked me on both sides with his hands on the bath's rim. He kissed me gently and began quickly undressing me.

I had no reason to refuse him either. It was a bit cute for him to be jealous.

It seemed like his clothes were constricting him. I helped unbutton his already see-through shirt. Erik did the rest and tossed his clothes out of the bath.

"I should help clean my wife," he said as he poured a bottle of body soap onto his hands.

His hands lewdly ran up and down my body. The soap had made his hands very slippery as he continuously massaged my body and attacked my weak points with his pincer attacks.

I would occasionally unintentionally let out a coquettish gasp that would further incite Erik to be rougher.

I turned around to face the rim and held on tightly as Erik raised my bottom. Erik held his hands on my waist and mercilessly carved my insides. A heavy splashing sound resonated from our bath. My memory was a bit hazy after a while. It seems that I fainted sometime in the bath and was carried to my room.

Erik had left me a note telling me that he had taken over my duties and told me to rest.

I woke up late in the afternoon, so I was way too late for breakfast and a little over lunch.

I received a knock from my bedroom door.

"Milady, it is I," Sebastian said. "I have a guest with me."

"Come in," I said.

Garett had appeared beside him.

"Garett?" I said.

"I brought some sandwiches. I heard that you were out from that bout, so I came to check up on you," he said.

I was out due to unrelated reasons...

"Thank you for worrying," I told him. "I am fine as you can see."

My waist, not so much...

Garett's hand reached towards my hair. I felt slightly startled by his sudden action.

"You two are having a good relationship," he said as he moved my hair from my neck.

I immediately covered my neck with my hand.

"It's normal..."

"There isn't anything on your neck," he said teasingly.

I felt extremely embarrassed from how easily I was tricked.

These two have the same face, so I feel rather nervous even though I know they are two completely different people on the inside.

"Did you come here to make fun of me?"

"I only came to see your face," he said. "You are still reckless as ever. Nothing has changed."

"I will have to change my ways when I have a child one day," I said as I placed my hand over my stomach. "It will not be just my body anymore."

"...Are you with child?"

"...Not yet. When I have a child, I will let you know."

"You want me to get an expensive present..."

"So, you know?" I said with a chuckle.

Erik did not return to our room even at nighttime. I was getting antsy from waiting in our room all alone.

Later at night, I heard a knock coming from my door.

"...I have come to deliver dinner, Your Highness," a maid said.

"Come in."

After I finished having dinner, I picked up the lid for my dessert and saw a note left in its place.

A note?

"I am waiting for you by the fountain," Erik wrote.

A romantic...

I held the note to my chest happily.

There were apparently two fountains according to a maid I asked. One of them was out of service, while the other was fully operational. Knowing Erik, he probably meant the broken fountain. He loves little things like that.

Both fountains were quite a distance away from each other. If I am wrong, it would take at least ten minutes to get to the other side even if I ran.

I sat on a nearby bench waiting for Erik. I held my hands to my face as I exhaled a breath of cold air.

"Erik is late..."

I felt someone's presence behind me. I was suddenly gagged and had my wrists restricted by the perpetrator. I struggled with all of my might to no avail.

Erik!

I broke free for a moment only to be hit by a blunt object to the back of my head.

"Careful! This person is a Queen!"

...Marquis Pillar's son?

I felt my consciousness begin to fade as blood trickled down my face.