Chapter 93

How to Tame My Beastly Husband — Chapter 93. Competitive Atmosphere (2)

Arjen and Claire had visited her once in her previous life, but Annette had been unable to receive them properly at the time. Not only had she been in poor health, but her relationship with Raphael had been at its worst. Their endless fighting had forced Arjen and Claire to quickly withdraw, though neither of them had dared to say anything about it.

Annette was not going to let that happen again.

Lately, she had been distant with Raphael, but she couldn’t act that way in front of her loved ones, who she hadn’t seen in so long. For now, she would make sure it appeared she was getting along with him.

Moving close to his side, she laid her hand on his arm.

“When is Arjen coming?”

“I think he’s due in another four days. He had some business to finish at work. I could have waited to travel with him, but I hurried ahead to see you,” Claire said, tapping the tip of Annette’s nose mischievously. “That’s the life of an official.”

Shrugging, she clicked her tongue. Trivial matters were resolved quickly, while anything requiring paper became hugely complicated. It was something that she did not understand.

Claire was born to the Lucid family, the second oldest in all the Chapelle Empire. She had been trained strictly as a knight from a young age, and was now responsible for leading her order.

Arjen, on the other hand, was far from being so physically gifted, but he had been born with an exceptional mind. He had been recognized as a genius early, and now he had risen to become the Prime Minster of the Empire. Through his hands passed countless projects, laws, and even more delicate matters. His achievements were all the more incredible, considering he had come from Deltium.

Or rather, her family had.

It’s a blessing that you are my sister-in-law. Both for my brother and me.

Annette smiled softly as she looked at Claire, who had done so much for her brother’s future. Claire’s father was just as outgoing and maintained a close relationship with the Emperor of Chapelle, with whom he had trained as a swordsman since childhood. This early bond gave him great influence with the Emperor despite their politics.

At first, Claire’s father had not accepted Arjen, but was soon fascinated by his wits. He had stood as a shield for Arjen so that no one would dare discriminate against him.

In short, Claire’s father was also responsible for her brother’s success.

Though they weren’t related by blood, Annette considered Claire a member of her family. If it weren’t for Claire, she might have lost all hope after Ivan’s false charges against her. Claire’s faith in her had given her courage.

Removing her hand from Raphael, Annette stepped closer to Claire for another embrace. The other woman’s body was taut with training and very warm, and Annette rested her head on her shoulder.

“Thank you for coming, Claire,” Annette whispered sincerely.

“You don’t have to thank me,” Claire said, embarrassed as she hugged her back. “Look at you, you’re still soft as pudding.”

Claire had grown up fighting with her siblings. To her, Annette looked like a creature from another world, and she still couldn’t believe that something so adorable really existed. In Claire’s opinion, the biggest benefit to her marriage with Arjen was Annette. Her arms around the smaller woman were filled with affection.

“Come with me,” Annette said finally, pulling away with a satisfied smile and taking Claire’s hand. “I’ll show you Carnesis Mansion.”

“That sounds good to me, but there’s something else I want to do first.”

Suddenly, she turned to face Raphael, who had been listening intently to their conversation and waiting for Annette to come back to him. Unfortunately, Claire remembered him first, and Annette watched her anxiously. Somehow, she knew what Claire was about to say.

“The training yard,” Claire said, her hands on her hips, delivering the challenge like a Knight Commander. “We’re going there, right now.”

Just as she had feared. Worried, Annette turned her gaze to Raphael. She suspected Claire had something more in mind than just a tour of Raphael’s training facilities. That was just an excuse. Before long, Raphael was going to find himself sweating with a sword in his hand.

There was no way someone as competitive as Claire would pass up an opportunity like this when she met someone like Raphael.

This isn’t good…

Annette’s face was filled with worry. She knew both of them well enough to just hope that the bloodshed would be minimal.