CH 24

“Curse it all!” Logan jumped up from his seat. He had long healed from that beating, and he couldn’t believe that his rib still hurt just thinking about him. He seethed as he recalled that it hadn’t been until he had woken up from a multi-day coma that he had found out who his assailant was. He had also painfully learned how much the king wanted to keep Gareth, the man who wandered ceaselessly in search of people to slay, at his side. 

When Logan, full of a need for vengeance, had spoken to the king, his cousin’s only reply had been, “That was just for entertainment’s sake. You might actually die the next time you see Gareth. He doesn’t like our idea of entertainment, after all.” 

That was all he had said. Logan silently cursed the king as he remembered. He had not run into Gareth after that, but the rumors about him never seemed to end. Gareth was only 25 years old, but he was undefeated in battle. Logan gulped down the cold water that was at his bedside table as he wondered if the mercenary had left the Townsend estate by now. ‘Did he leave? He wanders endlessly, so he wouldn’t stay in one place for a long time. He must have gone somewhere he wanted to, or maybe he has another commission…’ 

Logan let out a deep sigh without realizing it. It had been two years since the incident, but the moment he saw Gareth, he had been so horrified that his hair had stood on end. ‘Gareth must still dislike me, seeing that he sliced my whip with his arrow. That’s the only reason he stuck his nose into this business. How annoying.’ 

Logan drank some more water. His thoughts now shifted toward the Townsend family and their land that he was encroaching onto little by little. He had succeeded in invading a village close to the castle. His plan didn’t involve trying to conquer the land in one fell swoop. He had ambushed multiple times instead, slowly making the people living there flee to another territory. This was all for the future, and everything was going according to plan.

When the people began to leave as he intended, the Townsend family gradually descended to poverty. They did not have any money to buy new weapons or train new knights. Logan was eventually going to make them give up their territory and take Elena away from them as proof of their defeat. She was the only valuable thing Count Townsend could offer, after all. Logan would lock her up and do whatever he wished to her.

Logan started to fantasize about Elena’s shining skin, glossy black hair, and green eyes that resembled ocean waves. He was still hungover, but his thoughts about Elena awakened his lewd desires. His mouth started watering and the front of his trousers bulged. He took another sip of water and shouted, “Lenoa!”

* * *

Elena watched the direction Gareth and his men were traveling and raised her eyebrows in curiosity. Gareth had not spoken a word since he had left the castle, nor had she. However, she couldn’t help but ask why they were going this way, “Isn’t this Logan’s territory?”

Gareth remained silent.

“Could I ask how you’re going to protect the Townsend family from Logan?” Elena asked again.

‘Is he going to meet Logan in person?’ Elena watched Gareth’s expressionless face as she waited for an answer. However, Gareth only looked straight ahead. 

“Gareth, I’m worried. If we leave this place, Logan will certainly—”

It was only then that Gareth interrupted her to answer. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to keep them safe.”

Still, Elena could not help but be nervous. She felt uneasy about Gareth’s harsh personality, as well as his decision to take her since it seemed impulsive. More than anything, she couldn’t trust him since she knew so little about him.

Suddenly, she remembered the words she had said to him the night before, “The only man who can hold me will be my husband.”

‘Don’t tell me… No, that’s not it,’ she tried to shake off the thought, but the unexpected, aggressive kiss from Gareth last night came to mind. Goosebumps rose without her realizing when Elena recalled how he had grabbed her and kissed her, ‘No. That must not be it. He doesn’t seem impulsive enough to decide to marry someone for that reason. Then why in the world…’ 

Meanwhile, Giggs followed behind Gareth and his bride, continuously an*lyzing Gareth’s sudden decision to marry Elena. Giggs had only joked about Gareth taking Elena as his wife at the castle yesterday because he knew that Gareth would never get married. Death followed the man, and he was a mercenary who could not allow any weaknesses. Yet somehow he had decided to get married after only a day. 

Giggs turned his eyes to Elena. She was definitely an attractive woman. It wasn’t just her appearance but her strong personality, too. She was fierce, determined, and second to none. She had even slapped Gareth in the face. On top of that, she was an excellent cook. 

Giggs scratched his face as he continued to think, ‘It’s like a marriage of convenience. They’re nothing different from strangers who become a married couple overnight because their parents willed it. But is he really going to get married? Why would he deliberately open up like that? Also, why didn’t he do anything after she slapped him? He doesn’t care if his opponent is a man or a woman once he’s mad, so why didn’t he react?’ Giggs was dying to ask some questions, but he knew that Gareth was going to punch him if he did so now.

‘I have to be patient and hold it in. I’ll ask when I get the chance,’ he decided.