Chapter 108 - The Lord is Proposing

[Mother….] she gasped, her eyes blink a few times she gaze ta grey sheets above her head 'this look familiar' she thought then she aware she's inside the tent, she wonder is she on the quest or beast subjugation but she don't remember accept any jobs from the guild and why all her body is sore.

She sifts her head to the side she's stunned by a man who sleeps next to her but rather than shocked with strange man beside her, she's more shocked with how handsome he is almost surreal, thin lips, pointed nose, thick and long eyelashes, defined cheekbones, he so beautiful like a painting she could never bored to look at.

His eyelashes fluttering, he slowly opens his onyx dark eyes he look at her warmly make her unconsciously blush.

"You awake, is it still hurt?" he looks very much concerned for her.

"Zhao…Li Xin?" she murmured.

He chuckles lightly "What's wrong you don't recognize me?" he tucked her hair gently.

The last memory hit her, she remembers she is inside the ancient tomb and for a few days she's been dodging and running from beast something she could never dream before she came to this world. Lory pinches her temple a sudden rush of memory makes her slightly dizzy.

"Are you alright? I call Jin hao right away!" Zhao Li Xin immediately rose from the mattress but Lory abruptly holds his sleeve.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" she forces smiles on her face, she looks so frail he not bear to leave her.

Then he returns to her side, she forces him to sleep beside her then she snuggles within his embrace, being closed with him always make her calmed without thinking too much she hides her face on his chest.

Zhao Li Xin heart starting to race, she only wrapped by gauze because her wound all over her body other than that she almost completely naked, this is the world where woman not even allowed to show their bare feet to a man even to their male family member, of course, he feels excited but sadly she didn't look like she want to seduce him on contrary she looks overwhelmed by something, he feel sad for her but still...

This is too much temptation for a healthy twenty-five years old man thankfully her body still not well and their still inside the tomb although location never really bothers him her wellbeing is still his priority.

"What's wrong? Another nightmare?" he patted her head.

Lory nod her head, she remember around that time her mother health had deteriorated the news that released on public that the queen is sick but the truth is she used all her mana to give her a marks, she didn't know her Father also never told her and this mysterious marks the bluebell flower marks who always appear whenever she felt the cursed is reacted is it because her mother tries to protect her from the cursed, but how could she know? this bluebell flower is Druid priestess insignia what connection between her mother and the Druids?

The more she knew about her past the more question unanswered, how much more secret they hiding from her and for what reason? Lory sigh tiredly she inhaled the familiar scent of agar woods and pines slowly her mind become calmer but sadly not for the man who she had been taken advantages of.

"Ehm…Ri..Ri Yi, you need to put on your clothes, it's too cold in here" he averts his gaze from her and shoved her lightly, he feels torture with the fire burning inside him.

"Oh, yes sorry…" Lory feels dejected, he never shoves her away before maybe she's done something wrong.

Her sad expression makes him feel guilty, he didn't mean to hurt her "No. it's not like that…" how could he explain this not even him understand what he felt all he knows his lower parts reacted to fiercely today.

"Man and woman should not be together…..and your body still wounded…...you not wearing clothes and I'm a man….so" his words become a mess, his expressionless face turns slightly red, only then Lory understands what he meant.

Her body is cover only with gauze bind her wound other than that she only covers herself with a blanket, she didn't feel anything wrong because the one who saw here is the man she loves but then she realizes the uptight custom of this world no wonder he looks perplexed.

"But after I announce your position as my wife in Hei Shen Sect and your body is healed, I would definitely do the deeds," he said confidently.

"Wait….what?" who said anything about married, when she grown-up other than her father who already become a widower who never involved with other women even after her mother long pass away.

All adults around her didn't have a stable relationship, Archknight invests all their life and time for the King so most of them didn't get married and if they have a child is mostly illegitimate child created by accident like how Frehard born because of his father Stephan on and off relationship with his long-time girlfriend

In Harland, there's no differentiated between illegitimate and legitimated children. Most people didn't put the blamed on the child or the mistress but most of them blamed the Father as scum, and it's normal to unmarried couple to have a child but the Father still obligated to pay child support.

Most women also independent they can raise their own children without the man interfere, the mother can choose if the man can be part of their life or not because the equal position between man and woman marriage become an option, not an obligation, is not weird for powerful woman chooses for not married.

It's even worst for Lory because she raised among the Archknight who put their job and their King as number one and relationship is pushed to second or third on their list, the word Marriage never brought on the surface by everyone since she still teenager and most women in Harland married at the late of their twenty and Harland never used political married as a tool so Lory never been pressed to married for Kingdom benefit.

Even though she loves Zhao Li Xin but married before twenty years old is too soon for her and she also has a lot of secret need to be answered not to mention the cursed in her body, married is the last thing she needs now.

"Let's….let's talk about this later" Lory smile wryly, Zhao Li Xin didn't miss the panic on her expression he start to feel annoyed.

"You seem to disagree, you don't want to marry me?" he looked dissatisfied, he never angry to her so Lory quite worry about it.

"It's not like that, it just too soon isn't it?" Lory tries to make an excuse.

"I'm twenty-five and you almost eighteen years old most woman already has two children at your aged we also live together for almost a year, which part is it too soon?" Zhao Li Xin cross challenged her excused.

Lory forgot how different people mindset in this world and her world, in this world marriage for a woman would bring glory and status for the woman and her family her position on society would base by how excellent her husband position is and woman who is not married would bring bad luck and shame for her family.

This concept is heaven and earth compared to her world, Lory tongue-tied when she realizes where she is right now, Zhao Li Xin wants to push her but see her panic face he didn't have the heart to push further.

He sighs "we won't get married right away but at least I must announce as my fiancée, if not it would ruin your reputation people might think you are my concubine or bed warmer, how could I let them degrading you"

When he said he so that for her own good she feels very guilty, it's not just her reputation she needs to consider but it also his reputation, in this world people would kill to protect their reputation, she knew he worried about her.

"Li Xin, trust me it got nothing to do about my feeling for you but I have a lot of thing on my plate there's still certain thing I need to be clear, I can't involve you with something dangerous, and I have a lot of things to tell you I don't even know where's to begin…..so can you wait a little longer?" Lory holds his hand while begging him to understand her decision.

"I don't mind with danger, you know how my life is," Zhao Li Xin said casually.

"But I do, I can't let anything happened to you!" she insisted, she doesn't want to lose anyone anymore she won't survive if she must experience that kinda lost again.

Her persistence give him no leeway once again he can only give in to her "Okay, I'll wait for you you don't need to worry with that, I also can lie what kinda secret you gonna tell me"

"Thank you" she relief and grateful for his patience, even in Harland a man like Zhao Li Xin is rare she can't help feel so lucky to meet and love by him.

Zhao Li Xin sigs again "Ri Yi, can you wear clothes is getting harder to control myself here" his eyes fixed on her chest.

Her blanket already fall on her waist because she's too frantic, her chest only cover with gauze she immediately pulls the blanket on her chest, she smiles shyly "Sory, my mistake"

"I'll wait outside then" Zhao Li Xin calmly left the tent, but deep down he feels puzzled since when his little savior body becomes so mature he remembers the first time he met her, her appearance is quite modest so why to change so much.

What he doesn't know is because Lory reduced the shapeshifter spell on her, because she lived with Zhao Li Xin she didn't feel threatened anymore, reducing the spell also lift a significant pressure from her cursed so it's a good outcome for her also the good food and nice environment also play the part for her body change.