Violet Zerotta’s Hasty Marriage - Chapter 70

The body that trained daily to instruct the knights of the lord’s castle appeared even more honed than before, tightly toned and solid.

With each swing of the axe, the muscles of Aldrick’s shoulders and back bulged vividly, and between his well-defined lines of muscle, beads of sweat glistened.

Unlike Violet, who had become somewhat weakened after childbirth, he remained unchanged—youthful, fresh, and beautiful.

And what about that perfect face?

A head of thick, golden hair that looked as if it would never thin, and emerald-like eyes that hadn’t lost their shine. For some reason, his face seemed to glow more each day, radiating a brilliance like polished porcelain.

Only twenty-four years old. Still young enough to be called a boy by some. He brimmed with vitality like a young tree just beginning to spread its branches.

Violet knew. Even if she were to die and be born again and marry anew, she would never find a man as perfect as Aldrick. The fact that such an outstanding man was her husband—it was almost too good to be true.

It truly was wonderful…

And yet, perhaps because of what happened the night before, Violet found she could not appreciate her husband’s fresh, vigorous body with a pure heart.

Her heart felt weighed down, as if pressed by stone. Unable to explain the discomfort clouding her mind, her mood only sank further. Watching Aldrick concentrate on chopping firewood with a serene expression, she found herself feeling annoyed for no reason.

Thus, Violet’s afternoon passed in a state of stifling frustration, her patience steadily wearing thin.

***

By that evening, Violet had begun to feel irritated.

‘Seriously, he made me think something was going to happen… was it all just to mislead me?’

In truth, Aldrick had never said anything of the sort. Though she knew her anger was misplaced, Violet still directed her frustration at him.

And that wasn’t all. Before dinner, she had even tried seducing him first. She hadn’t realized how anxious she had become.

She slipped up beside him and linked her arm in his, or hugged his broad back while he was cooking. But whether it was intentional or not, Aldrick ignored it all completely.

Dinner passed without incident… again.

Aldrick had cooked with vegetables Violet had picked earlier and ingredients stored in the cabin.

“It’s not amazing since I learned on the battlefield, but it’s still edible, right?” he asked with a cheerful smile.

Violet, seeing her wonderful husband in such a good mood, began to feel like a fool for harboring any complaints. It made her all the more gloomy.

Shoved away even from helping with the cleanup, Violet went to the bathroom with a slightly sunken mood. The bathwater, which Aldrick had thoughtfully heated in advance, was now at the perfect temperature.

Soaking in the warm water, Violet stared blankly into space. Her mood had been strange all day. Though she had gone through emotional highs and lows after giving birth, it hadn’t been like this recently.

She had no choice but to admit it—the cause of her gloom was that Aldrick hadn’t lost control and leapt on her. But thinking that only made her feel immature.

Maybe Aldrick really had no ulterior motives. Or maybe he was simply too exhausted and didn’t feel like it.

It was childish of her to get upset when she’d previously rejected him so coldly whenever she found him annoying or troublesome.

But emotionally, it still didn’t sit right with her.

Before they conceived Rosetta, Aldrick had considered three to four rounds in one night normal, and once he was lit, he’d go until Violet collapsed from exhaustion.

He was more vigorous than most, still young, and had been restraining himself for a long time. For him to pass up an opportunity like this…

Violet suddenly stood up from the bath. After finishing her bath, she didn’t get dressed.

She gave her body a quick towel-dry and impulsively wrapped herself in a single thin cloth before stepping out of the bathroom. There wasn’t any special reason—she just wanted to see the mirror Aldrick had brought.

There were mirrors in the manor, of course, but she had never before felt the urge to look at herself like this. And besides, she couldn’t exactly walk around naked there with all the attendants around.

Aldrick was still clattering around in the kitchen, busy with who knew what.

Slipping quietly into the bedroom so he wouldn’t notice, Violet carefully opened the cloth and began inspecting her body from various angles in the mirror.