Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 18

At this, Miesa couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride. She had worked hard to perfect her gait.

She awkwardly laughed and tapped her legs, pretending to walk uncomfortably. The man’s mouth slowly opened in astonishment.

“I can’t believe even I was fooled. Now that I think about it, I’ve been deceived from start to finish. How on earth did you do it?”

It’s a bit hard to explain. Tightening the muscles at the back of the thighs and the shins…

But why bother explaining when she could hardly speak properly? Miesa opened her mouth a few times, then looked away, feigning disinterest.

The man, giving up on getting an answer, showed her around the greenhouse. He explained the flowers and plants, and whenever she spread her arms, he would say,

“Are your legs hurting? Well, you have walked a lot.”

And he would gently lift her up.

This man didn’t seem entirely bad. Maybe this kindness would last, Miesa thought, feeling content as he carried her around the greenhouse.

***

After finishing dinner, the Big came to bathe Miesa, but Eirik sent her away. Miesa wondered if this was okay, but Eirik seemed completely unfazed.

“Shall I bathe you?”

If it was just for bathing, then whatever. Miesa frowned, contemplating her words before speaking up.

“When will we get closer?”

Eirik didn’t understand. When are we going to get closer so we can finally do it?

Miesa grew anxious. Was he stalling to annul the marriage? She had seen him talk to the king and his cousin as if he intended to keep her with him, but people often said one thing and meant another.

Miesa was very satisfied with her current life and wanted to stay in this house as long as possible. She needed to solidify the marriage quickly. Besides, she feared being dragged back before the king for not consummating the marriage. Wait, their lives are both on the line, so why’s he so calm about it?

Could it be that he found the act of being with her worse than death? Because ‘he doesn’t get aroused at the sight of her naked body’?

She wanted to convince him that this wasn’t the time to judge the shape of her body. She wanted to tell him that nothing was more important than their lives.

But what came out instinctively was, “‘Who would want to sire children with this?’“

“What did you say? Who would dare say such a thing?”

His expression changed instantly. Convincing him had failed. Miesa closed her mouth.

“That screeching voice sounds exactly like Mrs. Maleca. I understand.”

With that, Eirik fell into thought. After a long while, he spoke again, this time in a gentler tone.

“We don’t know anything about each other yet, do we?”

Miesa couldn’t help but feel sulky, watching his expression. Unable to hold back, she repeated his earlier words verbatim.

“‘Let’s try to get to know each other better, shall we? That way, I can address your discomforts a little faster.’“

Eirik’s puzzled expression gave way to a smile.

“Wait, I thought you were listening so quietly because you were paying attention.”

Eirik pretended to be serious as he continued, “You mean to tell me that just because you listened to a bit of my talk, you want to get right to work? You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

“……”

“But I also need time to prepare myself. This isn’t something that can be done immediately.”

That’s strange; she had heard that people could do it even with strangers.

Miesa recalled the words of the priestess before her marriage. It was a formal procedure, so the priestess had recited the steps of the first night in a monotonous tone while Miesa lay there scratching her side.

“There are many complications right now. Including the maids who followed us from the palace.”

Eirik knew that the king wouldn’t pick on the same issue again. Doing so would make the king look foolish for having let them go so easily the last time. The situation wasn’t urgent enough to consummate the marriage immediately.

He concluded, “Anyway, you want to share the bed, and I want to get to know you better.”

He slowly extended his hand toward Miesa, speaking in a low voice, “Let’s talk a little every night. And I’ll cooperate with you as much as I can.”

Eirik took Miesa’s hand, guiding her to the sofa.

“Let’s start with something simple. What’s your favorite food?”

“Meat.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d say cake or sweets.” He gently released her hand and leaned back against the sofa, as if there were many more conversations to be had. “I like fruits and vegetables. In the army, I always had to eat dried food.”

Miesa stared at him, and Eirik smiled back. “Isn’t it suffocating to stay inside the house all the time?”

Stay inside the house. And suffocating. Miesa pondered the two meanings but couldn’t grasp them. Always confined somewhere, she found the question difficult to understand.

Growing frustrated, she wondered how long she had to entertain this tiresome charade.

“……”

She wanted to retort but swallowed her words, fearing Eirik would get annoyed if she spoke clumsily.

Acting crazy and getting pointed at was fine; that wasn’t her true self. But showing her awkward, naive side and being treated like a fool—that she couldn’t bear. So, she chose the easy way out, responding with a hint of affection.

“‘Eirik, that’s enough.’“

“Wait, is that my mother?” He burst into laughter, unable to hold back.

The clear sound of his laughter echoed, unlike any expression he usually showed. Miesa blinked at the sight of this unfamiliar face.

Eirik finally regained his composure, returning to his usual serious demeanor.“It’s nice to hear you call me by my name. Please, say it again.”

It wasn’t hard.

“Eirik.”

He savored the sound of his name on her lips, murmuring softly, “Good. Your voice is quite pleasant to hear.”

Then, as if he had made a decision, he nodded. “You’ve cooperated, so I’ll show my sincerity too.”

His large hands gently cupped Miesa’s cheeks. Her neck stiffened as his face moved closer, and something warm and soft pressed against her forehead before retreating.

Though brief, the sensation of his lips lingered. The ticklish feeling spread from where he kissed her forehead down to her neck. It was strange and unsettling, prompting Miesa to scratch at her forehead and neck.

“Now, I’ll slowly move down. Is that alright?”

His hand, initially pointing toward her lips, redirected to her cheek. Miesa remembered the process of consummation, the rubbing of lips, bodies pressing together, and eventually, the overwhelming pain. This ticklish feeling was just another step in the process. She nodded in agreement.

Eirik, seemingly shy, turned his head and cleared his throat before looking back at her with a smile.

***

The next day, Eirik was deep in thought all morning.

Not only was Miesa perfectly fine, but she had also been meticulously disguising herself. It was astonishing.

For her to have deceived so many people so flawlessly since she was a child required an extraordinary level of determination and intellect. Even he, who had seen numerous injured people, had been completely fooled by her gait.

He rubbed his dry face and leaned back in his chair. Sympathy still lingered, but now, a powerful curiosity had taken hold. It wasn’t about the interests of families or the outcomes of battles; he was genuinely intrigued by her as a person. This was a first for him.

Shaking his head, he called for a servant.

“Tell the kitchen to always include meat in my wife’s meals.” He made sure to add a specific note. “They already know, but no birds—only quadrupeds.”

“Yes, sir.”

The servant replied politely and started to leave, but Eirik called him back.

“One more thing. Find Sir Bahrain on your way to the mansion. Tell him to come to my study immediately.”

He remembered that amidst their few conversations, his wife had clearly requested one thing.

Bahrain, a knight known for his harmonious marriage and discretion, was ideal for this matter. After exchanging greetings, Eirik got straight to the point.

“You have a good relationship with your wife, don’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. We’re expecting our sixth child soon.”

Bahrain answered cheerfully, even though he didn’t know why he was being asked. Seeing his confidence, Eirik nodded.

“I want to ask you about bedroom matters. Is that alright?”