Mysterious Husband [Vol 1-7] ✓

[Vol. 3] Chapter 64

Arashi had departed already and I was now expected to go to the study chamber where Arashi's sister would be teaching me their etiquettes and some other things, I didn't know of. 

I was led toward the chamber by one of the empress's maids where I saw Rei was already there sitting with her son and playing with him. 

The child was barely able to stand and he kept blabbering some coherent words. 

I reached them and bowed to her as he nodded and said to sit in front of her on the mat. I sat and saw his son was trying to get the needle she was preparing for me. 

"No! Noya! You will get hurt," she scolded the little child and he started to cry as he puffed his small lips and cheeks. 

And he was just so cute I wanted to cuddle him but I knew I had no status even to touch them. 

"If I may ask, my lady, what is his name?" I asked.

Rei looked at me and said, "His name is Noya but you are to call him, Prince Noya." 

I nodded as she gave me the cloth she had and instructed me how to do the needle work. I saw her art was good and praiseworthy as well.

It took me merely a minute to finish the rose petals as I was already good at needle work. Since in my father's house, I was the one who sewed everything, it didn't take me time to know the other techniques of needles. It was easier than I had expected. 

Even Rei looked at my work with awe and nodded with appreciation. I noticed she never had a smile on her face and always seemed like she wanted to be alone with her son. She felt like she was lonely and hurt from inside.

She was older than me but still she was a young woman with the same features of Arashi. She had beautiful black eyes and full lips and long straight hair. She must have had it hard in her life which made her this quiet and I felt so bad for her.

She gave another technique and showed me just once and I did it immediately.

"You are really good at this." She remarked and asked, "Have you learnt needlework somewhere?"

I shook my head and said, "I used to do all the needle work in my father's house."

She looked at me for a moment and asked, "How did Brother Rian marry you?"

My cheeks got red and I said, "He came to treat my father and my father proposed him since my sisters were all married. I was the only one who remained."

"And he agreed to marry you?" She asked.

I nodded. 

She looked at me for a moment and it seemed like her eyes were saying something deep and she mumbled, "Both of us are really unlucky in our love life..."

My face fell because I knew Rei didn't accept me as well. 

Maybe they preferred someone with higher status and beauty. Well, why wouldn't they? They had royal blood in them and not to mention, all of Arashi's siblings were beautiful. 

I started to do my work as her son walked on his four and reached me. I smiled at him as he smiled showing me his newly formed teeth. The child was about to hop on my lap but Rei immediately took him away and started to play. 

Somehow I felt hurt. I thought she was like Arashi but she wasn't. 

She snapped my attention to her, "I don't get it."

I looked at her with questioning eyes as she said, "As far as I know, my brother wouldn't marry anyone."

"And why is that?"

"Because he only ever loved one woman all of his life." She said and the needle stung my finger as a yelp came out from my mouth. 

My heart took an unusual rhythm and it started to ache as I sucked on my finger. 

Maybe she wanted to hurt me with her words as she added, "Brother Rian had always been very choosy in his partner and he wouldn't choose you. It is either you have forced him or you have tricked him."

My brows ceased as she continued, "He would only choose someone with special qualities." Her eyes washed over me as she added, "Other than some needlework, I don't find anything special in you."

Although I felt really hurt at her harsh words, she felt like she wasn't telling the truth. Her eyes had no hatred or the displeased look that everyone would give me. 

"Then you don't know your brother." I said as a gape formed in her mouth. "Arashi isn't like a person who would judge people based on their social status or their special abilities. He treats everyone equally with respect and care. I may have been living with him merely for a few months but in these months I know he is not like the person you have mentioned."

The confidence in my eyes somehow shocked Rei as she looked at my face for a while and then she smiled. I saw her smile for the first time and she looked even more beautiful.

She nodded, "You are right. I know my brother. He isn't like that." She smiled at me and said, "I was just testing you."

I looked at her with puzzled eyes as she said, "My brother never judged anyone but I wasn't jesting when I said both of our lucks in love are the worst. I didn't mean it was you."

My brows ceased together as I wanted to ask what she meant but Noya started to cry and she had to play with him until he stopped crying. 

I was still doing the needle work as I had to finish making a whole cloth and would have to show it to the empress. 

Rei started to feed him her milk as she took cover by a cloth and as he fell asleep she said, "I just wanted to know if you love my brother or you have married him because he is a prince."

"I never knew he was a prince until a few days ago." I said and Rei chuckled.

"That sounds like my brother." 

And we both laughed.

After a while she let me know before I departed, "You do know that as a farmer's daughter you are never allowed to call my brother by his name even if you marry him." 

"Oh!" I displayed a shocked expression as she added, "But you can call him by his name when you are with him and me alone."

She was the first person who welcomed me for who I am in Wansai as she let me know by her gentle smile. And I knew at that moment that whoever raised the brother and the sister couldn't be a bad person. 

And from that I also came to know the one who raised them was the empress and somewhere in my heart I knew she wasn't a person who would judge me by my status. 

She seemed harsh on the outside and fairly a strict lady but she wasn't a person who would harm me. 

I sighed. Seemed like I had to work hard to crack that empress's heart and go inside it by force. 

----
25th July, 22
1236