One Year

Wedding Day (2)

Ryu's black eyes flashed with surprise, then with anger, then the anger lifted with amusement. The little slip of a girl actually had enough courage to take a dagger to his body and threaten him? Ha! Her courage is too great! He should teach his wife a lesson to let her know just who is the husband and who is the wife between them.

The cold steel pressed closer to his inner thigh reminding him that she held the upper hand in their current situation.

"Would my beloved husband like to rethink his decision to take this pitiful wife's life?" Siri asked him in mocking innocent way. "Besides, should I die on the way to our wedding ceremony, there will be more rumors of your curse."

Ryu refused to speak and acknowledge her statement and kept staring at her. The silence within the carriage overwhelmed her and Siri couldn't hold on to her eye contact with him any longer and began to speak again. "Beloved husband, I have a proposal for you that would interest you."

Ryu stared at his wife and realized just how lovely she is. Her almond shaped, silver eyes was enchanting. She had high cheek bones with full pink, kissable lips and a heart shaped face that was made to be held within his hands. She was completely lovely and not ugly as the rumors have said. She was calm with her deduction and evaluation of her situation. She also had enough courage to threaten his body and make it seem like she was helping him out by cutting off his penis and making him a eunuch. And now she had a proposal that she wanted him to listen to. His wife surely does have great courage!

"Go on." He said to her.

"One year." She said. "Let me be your wife for one year. I'll keep to myself and not cause you any trouble. After a year, you divorce me for being infertile. After the divorce, you'll live your life and I'll live mine."

"One year?" He asked.

"Just one. This wife of yours wants to live very much. One year as your wife. We'll be in a fake marriage and I'll do anything you say. You want me to attend parties and make your reputation grow as a loving and caring husband. I will do it. If you want me to find out information about other ladies in the inner court, I will do it. If you want me to stay confined in my courtyard. I will do it. If you want to take me around the city, so the people can see that there is no curse to your marriage, I'll do it. If you want to host generals and ministers and need me to be by your side and entertain you, I will do it." Siri told him. "I will do everything to my best abilities and turn your bad rumors into good ones within this one year. I will ensure the people will love you, the generals and ministers will support you, and the rumors of your cursed marriage was just that. A rumor. I'll make myself useful to you in a year and at the end, you give me my freedom and life in return."

Ryu stared at Siri as he listened to her proposal. He never thought she would come up with such a plan. It was a sound plan, however he didn't know if she could pull it off.

"I'll give you a three month trial period. Should I find no improvement in what you promised, I will take your life." He threatened her.

"It's a deal?"

"Em. Deal." He said.

"Can you get off me now? You're heavy." She told him.

He scoffed at her comment and sat back down across from her. The dagger had already disappeared and she fixed her dress and the head piece putting down the beaded curtain again.

"Do you not know what others say about you?" He asked her. "Do you not care?"

"Do not." She told him.

"Do not know or do not care?"

"Both." She told him.

He scoffed again. How could a lady not know nor did they care about their reputation? It was all that mattered in this world for the ladies living in this world. Their reputation meant everything to them, it is the main reason of how high they can marry above their station in life. His wife is truly strange.

He stared back at his wife and he wanted to remove the curtain of beads away from her face so he could stare at her. He wanted to know what she was thinking and wanted to see how she could be so calm in her situation. Instead they they kept their thoughts to themselves as the carriage ride kept on to the banquet hall. The silence between them was comfortable to him and he was glad she wasn't like the other women who had to talk about everything and nothing.

"As long as I have your loyalty and you do not betray me, you'll have your life." He told her.

"You will become my husband, of course you'll have my loyalty. My life is in your hands, I would never betray you." She told him, she was only a fly in his spider's web.