Chapter 312 - Yes, my wife

Eric was stunned, to say the least. His surprise attack had been disarmed just like that, in a matter of seconds, by a man who had been blindfolded only moments ago. His wrist was caught in a powerful grip, the enormous hand closing around it as Ryan effortlessly pulled him closer.Eyes wide, Eric stared at the blindfolded man. "I’ve been on the battlefield since I was very young. Why do you think you can defeat me with a toothpick?" Ryan murmured calmly as he reached up and slowly removed the silk covering his eyes.

The red silk slipped down, revealing a pair of cold, steel-gray eyes that immediately fixed themselves on Eric.

Eyes that reminded him so painfully of his dead lover.

Eric couldn’t look away.

Those exact eyes had looked at him with such deep love so many times that he could hardly comprehend how the same gaze could now hold such overwhelming coldness. He didn’t know how to reconcile the two images in his mind—the lover who had once looked at him as though he were the only person in the world, and the man standing before him now, staring at him with the detached calm of a stranger.

This was the third world he had been born into, and the third time he had encountered his lover in a different body, under a different name.

And yet, every single time, he was swept away by those same eyes.

Feeling Eric’s scorching gaze lingering on him, Ryan raised a brow. This hostage really was a troublesome one. Just moments ago, he had been all prickly edges and sour expressions, yet now, trapped in Ryan’s arms, he seemed to be melting like morning dew beneath the sunlight.

Ryan gently cupped Eric’s face, his touch unexpectedly tender. "Do you wish to kill me, wife?" he whispered softly.

The prince’s eyes widened slightly, as though the words had finally snapped him out of his daze.

"Don’t touch me." Eric shoved him away, gritting his teeth.

"I was trying not to," Ryan replied calmly. "But you were the one who pulled this stunt."

Before Eric could react, Ryan caught him again and pulled him flush against his chest. Leaning close to his ear, he rubbed his nose lightly against it, his voice dropping into a teasing murmur.

"Do you want me that so badly wife? Want me to reach the deepest part in you and wreck you so much that you cry and beg." He watched with quiet amusement as Eric’s tender earlobes slowly turned a bright shade of pink.

Eric pushed him away with a furious glare. "In your dreams, you bastard! Fuck..." he grumbled, immediately clutching his stomach with a grimace.

Ryan simply watched him with amusement. "What stunt are you pulling now? Do you need to poop again?" he asked with a wide smirk.

"Shut up..." Eric groaned, his voice strained as another wave of pain twisted through his stomach. It was getting unbearable. He really did need to go.

With a defeated sigh, he turned and made his way back toward the discarded chamber pot. Why did I even do that? Fuck... I should have just used it in the first place.

He glanced over his shoulder and found Ryan watching him with great interest, the bastard looking far too entertained by his misery.

"Put your blindfold back on," Eric demanded. "I need to poop. Badly."

Ryan merely raised a brow. "So you can attack me again? I don’t think so. I think I’ll have to monitor you properly this time. What do you say, wife?"

"What?!" Eric stared at him in disbelief. "Why the hell would you want to watch a guy poop?"

"Well, if you’re my wife, I would like to know everything about you." Ryan grinned widely.

And he did.

He actually watched him.

Eric had never been more mortified in his entire life.

This embarrassing moment was immediately carved into the records of the absolute worst moments of his existence. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself six feet underground and never wake up again.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

So instead, once he was finally done, Eric crawled back onto the bed and buried himself beneath the soft, fluffy fur blanket, silently detesting his miserable existence. He pulled the blanket all the way over his head as though hiding from the world could somehow erase what had just happened.

A moment later, the spot beside him sank.

The bastard had lain down next to him.

Eric stiffened beneath the blanket. "You can sleep somewhere else."

"It is tradition that I share the bed with my wife," Ryan replied, his mirthful voice drifting through the thick fur.

Eric immediately pulled the blanket down and glared at him. "You’re irritating. I thought you hated this marriage."

Ryan simply nodded, completely unbothered by the accusation. "You were not my first choice as a marriage partner, but I get what I get."

He casually lay back, folding his arms behind his head as though he hadn’t just spent the entire night tormenting Eric.

Then, with a faintly wicked grin, he added, "My beloved wife~"

Eric stared at him for several seconds before letting out a long, miserable groan.

"Wife my ass."

"Your ass is not my wife. You are my wife, wife."

Wife. Wife. Wife...

Ahh!

Eric wanted nothing more than to club that smug look right off his face. Unfortunately, his weak arms stood absolutely no chance against a man who had spent years on the battlefield. He would only be humiliating himself further if he tried.

So instead, Eric simply turned away from him and burrowed deeper into the warm furs, pulling the blanket around himself.

I’ll deal with him after a nice nap.

That was the only thing keeping him from losing his mind.

Behind him, Ryan watched as Eric’s breathing gradually slowed. The tense rise and fall of his shoulders eventually relaxed, and within a short while, the troublesome prince had fallen into a deep sleep.

Ryan stared at him for a moment, the faintest smile appearing on his lips.

Messing with him was surprisingly fun. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed himself this much. Eric was troublesome, shameless, unpredictable, and utterly ridiculous—and somehow, Ryan found himself enjoying every second of it.

Maybe marrying him wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

With that thought lingering in his mind, Ryan finally closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift into sleep.

Unfortunately, that thought would soon prove to be very, very wrong.