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Chapter 88: Pretending to Be Junice’s Husband

At dawn everyone sat around the table having breakfast.

Elyanna stared at a loaf of white bread as big as her face, took a few bites, then stopped; she clearly had no appetite.

After thinking for a moment she said, “Reiner… I want the small white rolls, this one doesn’t taste very good.”

Kids can be such picky eaters.

This large loaf was only a bit coarse and lacked a milky flavor; in truth the difference was minor.

Hearing her, Reiner promptly fetched yesterday’s jam from the kitchen, scooped out a spoonful, and spread it on the bread.

Elyanna’s eyes lit up and she almost drooled, “You had something this good and didn’t bring it out earlier… it smells wonderful!”

Reiner passed the jar to the others, “Try some.”

Elyanna took a careful bite, the sparkle in her eyes vanished at once, and she grimaced, “It doesn’t taste like it smells… it’s really sour.”

Reiner glanced at Nora and Martina, and the two of them were eating happily.

Junice and Daisy seemed to enjoy it as well.

“I think I saw honey next to the bakery yesterday, I’ll buy some later, or ask the local healer for a little sugar.”

Elyanna nodded lightly, “That would be great… thanks.”

While they were eating with gusto, hoofbeats sounded outside, followed by a knock on the door.

Nora’s ears stood up, she lifted her head and sniffed hard, then said, “It’s the knight from last time, they’ve tracked us here.”

Junice froze for a second, but quickly understood whom Nora meant.

Reiner asked, “Do you want to hide?”

“Forget it, hiding won’t help; you repelled the orc raid yesterday, the town must be full of stories about you, and with a little digging he’ll learn I’m here too.” Junice shook her head and finished the last bite of bread.

“All right then.”

Reiner stood up and opened the door.

Sure enough, Yule was outside.

His plate armor was filthy and caked with mud, proof that the long journey had been hard on him.

The two retainers behind him looked nothing like his calm self; faint anger showed on their faces.

One of the attendants was covered in sludge, even his hair had matted into clumps.

Nora had mentioned someone tailing them before; it had to be this man.

Yule spoke slowly, “Reiner, you really ran us in circles; if I hadn’t sensed something was off we might have gone all the way to Nanyashis.”

He had reacted too slowly.

The commoners in Melod had given that civilian such glowing praise.

How could there be such a difference when Yule came in person?

Thinking it through revealed the inconsistency.

Reiner stepped back half a pace and said, “It’s cold outside, why not come in and sit?”

Yule walked in without ceremony and headed straight for Junice at the table.

Brother and sister locked eyes.

The siblings met again after a long separation, yet there was none of the warmth Reiner had imagined.

Instead their calm was almost frightening.

Yule spoke, using a matter-of-fact tone, “Come back with me.”

Junice shook her head without even thinking, “No, if I go back now I’ll never get out again.”

“The family needs you right now.”

“Then I have even more reason not to return.”

Reiner sat back down, eating while watching their expressions.

Junice looked the same as always, only her face was blank.

All at once she glanced at Reiner.

A bad premonition welled up in him.

Junice suddenly took his arm and said to Yule, “This is my husband Reiner, his knowledge is vast and his talent exceptional, one day he’ll be the most renowned mage on the continent.”

Just as he feared.

To cooperate with Junice he forced himself to keep the act going, smiling as though they were deeply in love.

Two inner voices reached Reiner almost simultaneously.

Nora: (So she is indeed Master’s woman, but she is different from other humans, that is acceptable.)

Martina: (What! They’ve already started hugging? Don’t add another one, I don’t want to wait three days for my turn…)

Reiner decided to explain things to them later.

This was only a role Junice had improvised.

The corner of Yule’s mouth twitched slightly and he said coldly, “So you’ve learned to lie.”

Junice replied solemnly, “You know I never tell lies to deceive people.”

At that moment Junice suddenly kissed him.

In the blink of an eye she pulled back.

“Clack.”

Startled, Martina dropped her piece of bread onto the plate.

(A kiss! She kissed him? This woman is bad news, kissing in front of everyone like that!)

This time Yule’s eyes widened, “That is not something to joke about.”

Since Junice had taken the act this far, Reiner felt compelled to play along, so he said, “We wouldn’t joke about something like that, we are very much in love.”

Junice nodded.

Yule closed his eyes, lost in thought.

After a while he said, “Let’s talk somewhere else.”

Junice shook her head, “It makes no difference where we talk; unless I’m dead I won’t go back with you.”

Yule’s face darkened, he looked out the window and said, “You’d rather stay in this land of savages than return with me?”

Junice nodded lightly, “Of course, this is far more interesting than that lightless old castle.”

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment.

At last Yule rose abruptly and walked toward the door, “Two years, at most two years; if you still haven’t made a name for yourself, you’ll come back with me.”

Junice chuckled, “In two years our baby will already be born.”

Yule ignored her and left without looking back.

“Your brother left that easily? Had I known I wouldn’t have helped stall him,” Reiner said while stuffing more bread into his mouth.

Junice answered with a laugh, “What else could he do, drag me back? I’d escape halfway.”

A heavy silence fell over the table.

Nora and Martina munched on bread, pretending to be terribly busy.

Narrowing his eyes at Junice, Reiner asked in all seriousness, “So from now on you’re my wife too?”

Smiling, Junice replied in the demi-human tongue, “Martina won’t agree to that.”

Pouting, Martina answered, “I haven’t said anything; as long as Reiner is happy I don’t mind, as long as you two like each other.”

“I can’t beat you,” Junice said with a shake of her head.

Gritting her teeth, Martina said, “Even if you can’t beat me I’ll accept it.”

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