Episode 20: The Uninvited Guest

“That’s true. But does your wife know how heavy the crime of being a runaway slave is? To marry a free person with the status of a runaway slave… cough!”

The man, who had been ranting in anger, collapsed lifelessly onto the floor. Alec stood, his eyes shining as he looked at the man, who was clutching his neck and gasping for air.

“If you insult my wife again, it won’t be Nasca who takes your life—your neck will be mine.”

---

The belly reflected in the mirror was still flat. It was so smooth and plain that it was hard to believe a baby was inside. The physician had said it had been nearly a month since the baby was conceived.

Afrosa recalled a month ago. It was a blur. The day when Alec had given her the little one. No matter how many times she tried to remember, it was difficult to grasp.

For other couples, it might not have mattered, but she and Alec had been inseparable since their marriage. It might have been natural if they were still newlyweds, but they had been married for three years now. Their relationship had reached a point where things had somewhat cooled. The overly sweet honeymoon phase that left them tingling at the tip of their tongues, and the time when they were almost intolerable to each other, had passed, and now they were entering a time of stability. Any other couple would likely have a cute child by now…

“Maybe it’s a blessing that it happened even now.”

Afrosa muttered to herself as she looked at her flat belly in the mirror. After leaving the physician’s house, Alec had brought her home and then left, saying he had some business to attend to.

Afrosa, after seeing him off, was planning to check on the ingredients she had bought for the dinner the next day. Since her father was visiting for the first time in a while, she wanted to prepare his favorite rose jam and quail dish.

On national holidays like the emperor’s birthday, everyone in the village would indulge in a bit of luxury, and Afrosa had always prepared lavish meals every year, spending time with family in happiness.

She had planned the same for this year. She had already prepared the dress she would wear for dinner tomorrow and chosen the menu. When her father arrived, they would all have a delicious meal together, then head to the square to enjoy the fireworks.

The village square was always bustling on holidays and national holidays. The villagers, who usually lived frugally, would dress up from head to toe and come out to dance and sing.

There would be a play prepared by the village children, a choir formed by the village girls, and a night market that stayed open past midnight… Tomorrow would be filled with nothing but joy, so she thought it might be a good idea to announce the pregnancy at the dinner table before they went to the square. Her father would surely be happy. But…

Is that really true?

Translation:

“Will Father be happy? Will he truly congratulate me? Will he smile with no worries or anxieties, even the tiniest bit, at my pregnancy? I don’t know. Father has shown discomfort since the wedding. He officiated the ceremony, blessing us with holy water over our heads, but despite that, his gaze towards me remained filled with concern.

And Afrosa found it hard to pinpoint exactly what made Father anxious. Sometimes, he seemed to worry about Alec’s status or circumstances, but at other times, it seemed like he had concerns about Afrosa herself. If he felt uneasy just about the marriage, how would he react to the pregnancy?

Why do I feel like this…?

Why do I feel this way? Afrosa stared at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn’t tell where things had gone wrong. A few days ago, when she sensed an unusual atmosphere from Alec, it had started to feel like this. It was as if his gloom had infected her.

She couldn’t even fully enjoy the pregnancy. She knew it should be a joyful thing, but thinking about the baby in her womb made her chest pound uncomfortably, making her dizzy. The persistent thudding in her chest sometimes led to nausea and lightheadedness.

The vague, dark feelings that slowly overtook her were hard to bear, leaving her confused. Sometimes, she longed to hold Alec endlessly and feel his kisses, but at other times, she wanted to push him away, run, and never return.

“Stupid. Afrosa.”

She muttered dryly at her pale face reflected in the mirror. Her face was unrecognizable, having become so pale after days of wandering in confusion. Afrosa stared hard at her reflection before standing up. She needed to hurry and prepare dinner before Alec returned.

Alec came back an hour later. He brought with him a guest who had been unable to find a place to stay and had been camping out for several days. The man was a middle-aged figure with one side of his face disfigured by what looked like burns.

With golden-brown hair and one eye covered with a black patch, he appeared older, but his face looked youthful. Afrosa glanced back at Alec with a surprised expression.

It wasn’t difficult to offer a room, but it was the first time Alec had brought someone home.

Since Alec didn’t have any special affection for this village, and hadn’t formed close relationships with the villagers, it was unusual for him to bring someone, especially someone of his age, or even stay out late at the tavern with the village youths. It felt quite special.

“Apologies, Madam. I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner with your husband…”

“Oh, no. It’s fine.”

The man, who introduced himself as Orchen, politely apologized to Afrosa. As Afrosa glanced at Alec, she shook her head slightly at the man. It wouldn’t have been difficult if it were just the two of them, but she was worried that there might not be enough food for everyone.

“I didn’t expect anyone else, so I only prepared enough for two…”
“I’m fine,” the man replied.
“If you sit down, I’ll bring out something else. Fortunately, I planned to invite my father tomorrow for dinner, so I have some extra food prepared,” Afrosa said.

She smiled at him as he shook his head. The man stared at her, then briefly glanced at Alec.

Since returning home, Alec hadn’t smiled. After briefly pulling her into a deep kiss, he had remained silent. Afrosa suggested they sit down and then entered the kitchen.

In the kitchen, there was some soft bread and stew left over from preparations for tomorrow’s dinner. The stew was originally made for tonight’s meal, and the bread was meant for the feast tomorrow, but it seemed she would have to serve it to their guest.

“Thank you, Madam,” the man said as he removed his robe and sat down. He looked at Afrosa with gratitude. She sat beside Alec, gazing at his face. If you ignored the burn marks, the man had a round, delicate appearance. His soft, dark brown hair and fair skin were clean, and though his frame was slender, his body under his shirt seemed well-built and strong.

“Then, I will be at ease for today.”
“Make yourself comfortable. Tomorrow, with the festival, it might get a bit noisy in the house…” Afrosa smiled faintly. The man’s amber eyes rested on her lips. His gaze was meticulous, almost like he was sizing her up. Afrosa tried to ignore the look as she picked up the stew. It made her uncomfortable, the way his eyes scanned her. Even though this was Alec’s first guest at their home, and she tried not to show it… No. She didn’t want to feel this way.

She convinced herself that a stranger couldn’t be staring at her like that, that it was just her own hypersensitivity making her distort his gaze. But the sharpness in his round eyes slowly gnawed at her. Trying to shift her mood, she forced herself to speak.

“It seems you came from quite a distance?”
“I left Travis two days ago. I came to meet someone here, but I couldn’t find them.”
“Oh? Who were they? Someone we might know?”
“Apparently, they don’t live here.”
“I see. So, did Mr. Orchen perhaps make a mistake in coming here?”
“That’s about it. It’s an unfortunate trip, but meeting such a fine man as your husband and being graced by your kindness isn’t such a bad thing.”

The man said cheerfully, but once again began examining Afrosa closely. He didn’t seem to have much appetite, as he barely touched the food. Afrosa wondered if the dishes she had prepared didn’t suit his taste and averted her eyes slightly from his gaze.

“My wife must really be quite beautiful,” Alec murmured, just as he was about to take another bite of stew. His low voice was quiet, but it carried an eerie, chilling tone.

Afrosa looked back at her sharp-edged husband in surprise. Alec seemed unfamiliar when he was with others. He wasn’t wearing the faint smile he usually had with her, nor was he softening his voice.

But he had never been this cold. In the past few days, he had become more on edge, but it had never been this pronounced. It wasn’t just the words he said—it was the coldness in his tone, the chill in his gaze that made her uneasy.

“You can’t take your eyes off him, can you?” Alec said, the corners of his lips curling as he stared at Orchen. At Alec’s sharp energy, Orchen lowered his gaze to the floor. But Afrosa didn’t feel relief. On the contrary, she felt more anxious as Alec’s hostility grew. Afrosa stayed silent, trying not to let the tense atmosphere take over. Truthfully, she didn’t have the energy to speak.

She couldn’t shake the feeling of endlessly falling, like she was trapped in a downward spiral. Was it because she didn’t like the way he looked at her? Because he had rudely scrutinized her? Was that really why she felt so terrible?

“Umm… the room is this way,” Afrosa said as she pointed to the room across from the bedroom after rising from the dinner table.

“It’s a little small, since it’s the children’s room, but I’m sure it’ll be comfortable for just one night,” she explained.

“Do you have children?” the man asked abruptly, turning to face her as he walked over to inspect the room. Afrosa was taken aback by the question and instinctively parted her lips. She could have said that the children’s room was just for the kids, but the uncomfortable tension in the air made her feel uneasy. The atmosphere shifted subtly, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

“No, not yet,” she replied, leaving out the part about being pregnant. She felt an instinctual need not to say it. It just felt wrong to mention. Her intuition told her that this man was not entirely unrelated to Alec.

Alec had never brought anyone into their home before, especially not someone he had just met. He wasn’t the type to casually bring strangers in, even if it was a village youth. This situation felt strange, and Afrosa didn’t like the way things were unfolding.

“The blankets and pillows will be brought in by my husband,” she said, not even glancing at Alec. She didn’t want to talk any further, so she turned her gaze away and began clearing the table.

---

“Rose.”

“You know her?” Alec asked, his voice slow as he approached Afrosa, who was sitting on the bed, gazing out the window. He stopped a few steps away from her. She looked up at him with a blank expression.

“How do you know her?”

His sharp blue eyes seemed as piercing as shards of glass. Alec held his breath as he looked down at her. He had to speak. He had to tell her the truth—the things he had been hiding from her, and the lies she had heard from her guardian.

He couldn’t stay silent. The reason he had kept quiet was because he was afraid of her. He feared how quickly her feelings could change… The overwhelming experiences of his past life had crushed him in a way he couldn’t recover from.

“Alec,” Afrosa said, her voice quiet.

He knelt before her, and she gazed at him with dry eyes. Her face was unreadable, devoid of any visible emotion. Alec reached out and held her hand, gently kissing her small, smooth fingertips. Afrosa only stared at him, as if she were going to push him away.

“I have something to confess to you,” Alec whispered.