In A World Full of Silence, My Heart Will Find Its Way To You - Chapter 100

Aria, who had been so focused on staring at Eric, suddenly realized her own appearance when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror across the room. She was only wearing a shirt.

“Oh my!”

In a hurry, Aria slid back under the blanket. Eric, noticing her flustered expression, casually said,
“It couldn’t be helped. You were sweating so much. Don’t worry, I was the one who took it off.”

Aria’s eyes widened again when she heard that Eric was the only one who had seen her naked.

“How can you say something like that so casually?”

“What’s wrong?”

“That you saw my body… I mean, still!”

“There’s no need to be so surprised over something so trivial.”

“Trivial?”

“So, is there something special about seeing your wife’s naked body?”

Unable to respond, Aria quickly closed her mouth, which had been wide open.

Eric’s wife. Of course, it was something she wanted badly, too.

However, the thought of going to the palace made Aria’s expression heavy again. There were still hurdles to overcome.

While she was lost in thought, a knock came at the door. A knight entered, carrying a silver tray. It contained warm soup and chamomile tea.

After the knight left, Eric sat next to Aria with the tray.

“Take your time eating. You need to eat well. We won’t be resting during the trip to the palace.”

“What about you, sir…?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay…”

As Aria took a spoonful and savored it, a faint smile appeared on Eric’s face.

Though the gaze he had on her felt a bit heavy, Aria shoved a large amount of food into her mouth, much more than her mouth could comfortably hold.

When she moved her neck, a sharp pain came from her wound. Her face contorted in pain, and Eric’s smile quickly faded.

“You’re in pain, huh?”

The sight of fresh blood leaking from the white bandage darkened Eric’s eyes.

With a worried expression, he gently began to unwrap the bandage. The area was covered with pus and blood.

“The wound is too big, so it hasn’t fully stopped bleeding yet. Wait a moment.”

“I’m fine, really…”

“Don’t say that. At this rate, you’ll collapse again before we even get to the palace.”

Seeing the hardness in her face, Aria lowered her eyes.

Eric opened the first aid kit and began treating her wound.

As pain surged, Aria instinctively tried to push him away, but his large hand firmly gripped her arm.

“Just a little longer. Don’t you know that the more you move, the slower the treatment will be?”

With his sharp tone, Aria couldn’t bring herself to argue.

Eric continued treating her neck.

The distance between them was now much closer. Aria slowly raised her eyes to look at Eric.

His deep blue eyes, broad shoulders, and muscular body.

She was so grateful that she could see all of this again.

When she noticed him looking at her, his gaze slowly moved upward, and their eyes met. Aria froze, staring into his eyes, which had a slight gleam.

This was someone she knew well. Someone only she could protect. That realization made her smile softly.

“Why are you staring at me like that? It’s a bit troublesome when you look at me with those eyes.”

Suddenly hearing his voice, Aria snapped back to reality and saw a faint smile on Eric’s lips.

Dangerous glints flickered in his eyes. The familiar yet unsettling feeling made Aria quickly look down at the ground.

“I… I was just happy to see you. There’s no other meaning to it.”

“Happy to see me?”

“That word bothers me a bit.”

“It does?”

Aria blinked at his words. With an unhappy expression, Eric suddenly moved close and gently bit her lower lip. Then, he whispered,

“Isn’t it more natural to say you missed me?”

“Th, that’s…”

“Stop looking at me like that. I’ve been struggling to hold back the desire to hold you since yesterday.”

His thick fingers gently swept her hair behind her ear.

As his lips neared her flushed cheek and ear, the warmth of his breath made her feel an overwhelming sense of tingling all over.

“Without you, it felt like hell.”

“W-wait a minute…”

“It was suffocating. It wasn’t like me at all.”

Despite his lazy tone, one of Eric’s fingers slid down from her shoulder to her chest.

He lightly grazed her prominent chest, waist, and plump white thighs. His touch was light but intentional.

Aria’s face slowly turned red with the strange sensations as Eric’s hand slipped under her shirt, touching her soft skin, heading toward her chest.

The sensation was so unfamiliar that it felt like she might melt.

Aria’s breath grew shallow, and her body tensed. It felt like the pain from her wound had disappeared completely.

She tried to push Eric’s hand away, but it was no use.

“Ah! W-wait…”

“Why are you stopping me? Shouldn’t you be used to this by now?”

“Th-this…!”

As a strange wave of sensation stirred in her body, Aria couldn’t help but let out a soft moan.

Quickly, she covered her mouth with her hand to stop the noise from escaping.

“Does that mean you wouldn’t mind if we did this somewhere else?”

“Please…!”

Her body trembled in response to Eric’s slow, suggestive gaze.

Finally, he relaxed his grip and kissed her lips gently. Slowly, he pulled away, as if savoring the moment.

“Get better soon. Then, I’ll be able to explore you freely.”

He embraced her and kissed her forehead softly. The sensation sent a shiver down her spine, and her lips trembled slightly.

“You’re mine. No one else can have you.”

Eric’s gaze lingered on her trembling eyes as he smiled softly, feeling secure that he had claimed her. The next day, the carriage, surrounded by the royal guard, slowly started moving.

Despite the unfamiliar journey, Aria rested her head on Eric’s shoulder with her eyes closed.

Once she escaped the tension from having her wound treated in the morning, sleepiness overwhelmed her.

Perhaps due to the strong medicine, the fear and anxiety she had felt over the past few days had already vanished.

The carriage rattled on the uneven gravel road, but in Eric’s warm arms, she felt a sense of peace.

How long had she been asleep? The bright sunlight shining through the window made Aria slowly open her eyes. Soon, Eric’s voice reached her ears.

“Awake? How are you feeling?”

“Hm, much better than yesterday. By the way, where are we now?”

“The palace. More specifically, the fortress where the royal guard stays.”

“The… palace?!”

When Aria realized they had arrived at the palace, her eyes widened in surprise.

She quickly looked out the window, and her eyes grew even bigger as a grand fortress came into view.

The royal banners were flying from the walls, basking in the bright sunlight. As she gazed at the peaceful palace, Aria couldn’t help but open her mouth in awe.

The royal guards surrounding the stopped carriage stood at attention, waiting for Eric’s orders.

“When did we arrive?”

“About an hour ago.”

“Really? You should have woken me up!”

As Aria scolded Eric, her face turned red with embarrassment. Eric chuckled softly at her reaction.

With a more relaxed expression, Eric looked at her.

“You’re my priority. I couldn’t wake up my sick wife.”

“But…”

“If you had opened your eyes and I wasn’t there, that would have been a problem, wouldn’t it? I waited because of that. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

Eric, after checking her condition, opened the carriage door and stepped outside. Henry, who had been waiting outside, hurried over to him.

“She’s still not in the best condition. Please take her to my room quickly.”

“What about you, commander?”

“I need to see His Majesty.”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine alone? You know His Majesty’s temperament. I should accompany you…”

“I appreciate the concern, but these are things I need to handle myself. I don’t want to share His Majesty’s displeasure with you.”

Eric quickly refused Henry’s offer and turned his gaze back to the carriage.

“As you said, she will be my wife. Don’t be rude.”

“Of course, sir. I’ll make sure to remind the royal guard.”

“Especially you.”

“Me…? If she is the commander’s wife, she is someone special to me. Are you threatening me?”

Henry’s eyes narrowed, but Eric just chuckled and lightly patted his shoulder.

“You’re right. It was a threat. So, take care of it.”

As Henry pouted, Eric quickly headed toward the palace. Henry, shaking his head, muttered quietly.

“He’s so unpredictable. I can’t understand how he plans to deal with His Majesty alone…”

Still bewildered, Henry shook his head and then walked back to the carriage. Inside, Aria was peering out, looking flustered.

Henry gave her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. The commander will return after meeting His Majesty.”

“His Majesty?”

“Yes, so for now, rest in the commander’s room. I’ll take you there.”

To ease Aria’s tension, Henry smiled warmly and opened the carriage door. He carefully escorted her to Eric’s room.

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