18 – Marriage (2)

The conversation at the dinner was mainly led by Gibson, Adam and Gidin.

A soft atmosphere and light laughter accompanied the food.

In that atmosphere, Ner spilled the berg sitting right in front of him.

He didn’t say a word, showing a sullen look, as if to prove that Layla’s words were true.

The first greeting was over.

It was only showing that he was concentrating on the story, chasing the speaker with his eyes.

Ner was still calming his beating heart.

The feel of his lips touching the back of his hand was vivid.

The tingling sensation still lingers.

Ner didn’t know how to describe his feelings at the time.

The rejection gives me goosebumps, but at the same time I feel a bit of relief.

I haven’t been able to see the monster-like image I’ve been creating in my head yet.

He didn’t look like a cruel, ruthless, misogynist.

Of course, I didn’t let go of the possibility that my current appearance could be acting.

“Ner. Eat more.”

Looking at Berg like that, I become neglectful of my meal.

At Gibson’s advice, everyone’s attention turned to Nere’s plate.

Berg looked at her bowl too.

This time, the eyes feel cold again.

Somehow, feeling uncomfortable whenever he gave attention, Ner wanted to hide his bowl.

Ner focused on the food, holding a knife and fork with trembling hands.

I hoped that Berg’s interest would fall quickly.

Also, to be honest, I had no appetite.

The person I wanted to get away from was right in front of me, but there was no way the food would go into my mouth.

Ner didn’t look at Berg, but he felt his gaze scan his body.

I got goosebumps again and the hair on my body stood on end.

It’s a shame because I sat with my tail on my back so that my emotions wouldn’t be revealed.

Ner continues pretending to be natural.

While I was cutting a piece of steak into small pieces, Berg spoke for the first time.

“…What do werewolves like?”

Gibson showed interest in Berg’s first question.

“Could you say that again?”

“Food. What do you like to eat?”

Low bass.

While Berg’s gaze turned to Gibson, Ner sneaked up on Berg again.

I wanted to read the other person, but I couldn’t figure out what he was really thinking.

You can’t even guess because he doesn’t show emotion on his face.

Gibson answers lightly.

“Yes, each person is different. Humans like different things, right?”

“…”

Berg nodded slowly.

Then I started eating my own food again.

“…”

Did he pay attention to the way he didn’t eat properly?

Ner was already thinking that he might not be compatible with Berg.

In terms of dining etiquette alone, Berg shows off his rawness.

Do not change knives and forks when different foods are served.

Do not cut food into small pieces. Put it in your mouth and chew it.

The way he holds the glass is also strange. I don’t enjoy the aroma of wine.

The use of the fork is awkward. Uses only the knife well.

I don’t enjoy food, it seems that I only fill it with nutrients.

I just didn’t like everything.

And the fact that I couldn’t show my feelings was more frustrating than anything.

There were situations where he pushed himself, and there were times when he was afraid of Berg.

This kind of coercion has always been the most frustrating.

That’s how the conversation comes back in the middle of the day.

Ner seemed to be left alone in an isolated space this time as well.

The conversation topic itself was difficult to follow.

Only stories about battles and monsters flowed.

Berg remained silent again.

As time passed like that, I felt like I was about to pretend, whether it was because of Ner’s own feelings or because of the topic of conversation.

It must have been because I put food in my mouth after a long time.

So he carefully set the fork down and carefully placed his hand on his lap.

I didn’t want to eat anymore.

-Kwook…

“Ah…!”

At the same time, Nere felt a sharp pain in the soles of his feet.

Gidin’s thick feet trampled her feet.

Ner looked up at Gidin.

But he didn’t erase his smile and continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.

Gidin threw her notice not to break the atmosphere of her meal.

Ner gulped down her saliva and tried to reach for her fork and knife.

Suppress the nausea that makes you want to vomit.

She seemed to have to put more of the food she didn’t want to eat into her mouth.

With Berg right in front of you, Gidin didn’t have the courage to rebel.

-Tak.

But at the same time, Berg put down the tableware.

A lot of food near him had already disappeared.

He finished his meal, roughly wiping his mouth with the cloth placed in front of him.

“Huh? Have you eaten the berg already?”

Adam asked Berg from the side.

He answered my captain.

“Uh.”

“It seems that the vice-captain has no appetite. Or did the food not suit your taste?”

When Gidin asked, Berg shook his head.

“…Because I am full.”

“…”

Ner saw it and was enveloped in a strange feeling.

Thanks to Berg who put down the tableware so exquisitely, Ner didn’t have to continue eating anymore.

I don’t have to forcefully shove more food into my mouth.

She thought again as she put her hand on her lap.

Was it a coincidence?

“…”

Ner wondered what the hell she was thinking.

There was no way that a blunt, cold, cruel, merciless, and strict man would have looked at him so delicately.

Of course, it must have been a coincidence.

I had to regard the exquisite time as luck.

With Berg even taking his hands off the food, it gave off an atmosphere that the meal had come to an end.

And with that, Gibson brought up an important subject.

“…So. How will the wedding tomorrow go? The Humans must have their own culture.”

Adam answers Gibson’s words with a question.

“How do werewolves get married? I know there is a culture that calls marriage a soul bond.”

Ner secretly bit his lip.

As soon as the word “Soul bond” Comes around, the ritual becomes something that must be done.

I didn’t want the other person to know. I wished I could have skipped the soul binding ceremony. However, this also became a stubbornness that Ner had to give up.

Gibson said.

“We don’t call marriage a soul bond, but there is a soul bond procedure in our marriage process.”

Adam expressed interest.

“Oh, I see. How do you proceed?”

“This is the final stage of the werewolf marriage. It is a ritual that should be performed alone at night. In the depths of the forest, with the tree you’ve decided together as a witness, you kneel down, tie your tails together, and swear to the moon. A noble oath to be each other’s strength anytime, anywhere, and to love only each other.”

Gidin also continued the explanation next to him.

“Each tree has a different meaning. A pine tree represents straight and unchanging love, an oak tree represents unfeigned trust, and a birch tree represents flexible consideration and concessions… It depends on what you value after marriage.”

Adam laughs.

“That’s cool. But…the opponent without a tail…?”

Gibson replied.

“Any problems that arise during the soul bonding process must be resolved by the two future husbands. It’s a tradition that has the deep meaning of solving problems that will arise in the future together… So we have to leave that part to Berg and Ner tomorrow as well.”

Gidin spoke again.

“When I was soul bonding with my wife, a bear came out of the forest. Killed for her wife.”

Gibson was handed back.

“Anyway, the culture of the human race…?”

“We are having a party. Distribute food to many people and receive their blessings. Also, in front of that many people, we swear to love each other, put a ring on our ring finger, and, well… we have a first night.”

Ner’s heart sinks at the word “First night”.

I couldn’t breathe well.

She picked her shallow breath over and over again.

“Put the ring on the ring finger…Hmm. Do you mean something?”

“I know it means an oath of love. It’s a long tradition, so I’ve never thought about its deep meaning.”

“I see. Anyway, after the soul bond, the werewolves continue on to the first night.”

“Then, should we first get married in our own way and then perform soul bonds? After that, there won’t be any problems since our cultures overlap.”

Gibson nodded.

“That’s right.”

As the situation progresses, Nere’s heart becomes heavier than ever.

Adam says.

“By the way, as the situation is, I don’t think we will be able to hold a fancy party. It seems to be all about sharing a simple snack and a drink.”

“Anyway, that part is the culture of the human race, so I will leave it to you.”

“Ha ha, nice.”

As the situation is, Ner wasn’t expecting a grand wedding either.

It was in a position to be sold anyway.

Marriage was just a process for that.

There was no need to spend a lot of money.

But Nerdo also once had a romance about her marriage.

It was sad and painful in the end to have to get married in this way.

No, in fact, if the other person was that human mercenary, it would have been the same no matter what kind of wedding it was.

As soon as the plans for tomorrow’s wedding were finalized, Gibson said.

“Now then, shall we stop here for dinner?”

Adam nods.

“I see. As tomorrow is the day, I think it would be better to rest early.”

After the story ended like that, they stood up one by one.

Ner stood up quietly as well.

Berg and Adam, who were guests, decide to leave first.

Adam bowed his head slightly and said hello.

“Let’s go in. Thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

Gibson responded politely.

“It was fun.”

Ner secretly looked at Berg again.

And her eyes met Berg, who was staring at her.

Ner trembles with her body.

However, Berg simply lowered his head with a firm expression on his face.

Instantly he turns around.

Adam and Berg left.

Only the three men were in the restaurant, and Gidin let out a long sigh.

It was a sigh filled with many emotions even at first glance.

“…Shouldn’t she have shown that she hates it more?”

He was sarcastic.

“…Gidin. Stop it.”

From noble mtl dot com

Gibson stopped Gidin, but Nere’s older brother did not stop.

“Pull out your hand from the person you are greeting. He didn’t say a word throughout the meal and sat there with a look like he was going to cry. Would doing that make any difference? Break up the marriage talk and say you wanted Blackwood to perish.”

“Gidin…!”

At Gibson’s powerful call, Gideon finally shut up.

“…”

Ner couldn’t say anything against him. She already knew her too.

That I couldn’t do anything throughout the meal. That I hadn’t done anything that would make me like it.

But she had no choice but to be herself.

Because I was so afraid of Berg.

With the party in front of me, this absurd marriage became more realistic and more painful.

Also, because he was blunt, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

I was so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that I couldn’t open my mouth.

Just as the night before a typhoon is calm, his quiet appearance seemed to predict a rough future ahead.

Ner could still see his scarred forearms.

He had so many scars on his arms because he had experienced so many fights and battles.

How many people did he beat with his arms?

A mercenary could not get rid of the mercenary trait.

“…Both of you, go in.”

In an ambiguous atmosphere, Gibson bit them both.

Giddin sighed and turned first, and Ner followed after him.

Ner looked at his white tail for a moment.

The maids were diligently anointing it with rose-scented oil, and the adorned tail looked really ugly.

I felt useless again today.

Upon leaving the restaurant, the attendant and her maids join the two blackwoods.

Ner wanted to quickly return to his room.

I wanted to go back and talk about my hard day today while looking at the moon.

But since Gibson wasn’t there, Gidin’s attack started again.

As expected, Nere bit his lip tightly.

“…Useless. I wondered if I had finally paid some price for taking my mother’s life.”

“…”

“It’s always disappointing. The reason your other siblings hate you may not be because of your mother alone.”

“…”

“How long are you going to live like that… even if you weren’t born as a blackwood-“

-Tak.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps stopped Gidin, Ner, and the group of werewolves who followed them.

Ner looked ahead.

And there, I saw a figure hiding in the dark.

The moonlight only illuminated the lower half of the body, so it was hard to tell who was standing.

Gidin also looked at the other person for a moment to figure out his true identity.

-Dubuck. Ddubuck.

A black figure slowly walks out.

Every time he took a step, his half-heartedness that had been immersed in darkness was revealed little by little.

“…Ah.”

Ner let out a small moan after recognizing his opponent.

It was Berg.

With Adam removed, he was walking around the mansion alone.

Ner looked at Berg with a cold expression.

I wonder if I have heard all the stories.

Ner was flooded with shame.

There was nothing that made me feel hotter than showing a scene I didn’t want to be found out by someone I disliked.

“…Vice-captain.”

Gidin called his opponent.

“…Why did you come back?”

Berg looked at the two without answering for a moment.

His eyes turned to Gydin, then to Ner, then back to Gydin.

Again, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Berg remained silent and gave off a strange atmosphere.

Gidin tells him that.

“…Even if you need it.”

Gidin’s words with feeble emotions.

Unlike the friendly dining table, Gidin expressed an uncomfortable feeling as if warning.

It was an unspoken request to Berg, who stopped without saying anything, not to intervene in his family’s affairs.

Berg sighed and approached Gidin.

“…Was looking for a toilet.”

Gidin said coldly.

“Miles. I will escort Vice-captain Berg to the restroom.”

An attendant named Miles appeared from behind.

“Come this way, Mr. Berg.”

“…”

This time, instead of reacting immediately, Berg continued to look at Gidin.

The two continued their snowball fight for a long time, and it ended with Berg following an attendant called Miles first.

Berg walked away in the opposite direction.

Ner looked at the back of Berg, who was walking away from Gidin.

“…Vice-captain.”

Then Gidin called Berg.

Berg looked back at them again.

Gidin spoke to him as if trying to shake off any lingering discomfort.

“Werewolves don’t like eavesdropping on or interfering in family affairs. “

“…”

“…You better know.”

“…”

Berg remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded his head.

Then he followed Miles and disappeared.

****

After all the schedule was over, Ner sat on the bed and looked at the moon again.

Berg’s figure kept shimmering.

As surely as he was afraid, everything about him was so strongly imprinted.

I couldn’t figure out when or how to get close to a person like that and find out the main information about the mercenary group.

It seemed like a very tough future was just waiting.

Ner said to the moon.

Today is also the end of the day.

“Like Lila told me… She was a cold, blunt person. He fears that later he will find out how cruel he is. He doesn’t even look at me, maybe he doesn’t like women either. Should I call this good or bad?”

If you think positively, you might not pay attention to yourself, but if you think negatively, you could become a target for taking out your anger.

As a habit, Ner hugged his tail.

The scent of roses rising from her tail calmed her anxious mind.

She caught her breath and closed her eyes.

Then I remembered the moment I was scolded by Gidin in front of Berg.

She repeated that embarrassing scene dozens of times before speaking to her destined partner.

“…If it were you, would you have protected me from my older brother at that moment?”

As usual, the moon did not return an answer.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like