"The lord has arrived"
With the announcement of his return made by the head maid, Hina trembled without realizing. The happy chatters of the servants grew faint as she recalled the frightening life she once lived with the brutal merchant. Followed by their maids, Hina and Tanaka made their way outside to greet the merchant.
The fragrance of the gardens and the warmness of the sun soothed Hina's anxiety. She watched the carriage come to a halt as the merchant came down. For someone who had been on a business trip for over a month, he looked very refreshed as if he had been on a vacation.
"Welcome back, My lord!" The guards and servants were all greeted in uniform. The happiness on their faces was the complete opposite of how Hina was feeling. As usual, she masked her emotions with a fake smile. Before Hina could offer her greetings, Tanaka pushed her to the side, almost tripping Hina, as she ran into her father's arms.
"Father! Tanaka has missed you for so many weeks!" She hugged him so tightly, staring at him so sweetly with her big blue eyes and acting all cute.
"I've missed my beautiful Tanaka too"
[What the heck?]
Hina was used to seeing evil little Tanaka act very mature and stiff towards her, so this side of Tanaka was awkward and hard to watch. She could feel the sudden goosebumps all over her arms.
As Hina stared in disbelief, the merchant caught sight of her and was awestruck. Hina's enchanting appearance and the glow of her golden hair as the sun rested over her head was a magnificent sight to behold. She looked very different from the last time he had seen her when she appeared to be ill and very small for her age. She was also very scared of him during their first encounter. The Hina he saw now was a very bright and beautiful lady. She seemed to have added a little weight, making her appear more healthy. However, the most exquisite thing he noticed was her glowing fearless eyes, which no longer showed any sign of fear for him. As she stood smiling in his direction, she looked like a fairy out of those fantasy books.
The merchant subconsciously walked towards Hina and suddenly hugged her, making her surprised at his touch.
"My dear Hina, I've missed you"
"It's been a while. I've missed you too"
Hina was getting too good at lying.
"You've gotten much more beautiful since the last time I saw you. You've become an exquisite woman already"
[No, no, no! I'm not a "woman"! I'm still a child please!]
She smiled at his words despite the screaming voice in her head.
"I shouldn't keep you out here in the sun any further. Let's go inside, my lovely Hina" he held her hand as he led her back into the mansion. She could feel Tanaka's murderous gaze piercing at her from behind.
[At this point, Tanaka might kill me before the second prince gets the chance to]
She mentally sighed and walked alongside the merchant.
While the reunited family sat together in the living room, the head maid informed them that dinner would be ready in thirty minutes.
"Before that, I'd like to speak to my wife alone, so excuse us for a while. We'll be in my office"
With that, the merchant dragged Hina along as they made their way upstairs. The merchant's office was at the end of the west wing close to the library. The white doors were always locked when he was away so Hina had been curious as to what room it was. He unlocked the doors and pushed them open, signalling Hina to enter.
"Thank you" she walked past the merchant into the room.
He shut the door behind them and headed towards the rest area of the room and Hina tagged along.
This was Hina's first time entering the Merchant's private office. It was said that the office was such a personal space to him that even the maids weren't allowed to go in to clean, with the exception of the head maid of course. The smell of chrysanthemum flowers filled the cool air. Sunlight peeked through the windows, lighting up the room. Glancing through the office, Hina noticed it was tidy. The interiors were surprisingly kept simple and elegant. Hina walked around slowly, taking a more detailed look at the office before settling herself on a chair opposite the merchant. He had a slight smile on his face as he fixated his gaze on Hina. She noticed that he had not been able to take his eyes off her and the fact irritated her.
[I know I'm stunning but you'll wear me out if you keep staring like that] was something she wished she could tell him.
"I'm sure you must have heard the rumours about our consummation" he dived right into the topic she wanted to avoid.
"Yes, I have"
"To assist you in getting comfortable staying at your new home, it was something that had to be done. It would've been unfair of me to let my wife hear anything unfriendly while I'm away. Did I do well, my dear Hina?"
"Ah, yes of course. Thank you for your consideration" she smiled warmly at him. He seemed like a child seeking compliments for a good deed.
"That's good to know. I also heard that you've been getting along well with everyone. They've all been filled with praises of you. As I thought, you're my precious gem indeed"
"You compliment me too much"
"I'm sure it has been hard dealing with Tanaka. She's a bit shy around new people but she'll soon open up to you"
[Shy? T-Tanaka is shy?! What nonsense! That evil little child?! The same Tanaka I know?! I suppose it's better if he doesn't know the real Tanaka]
"Ah. I see. I'll try harder to get close to her, don't worry about it"
He smiled at her warm words, his grey eyes still latched onto her. Now that she looked closer, Hina noticed his beautiful grey eyes and shiny brown hair. His children truly took after his best features. Thinking of his children, she briefly wondered why Kai was missing in action during the merchant's arrival.
"Is there anything you'd like to have? I noticed that I didn't get to gift you anything after the wedding" his words snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Anything?"
"Yes. Say it and it's done" Despite his smile, Hina knew better than to trust him. The thought of asking for a divorce briefly crossed her mind but she imagined how badly he would react to such a statement.
[What if he's testing me? Let me just play it safe since I can't ask for what I truly want]
"I don't need anything, in particular, My lord. But if you don't mind, I'll ask for something later on if I need one"
"Hmm. Okay then. Let's leave it at that"
"Yes, thank you"
"Okay. That's enough for today. It's been so long since I've seen you, so there's still a lot of catching up to do but let's take our time and not rush anything"
"Sure, I understand"
"The rest must be waiting for us to have dinner. Shall we go together?"
"Yes, of course"
With so much left unsaid and unasked, Hina walked together with the merchant, pacing her steps and preparing herself to have a bad indigestion after dinner.