Anna woke from a deep sleep to the sound of chirping birds outside the tent. Half-consciously, she opened her lazy eyes and wriggled free her arms, searching for Kyren's firm body.
The princess's eyes widened when she felt only the emptiness beside her. Her consciousness had now fully recovered, and she was getting antsy.
'Where is he? Did he leave without telling again?'
The princess's body rose hastily.
"You're awake. How're you feeling?" Kyren came to her and gently rubbed his knuckles against her plump cheeks.
"Kyren!"
When the charming, stout figure appeared in her sight, a sense of relief emerged in her heart. Unheeding the falling blanket, she pulled the man's waist and hugged him. She buried her face in his stomach, which was covered with a thin white tunic, and inhaled the scent of musk and leather emanating from him.
"What's going on? Don't tell me you had a nightmare after last night," he chuckled at her antics.
Anna raised her head and looked up at Kyren with dewy eyes.
"No! I thought you left again!"
The commander grinned and said, "So, you're afraid of that."
"I don't want you to leave me!" she replied earnestly.
He rubbed her head gently with a broadened smile.
"I'm not going anywhere. Besides, even if I left, you won't be that lonely anymore. You've got new friends, don't you?"
"It's not the same. You're my husband, the most important person in my life," she admitted.
The commander sat beside his wife after breaking the hug.
"I won't simply leave you without any reason. I'll always return to you as promised. I'm sure you've already adapted to my nature of work by now," he said, consoling her.
"Yes." She nodded.
Anna's face was quite gloomy when he mentioned leaving her. However, no matter how much she wanted him by her side, she could not stop him from attending to his duty.
"Now, let me check on you. Did I hurt you again last night? I did my best to hold back," he said softly, reaching his hands to her shoulder, flipping her long, wavy hair to the side to examine her neck and chest.
New bruises were visible from his passionate kissing and sucking last night. However, they were not as bad as before.
Feeling embarrassed, Anna quickly covered her br*asts with her hands.
"My wife is still shy after a passionate night. I remember someone asking me to mould her so she would get used to my body. I guessed I hadn't done enough," he teased her with a naughty smirk.
"Please don't make fun of me! It's daytime already!" she said, averting her eyes from his look.
Anna could not determine what time it was, but she was sure it was morning based on the light absorbed by the tent's canvas and the sound of singing birds.
The princess bent to pick up the blanket on the floor, but the sturdy arms quickly held her back.
"Not so fast! I haven't finished my inspection."
He shook his head, not allowing her to cover her body.
"I'm fine. You didn't hurt me at all," she told him.
"Last time, you also said the same thing," he countered, unconvinced by her reply.
His blue eyes narrowed at her with unwavering attention. Feeling restless with the sharp look, Anna turned her eyes away.
"I'm just a little bit sore..." she finally divulged.
"Do you bleed again? Does it hurt so much?" he asked worriedly.
She shook her head fervently to him.
"Let me see it myself," urged Kyren, putting his hand on her clamped thighs to spread them.
"Kyren, no! Don't do this!" Anna shouted in embarrassment when she felt the hard, calloused palm on her soft skin trying to part her legs.
She flinched and crouched from his touch.
The commander raised his eyebrows in surprise at the decline.
"Why not? Haven't I seen each part of your body?" he asked.
Anna's face blushed. Her face was as red as a ripened apple.
"It's daytime. What if someone comes over? I told you already I don't bleed. If I did, I would've stained the sheets like last time," she insisted.
"Fine. I trust you." Thinking her reply was reasonable and made sense, he gave in instead of insisting.
Kyren retreated his hand and stood up. He took the robe hung near the bed and handed it to her.
"Put this on. I'm calling the squires for bath water and breakfast," ordered the commander.
"My nightwear. Where's my nightwear?" the princess asked him as her eyes darted around, looking for it.
"Don't bother with the dress. It was already torn. I'll get you a new one," he said.
Anna now remembered that Kyren had ended up tearing her nightwear after being unable to undo the entangled ribbons. She blushed shyly when she thought of how impatient he was.
"It's fine. I still got a few," she replied.
"I saw your dresses. I'll give you something fancier than that," he said with a bothered look.
The dresses Anna wore daily were commoner dresses that did not befit her.
"It's all right, Kyren. I don't want fancy dresses. The simple ones will do," she reacted.
Considering they were on the frontier, Anna couldn't be more grateful for what she was given.
"You should be wearing something nicer. Something better that suits your position as my wife. I can get better dresses from Tarnova," he suggested, as it was the nearest city to their place.
Other nearby settlements would not have the dresses that suited his taste since they were occupied mainly by peasants and commoners.
"No, Kyren! Please don't get me anything from there. I dislike the place!" she adamantly refused.
Even hearing the city's name made Anna uneasy as she was once nearly brought there to be auctioned as a slave.
"I understand. I'll send the men to get it from somewhere else." Seeing the princess's clouded face, he changed his proposal.
"Don't waste time on that. I already have decent clothes to wear. It's more than enough," she responded.
"They're all plain. What would people think of me seeing you in that kind of dress?" he disagreed.
"I understand your concern. I don't intend to make you lose face in front of your men. It just doesn't fit to wear a fancy dress in this current situation and place," she replied.
"Why so?"
"It would be more practical to move around in the camp in a modest outfit. Besides, it would be improper for the commander's wife to dress lavishly when we're in the middle of a campaign. That would demoralise your army," she explained.
"Don't you like pretty dresses?" Kyren furrowed his fine brows. He thought all women would be excited if they were gifted with beautiful dresses.
"Of course I do. As your wife, I also want to dress nicely for you. But fancy dresses are usually expensive and delicate. They are difficult to maintain in this environment, and it will be a waste of money," she said.
"I've enough money to buy you good clothes. You don't have to worry about that," he refuted.
Anna was still unaware of who her husband really was. No one had ever spoken up about the commander's true identity, and the clueless princess had never bothered to ask, believing her husband was only a Knight Commander.
Unbeknownst to her, Kyren was the Grand Duke of Gerhard, the wealthiest man in the kingdom of Cassian after his brother, the king.
"I'm sure you have, and I will wear all the dresses you'll buy me in the future. But for now, let me put on more comfortable clothes. Your men would respect me more if I didn't show off," she replied.
Kyren nodded curtly after pondering. The reasoning she gave was undoubtedly rational. Although she didn't need to care about what the knights thought of her, Anna's opinion indicated that she understood the importance of setting an excellent example for his subordinates.
The commander smirked. His wife was indeed a selfless woman who was not demanding and had never caused problems for him or others. As such, he was very much content with her docile behaviour.
"Fine. I'll prepare suitable clothes as you want," he said, reaching for the bell and ringing it twice.
"Thank you, Kyren," the princess responded with a thin smile spread across her lips.
Looking at the decent grin, the commander's thoughts drifted about his meeting with Noah last night after she had fallen asleep. They had not known each other properly since they first met.
An idea crossed his mind.
"Anna," he called up her name gently.
"Yes?"
"Do you want to spend the day with me?" he asked her.
"With you?" Her eyes widened at the invitation.
"Yes. I've nothing engaged in my schedule today. So, I'm thinking of taking you out," he said.
"Really?" Anna's eyes shone with excitement.
"Yes. Do you want to?" he asked her again.
"Definitely! I would love to be with you!" she replied brightly.
The commander was happy to see his wife's beaming aura.
"Good. Let's get ready, and then we'll head out. Dress nicely, will you?" he requested.
The princess nodded enthusiastically at Kyren's order. This would be their first time outing together. Since his return, they never had a chance to be together other than at night.
Anna could not be happier. Her heart blossomed as the beautiful smile kept lingering on her rosy lips.