Arella could not remember the last time she had slept this peacefully. She was not afraid of missing her breakfast if she did not make it in time. Above all, no stepmother or step-sister was waiting to laugh at her failures. Also, even to her surprise, no nightmares haunted her.
Her nightmares have now become a norm. Every night, she would be tormented by the nightmares and would feel the pain of being burnt alive. Her eyes would see nothing but red, blazing red. Everything around her would be on fire.
The first time she was preyed upon by the nightmare demon, she cried a lot. She felt that her flesh was actually on fire. The sensation was too real to be doubted.
But as she grew up, she became numb to it. Having the blazing nightmare had become a part of her routine. But today, even her nightmare demons felt at peace. Why was it? Arella knew not. A day without being visited by the nightmare demon was a good day!
Taking this as a good omen, Arella sat up on the bed. Even the air at this place was fresh. Waking up to the slowly rising sun, fresh air, and a slight chill, put a smile on her face.
The nearby side of the bed was empty. Even the quilt was neatly folded. No crease could be found on the bed. She looked at the time. It was still early. The sun was just rising. She had prided herself on being an early riser, but she did not know that he could beat her at it.
She loved mornings. Watching the sunrise and seeing the redness fading into yellow and giving her warmth was her favorite pastime after being scared awake by the nightmares.
But today, a tranquillity filled her pores. Even the sun looked warmer than usual. She slowly made her way to the nearby window to appreciate the morning. But as she looked out, a mesmerizing sight assaulted her.
Adrian was doing push-ups in the grassland, half naked! A sight to behold indeed! Arella hurriedly hid behind. Her core thudded, and her breathing quickened. She was drooling! Fortunately, there was no nosebleed!
It's okay. Arella calmed herself down by continuously repeating the same mantra. He was her husband. It was okay to drool. Yesterday, she was too occupied, so she couldn't appreciate his beauty. But today! The sun that had kept her company during all those years faded in front of this man's charms!
His muscles! His perfect figure! She remembered his grip on her hands. She did not know if he had abdominal muscles, but looking at his body, he must have it! Would she be getting a chance to see that?
No, no, no! What was she even thinking? That too in the broad daylight! It was the fault of this Adonis! It was just a day, and he had already corrupted her! No, no, she should remain calm! Arella tried to bring back her wandering focus. She went to the washroom to freshen up.
Meanwhile, the man who was the reason behind her sultry, dreamy thoughts, kept working out, unaware of her admiration and corruption charges.
When Adrian entered the house, he saw Arella descending the stairs.
"Good morning!" Arella greeted him with a smile.
Adrian did not respond immediately. He stood there, fixed, watching her in a trance. Because of his intense workout, he was drenched in sweat. But he did not feel uncomfortable at all. When was the last time someone had greeted him so happily? He couldn't remember at all.
"Good morning!" Adrian greeted her slowly.
"You get up quite early! The sun hasn't risen yet." Arella remarked in an attempt to continue talking.
"Hmm, I work out daily. You woke up early too. I will go, take a quick shower, and then make the breakfast for us. Is bread and omelet okay with you?" Adrian asked politely.
Adrian was a high ranking officer. He was used to giving orders and doing whatever he wanted. None had the courage to deny him. Since when had he become so accommodating? Even Adrian was not aware of the changes that were slowly occurring since his marriage.
"You go take a shower. I will make the breakfast. I can do a pretty decent job. Try my cooking today?" Arella looked at him with a slight smile.
How could any man in the world say no to her? Even if anyone could, Adrian couldn't say no to her. Even if she set his house on fire, he would have no regrets at all.
"Sure. Everything you need is on the counter. I will go take a shower then." Adrian hurriedly left as if he were running away from something.
Arella did not notice the slight strangeness.
Adrian felt relieved. Fortunately, he ran away in time. Otherwise, had she noticed, it would have become slightly awkward. He would certainly be tagged as a pervert in her eyes! It was morning. Such a reaction was absolutely normal for a healthy man at his age!
In the morning, when he saw her sleeping deeply, he had felt the urgency. He tried to suppress his restlessness during the intense workout. But now, looking at her, he once again reacted! Thank goodness, he ran away in time!
Now, in the bathroom, he could do whatever he wanted. He took a long and satisfactory shower and came downstairs.
The table was set. Arella was waiting for him while checking out the headlines. As soon as Adrian sat on the chair, he was served with a piping hot omelet. It looked good.
"Hmm. It is good." Adrian appreciated her craft after having a small bite.
"Have more than!" Arella happily served him and then started eating her share. It was passable. Nothing great, nothing bad. It was average. Just as she had expected! But the good thing was, it was edible!
Arella cheerily munched on bread and ate with him. She wanted to repay his kindness for the midnight snack. And she also wanted to deepen their relationship. A night was enough to clear all her doubts or questions.
Whatever happened with Luke was already in the past. There was no point in crying over him. And a cheater was not worth her tears. Now she had only two objectives.
First, to work on her aptitude. If she was lucky, she could improve it from a D to a C rank. Though the difference was of only one level, the difference in respect was huge.
E and D ranked people belonged to the lower strata of the society. They were usually given odd jobs and were used for running errands. C and B ranked people formed the middle strata. They could enjoy the benefits of the army and were respected in society as good seedlings.
Then came A, S, SS, and SSS ranked people. They were supreme. They would be treated as royalty. Everybody had to bow to them.
In the current age, there were a few masters ranked A. They were teachers. Many had changed their profession to improve the ranks of their juniors by guiding them. Only a few remained in the army. Among them, the most feared was Adrian. He was notorious as ruthless and adamant. Even the real Royalty treated him well.
Taking about S ranked, there were a few. But they preferred to stay in the forest. Their beast forms were extremely active and liked staying in the forest. If there was any problem that the current army couldn't solve, they would intervene. But after that, they would go back into their seclusion. Nobody knew about their beast forms, age, or looks. They were very mysterious.
There is only one SS ranked beast in their clan in today's age. It was their current ruler. He is known to be wise, calm, and mature. Even his beast form is unknown.
Arella just wants to uplift herself from the cursed D rank. That is all! A, S, or any other higher rank has nothing to do with her.
Her second objective is to treat her husband with respect. She could not vouch for love. She was not sure of it yet. She did not even know what love was! Did she love Luke? No, certainly not. Because when he rejected her, she only felt a pang of betrayal and nothing else.
If Adrian hadn't come to her with a marriage proposal, she would not know what miserable state she would have found herself in! His presence had shielded her from all the mockery and embarrassment.
He was her savior.
Would she be able to fall in love with him? She doesn't know. She only knows that she would remain loyal to him till eternity. That was the least she could offer.