The Marriage (1)
"You look beautiful, Neir."
Neir gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Just as the maids had said, it was the first time she had dressed herself up so meticulously. A pristine white dress, a hairpin gently securing her hair, light makeup, perfume, and oil applied to her tail to give it a soft sheen. Simple necklace, ornate earrings. Yet, none of these adornments could erase the melancholy hanging over her face.
Soon, she was scheduled to have a meal with the human mercenary, 'Berg'. She had to suppress the urge to run away, even if it meant death. Neir recalled the promise she had made with her father, Gibson. It was a matter that would eventually come to an end. She tried to understand that the beginning was the hardest part. She also tried not to forget that this marriage would save the lives of countless wolf-kin. Her sacrifice would prevent the Blackwood family from being wiped out.
If she returned after all of this was over, wouldn't her brothers accept her? At the very least, they surely wouldn't ignore her as they had before. The honor of having protected the entire territory wouldn't simply vanish. She could tell just by the change in Gidin’s attitude toward her already. There had been no retaliation for her defiance the day before. If even Gidin was like that, it was certain her other brothers would be the same.
She found it ridiculous that she still felt a longing for her brothers deep in her heart. Even though she had tried to give up on them, she kept wavering at the possibility of being loved. Perhaps it was because they were the only acquaintances who mattered to her.
"..."
As Neir remained silent, an awkward air hung in the room. The maids, seeing Neir unable to relax her expression, stayed quiet. After glancing at each other for a moment, they gently hugged her. Their comfort gave Neir a faint surge of strength. She nodded little by little, steadying her heart.
Once the hugging and comforting were over, one maid said, trying to lift the mood, "Neir, please smile. You’ve dressed up so beautifully."
"..."
Neir followed the maid's words and pulled up the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were weeping, but her lips were smiling. A bizarre expression formed.
"..."
Neir knew it in her head, too. Even though it was a marriage she hated so much, there were parts she had to work on herself. Regardless of her feelings, the marriage had to happen. She understood now. If she sat there looking like she was at a funeral and incurred the hatred of the human mercenary, causing the marriage proposal to fall through, not only would the Blackwood family be destroyed, but countless wolf-kin in the territory would die. And it was clear that Neir would have to bear that responsibility.
Therefore, even if she hated it, she had to cater to the human mercenary to some extent. It was fortunate that they were in the same position. The human mercenary also had to treat her carefully for the sake of his connection to the nobility, and Neir had to accept him for the sake of the territory's people. If she had been sold off to a mercenary corps that lacked nothing, she wouldn't have been able to avoid a more terrible fate. Neir continued to use these trivial facts as comfort, suppressing her heart that refused to move forward.
-Tap...! Tap..! Tap!
The sound of someone running echoed.
"Neir! Haa... haa...!"
"...Laila."
Neir thought it was fortunate that Laila appeared before the meal. She must have brought information about 'Berg'. The other servants who had heard the order given to Laila in the morning also rushed toward the gasping Laila and supported her. The maids asked first.
"Laila! Did you... find out about Berg?"
"Are you okay, Laila? Should I get you some water?"
Laila nodded to the maid who asked the first question and shook her head at the second. Laila flicked her ash-colored tail and quickly approached Neir. She knelt, lightly folding both hands on Neir's lap.
"Neir. Haa... haa... I found out a little about Berg."
"You didn't have to run all the way here. Today is just dinner... and there's still time until the wedding..."
"But it was your request, Neir..."
Neir let out a weak laugh.
"...Thank you, Laila."
At the expression of gratitude, Laila nodded with a small smile, then opened her mouth.
"....That..."
However, Laila hesitated for a long time.
"...So..."
It felt like she was agonizing over how to package the words to deliver them.
"Um... I heard he is very affectionate. And... he is good at, at fighting..."
"..."
"And on top of that... that..."
Neir stopped Laila, who was becoming increasingly gloomy.
"Laila."
"Yes?"
Laila shuddered at Neir's call. Neir calmed Laila and shared her honest heart.
"I said it this morning, too... this is for mental preparation."
"..."
"I want to hear it honestly. I don't want to receive a shock I'm not prepared for. So, tell me exactly what you heard."
Laila's eyes began to wander.
"Um... but all the mercenary members... their mouths are rough and foul... I don't know if they were joking or if they were serious..."
"Tell me exactly what you heard."
Laila hesitated again, then took a breath and spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"...They say he is strict."
Even though she had chosen to hear these stories herself, Neir's heart sank at the fact.
"They say he runs the training so hard that you can't really... live... that he doesn't forgive you even if you beg... that he is a man without mercy..."
A strict and merciless man. Neir engraved that fact into her mind.
"...Right. Anything else?"
"...I heard he is cold. They say that because he speaks so little, there are many times when you can't get a sense of what he's thinking."
A cold and blunt man. It was clear that he would be the exact opposite of her destined partner.
"...Anything else?"
"As a mercenary, they said he is too cruel and terrifying on the battlefield... to the point where even his own side gets scared... Honestly... I heard that there aren't many members who want to join Berg's squad..."
A man so cruel and terrifying that even his fellow humans say so. Something pressed down on her chest. Is she really going to have to marry such a person?
"..."
"...Neir...?"
"...Anything else?"
Seeing that Neir was becoming increasingly distressed, the maid began to hesitate to open her mouth.
"Tell me, Laila."
But Neir pressured her, and Laila eventually had no choice but to open her mouth.
"...They say he hates women... to an excessive degree... to the point where it's pitiful to watch from the side... that... um... no one could approach him..."
"..."
"Neir...?"
"...That's enough."
Neir suppressed the urge to cover her ears in front of the maids. The last words, in particular, shook her greatly. A man whom even his fellow humans call cruel, even hates women. How on earth did she end up connected to such a person? She thought her fate was too tragic. She became afraid that she would be used like a toy. Her father had said the mercenary corps wouldn't treat her poorly... but she didn't know what the reality would be. Hearing stories like this only increased her doubts.
Do mercenaries who live day-to-day think about the future? Perhaps she and Berg were not in a situation where they had to treat each other carefully. Perhaps she was the only one in a situation where she had to cater to the other's whims. Perhaps this marriage was something a wealthy mercenary was entering into just to find a noblewoman to play with. In addition to humiliation, perhaps violence as a target for his anger was waiting for her.
Neir remained silent for a long time. The maids all became quiet as well. Once again, an awkward silence enveloped the room. Neir somehow suppressed her tears. Her makeup was already done; she couldn't shed tears here.
Heavy footsteps broke the silence. Neir could intuit that the time had come. She took a deep breath and stood up. Laila's worried expression followed her. Through the open door, a servant appeared.
"Neir."
"...Yes."
"It is time. Are you ready?"
Superficially, she was ready, but internally, she was not ready at all. However, Neir had no other choice. She just nodded carefully.
****
Neir, who arrived at the dining area, discovered her father and Gidin waiting for her.
"...Father. Brother."
"Neir, you've come."
No one else was visible. It seemed they weren't planning to invite other brothers or officials to the meal. She already knew that they were in a situation where they couldn't afford such things anyway. The table was filled with simple but sincere food that could cover up that simplicity. Gibson looked at Neir steadily. Neir sensed the faint apology contained in his stiff expression. Since their conversation yesterday, it had become much easier for her to read his hidden emotions.
Gidin looked at Neir with a cold expression and said, "Do not commit any rudeness."
"..."
"Having been with him today, he seemed like a quite decent human."
Neir let out a quiet sneer through her teeth. She let Gidin's sarcasm pass through one ear and out the other.
"...I'm sure he is."
"..."
This time, too, Gidin said nothing to Neir's defiance. Neir felt a faint sense of relief at Gidin's silence. It was truly a feeling she couldn't even understand herself. She wanted to be recognized by Gidin, yet at the same time, she hated him. She wanted to pour out her anger, even if only like this. Perhaps she was taking it out on him because the future she had to bear was too heavy.
Gibson cleared his throat gently. At that signal, Neir and Gidin stopped their war of nerves. Everyone took their seats at the rectangular table with natural movements. Gibson at the head, Neir to his left, and Gidin next to him. The two remaining seats on the right were left completely empty.
"I have invited only the leader of the Red Flame Mercenary Corps and his vice-captain, that is, your future husband."
"..."
"The first button is important... so even if it's hard, let's try a little."
Gibson said, looking at Neir. Neir also nodded, showing her intention to follow her father's words. The head butler squeezed through the large door leading to the dining room.
"Master, the leader of the Red Flame Mercenary Corps, Adam, and the vice-captain, Berg, have arrived."
Gibson nodded and stood up from his seat. Gidin stood up, and Neir, too, stood up, calming her trembling heart. Meanwhile, the door swung wide open. Two human men walked in. The person standing a little further ahead was tall and had a smiling face. He showed a smile with a confident stride.
"Lord Blackwood, thank you for the invitation."
And following him, a taller man walked in. Dark, thick hair and eyes. A sturdy body. A handsome face. Numerous scars on his forearms. Rough hands. A stiff expression. A cold atmosphere. It was immediately obvious who 'Berg' was. Perhaps because she had already entered with fear, her heart was pounding so hard it hurt, and her legs were trembling. She was scared. She couldn't believe she had to marry such a person. Her tail curled inward on its own.
The two men approached and first overlapped their hands with Gibson's to shake them. It was a human greeting, a handshake.
"Adam. Berg. Thank you for coming."
The man called Berg was not looking at her. They could have made eye contact, but he didn't even glance at her. *'...They say he hates women... to an excessive degree...'* Laila's words echoed in her head. Neir just clenched her teeth and hid her fear. Next, they shook hands with Gidin.
"Adam, Berg. You must keep your promise."
"The expedition? Of course."
Finally, the turn of the protagonist, Neir, arrived. Adam stepped back, creating space. Berg's head, which had never turned toward her, turned toward Neir. Neir gathered her courage and lifted her face. Their eyes met. Neir looked at the person who would be her husband in the future.
"..."
"..."
Breaking the silence, Berg reached out first. However, unlike the previous handshakes, Berg's hand was facing upward. Neir hesitated for a moment, then slightly twisted her hand and placed it on top of Berg's. Just as she was wondering how to shake hands here, Berg lightly grabbed Neir's hand.
'Ah...!'
Neir let out a groan inside. Soon, Berg moved naturally and pulled the back of her hand to his lips to kiss it. Neir was startled by the sensation of his soft lips and pulled her hand away.
-Snap!
And then, flustered, she began to make excuses.
"Ah...! Um... so..."
But before that, Berg spoke first.
"I apologize. I should have told you it was a human custom first."
"..."
Neir was surprised by Berg's much more polite tone than she had expected and couldn't say anything. Meanwhile, the other party introduced himself.
"My name is Berg."