The Reason for Marriage

It wasn’t until he’d made her semi-unconscious that he grinned and swept her hair back, “It’s already late. Should we sleep now?” Not waiting for her reply, he laid her head down on his arm, using it as a pillow for her, and maneuvered his body until he was comfortable against her. Short kisses were planted on her forehead, cheeks, and the tip of her nose, as he hugged her gently.

Iveca was unable to say anything, and she feared asking him if he knew that she’d taken the birth control pill. Taking birth control pills in September last year meant that one had affairs with other men in the days that followed. And now, he’d caught her and Anriq together in the middle of the night.

She knew well enough that his attitude of ignoring all these situations was strange. She would prefer that he screamed and got angry, or even asked her what had happened, so she could at least make an excuse of sorts to defend herself. The atmosphere was so bizarre that it was difficult for her to even bring up the story. Nevertheless, Iveca remained in his arms.

She pondered about the frustration she’d felt earlier when she had been so overwhelmed with fear that he would never say sweet words with his usual gentle eyes again. Strangely enough, she was desperate for Daniel’s warmth.

“Your… Your Highness. It was his first time at the palace. I will never see him again. It is just a misunderstanding and nothing happened.”

“I know.”

The answer was short and Iveca realized that he had no longer wanted to talk about this issue. She had no choice but to stop talking, as she was desperate for the warmth of his body and his strong arms that held her so tightly.

Anriq had said, “His Majesty was looking for the missing woman. Do you think His Majesty will still say such a sweet thing to you when she comes back?” The words were stuck in her head but even if that became a reality one day, and she was abandoned by him, she didn’t care, she just wanted to be hugged by him today. “Love, it’s love”, Daniel had said, and even if she couldn’t believe the words, “I love you”, that he’d repeated to her, they still made her heart pound and she couldn’t help but feel smitten as he put his lips on her forehead.

“Sleep well.” His voice was sweet. There was a feeling that could only be acknowledged in the face of a crisis and Iveca thought that she couldn’t have this kind of moment again, since Anriq urged her to divorce him.

When she thought back, it hadn’t taken long for her to sink into a deep sea. No one jumped into the sea just to get out again quickly. If you were already possessed by the sea, you had to feel the waves clinging to your body, and you’d be swept away by the waves and would have to split the water until your limbs stiffened. And even if it meant that one day she’d drown, she didn’t want to let go of the only warmth that surrounded her now. Just because she couldn’t believe that he loved her, didn’t mean that she couldn’t love him. Ironically, she could only understand her feelings when he spoke about love.

“Iveca,” Daniel spoke softly.

“Yes.”

“As you may have noticed, I am not a particularly good person. I’m a selfish man that is capable of secrets and silences, perhaps some tricks and lies too. It’s hard to tell whether I still have something to hide from you.”

“It, it’s alright,” Iveca stuttered in a whisper. “You are in a high-ranking position so I can understand.”

“Well, you’ve now said you understand. I won’t forget that, so don’t get too angry later.”

Iveca nodded quietly wondering what he was referring to when he’d said “later”, but she took it as a sign that he wouldn’t talk about it now.

“Can I tell you a secret?” A low whisper reached her ear. The voice filled with bitterness as he tried to mock himself. “I killed my nephew.”

Iveca bit her lower lip so hard that she drew blood. Nephew? But Gisele is alive and well. It was probably the unborn baby in the womb of Princess Ashe, whom an official from the Bureau of Investigation told her secretly. She held her breath for a moment.

“Even though that night, I fell asleep with quite a different thought, at the meeting the very next day, I smiled and treated everyone as per usual.” Daniel hugged her tightly as she was unable to answer. “Iveca, no matter what happens, I am not going to be cold to you, because I love you so much, even too much for doing that. So don’t worry about that. But Anriq Renka is different.”

Iveca bit her lower lip tightly again, feeling a sting from the rawness of where she’d drawn blood earlier. Beneath his friendly tone was a clear warning, “If you don’t want to see an old friend get hurt, cut him off. I respect you, but basically, you are mine. I didn’t know that I could be this possessive.”

Reflexively, she nodded frantically as they cuddled up as if they were the best couple in the world, and they stayed up all night with their eyes closed.