Violet Zerotta's Hasty Marriage - Chapter 20
III.
Half a day later, the two had completely left the village of Saint-Loure. They had truly left.
Though her body was in shambles from their unexpected first night in three years, the feeling of departure was still refreshing. Violet felt a bittersweet mix of relief and regret.
But that sentiment didn’t last long.
Before much time passed, Violet began squirming endlessly, uncomfortable and sore in an unspeakable area. Her whole body ached as a bonus, especially the inner muscles of her thighs, which were so tight that every time the horse moved, it hurt.
Aldrick, seeing her like that, was overcome with guilt.
“If you were going to be this sorry, then why’d you torment me so much?”
Seeing him flustered made Violet feel mischievous, and she grumbled. The more she did, the more at a loss Aldrick seemed.
“I’m sorry. Really, I didn’t mean to… I’ll control myself and be more careful from now on. I wasn’t in my right mind last night.”
He looked utterly dejected, like a boy who’d been scolded harshly. At his pitiful appearance, Violet let out a silent laugh.
Where did last night’s tyrant go, I wonder.
Still, seeing how down he was, Violet’s irritation gradually faded.
Honestly, I’m too soft-hearted for my own good, she thought.
“That’s enough. Why are you apologizing so much? It’s not like you committed a crime, so stop saying sorry. I agreed to it too. Though… I didn’t expect you to be that persistent.”
“…Sorry.”
“I said stop, didn’t I?”
“…Okay. Sorry for that, too.”
“Let’s just stop talking.”
Sensing Violet’s softened tone, Aldrick, sitting behind her, tightened the arm he had wrapped around her waist ever so slightly.
“You really like hugging, don’t you? Hm?”
Just like a puppy, she almost said aloud but swallowed it at the last moment.
“Do you not like it?”
“No, I don’t dislike it exactly…”
Up until now, she hadn’t really thought about whether she liked it or not. There had been no one other than Aldrick who had ever held her properly.
If she had to think about it, his touch leaned toward the good side.
“…Then last night? Did you hate it?”
His low voice in her ear as he hugged her from behind sent a strange feeling down her spine.
Trying not to think about it in that direction, Violet replied,
“No, not that I hated it… It was just unfamiliar, and… kind of difficult. You were too overwhelming…”
“I see…”
He fell into thought for a moment before speaking again.
“I… I really lost my mind because I was so happy. I got carried away and forgot to restrain myself. I’ll be more careful from now on, really. So please… don’t hate me…”
“I didn’t hate it. We just need time to get used to each other, that’s all.”
Comforting him—though she wasn’t sure why he needed comforting—Violet reached back and interlaced her fingers with his hand around her waist.
Though she couldn’t see his face, she could tell without looking that his face had turned bright red again.
***
The journey with Aldrick was smooth.
Now and then, they ran into wild animals in the woods or encountered thugs in unfamiliar villages, but before Violet could even say anything, Aldrick took care of them effortlessly.
Sometimes they stayed in villages along the way, but often they would travel for days without rest.
Riding the horse together for long hours, they inevitably ended up talking.
Mostly about trivial things.
Aldrick would sometimes talk about his time on the battlefield, but only when Violet asked. He never brought it up on his own.
On some days, Violet would take the lead and tell him about how she’d lived while he was away. He seemed genuinely curious about her life and deeply apologetic.
One day, Violet even asked Aldrick about the grave she had found in the yard.
“Oh, that. It’s the grave of a dog I lived with for a while. It really was just a short while. I don’t know what was wrong, but it slowly got sicker and died.”
“That must’ve been hard for you…”
“Not really. I was more used to being alone. I actually realized that having someone and losing them hurts more than never having them at all.”
His voice was emotionless, and that made Violet’s heart ache all the more.
He’s just like me, and yet so different too.
It felt like all the loneliness of his life was packed into that one sentence.
“But you’re different. You’re the only one who stayed by my side. Marrying you might be the only good thing that’s ever happened to me. So you can never disappear.”
At times like this, Violet could really feel Aldrick’s young age. He was like a boy starved for affection. Of course, Violet hadn’t received much affection either, but for some reason, she wanted to give it only to him.
“Still, I was kind of touched when I saw that grave. It meant you didn’t take the ones who stayed by your side lightly—even if it was just a little dog. If I died, it’s good to know someone would at least bury me properly.”
