The System fell completely silent for a long, heavy mont.
’[I am recording this,]’ it finally announced, its robotic voice dripping with pure spite. ’[I am logging this exact conversation, and I am going to play it back directly into Samuel’s brain the next ti you have the audacity to call him a ’horny male.’]’
Heena finally tore her eyes away from the bathhouse just long enough to direct a fierce glare at the empty air. "You wouldn’t dare. I am doing this for our survival! How can I protect myself if I don’t know—"
"Know what, exactly?"
The deep, horribly familiar voice ca from directly behind her.
Heena froze. The taphorical blood drained instantly from her face, leaving her entirely motionless in the dirt.
Standing on the stone path just behind her perfectly chosen camouflage bush was Samuel. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his head tilted slightly, and an expression on his face that was equal parts sheer disbelief and dark, dangerous amusent.
’[Oh, look at that,]’ the System chid in cheerfully. ’[The consequences of your own actions.]’
The servant walking behind Samuel—his personal guard and close confidant—was trembling slightly.
He had ’never’ seen his master in such a state of cold, controlled rage.
The air around Samuel felt glacial, dangerous. His usual composed scholarly deanor had been replaced by sothing far more lethal.
’The mistress is going to have a really hard ti tonight,’ the servant thought nervously.
On the other hand, Heena was blissfully unaware of the storm brewing.
She had spent the entire day conducting her own investigations, gathering final pieces of evidence, making arrangents with bribed servants, and generally avoiding Samuel after their... extensive afternoon activities.
It was only late at night when she finally returned to their quarters, yawning widely.
She looked refreshed despite the long day, still casually munching on so dried apples as she pushed open the door to their room.
The mont she entered, she felt a distinct coldness—the kind of atmospheric chill she’d beco very familiar with over multiple lifetis.
This was the sa coldness you felt when soone was deeply, dangerously angry.
Heena’s survival instincts imdiately kicked in.
She turned around to rush back out the door when suddenly Samuel’s hand shot out from the darkness, grabbed her wrist, and ’pulled’ her back inside.
The door slamd shut behind her.
Because there was no electricity in this world, when night fell only dim oil lamp light remained. And because there were no glass windows—only traditional paper screens—when those screens were closed, so light could filter through but visibility was severely limited.
The room was cast in deep shadows, with Samuel’s figure barely visible in the darkness.
From behind her, Samuel spoke up, his voice deceptively calm: "Ah, so how was your investigation today, wife?"
Hearing that loaded question, Heena trembled slightly.
She knew imdiately that this bastard had definitely found out about ’sothing’ she’d done.
But so what? If she simply didn’t ’accept’ that she’d done anything wrong, what could he prove?
Heena turned to look at where she thought he was standing and said with forced cheerfulness, "Oh, you’re back already, dear husband! I didn’t expect you ho so early!"
"Mmhm," Samuel replied, his tone still dangerously mild. "I’ve actually been back for quite a while. Waiting."
Hearing that ominous statent, Heena looked in his direction and said quickly, "Oh, well, I’m so tired!"
She exaggerated a huge yawn, covering her mouth.
"I’m absolutely exhausted! I’m going to go straight to sleep now. I have so much work to do tomorrow—"
She started walking toward where she rembered the bed being, trying to escape this confrontation.
But Samuel just smiled slightly in the darkness—a smile she couldn’t see but could sohow ’feel’.
As Heena moved past him toward the bed, he suddenly reached out, grabbed her by the waist, and in one smooth motion ’pinned’ her down onto the sleeping mat.
Her back hit the bedding with a soft thud, Samuel’s weight settling over her, trapping her completely.
His hands captured both her wrists, holding them firmly above her head.
Samuel looked at Heena with a disarming smile and said, "So, how was it, wife?"
Hearing that seemingly innocent question, Heena trembled slightly and replied with an overly bright, fawning smile, "What are you talking about, husband?"
Samuel looked at her steadily and said, "You were working all morning and afternoon, weren’t you? So what exactly was this ’work’ you were doing?"
Heena’s mind raced as she said quickly, "Oh, I was so tired, you know! I was working hard—helping the cook in the kitchen, cleaning our room thoroughly, and I was also teaching so of the servants how to properly plant flowers in the garden!"
Samuel looked at her thoughtfully and said, "Oh, is that so? But wife, if I’m not mistaken, sothing rather ’funny’ happened today."
Heena looked at him, and she knew imdiately that whatever this bastard was about to say was NOT going to be funny. At least not for her.
But she maintained her innocent expression and said, "Oh? What funny thing happened?"
Samuel looked at her with that sa mild smile and said, "You know, when my guards were doing their patrol rotations today—you know, the guards that work at the main gate, the few we have employed—they told that it felt like soone was ’staring’ at them quite intently."
Hearing that, Heena imdiately avoided his eyes and said quickly, "Oh, how strange! What an unusual occurrence!"
Samuel released her hand and said, looking at her with growing amusent, "Uh-huh. And do you know what the ’really’ funny part was?"
He actually laughed a little.
Heena looked at him warily and said, "What?"
Samuel’s smile widened as he said, "Well, I happened to be there too. Just behind that large tree in the courtyard. Observing."
At that revelation, Heena felt her soul literally leave her body.
’Oh no. Oh NO.’
Her waist was already hurting from their earlier activities. She had no strength left, no energy reserves to deal with whatever punishnt this literal bastard was going to devise.
Because she KNEW this man was such a petty, vengeful person that he would never let even the smallest grievance go unpunished.
She looked at him and said with forced enthusiasm, "Oh, really? Wow, such an interesting coincidence!"
Samuel looked at her and said, "Yes! And even MORE interestingly—"
Heena looked at him nervously. "What?"
"I found YOU," Samuel said slowly, "lying in the bushes. Looking quite... ’intently’. At the guards. At their physiques."
His smile took on a sharper edge.
"So I wanted to ask you—are you perhaps a physician? Because even if you were, I don’t recall asking anyone to examine my household guards for dical fitness."
He tilted his head.
"Secondly, are you so kind of physiologist or anatomical scholar? Because the way you were looking at those n... well, it reminded of a hungry wolf observing prey."
He paused dramatically.
"But that can’t be possible, right? After all, why would such a good, humble, traditional, devoted wife like you be ogling other n? I must have been mistaken about what I saw."
Hearing that absolutely damning recitation, Heena knew she was completely done for.
She knew this bastard was NOT going to let this go easily.
So she just raised her hand in surrender and said flatly, "Enough with the nonsense. Just tell what you want."
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