Skadi, My Wife

Exusiai had once complained that being stared at by Schwarz felt like having a gun aimed at her. It made the back of her neck go cold.

Ceylon was even more obvious. From beginning to end, she had always been extremely affectionate toward Schwarz—more affectionate than even the closeness between Texas and Exusiai, who could be considered girlfriends. It was practically as if she saw Schwarz as an older sister.

Yet the two of them were not particularly close.

More precisely, Schwarz was not particularly close to Ceylon.

Though her gaze at Ceylon was gentle, her attitude toward her was far too polite. The distance between them was obvious.

Others might not have noticed such things, but Chen An could.

He could even tell that Schwarz had not merely been a bodyguard. She had also been an assassin, or something similar, because her eyes were sometimes simply too cold.

Chen An had seen that sort of gaze—the gaze of someone who killed without batting an eye and regarded human lives as nothing—far too many times.

Not to mention anything further back. During those days when he had lured Lappland home and tried to fatten her up, she would occasionally reveal that same look.

He had also noticed that Schwarz had been active in Ursus before. She had scars on her body, scars caused by weapons only used in Ursus. Those weapons should have been obsolete by now. The scars were still fresh, so she had clearly been in Ursus within the past few years.

And he had guessed why Schwarz clearly regarded Ceylon as important, yet still kept her at a distance—what other reason could there be besides feeling inferior after experiencing too much darkness and believing she should not get too close to Ceylon?

Could it be because she thought Ceylon's chest was too small to qualify as a friend to someone as busty as herself? What a joke.

Chen An had seen through many of Schwarz's secrets, but he had always pretended not to know and told no one.

Even toward Schwarz herself, he remained amicable, treating her like any ordinary person.

But his ignorance had only ever been an act.

Now, Ceylon was angry at Schwarz because of his unintentional mistake, while Schwarz refused to explain herself. If he kept playing dumb and acted as though he knew nothing, that would be far too inappropriate.

Besides, Ceylon had already exchanged names with him, so they could barely be considered friends.

Leaving aside that the matter had started because of him, even if it had nothing to do with him in the first place, wasn't helping a friend ease their worries and lift their spirits only natural?

Once he thought of it that way, it immediately seemed perfectly reasonable. Chen An nodded solemnly, pulled a bag of sunflower seeds from his sleeve, and began cracking them while watching the show.

A little argument was good. A little argument was good.

Based on Chen An's experience, if nothing unexpected happened, Ceylon and Schwarz's relationship would probably remain deadlocked like this forever.

But if there was a small accident—like now—and Ceylon exploded a little, clashed with Schwarz a little, and they took the opportunity to clear some things up, then their relationship would probably ease right away.

Thinking it would be better to watch for a while, let Ceylon and Schwarz have a little conflict, and give them a chance to talk things out, Chen An kept cracking seeds and stayed put.

Though much had been said, very little time had actually passed. Ceylon was still questioning Schwarz sorrowfully.

"Schwarz, you weren't like this before. Why have you become like this?"

Schwarz said nothing.

"Aren't we friends? Schwarz, aren't we friends?!"

Tears welled in Ceylon's eyes as she shouted, "I've always considered you my most important friend, Schwarz. I wanted you to consider me your friend too, just like before. But why? We only haven't seen each other for a few years, so why have you become so unfamiliar? You kept things from me. You never would have done something like that before!"

Schwarz lowered her head and said quietly, "It was the master's order, Miss. I am only a servant of the Dorcos Family."

"You're not allowed to say that!"

Ceylon cried out emotionally, "You're not some servant! You're my friend, family who grew up beside me! Only when you were by my side did I never feel that anything was missing! Schwarz, in the years Father made you leave me, what exactly did you go through to become like this?"

"Some dark and unpleasant things, perhaps."

Thinking the timing was just right, Chen An, still cracking sunflower seeds, joined the conversation. "And I think Miss Schwarz sees you as a friend too, because only when she looks at you do her eyes show any emotion."

Ceylon: "..."

Schwarz: "..."

Finally remembering that someone else was beside them, they both looked at Chen An. Then they noticed the bag of sunflower seeds in his hands, and their gazes involuntarily settled on it. Their expressions both became a little strange.

Chen An: "..."

His seed-cracking motion froze, and he calmly stuffed the bag into his wide sleeve.

Shamelessly pretending nothing had happened, Chen An said seriously, "Ceylon, you are a young lady with a bright future. As for Miss Schwarz... well, I don't know exactly what she went through in the past, but she must have experienced some dark things."

"Because she went through dark things, she feels unworthy of standing beside someone from the light—especially someone important to her. The reason Miss Schwarz acts so coldly toward you is probably because of that."

"Miss Schwarz, Ceylon sees you as a true friend. Why would a true friend care whether her friend's past was dark or not? If you were in Ceylon's place, do you think you would care about such things?"

Chen An looked wistful as he gazed at Schwarz and spoke earnestly. "Sometimes, you need to put yourself in someone else's shoes. If Ceylon distanced herself from you under the excuse that it was for your own good, how would you feel? Miss Schwarz, what you believe is good for Ceylon is actually hurting her. Do you understand?"

Schwarz opened her mouth, then turned her head and stared blankly at Ceylon.

Ceylon met her gaze, tears once again appearing in her eyes. "Chen An is right. I don't care about those things. I only know that you're my best friend. I want you to become like you were before and treat me as your best friend."

"Miss..."

Schwarz pressed her lips together. The tail wavering uncertainly behind her gradually relaxed and fell, much like her current mood.

"I'm truly sorry."

She said softly, "I never expected my actions to trouble you this much, Miss."

"So Schwarz is still my friend, right?"

Schwarz replied firmly, "I have always been Miss's friend."

"Well said!"

Chen An applauded. He stepped forward, took Schwarz's hand in one hand and Ceylon's in the other, then placed their hands together and solemnly announced—

"I hereby declare that Ceylon and Miss Schwarz have cleared up their misunderstanding and are united in holy matrimony. From today onward, you are family."

Ceylon: "..."

Her face flushed red, and she stamped her foot as she shouted, "Why are you using such weird words? Schwarz and I are just friends!"

Schwarz looked at Chen An's hand holding both hers and Ceylon's. Her eyes narrowed, and her gaze gradually sharpened.

A bad feeling suddenly rose in him, but Chen An had no time to think about it now.

He had finally managed to confuse Ceylon. If he did not press his advantage and find an excuse to make his escape, what if she stubbornly asked him to persuade her father again?

Though she should know by now that her father did not need persuading, it was better to be careful, wasn't it?

"Don't worry about the details!"

With a hearty wave of his hand, Chen An pressed down on Ceylon's shoulders and pushed her toward the other end of the road, continuing to fool her as he did.

"It's getting late. How dangerous is it for two young ladies like you and Miss Schwarz to be out without going home? And your misunderstanding has just been resolved, so hurry home and talk some more. Have a heart-to-heart and strengthen your bond."

Ceylon was pushed home by Chen An in a daze. Even after she and Schwarz returned home, her mind was still a little muddled.

Wait... wasn't I supposed to be looking for Chen An tonight because I had something to do? Why does it feel like I came home without even saying what it was?

When Are You Two Getting Married? (Chin in Hand)

Time: Seven in the morning.

Location: The second-floor living room at home.

Skadi sat quietly on the carpet while Chen An stood behind her, combing her hair.

Skadi's hair was exceptionally long, reaching her thighs when she stood. As she sat on the floor, it spread around her like a blooming flower.

Though Skadi's hair was long, it was not difficult to comb. Its quality was excellent and incredibly smooth; even if one simply ran a hand through it, it would glide through from top to bottom with ease.

"Chen An, I'm hungry~~"

While Chen An combed Skadi's hair, Exusiai suddenly let out a half-dead wail. Her head rested on Chen An's thigh as she lay on the carpet.

"So hungry, so hungry, so hungry, Chen An, I'm so hungry."

Letting out another weak cry like a dying struggle, Exusiai rolled the head resting on Chen An's thigh from side to side twice.

"If you're hungry, go make something yourself. The kitchen is downstairs."

Without pausing his hands, Chen An said irritably, "You barely have any meat on you, but you're hungry again not long after breakfast. Are you a pig?"

Exusiai did not want to bicker with Chen An. Wanting food, she muttered unwillingly, "I don't care. I want to eat. Hurry up and make me something, hurry~"

Chen An pretended not to hear.

Exusiai muttered again, "I don't want to make my own food. It doesn't taste good. I want what you make."

Unable to endure Exusiai's fussing any longer, Chen An stopped combing Skadi's hair and tapped Exusiai on the forehead with the comb. "Shut up, brat. If you really don't want to cook for yourself, wait for Texas. Once she gets changed and comes out, ask her to make something for you."

"I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to."

If her head had not been resting on Chen An's thigh, preventing her from rolling around, Exusiai would probably have turned into a ball and started rolling across the floor by now.

"Texas's cooking isn't as good as yours either. Sometimes she even makes weird things. Have you ever seen fish die with their eyes open? She says it's called Stargazy Pie, a specialty dish of Columbia and Victoria. I don't want to eat that stuff. I don't even want to see it. No, no, no!"

Chen An: "..."

Looking down at Exusiai, who was rubbing hard against his thigh while shaking her head back and forth, Chen An suddenly felt troubled.

Did this Exusiai lose so badly in games last night that her brain short-circuited? How did she suddenly become so childish after one night apart? She keeps shouting no, no, no. Does she think she's only ten years old?

After thinking for a moment, Chen An decided this would not do and helplessly compromised. "Fine, fine. I really can't do anything with you."

Exusiai was overjoyed and sprang upright. "Are you going to make food for me?"

She happily raised one hand. "Apple pie, fruit pie. I want those."

"No."

Chen An calmly said, "I'm not planning to make you food. I simply think you're being too lively right now, so when Texas comes over later, I plan to tell her that you said her cooking was bad and that everything she makes is dark cuisine."

"...I never said that!"

Her expression stiffened for a moment. Exusiai glared furiously at Chen An, then reached out, grabbed him by the neck, and began shaking him hard.

"I only said the food in places like Columbia is weird! I never disliked Texas's cooking! You frame me at the drop of a hat, and you even do it in front of Ale herself! Die! Die!"

Exusiai's real name was Lemuel, and Ale was her nickname. Exusiai was merely her codename. Though she had used her codename ever since leaving Laterano, when she got worked up, she would sometimes blurt out both her nickname and real name.

Incidentally, Chen An, Skadi, and Texas all knew Exusiai's real name. But they had grown accustomed to calling her by her codename, so they generally still called her Exusiai—just as Exusiai herself did.

Chen An ignored berserk Exusiai and continued combing Skadi's hair.

Skadi turned around with an adorable expression. "Chen An, Ale said she's hungry. If you won't make food for her, let me do it."

After thinking for a moment, she added excitedly, "I can cook noodles. Ale will definitely like them."

Ever since Exusiai had left Lungmen with them, Skadi's way of addressing her had changed from Exusiai to the more intimate Ale. Not only her form of address, but her attitude had become much closer as well.

Back in Lungmen, Skadi would never have wanted to wreak havoc on the kitchen just because Exusiai said she was hungry.

Chen An said nothing. He merely looked at Skadi with an expression that said, What kind of grudge do you have against kitchens?

After looking at her for a while, he coldly refused. "No. This is someone else's house. We're only staying here temporarily, and we can't afford to compensate them if you wreck the kitchen."

Skadi was somewhat unwilling. "I definitely won't break the kitchen this time. I promise."

Promise? If promises worked, would the kitchen back in Lungmen have sacrificed itself so many times?

Chen An gave a cold chuckle. "I remember that aside from the first few times, when I didn't know you had a grudge against kitchens and carelessly let you into one several times, you always made this same promise afterward. And what happened? Bang! Crash! Clang!"

Imitating the sounds of things colliding, he gave his conclusion expressionlessly. "In the end, the kitchen always met a heroic sacrifice, and then you would stand there looking innocent while making me clean up the mess."

Skadi: "..."

Certain that her wish to enter the kitchen and battle with her superb culinary skills had been dashed, Skadi turned back dejectedly and said nothing.

Exusiai had been shaking Chen An by the neck for ages, yet he had not shown even the slightest discomfort, let alone given her any face. Instead, he had been casually lecturing Skadi.

Exusiai's face reddened with fury. She was beyond enraged.

What does this mean?! Am I really that lacking in presence? I've been choking and shaking Chen An for nearly two minutes, yet he hasn't acknowledged me even once! It's like I don't exist... damn it! Even if Ale often loses face, I still need some face, okay?!

"How dare you look down on the great Ale! I'll strangle you to death!"

Changing methods of murder, Exusiai wrapped an arm around Chen An's neck and gritted her teeth as she tried to strangle him.

Chen An let out a miserable cry. "Ow, ow, ow! Ale, go easy! The back of my head hurts!"

"Ale is strangling your neck. Why would the back of your head hurt?"

"Idiot! Ale is a flat-chested washboard. Wouldn't it hurt if the back of your head rubbed against a washboard?"

Exusiai: "..."