"Will you be staying with us at the castle?"
Ariellia can see it clearly, the unwelcoming aura rolling off Rei in waves as he asks this through gritted teeth. It's obvious how much he wants his uncle to say no.
Usually, Jasper wouldn't let him get his way so easily, but the older brunette isn't the fool he pretends to be most times. "I'm not foolish enough to stab my own eyes and play third wheel to a married couple. No, I have my own plans. When you're ready to return to the capital, simply have Lady Garrod write the place and time you would like to meet on one of these talismans."
To prove his point, he pulls out a stack of talismans from his chest pocket.
"Oh, my goodness! Are those real transmission talismans? Aren't they expensive?" Her innocent amethyst eyes instantly light up at the sight, grasping the talismans like they're holy relics. Rei can't hide the disbelief on his face as he witnesses her unsightly display of greed. What's so amazing about pieces of paper? He knows a nun at the orphanage that can create them as well. Do they have the same quality as the one before him, no, but that's only because it takes a lot of mana to create them. If he learns how to transcribe them from the nun with his mana that should no longer be an issue, right? He's confident that he can create a quality talisman of his own.
"Don't you have those already at home? Look how much you're drooling." He can't bear to see her fickle nature exposed anymore.
!
Only after she's called out on her actions does she realize how odd it must look to see the daughter of a rich duke openly coveting such items. She quickly tries to conceal her greed, wiping at her face, but her grip on the stack of talismans never loosens. In the eyes of the two Bastions, she looks like a little cunning fox guarding her dear prize, it's quite adorable.
"You don't have to look so guarded, no one will rob you." Rei rolls his eyes, but there's an unseen small smile tugging at his lips.
"Don't be so quick to judge nephew, your bride has good eyes. My talismans aren't the kind you can find in a market or auction house. Mine are branded with my mana, making them impossible to destroy, steal, or use unless I will it. My talismans also offer a bit of protection from normal attacks."
This disloyal woman, the more his uncle says the brighter her eyes become. She's practically frisking him with her eyes, searching for any other treasures he might be hiding in his inventory. Does she think he's dead! For her eyes to be blatantly roving over the body of another male right in front of his face. As her husband, Rei can't bear to watch this shameless display much longer. With quick strides he marches up to her and picks her up by her knees, bringing her into his arms.
"Excuse us!"
He immediately rushes off towards the city. They're close enough to town now anyway.
"…"
Jasper can't help but sigh while shaking his head as he watches the two figures disappear past the horizon. His nephew is a bit silly but at least he grew up to be a decent man.
"I suppose I can visit him later as well while I'm here." He looks off towards the distance, facing a familiar castle as red flames whirl up from his ankles, engulfing his entire body, leaving nothing behind.
Rei keeps carrying Ariellia even when they arrive in town, for some reason he doesn't feel right letting go of her. It seems that for the past few days every time she's out of his sight she gets caught up in something else. He voluntarily carries her in his arms through the crowded streets. The sight makes several towns people stop and stare, shocked by what they're witnessing. Their dark history is so well known around town, seeing them like this is even more shocking to the townspeople than their initial wedding.
This will likely spark another rumor but oddly enough he doesn't care. The same can't be said for Arie though. She's been trying to process his absurd actions this whole time. He smirks a bit as she finally begins to squirm and protest.
"Put me down I say, unhand me you hooligan! I'm a ma-!"
"You're a what?" Rei pauses his steps, looks her in the eye and finds it amusing to see her frozen stiff.
"I-I'm a ma--dam. That's right I'm a madam, how dare you treat me this way!" she weakly tries to counter him, her soft blows doing nothing against his hard muscles.
"Well, I apologize madam. I only thought it might be faster this way. See, we're already home."
"Home?" His words leave her momentarily confused. The home she is familiar with isn't the castle before her.
"Here, you can cover up with this." He offers her his cloak as he gently lets her down from his arms. Rei doesn't understand, in his eyes it looks like her fighting spirit softened at the sight of home. He slowly follows behind her as she walks through the front gates.
"They're back!"
"Thank heavens, our lady has returned!"
It's a chaotic mess as soon as they walk in. Servants and knights rush to surround them as soon as they step onto the castle grounds. Arie wasn't expecting this big of a response to her disappearance. Miranda looks like she could collapse at any minute with large dark circles under her eyes. She completely disregards their roles and rushes to hug Ariellia. She immediately begins weeping.
"My precious lady, you're back. I was so worried I'd never see you again." Despite the real Arie's tyrannical nature, it's touching to see someone who deeply cares about her. Eren doesn't try to stop her, receiving her heartfelt emotions on Arie's behalf. It would be nice if she knew just how loved she truly is.
'Come to think of it, what happened to the soul of the real Arie?' It's a question that plagues her even in her dreams, but then a cold voice interrupts her thoughts.
"Miranda take Ariellia to her room." A solemn command dispels the emotional reunion, causing an uneasy silence to fill the courtyard.
"What?"
Ariellia's startled to see the duke at the top of the steps. It's unclear when he arrived but she can sense something is off about him right away. It might just be a play of the light, but David's face is unusually obscured by shadows. His usually warm demeanor completely stripped away, and in its place is a stiff and unyielding aristocrat with an unsmiling face. At his side is an impressive spear she's never seen before, its presence transforming his aura into something much darker and wrathful. Those narrow amethyst eyes seem to glow in the darkness, gazing down at Rei like a silent judge.
"It's seems me and my son-in-law need to have another talk."
"Father?"