Chapter 2
1986 Words
"Where are your parents? Didn't they drop you off before you left with me?"
Samuel didn't get any answer other than a weak nod from Kaila, Samuel's chest felt tight, Kaila was really being thrown away like trash.
"Well, there's no need to worry. Your life after being with me will be much better,’" Samuel said soothingly.
A taxi car came to pick up Samuel and Kaila. Samuel could have used his luxurious private car to pick them up, but he wasn't going to blow his cover that quickly. There was something he had planned.
After arriving in the city, Samuel and Kaila got off at a modest housing estate to. Everything had been planned and he had prepared the props in such a way as to perfect his disguise.
"They should have come with you before this historic day for both of us. But I will always be by your side. Don't lose heart," Samuel said, looking at Kaila who had remained silent all this time.
Kaila knew this was a very sad moment, to be abandoned and handed over to a man she had never known in her life. But Kaila had no other choice, she had nowhere to turn. It was still lucky that Kaila was not treated badly by the man who brought her now.
"Kaila? Are you crying?" Samuel asked Kaila sympathetically.
Before Samuel could wipe away Kaila's tears, Kaila immediately wiped away her own tears and moved away from Samuel.
Samuel just smiled. "Wait, I'll bring you something."
Kaila was silent and did not answer. For her, Samuel's presence was enough to frighten and disturb her. She wasn't very happy about this wedding plan, but she couldn't run away with that horrible face of his.
Samuel then arrived with some medical equipment and natural medicines.
"Allow me to treat you, Kaila. Just so you know, I'm actually a soldier. Yes, I learned a lot of medical stuff there. Although I'm not as great as the famous General Simon, haha, I'm just a lowly soldier, sorry I lied about being an antique dealer," Samuel said as he mixed the medicines.
Kaila was stunned. She hadn't expected a soldier to marry her. She just nodded and still didn't want to talk. But Kaila's heart was hurt again by Samuel's treatment. Didn't it mean that her husband wouldn't accept Kaila's disfigured face either? Kaila felt devastated and even more inferior.
Kaila looked into some corners of Samuel's house, she saw that there were some military features. It convinced Kaila a little that her future husband really was a soldier, whatever his rank was now.
"I don't need it."
Kaila turned her body and kept her distance from Samuel, who saw that she was only looking at Kaila's back. Samuel wanted to tell her who he really was, but he couldn't do that now because he remembered his plan, which had to be done properly.
"I'm sorry if I offended you. I treated you honestly because I wanted to comfort you. No matter what you think, but just so you know that my intentions are good," Samuel said.
Samuel didn't wait for Kaila to be convinced and ready to sit across from Samuel; quickly but gently, Samuel moved in front of Kaila and began to apply his homemade herbal concoction to the wounds on Kaila's face.
"I told you I don't need your treatment," Kaila screamed.
Kaila swatted Samuel's hand violently away, causing the container of the concoction to crash to the floor and shatter, the shards scattering everywhere and nearly injuring Kaila. Samuel quickly protected Kaila and the shards of glass hit Samuel's arm instead.
Seeing this, Kaila was shocked and stunned to see the blood flowing from the wound on Samuel's arm. A feeling of guilt welled up in her chest, but more than that, she was afraid that Samuel would get angry and lose patience because of Kaila's behavior.
"S-Simon... I'm sorry..."
"Are you okay, Kaila?"
Before she could say anything, Simon stroked her head, smoothing her slightly dishevelled hair and checking her body for any injuries. Kaila was stunned. What kind of tenderness was this? All these years she'd been missing it, and now she was finding it from a man she didn't know.
"Kaila, I'll be more careful next time. I'm sorry for forcing you. And again, did this incident hurt you? I'm sorry for being careless," Samuel said.
Kaila was increasingly trapped by her own feelings of guilt. She wanted him to shout at her instead of treating her so gently, which was unfair to her ego and her prejudice against Samuel.
"Why?"
"Hm?" Samuel tilted his head.
"Why are you so stupid? I'm ugly, stupid, useless and so much more. What's in it for you to marry a trash like me? Where is your f*****g common sense? What are you hiding? What's your plan for all this? If you really have a hidden agenda, you better tell me, so I can play along from the start!"
Samuel smiled. "My plan? You already know, so I'll tell you."
Kaila gave Samuel a sharp look. "I guessed it, you're no different from the rest of the bastards."
"Sure, I'm no different from any other man. I want to have a home, a wife and some children who call me daddy," said Samuel. "My plan, which I have been preparing for a long time, is to have a romantic and warm life. That is why I am using you to smooth out my plan. So play along with me. You have to do this with me for the rest of your life, do you understand?"
Kaila did not understand, she just clucked and snorted angrily. She felt defeated, she could not predict Samuel's decisions and thoughts. Now Kaila decided to admit defeat and was persuaded by Samuel's gentle behavior towards her.
"Stop bluffing, I've had enough. Put a bandage on your hand before it dries up. Not that I care about you, this is just my way of apologizing," Kaila said.
Samuel chuckled. "All right, but you have to do one thing for me to forgive you."
"Condition? I knew you were someone who would take advantage of others," Kaila said curtly.
"Right, the condition is that you accept all the treatments I give you every day. All the treatments I give you cannot be refused without exception. That's the only condition for accepting your apology," Samuel said.
Kaila glared sarcastically, hissing softly and looking pensive. She had been rude and impolite to Samuel, but suddenly her melancholy expression changed.
"OK, you win," Kaila said with a softened expression.
*****
"I think this man is a wizard," Kaila said to the mirror.
Over and over Kaila said the same word, stunned, holding her face, then cursing in amazement. She couldn't think what Samuel had done to her to change her appearance so drastically.
Kaila's face looked very beautiful, there was not a single wound to detract from her beauty, unlike when she was first brought to this house by Samuel, Kaila's face now looked like the most beautiful princess in a fictional kingdom.
"I'm glad you're back with your confidence," Samuel said, standing in the doorway.
Kaila hissed. She didn't like Samuel's sudden arrival like a ghost, but it always reminded her that Samuel was indeed a skilled and experienced soldier.
Instead of scolding Samuel like before, Kaila lowered her face and tried to say something.
"I still don't understand why you are so kind to a stranger like me. But one thing I'm sure of is that I owe you a lot. I thought you were just looking for something to trample on and make fun of, looking for a weak girl from the village. But you have been more than an angel," Kaila said. "Thank you, Simon. I suppose... I should say yes to your proposal."
Samuel's face warmed, a smile spreading across his face. This was what Samuel had been waiting for, even though it was just a way of repaying Kaila for her help ten years ago, but Samuel felt he was starting to want more than just repayment.
The two of them embraced, Kaila slowly melting away, wanting to be close to Samuel with intense distance. They looked very harmonious now.
"I don't understand what you put in your potion. I've tried dozens of treatments and nothing ever worked, but with your help I was cured in less than a month. I doubt you are a soldier, are you a god?" Kaila asked.
Samuel chuckled. "If I were a god, I would have done more than that."
In his mind, Samuel said, 'Of course the treatment worked, I got the potion far away from Mount Eramour. A mountain that is even called cursed because it often does not return, but for the sake of obtaining a rare plant for your treatment, then I will do anything despite the hardships. I will not disgrace my rank as the strongest general in the world.'
A few days later, a simple, romantic and holy wedding took place in a church in Bevrim City. It was attended only by paid witnesses hired by Samuel and a priest to legalize their marriage. Samuel didn't want the military to know about his marriage. The reason Samuel thought this was to minimize any unexpected crimes Kaila might experience.
"You may kiss now."
A sacred kiss signaled that Samuel and Kaila were joined in marriage. It was a simple event, but it turned out that Samuel and Kaila each felt it was the best wedding in their version.
The event didn't last long as there weren't many guests and Samuel and Kaila didn't want to be too tired today. After the ceremony was over and they had signed the marriage certificate, they went straight back to their home.
Samuel and Kaila walked out of the church with their hands still together, wearing beautiful wedding dresses and smiles on their faces. As they walked down the stairs, two men with serious expressions were waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
Samuel and Kaila didn't seem to expect them to be the ones waiting for Samuel, but he already knew they were coming.
"Sorry, Mr Simon. We need your time for a private conversation."
The two men signaled with eye movements and also tapped their fingers at their sides, a cipher often used by military experts to exchange manually encrypted information. From this gesture, Samuel immediately understood that the two men were members of the world's secret military, just like him.
"Why have they come here? This is a very bad time for this." Samuel thought.
"Congratulations on your marriage, Mr Simon. But I apologize in advance as our arrival is necessary to convey some information that we must report to you," one of the two men said.
Samuel looked at Kaila, who understood and nodded. Even though Kaila was already Samuel's wife, Kaila understood that she had certain limitations within the prerogatives of the military.
"What information has brought you here at such a time?" Samuel asked.
"Forgive us, General. But we have brought you the results of our previous mission. Information about the parties involved in the confrontation that led to the m******e of the Wrietler family ten years ago. The main perpetrator or mastermind of the crime was the Devil Eyes, an organization that opposed the Wrietler family because of the Wrietler family's background as accomplished law enforcers. The existence of Devil Eyes members is well hidden and spread throughout this country, including the city of Bevrim where you are currently undercover."
Samuel's face looked very serious and implied an immense desire for revenge. His hands were clenched tightly and filled with anger.
"In that case, you should be careful with your wife, Sir," the man said.
Samuel narrowed his eyes in surprise. "Be careful with my wife? What do you mean?"
- Writer
