Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

Four hours later, Aya wondered if Jamin would leave her somewhere safe and comfortable if he hadn't changed his mind.Like yesterday, it seemed like she would never be able to dismount because her legs were stiff and sore.She would have liked to ask Jemin to rest for a while, but her competitiveness prevented her. She and Jamin rode together, but they were too fast to talk to each other.The weather today is excellent, with thick woods on both sides of them.Aya asked if he could stop and eat, but Jemin said no, warning Aya that there were bandits in the forest and he didn't want to run into them.

Aya frowned, looking into the dark forest on both sides.Judging from Jieming's tone, it seemed that he was very afraid of encountering bandits.Although she and Fulan have brought him a lot of trouble since he met Jamin, he has always been a good man.Although he had spanked her on her lap once—she would never forgive him—he didn't seem like someone who abused violence; he always seemed to use words instead of weapons.She could imagine Tom and Rice fighting, but she couldn't imagine Jamin fighting. This was one of the reasons why she insisted that Jemin and her father not meet. Someone as gentle as Jamin would never be able to handle Mayboken.Thinking of this, Aya smiled slightly, because if she told Todd this thought, he would definitely say that she looked down on people.He would say that Aya believes that only commoners can make a difference, and that the descendants of nobles will starve to death if they lose their wealth. Aya glanced at the dark forest and rode forward, but after a few minutes, she was killed by two Startled men jumped from the roadside hedge, and one of them grabbed her by the reins. "Hand over the money, if you still want to see the sun tomorrow." The man said, with an evil smile on his ferocious face.

Another bearded villain grabbed Jemin's reins, his tiny eyes gleaming. "Come down!" he said, staring at Jemin's clean black velvet tank top. "Please don't hurt us," said Jemin softly. "We are willing to give anything, as long as you let us go." Aya saw the pistol in the man holding her reins, and felt that the real fear in her life was not the life she wanted to experience in the first place.In fact, "fear" is such a foreign feeling to her that she can't seem to move now. Aya sat blankly on the horse, watching Jemin slowly get off the horse and walked to her side to help her off the horse.

"I like this horse," said a third man's voice behind them—who Aya had no idea was standing there. "I want this horse." "Shut up," Jemin whispered to Aya. In fact, Aya was too scared to speak.What would she and Jaymin do if the bandits took everything?Or what if they decided to kill her and Jamin?She had to think of a way out quickly. "Come here," said the man with the pistol, pointing to the shade. "Come here, rich man, and take all the money out of your pocket." "We have nothing," Jemin's voice was full of fear. "We're just passing by here, please don't hurt us."

Hearing Jemin's voice full of fear, Aya felt very disgusted. Even if Jemin was afraid of them, he shouldn't show it.He should face them firmly. "How dare you attack us!" Aya raised her chin and said loudly. "We are the Queen's envoys, if you dare to move a hair on us, you will die!" She was content to see Jemin and the three bandits stop and watch her, now they'd be running, Aya thought triumphantly. But unfortunately, her words seem to have backfired.They didn't pay attention to her at first, but now the tallest bandit grabbed her waist from behind, and wrapped her other hairy hand around her neck.

"The queen's emissary, isn't it? Then your ransom should be high?" said the man who grabbed her. Aya looked at Jemin in fear, and for a moment, she saw that Jemin was furious at her disobedience. "Actually, we don't know the queen at all." Aya whispered, but no one paid any attention to her. "Take out all the money in your pocket!" the man with the pistol yelled at Jemin. "Hurry up, or she's dead." He turned to Aya, grinning. "However, I will enjoy her first." To her shame, she found her knees were weak.She always hoped that she would be brave when encountering this situation, but these people are too scary, will they kill her and Jemin?

"I don't have any money in my pocket," said Jemin, his voice almost trembling. "Please don't hurt her, she's not sensible and worthless." "I believe there are parts of her that are valuable," laughs the man who holds her tightly, Aya can even smell his bad breath, and to her horror, he begins to lay hands on her. "I've got all my money in my boots," cried Jemin. "If you are willing to spare us from dying, I am willing to give you all the money." That statement made the man with the pistol laugh out loud. "I really love these well-dressed gentlemen, Qian Duo is a coward!"

Aya's heart sank as Jemin bent to touch his boot.Of course he was right to do it, but part of her wished Jamin had some backbone. It all happened so suddenly, so fast that Aya barely saw anything. What Jemin took out of his boot was not a purse, but a dagger she had never seen before. With a quick flick of his wrist, the dagger was thrown at Aya!Aya saw the dagger coming towards her, but it happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that she didn't have time to get out of the way.Fortunately, the dagger missed her and flew past the right side of her head. And in the next second, Jamin pulled out the sword beside him—all gentlemen wear a long sword, but Aya never thought that the sword would be useful; she thought it was just a decorative crystal, but now Jamin He drew out his sword on the ground, and then - just as neatly - stabbed the man with the gun.

Aya's eyes widened in disbelief, seeing the man looking down at the sword piercing his stomach.What he couldn't see (but Aya could) was the point of the sword protruding from his back. The third man standing aside also saw the tip of the sword. He glanced at Aya and the bandit who was holding her, and quickly disappeared into the forest. But Aya didn't move because the man behind her was still holding on to her.Now that Jaymin had killed his companion, what would he do with her? Aya was too scared to speak, and could only watch Jemin draw his sword, and watch the dead man fall to the ground with a bang.When Jemin wiped the blood off the sword and returned it to its sheath, she was still speechless.

Aya didn't speak, and neither did the man holding her.Was he, too, overwhelmed by the sight in front of him? Jemin walked towards her, completely ignoring the man who grabbed her.To her disbelief, he grabbed the man's arm and pulled it away from under Aya's chest. Only then did Aya turn her head and saw the man—he remained in the same posture—with a dagger stuck in his throat.He is dead. "Don't pass out now," Jemin said, pulling the man's hand off her waist. "We must get out of here as soon as possible before their accomplices come." Aya could only stare at Jemin.

Jemin smiled at her and pulled her away because her body was already stiff. "Don't look at me like that, it's just three bandits." Aya didn't know what to say, she never expected that Jemin would behave like that just now, he was like a prince who came out of a fairy tale to save her. "Grab me," Jemin said, amused by her expression. "I think you can't move your legs again." She kissed him impulsively when Jamin bent slightly, letting Aya grab his neck.She kisses hard, kisses to say thank you, and kisses to let Jemin know how she feels for him. It took a long time before Jemin pulled her away, keeping his eyes on her. "Aya," was all he could say, and he kissed her chin and nose. "We have to go." But Aya didn't move, so Jemin lifted her onto the horse, and then onto his own.After prodding her horse forward, the two picked up the pace, and all Aya could do was sit hard in the saddle. When they reached the end of the forest, the sun was almost setting, and they saw an inn where they could spend the night.During these hours of riding, Aya tried her best not to think about what happened, but those images kept flashing before her eyes: the man who grabbed her, his threats, his malicious words. Small eyes... She thought of Jamin throwing the dagger past her ear and into the man's throat, inches from her head. It seemed that the farther they were from the scene, the more afraid Aya felt.Maybe she'd be better off locked up in the May estate, at least there she'd never run into bandits with guns. Finally, when Jemin stopped to help her off the horse, he frowned. "Your face is pale. Come on, go drink a glass of strong wine." He took her shoulders and helped her walk towards the inn, "Aya, it's over, don't think about it anymore, I will protect you Safety." He pushed open the heavy wooden door of the inn, walked into the brightly lit dining room, and a fat woman with a happy expression came to meet him. "Good night," she said brightly, and looked at Aya. "Oh, dear! The lady is hurt. Come on, my dear, sit down, and I'll take care of you." Aya couldn't understand what the woman was saying.She turned her head and saw that her shoulders and neck were covered with blood—must be the man's blood, blood coming from the throat where the dagger had shot.Suddenly everything that happened was vivid again, so real it seemed to block all light. When she passed out, Jemin caught her. When Aya woke up, she saw Jemin sitting on the edge of the bed. There was only one candle lit in the strange dark room, but she could tell that it was almost dawn.She must have slept through the night, and from the weary look on Jemin's face he never left the bedside. Aya opened her eyes wide, smiled at him, and sat up startled, but Jemin pushed her back on the bed. "Missing?" she asked in a low voice. "Yes," said Jemin softly. "All the blood is gone, I cleaned it. I even washed your hair." He looked at Aya's hair lying loose on the pillow, where she usually tied it up during the day, so he didn't get a chance to look at it. , but now her hair was like a soft, shiny cloud. "Why are you looking at me like that? You must think I'm ashamed, don't you? You always think I'm a nuisance, and I've been giving you trouble since I met you." "That's right," Jemin reached out and stroked her hair. "Before I met you, my life was peaceful and normal, but now nothing makes sense or logic." "Are you making fun of me?" Jemin smiled at her. "Of course not," he picked up the bowl and spoon from the table. "The proprietress has cooked a bowl of soup for you, and I want you to drink it." He carefully scooped a spoonful to her lips. Aya burst out laughing. "Oh, Jemin, I'm not crippled." She didn't want Jemin to see her embarrassment, because frankly, no one had figured out that Aya needed someone to serve her.She's proud that she's never been sick, and it's usually her who takes care of others, not her. "Okay," Jemin put down the bowl. "You're healthy, so I'm going to eat my breakfast" From his voice, Aya knew she had broken his heart, but she didn't mean to.She lifted the quilt, jumped out of the bed, and then pressed her forehead with one hand, her whole body was shaking. "Oh, I..." When Jamin didn't rush forward to save her, she opened her eyes and saw the titter on his face. "Go on," said Jemin. "With a bed next to it, you can finish your passout." She laughed. "Oh, Jemin, I'm starving, I don't want watery soup, I want a chunk of beef and two chickens, and—" She paused, as the scene from yesterday afternoon came back to her suddenly, and she Slumped on the bed. "You killed them," she murmured. Jamie sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "That's just a means. I have to do it. I never like killing." Aya turned to him. "I believe you don't like killing people, you are such a good person." "Me what?" "You are so kind to everyone, such as Todd, Fulan, and your subordinates. Everyone likes you." Jemin smiled at her and stood up. "But you know I'm a soldier." "True, but I've always thought of you as riding a horse in a nice dress, and—" Jemin cut her off, laughing too loudly, "get dressed, and I'll go to the kitchen to see what can be Breakfast." He turned to leave, still laughing. Aya got up and grabbed his arm. "No one ever took care of me," she said softly. "But you took care of me. You asked someone to prepare my bath water, prepare my drawings, take care of Todd, and rescued me from the bandits." She stepped on her toes naturally and grabbed his hand neck. "Oh, Jemin, I—" "Aya, please stop talking," he said with pain in his voice. "Please, I can't take it, you don't know my inner struggle. I have to remember my duty to others, please." He firmly removed Aya's hand from his shoulder and pulled her away. open. "Get dressed and go downstairs, I will wait for you downstairs." After finishing speaking, Jemin left.For a moment, Aya felt lost, but then she leaned against the door and smiled.For the past few weeks, it seemed as if her mind had been filled with Jemin. Her dream state lasted only briefly.She looked around and saw Jemin put a dark red woolen dress with black trim on the back of the chair. She quickly put on the dress, and ran downstairs to the toilet, almost knocking over the man who was tidying up. Baggage's Jemin. "Can't stand being apart from me, can you?" he joked. "Actually, you happen to be blocking..." He smiled and stepped aside. "There's a grouse for breakfast," "That saved me a fortune," she shouted, closing the toilet door.When she came out a few minutes later, she saw that Jemin was still packing, so she stepped forward. When something fell to the ground, Aya bent over to pick it up without thinking. "My hat!" she cried. "My mother's hat! Where did you find it? I—" She suddenly remembered where she'd lost it: in Jemin's tent.She looked at Jemin, hoping he wouldn't remember where the hat came from. But from the look on his face, he obviously still remembered.Aya didn't like his expression, because it was full of anger and—well, maybe murderous. "Don't look at me like that?" She took the hat and started to back away. "Aya, what game are you playing? Do you want to taste what it's like to sleep with a man? Like you eat cake after piece?" "I didn't mean to! I saw you walking out and thought maybe I could—" "You didn't even think about it! You lied to me, just like you said that Long Bu would not break the lie!" "I didn't lie to you! I told you I was a virgin." Jemin pushed forward step by step, while she stepped back. "You said your name was Diana, and you had pockmarks all over your face." "I was afraid you would hit me, and that was the only thing I could do." She tried to sound convincing. "No wonder! I gave you time and opportunity to say who you are." Aya's back was against the stable wall, and there was no way she could retreat. "I didn't mean to lie to you, I—I..." "How are you? I'm waiting for your answer!" Aya lifted her chin. "Seize the day," she said defiantly. "I was there, you were there, and there was a chance for a new experience, so I jumped at it. Maybe I'd die the next day or be locked up by my dad, never again opportunity, so I took it." "Your father is dead, remember? Dissolved in lime water, that's what you said. You told so many lies that I can no longer tell which one is the truth." He turned around suddenly and put his hands on his eyes, as if he was thinking about what to do. Aya knew he took honor very seriously. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," she said, putting her hand on his arm. "We should forget about it; I have. If it weren't for the hat, you might never know. You can go and marry your heir—" Jemin raised his head, his eyes changed.He walked towards the stables without a word, Aya close behind. "Jamin?" From his expression, Aya could see that he no longer wanted to talk about it. "Jammin, please say something and tell me you don't hate me. Maybe you do, but I swear it was just a mistake." "Saddle that horse," he said to a sleepy stable boy in the yard. "faster!" Aya saw that it was her horse that Jamin had saddled. "You want to send me away? Leave me alone?" Aya gasped in shock. "Oh, Jemin..." She slumped down on the wooden box full of harness. Jemin stared at her. "When did I ever make you think I was the kind of man who would leave you alone?" He didn't wait for her answer, but walked to his horse, saddled it, and led it out of the stable. "Ready?" He cupped his hands for her to step onto the horse. "Big—it's probably fine." She said helplessly.She wondered where she was going, but she dared not ask.She'd better be obedient and follow along. Thirty minutes later, Jemin rode into the courtyard of a white cottage and told her to wait outside.He came out a few minutes later and said, "Come with me." Aya could only nod, seeing the pastor coming out of the white hut and walking towards the stone church on the hillside.God!Aya thought, he wants to force me to repent and pray for a chance.If I were to really repent of all my sins, I'd probably have to stay here—all day, and starve! When they reached the church door, Jemin stopped to watch her, brushed the twigs off her collar, smoothed her hair, and straightened her dress. "Are you ready?" "What are you ready to do?" Tears were about to fall from her eyes. "Of course marry me! Otherwise, what else can we do?" After speaking, Jemin walked into the church. But Aya didn't follow, but fell down on the bench in the porch.A few minutes later, Jemin sat next to her, holding her cold hand. "It freaks out at the thought of marrying me, doesn't it? I can understand that." "Jamin, stop joking," she forced the words out, "you know I can't marry you." "Aya, the only thing stopping us from getting married is that you really hate me. I guess you don't hate me, do you?" She looked up at Jamin, thinking about her time with him and how he had changed her life.Maybe she fell in love with him the first day she saw him; maybe she switched identities with Fran because she wanted Jamin but desperately wanted to know that Jamin wanted her and not her Father's money; perhaps "loving him" had been the motive of all her actions since meeting Jamin. "Yes, I don't hate you." "I don't hate you either, so go, the priest hasn't had breakfast, and neither have we. Don't hesitate." Jamin stood up holding her hand, but Aya didn't move, so he sat down again. "Don't you want to marry me? You've already agreed to half the men in England. But maybe I'm the only one you don't want to marry." "It's not like that, Jemin, it's—oh, it's about the money." "I see," he said stiffly. "If you think I don't have money, then of course we won't get married. How could I be so thick-skinned?" When Jemin was about to stand up, Aya grabbed his neck and pressed her cheek to his chest. "It's not that you don't have money, but that I won't! If my—my guardian knows I'm marrying without his permission, he'll disinherit me, and I'll be penniless!" "How is it possible?" Jemin said, holding her tightly in his arms. "If you were his daughter, I could still understand your fear, but he is just your guardian, and it is impossible for him to be so harsh on you." Aya left his arms and looked up at him. "If I were his daughter, would you still want to marry me?" "I would like to have his permission, but whether he allows it or not, I must marry you because..." "you mean……" "Yes, my dear wife-to-be, because of that night in the tent." That didn't reassure her, because Jamin admitted that he was marrying her because Aya tricked him into having sex with her, not about love or affection.Apparently, his sense of honor is more important than money. "Anything else?" Jimin asked. "What worries do you have?" "You don't know Mayboken as well as I do. Money gives a man power, power in the world if he wants it. He'll annul a marriage and then bankrupt you." "Maboken is very rich, but this country has laws. Aya, you have been imprisoned for most of your life, and you only have contact with him and the people who work for him. He is indeed rich, but not as you think. So powerful. He can't annul a marriage for no reason, and by the time he finds out, you might be pregnant." "Pregnant?" Seeing her disbelieving expression, Jemin laughed. "It's quite natural. Now, what's the scruple?" "He will take everything from you to hurt you and your family." "Then he might be disappointed because I have nothing for him to take away." "Oh, Jemin," Aya buried her head in her hands. "How are you going to support yourself?" "We!" Jemin said emphatically. "You can live with relatives. The Meng family is a big family. Although they are sometimes noisy, they are very nice and rich. They own so many houses that I don't know what to do with them, so I will ask them to give me a house." , live in two houses." "For me, you are forced to do this kind of thing, just because I sneaked into your tent that night, you have to grovel and go to your relatives." Jamie smiled at her. "It's not that serious," he said—even though Aya was telling the truth. "My relatives did not earn a lot of land by working hard, but by marrying rich girls. Marrying for money is our specialty in the Meng family." "Besides you, you plan to marry a girl with pockmarks all over her face." "That's right," he looked at Aya, stroking her cheek. "That girl has haunted me since that night. Did you know I kept my hat on my chest for days? Including the morning you attacked me." "Which attack?" Aya asked seriously. Jamie smiled. "The morning after spending the night with Diana. I woke up and rummaged through the tent in rage when she wasn't there. I knew she was just a girl destined to be a whore, but I thought she was unique. I Found the hat, wrote to my family and left some money for her. Then I tucked the hat to my chest and looked at the map. For some reason, you jumped at me." "You said I couldn't walk with you!" "Ah, that's why, I remember now." His fingers slid from her cheek to her neck. "How different my life would be without you." "Yes, yes, if you didn't take me with you, you wouldn't have to be forced to marry me now!" "Aya, I was not forced to marry you. No one forced me. Look, no one forced me with a sword. Aya, listen to me: I want to marry you, understand?" Honestly, it wasn't easy for Aya to believe that someone wanted her, she had spent the first half of her life living with people her father hired, and no one genuinely wanted to be her friend.Jemin's sense of honor compelled him to give up the heir--of course, she would never be the heir again when his father learned how disobedient she was.Would Jaymin hate her if he found out that she "used to be" the May heir? Jemin lifted her chin so that she was looking directly at him. "Where did your 'seize the day' go?" "That motto got me in trouble!" Aya said in disgust. Jamie smiled. "Indeed, but I'm very happy with this result. Let's get married now and continue to live together. If your guardian finds a way to annul our marriage, then we will deal with it at that time!" But Jemin thought in his heart: unless I death, otherwise the marriage can never be annulled.But he didn't say it, because he could see that Aya seemed to be afraid of something. "During this time, we enjoyed each other to the fullest," he lowered his voice. "Maybe I'm wrong and you don't like having sex with me?" "Oh, Jemin," Aya said wide-eyed. "I love having sex with you, I love your kisses and touches, your body is so nice to touch, and—" He gave her a tender kiss and sealed her mouth. "It's hard enough telling me to wait until the wedding is over, so please don't add to my difficulty. Listen, if you get married now, we can sleep together at night, or you'll be sleeping on the floor tonight." When Aya looked up at him, her mind and her emotions were at war.She couldn't marry Jemin, she knew that.Even though she was pregnant with Jamin's child, her father would still annul their marriage.For Mayboken, he himself is the law.But if she ended up marrying her buyer as her father wanted, maybe he wouldn't hurt Jemin and his family, and before that, she could have a few days—or even weeks—to be Jaymin. Ming's wife. his wife!Aya thought to herself, a rush of excitement running through her body.She took a deep breath. "I don't like sleeping on the floor." That sentence made the corners of Jemin's mouth twitch slightly. "Let's go, then, the priest is waiting." He stood up and held out his hand to her, and Aya placed his small hand in his.Jemin held tightly, and the two walked into the church together.