Chapter 2

　　Tsk, and I had been doing so well, keeping him calm. These unwelcome guests were about to undo all her hard work.

　　“Jayden,” she said, carefully taking his arm. She could feel his agitation thrumming through him. His deep blue eyes smoldered, and his muscles twitched, ready to lunge and tear them all apart. “You promised not to get angry, remember?”

　　Calm down. Let’s solve this with words, she conveyed with a gentle smile, patting his arm lightly. The muscles that had been coiled to strike slowly relaxed at her touch. As his ferocious aura subsided, the tension in the air dissipated.

　　“I am not angry…” he replied, his voice as meek as the lamb she had taught him to be.

　　Good boy. That’s right. Once he had his emotions completely under control, Elena praised him with a smile in her eyes. Normally, she would have rewarded him with a kiss, but there were too many people watching. These intruders had nearly gotten her house destroyed.

　　“He’s calm now?”

　　“My goodness…”

　　“Impossible…”

　　“Is she some kind of demonic beast tamer?”

　　Words of astonishment rippled through the onlookers as they watched Jayden become completely placated. Elena gave a small nod, understanding their surprise. Compared to the man he used to be, he had become much more human.

　　Ah, this brings back memories. Gazing fondly at Jayden, Elena suddenly frowned. Come to think of it, when they first met, he had been a man without a shred of decency, one who had thrown a punch without a word. Thinking back, I was something else myself. Even knowing how brutish he was, she had impulsively taken him in. No matter how non-threatening he seemed, to accept a total stranger as a housemate was a completely irrational decision. Why did I do that?

　　Puzzled, she looked up at him. Jayden met her gaze and lowered his head. After a brief, silent exchange, Elena slowly nodded to herself. Right. This man’s face was all the justification I needed. It was not the first time she had been swayed by his beauty.

　　“What is it?” he asked.

　　“You’re just so handsome.”

　　It was not the first time she had said it, but Jayden smiled as if he were hearing it for the first time.

　　“H-he smiled?”

　　“Is that… is he blushing?”

　　“So it was not just me seeing things…”

　　“Did we come to the wrong place?”

　　“That face is proof enough!”

　　“Did you not feel his aura earlier?”

　　“Everyone, do not forget the most important part. He was about to explode, and then he just… calmed down.”

　　The knights’ whispers grew louder. When Elena swept her gaze over them, they fell silent, though their eyes—a mixture of curiosity and shock—remained fixed on the pair. Jayden, however, wore an innocent expression, as if the men did not exist.

　　Recalling their first meeting, Elena’s heart, which had softened, grew heavy again. “They’re your family, aren’t they?”

　　“So they say…"

　　“It is not ‘so they say.’ We are most certainly family, Brother,” the man interjected, his tone firm.

　　“You need not worry about them,” Jayden said to Elena. “I will send them away shortly. Please go inside and finish your meal.” He remained utterly indifferent. She had always suspected he had a complicated past, but it seemed he had a secret birthright, too.

　　“Are you the one who has been taking care of him?” the brother asked, turning his attention to Elena, having realized that trying to reason with Jayden was futile. “Thank you. I am…”

　　“Your thanks are unnecessary. I did not do it for any reward,” Elena cut him off. She had no desire to hear his self-introduction.

　　He stared at her, his gaze assessing, identical to Jayden’s. No one could deny they were cut from the same cloth. His expression was resolute; he would take Jayden with him, no matter what. And Jayden was just as determined to ignore him. She had a feeling this was about to get very troublesome.

　　“Sorry, but could you give us a moment? We need to talk.”

　　“You will need to hear the circumstances, so it would be better if we all…”

　　“Excuse me,” she said, her voice sharp. “That was not a question. It was a statement.”

　　When she cut him off again, the man froze completely. A palpable chill swept through the air.

　　“Wow, I have never seen anyone cut off Lord Oscar before…”

　　“Did you hear that? She did not just cut him off; she told him it was a statement.”

　　“Can she not feel his aura?”

　　“She must really be a tamer…”

　　The knights’ whispers broke the tense silence. What an interesting bunch. Ignoring them all, Elena took Jayden’s hand and led him back inside. She sat him on the sofa, then pressed a hand to her forehead, taking a moment to sort through her thoughts.

　　At first, she had wondered if someone might come looking for him. He was obviously not an ordinary person. But the fragmented information he had given her had led her to the wrong conclusion, and as time passed with no one appearing, she had come to believe it. And now they show up. From a tremendously powerful noble family, no less.

　　Elena dreamed of a simple life. She thought she could live well on her own, running the general store in this mountain village. It would be even better if her parents, who had suddenly disappeared, returned. It was in the midst of this modest dream that Jayden had appeared. This man who had fallen from the sky seemed like a brute, but he was actually a complete pushover. A handsome one, at that. I have turned him into the perfect husband, and I thought we could live happily ever after, just the two of us…

　　The life she had longed for was right within her grasp.

　　“Are you in pain? Shall I find some medicine?”

　　At Jayden’s voice, she turned to see his clear face clouded with worry. He seemed more concerned with the furrow in her brow than the dozens of armed men outside. What a waste. What a terrible waste.

　　“I’m fine. Not sick, just thinking.” She reflexively cupped his cheek, and his hand came up to cover hers.

　　“Are they bothering you that much? I will send them away at once.”

　　Jayden seemed to think he could easily chase them off, but Elena knew better. They had come with the firm intention of taking him. This would not be resolved so easily. Besides, it was his family. Those knights surely worked for his family. To have so many meant they were from an immensely powerful noble house.

　　She glanced around her home. It was the same familiar scenery. A rustic house without a hint of luxury. Through the window, you could see the small vegetable patch, and beyond that, the chicken coop. It was a world away from the people outside.

　　Elena was a realist. She had seen and experienced too much to indulge in vain dreams. Jayden, the mountain villager, was a desirable man, but Jayden, the son of a high noble family, was not. A commoner girl being whisked away by a nobleman to a better life was something that only happened in fairy tales. Being different from the pack was exhausting. Elena, with her special ability, had suffered from terrible prejudice her entire life.

　　When she was a child, she would watch the other children running and playing outside, their laughter echoing through the village. She had always been so envious. She hated watching them in secret.

　　“C-can I play with you guys, too?”

　　She had mustered all her courage. She knew they disliked her, but she wanted so badly to join them.

　　“Aaaah! It’s Elena!”

　　But all she received in return were screams.

　　“Run!”

　　“It’s a demonic beast! She might eat us! Hide!”

　　“N-no! I am not a demonic beast! I will not eat you! Ah!”

　　She could not believe it. A small stone struck her forehead and bounced off. It must have been sharp, because a trickle of blood ran down her face.

　　“Oh, what do we do…?”

　　“Sh-she’s bleeding…”

　　The children froze, not having expected her to bleed. The boy who had thrown the stone, his face pale, shouted, “Liar! My mom said she is a demonic beast’s child! It is okay to kill a demonic beast!”

　　To a child, a parent’s words were justification enough.

　　“Th-that’s right! You have a monster’s power! My mom told me not to play with you!” someone else chimed in.

　　“Go away!”

　　“Monster!”

　　The rejection was contagious. More stones began to fly.

　　“You’re disgusting!”

　　“Leave the village!”

　　With every shout, another stone hailed down. Elena had to run, dodging the painful rocks. As she fled, she could not understand what she had done wrong. All she had wanted was to play with friends her own age. Tragically, that wish would not come true for a very long time—not until she was older and had perfect control over her power.

　　There is no need to go through that kind of heartache again. A person could not ignore their environment. Now that she knew Jayden was a noble, she could not be with him. The fate of a commoner in a noble house would be no different from her own childhood. In fact, the discrimination would surely be worse. She refused to walk willingly into a world of constant, uncomfortable stares and ridicule.

　　Elena made up her mind. It is better to avoid complications. She would give up on her future with Jayden, the man she had tamed into the perfect husband.