Chapter 7: Happy Wife, Happy Life
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Elisa finished her breakfast feeling full and rather happy. She was grateful for the meal and the quiet care behind it, yet she did not voice that gratitude aloud. Perhaps she still wanted to keep the little pride she had left after everything that had happened.
However, Riven’s steady care was slowly starting to break down the cold ice walls she had built around herself.
"Was it good?" he asked as he cleaned the table and washed the dishes in the kitchen. She sat in her wheelchair nearby, watching the morning news on a special computer that used her eye movements to control the cursor.
"Y-Yeah, it was..." she paused for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. "It was good," she muttered, swallowing hard so she would not sound too dependent on him.
"You’ve said nothing, but you want to go to the bathroom, right? Let’s go."
"I don’t want... to bother you... You’re an Awakened now..."
"Ah, you’re not a bother to me."
"I can go a day without bathing!"
"But without going to the bathroom? I doubt it."
"Ugh... This is so humiliating..."
"Just tell me when you’re done. I won’t watch."
Riven left her on her own for a short while. When she finished, her quiet voice reached him.
"I-I’m done..."
She felt deeply humiliated and pathetic about relying on him even for things like this. The helplessness pressed against the pride she still tried to protect.
Riven did not mind at all. He lifted her carefully and carried her to the bath, where he washed her thoroughly with patient hands. The warm water and the gentle way he worked made the moment feel less clinical than she expected.
Elisa was surprised he had so much patience with her.
It was almost as if he loved her.
But why would he love her? They had never really developed any kind of bond or relationship beyond the arrangement forced upon them.
They had known each other years ago, when their families met at those formal balls where the children of wealthy households had the chance to forge new connections. Back then Elisa had been a spoiled little brat who laughed at everything with a loud "Ohohoho!" while her big sister Melisa always apologized on her behalf.
Elisa remembered she had been quite rude to the young Riven in those days. The memory now filled her with guilt, especially since they were married and he was doing so much for her without complaint.
"Riven?"
While he washed her hair, she decided to ask him something that had been weighing on her.
"Yes?"
She fell silent for a moment again, looking down with clear guilt. Riven noticed the change in her expression and felt that something was wrong.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Um... Do you remember when we met for the first time?"
"..."
"It was when the Claymores and the Frostbanes had their first party together, that ball where everyone dressed fancy!"
"Ah! Oh yeah, I remember now."
"I was kind of a dumb kid back then..."
"Hm..."
"You don’t hold a grudge against me?"
Riven tilted his head slightly, looking genuinely confused.
"Why would I?"
"Eh?"
Elisa was surprised. She looked back at him with quiet awe.
"Y-You don’t hate me?"
"...Why would I hate you?"
"But I was so mean. I called you a useless... useless rat..."
"Hahaha, I didn’t even remember that until you mentioned it. Honestly, the only thing I remember is that you were really cute."
"...!"
Elisa gasped, her face flushing as she lowered her head. The unexpected words caught her completely off guard.
"I was mesmerized by how cute you were, and I wanted to talk with you more, but the other kids got in the way. One of them made me trip, and wine fell over my head. And then you—"
"I said that awful thing when you were already down on the floor... Oh my god... ugh, what the hell is wrong with me? W-Why am I even feeling sorry or remembering that?"
"I don’t know, but it’s not bad to talk about the past."
"You think that’s a nice memory?!"
"It was a rough start, but any memory with you is a good memory, Elisa."
Seeing his handsome, sincere smile, Elisa almost froze in the warm water. Her heart beat a little faster than she wanted to admit.
"Uwaah..."
If she could have moved her arms freely, she would have covered her face with both hands right then.
"I think we’re done here. Let’s wash your hair one last time and then we should dry you up."
"You don’t want to take a bath... with me?"
"?!"
Riven nearly choked at the sudden question. The boldness of it left him completely unprepared.
"Really?!"
He had not expected her to say something so forward so quickly. Seeing his startled reaction, Elisa immediately changed her mind and scrambled to cover the moment.
"I-I was joking! I-I’m already done anyway, r-right?!"
"Haaa... yeah, I already took a quick shower earlier."
Both of them looked embarrassed and could not quite meet each other’s eyes after that awkward exchange. The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken feelings, yet it was not entirely uncomfortable.
Something quiet and beautiful was beginning to bloom between the two of them.
From a man who thought he had lost the love of his life and was now carefully trying to reconquer her heart, to a girl who believed she had lost everything, only to find unexpected warmth in someone she once dismissed as more pathetic than herself. He had turned out to be far kinder and more considerate than she had ever imagined.
"And done."
Once he finished drying her and helping her into a fresh dress, Riven placed Elisa carefully back into her wheelchair. She looked like a beautiful goddess even in her current state, the soft fabric and careful styling bringing out the quiet elegance that remained.
"What do you want to watch today?"
"I’ll see that myself. I can control this TV with my eyes anyway."
"Alright... I can stay if you want—"
"No, Riven... I know you want to go. So go. You’re an Awakened now. Do you think I want to get in your way? You’ve been waiting for this your entire life, right?"
"Elisa..."
"So go, but don’t take too long, okay?"
"Yeah, I’ll return for lunch in a couple of hours."
"We can skip lunch. You overfed me as usual and I feel bloated. I don’t think I can eat again..."
"H-Hahah, I guess my plan worked then."
"It was a plan?!"
"Bye!"
Riven escaped her rising annoyance with a quick grin as he left the house. Even as he stepped outside, a lingering pang of worry about her safety stayed with him. Still, he decided to trust her for now and made a quiet promise to himself to return as quickly as he could.
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