Considering how Lizzy had tried to kill him earlier, Kael realized that this woman was indeed highly trained. Her movements were precise and utterly without hesitation. However, her abilities had yet to reach the level of the elite assassins who had once nearly killed Kael on the battlefield.
Kael stood up and walked toward the wooden drying rack to retrieve his clothes, which had dried from the warmth of the campfire and the afternoon breeze.
"May I ask you something?" Kael asked.
"What?" Lizzy replied. Her condition seemed much better now, and her panic had subsided.
Kael handed his outer clothing to Lizzy. He deliberately turned away, giving the woman privacy without staring at her naked body. "Use this to cover yourself."
Kael turned his back to Lizzy and walked toward the foundation of their cabin, which was still far from finished.
"I hope you’ll answer honestly, Lizzy," Kael said flatly as he stared at the wooden stakes driven into the ground. "From the highly trained movements you made when you tried to attack me earlier, I know they’re characteristic of an assassin. Who are you really?"
Lizzy was startled by the question. Her fingers froze over Kael’s clothes. "????... ???? ?????????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ???????????? ???????? ?? ???????????????? ?????????? ???????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ???????? ???? ?????????????"
The sound of a wooden hammer striking a stake echoed through the air, breaking Lizzy out of her thoughts. The warmth that had filled her eyes moments ago suddenly disappeared, replaced by a serious, cold gaze.
"If you know I’m not an ordinary slave and that I’m an assassin, why do you still treat me like this?" Lizzy’s voice sounded sharp. "Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?"
Kael sighed and touched the hilt of his sword. He still needed to cut down several more trees for the wooden walls. "If this keeps up... my sword might become damaged and dull. If only I had an axe."
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. The gentle rustling of the forest breeze filled the air before Kael calmly answered.
"Why would I kill my own wife?" Kael smiled faintly. "I already told you before. Whatever your past may be... I’ll accept you. Besides, your actions don’t bother me at all."
Lizzy put on Kael’s clothes, which surprisingly fit her mature figure perfectly. She smiled somewhat sadly, then sat back down on the log and hugged her knees tightly.
"You’re really a strange person," Lizzy murmured softly, staring at the ground. "I don’t even know your name, yet you’re so desperate to have a wife. You know very little about me, and I have a twisted, dark urge to kill people."
Lizzy let out a heavy breath, allowing the secrets of her past to unravel. "I escaped from an assassin organization when I was twenty years old. They hunted me down, and I survived using everything they had taught me. Now I’m forty years old, and I’ll grow old long before you do. When my face becomes wrinkled and my body is no longer attractive... you’ll definitely leave me!"
Kael, who had been fitting the wooden beams together for the wall, fell silent. He set the wood down and stared intently at Lizzy.
"Why do you think that?" Kael asked gently. "When your face is clean, you really are very beautiful, with that mysterious white hair. I even thought you might be the daughter of a noble family. But from the beginning, I wanted a wife and a family not because of her appearance or age. I simply want to know what it feels like to be the head of a family."
Kael turned toward her with a warm, sincere smile. "Give me that unique desire of yours, Lizzy. If you want to talk, then talk. If you want to cry, then cry. Who doesn’t have a dark past? I have one too. No family in this world is perfect unless we try to make up for each other’s shortcomings."
With this man, Lizzy’s emotions were always thrown into chaos. Unable to contain the turmoil in her chest, Lizzy rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Kael’s neck, biting down hard on the man’s shoulder.
"Idiot! You’ll regret not killing me!" Lizzy screamed, venting her emotions.
Kael winced slightly but continued stroking Lizzy’s back. "Sometimes I feel like your personality isn’t nearly as mature as your age. But it’s kind of cute."
"Shut up!" Lizzy snorted as she loosened her bite. "I’m wiser than you, and I’ve lived in this world far longer than you have!"
Kael chuckled, his laughter light and clear. "Can you stop biting me? It hurts quite a bit, and I still have to finish this cabin."
Lizzy laughed softly as well, her laughter genuine and free of madness. "Serves you right! That’s your punishment for daring to make me fall in love with you!"
Their embrace came to an end. Lizzy stepped closer and grabbed one of the wooden beams that would become part of the wall. "Come on... let’s finish our little cabin together."
Kael nodded slightly. They worked together in a peaceful, sweet, and warm atmosphere.
"If you’re not careful... you might die at my hands one night," Lizzy teased in the middle of their work.
Kael chuckled casually. "Dying at the hands of a beautiful woman like you doesn’t sound so bad."
Lizzy immediately became flustered, her face turning bright red. "S-stop teasing me and hurry up and tell me your name!"
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Haven’t I told you my name yet?"
Lizzy shook her index finger with a pout. "I don’t think you have!"
"Really?" Kael laughed in amusement. "Then my name is Kael."
Lizzy’s eyes sparkled with delight upon learning the man’s name. "Kael, Kael, Kael... I like your name. Remember, Kael... if you ever dare to cheat on me with another woman... I’ll be the one to torture you myself!"
They spent the entire day together doing nothing but building the cabin. Although night had fallen before the cabin was finished and they had only completed a single section of the wall, the satisfaction on their faces was unmistakable.
Kael sat with Lizzy in front of the warm campfire, roasting the fish they had caught earlier.
"Looks like it’s done. Careful, it’s still hot," Kael said as he handed a piece of fish to Lizzy.
Lizzy accepted it with a wide smile. "I was so happy that I completely forgot how hungry I’ve been this whole time."
They ate together beneath the cover of night. Lizzy gradually shifted closer until she rested her head against Kael’s broad shoulder. "It tastes really good..."
They continued spending time together, gazing at the flames of the campfire until they eventually fell asleep while leaning against each other.
Late that night, their peace was disturbed. Their ears faintly caught the sound of footsteps and the shouts of many people in the distance.
"Hm?" Kael’s eyes opened. "Sounds like it’s coming from the path outside the forest. I should check it out."
Kael stood up, but when he saw that Lizzy had already slipped into the darkness ahead of him with swift movements, he sighed in amusement. "Good grief... wait for me, Lizzy."
The two of them hid behind the trunks of large trees and within the darkness of the forest at night, watching the direction from which the sounds were coming.
The sound of footsteps and the clinking of metal weapons drew closer.
"We have to find that bastard!" a fierce voice shouted. "According to the merchant and the villagers who happened to see him, he didn’t stay in that village or continue toward the city. He should be hiding somewhere in this forest right now. No matter what happens, we must avenge Leader Marcus!"