Straw was having cramps, and Berryanna took care of her, trying to play the role of a wife, according to Straw's rules and regulations, as her wife, Berryanna had to take care of her when she was sick. Straw had been very clear about that from the beginning. There were expectations. Duties. Boundaries that somehow felt more intimate than chains. Berryanna followed them.
"Are you feeling better now? I have to go back to my office…" Berryanna said. Her voice was calm, controlled, already half elsewhere. She shifted slightly, preparing to stand, already thinking of the time slipping away.
Immediately, Straw held her hand. Her grip was firm despite her weakness, fingers curling around Berryanna's palm as if afraid she might disappear if she let go.
"No, please stay. You being here is helping the pain reduce, please," Straw said. Her voice was soft, almost pleading. Her eyes searched Berryanna's face, as if measuring how much longer she could keep her there. Berryanna paused.
She looked down at the hand holding hers. The warmth surprised her more than it should have. She sighed quietly and sat back down on the edge of the bed.
"Lady Fayrouza, you are having menstrual cramps and not acting like you have a plague or something. If you are like this now, how do you act when you are actually sick?" Berryanna muttered. Her tone was dry, but she did not pull her hand away.
She reached for the warm rubber bag filled with hot water. The bag had already cooled slightly, but it was still warm enough. She placed it carefully on Straw's lower abdomen, adjusting it until Straw let out a small breath of relief.
Straw immediately hugged her tightly, pressing her face into Berryanna's side like she was some soft pillow. The closeness was sudden, unguarded. Berryanna stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed.
Honestly, Berryanna did not see this as bad.
She kind of liked the idea of taking care of her wife. It was strange. Unexpected. Not something she had planned for when this marriage began. Still, it was something she did not mind doing. The quiet moments. The lack of blood. The absence of threats.
But her mind refused to rest. She had a lot of things to deal with.
She needed to attend her daily meetings with the Lords. She could not just leave Apple alone to make decisions. She had once tried that, thinking it harmless, thinking she could trust them. She was wrong. The Lords took advantage of it. They used every opportunity they saw for their own benefit. Every pause. Every silence. Every moment of mercy. Once, they had the power to do as they pleased, hiding behind tradition and title. But the moment Apple became king, Berryanna cut that power down and forced them lower.
They might be the pillars of the nation, but their greedy and selfish motives had taken everything from her and her brother. Their smiles hid knives. Their loyalty was conditional. She was determined to destroy them. Not today. Not tomorrow. But one by one. But first, she needed to find out who had a hand in her father's death. She had been trying for years.
The people who killed him were not from the nation. That much she knew. Every trace, every clue had been destroyed. They vanished like they had never existed, like ghosts passing through history without leaving footprints.
The previous king's Hand had pinned it on a noble. Even when Berryanna executed the noble in front of the Lords, she knew he was not the one. The fear in his eyes was real, but it was the fear of a scapegoat, not a killer. She carried that knowledge with her for three years before finally killing the Hand after discovering his lies. She never forgot the look on his face either.
"Princess," Straw called softly.
The sound pulled Berryanna out of her thoughts like a hand gripping her collar.
"Yes?" she answered, turning her attention back.
"You are being nice," Straw said. Her voice was slow, thoughtful. "I thought you were some kind of dark romance type, but except for that day you tried to kill me with an arrow, you have been doing exactly what was in our agreement."
Berryanna raised a brow slightly but did not interrupt.
"You cook and bring breakfast to my bed daily, walk and hold my hand every morning, and you are kind of good in bed," Straw continued, her words careful, honest.
Berryanna felt a small smile form at the corner of her lips. It surprised her. Hearing praise from Straw warmed her in a way she did not expect. It settled somewhere deep in her chest before she could push it away.
"What does that mean, my lady?" Berryanna asked.
"You are too good to be true…" Straw said.
The words hit harder than praise. Berryanna's expression returned to its usual calm, the softness disappearing behind practiced control.
"I know I am just your sex doll that you also want to show kindness to," Straw continued, her voice steady but vulnerable, "but I really want to know what it is like to be on the other side of you. I want to know your dark side so I can bring light to it."
Berryanna went still.
"Lady Fayrouza, you should be careful what you ask for. It's better this way," Berryanna said. Her tone sharpened slightly, not cruel, just firm. "What do you want to eat?"
The change was deliberate.
"The other night when you came home, I could smell blood under that lavender scent," Straw said instead. She did not let the topic go. "You have a reason for your bloody acts, and I just want you to know that I don't judge you for it."
Berryanna stood up slowly, holding the rubber bag in her hands.
"I know the world I transmigrated into," Straw continued. "This place is built on blood and secrets."
Berryanna turned away, her back to Straw now.
"Where are you going, Princess?" Straw asked.
"The bag is no longer hot. I have to change it. I will be back," Berryanna replied, already moving toward the door.
"Wait, Princess," Straw called out.
Berryanna paused and turned.
"I would like some hot chocolate with melted marshmallows and fried noodles with scrambled eggs served on top," Straw said quickly, as if afraid Berryanna might leave before she finished.
Berryanna stared at her for a second, then nodded.
"Okay, I will prepare that for you. Oh, one thing about me, today I love cooking, so you are lucky to have a cook for a wife. See you," Berryanna said.
She opened the door and left. When the door closed behind her, the hallway swallowed the sound. Berryanna let out a quiet breath and muttered to herself.
"You really are a different kind of species."