Chapter 82: The Price of Public Goods
Inside a small building in a certain village at Eltones, it was clear to anyone that the people living there were middle-class meaning they were well-to-do compared to the lowly.
Ava, clad in a long black nightwear, seated at the dining table. A covered plate and a jug of juice and water sat before her as she waited for her husband.
She had decided to accept fate—perhaps because she was in a new village, living a new life.
Still, she was glad, she knew she wouldn’t sleep peacefully if she were at her own village. Not with how she had bragged to her friends and neighbors about marrying the king. Why else had that woman handed her aloe vera that night?
A sigh escaped her lips. The rain outside wasn’t harsh, yet it carried a strange heaviness. She stared at the candle flickering in front of her. Why was she doing this? Was it guilt? This man, despite his flaws—flaws she very much minded—had still treated her nicely.
But then again, why was she sitting here, late at night waiting for him? Another exhale slipped from her lips.
Knowing how she was, she should have been asleep by now—she took her eight hours of beauty sleep seriously. Besides, her husband usually came home late, and whenever she asked, he’d say it was because of work. She understood.
As a carriage driver, he had a lot on his plate, and she didn’t mind, especially since he earned a reasonable amount working at the castle. Though he didn’t always look like it, she knew he worked hard. He often spoke in vague terms about what he did, mentioning how he had to travel from the castle to the village with the carriage.
Maybe she would wait a little longer, and if he still wasn’t back, she’d go to sleep. At least his meal had been prepared today. Maybe she could try to accept the fact that he wasn’t all that bad. She also believed she could change him—shape him into the man of her dreams.
A knock came at the door interrupting her thoughts. A slow smile crept onto Ava’s face.
"I’m coming, dear," she said, walking over. The solemn look on her face was replaced with a smile—whether real or fake, only she knew.