Chapter 610: Chapter-610
Before she could even lift her weight off the mattress, a heavy, incredibly warm arm suddenly snaked around her waist.
gasped as she was effortlessly pulled backward. She fell flush against a broad, bare chest, the sudden movement sending a sharp, electric ache right through her lower back.
"And exactly where," a deep, raspy voice murmured directly into her ear, "does the Vanguard Madam think she is going at this ungodly hour?"
Samuel hadn’t opened his eyes, but his grip around her waist was like an iron band. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, his breath ghosting over her skin, sending a fresh wave of shivers down her spine despite her exhaustion.
"I have to go to court," Heena stated, trying to sound commanding, though it came out sounding remarkably breathless. She gently patted the heavy arm wrapped around her. "Let go, Samuel."
"No," Samuel replied simply, his voice muffled against her skin.
Heena raised an eyebrow. "No? Are you rebelling against your commanding officer, scholar?"
"I am officially detaining you," Samuel mumbled, shifting his weight to trap her more securely against him. "The Prime Minister is locked in his house, weeping over his ruined reputation. The civil officials are absolutely terrified of you. There is no one left to fight today, wife. Go back to sleep."
"If I don’t show up today, they will think I am weak," Heena argued, though she made absolutely no physical effort to pry his arm off her
Samuel finally opened his eyes. The golden irises were dark, heavy with sleep, and incredibly predatory. He propped himself up on one elbow, looking down at her with a lazy, devastating smirk.
"If you go to court today," Samuel pointed out, his gaze deliberately dropping to her bruised collarbone, "you will be limping. Every single seasoned general and married official in that Great Hall will know exactly why the fearsome Vanguard Madam cannot walk in a straight line."
Heena froze. A faint, furious blush crept up her neck.
He was absolutely right. If she walked into the Imperial Court holding her waist like an eighty-year-old woman, the sheer amount of unspoken, smug knowing looks from those boisterous Vanguard grandpas would be enough to make her commit treason out of pure embarrassment.
"You bastard," Heena hissed, glaring at him. "You broke my waist on purpose."
Samuel’s smirk widened into a full, unapologetic smile. He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the tip of her nose.
"I was simply following my wife’s strict orders to make her forget her headache," Samuel countered smoothly, entirely shameless. "Now, lie down. I will have a servant deliver a message to your grandfather that the Vanguard Madam is taking a well-deserved sick leave. If the Emperor asks, I will personally draft a highly detailed, thousand-word medical petition explaining exactly why you need bed rest."
Heena stared at his incredibly handsome, punchable face. She let out a heavy sigh, conceding absolute defeat.
"If you write a petition about my waist," Heena warned, letting herself sink back into the soft pillows, "I will use your favorite calligraphy brushes to clean the stables."
"Noted," Samuel chuckled, pulling the heavy silk covers back over them and wrapping her securely in his arms.
For the first time in countless worlds, the terrifying, unyielding Vanguard Madam didn’t march off to war. She closed her eyes, surrounded by the warmth of her husband, and finally, genuinely, rested.
When Heena finally woke up for the second time, the soft, golden light of dawn had been completely replaced by the blinding, high-noon sun filtering through the lattice windows.
She lay perfectly still for a moment, staring up at the carved canopy of the bed. The throbbing migraine was entirely gone, a blessing she hadn’t felt in weeks. However, the crushing ache in her waist and thighs was still very much present, screaming in protest the moment she tried to stretch.
"Finally awake, Madam Vanguard?"
Heena slowly turned her head.
Samuel was sitting casually at the carved mahogany table near the window. He was completely dressed in a fresh, pristine set of deep sapphire scholar robes, his dark hair neatly pinned up in its usual, immaculate crown. He looked incredibly refreshed, radiating the calm, unbothered elegance of a man who hadn’t spent the entire night acting like a ravenous beast.
He was holding a bamboo scroll in one hand and a steaming cup of tea in the other, watching her with a highly amused, golden gaze.
Heena glared at him, pulling the silk quilt higher up her shoulders. "You look entirely too pleased with yourself."
Samuel chuckled, setting his tea down. He stood up and walked over to the bed, picking up a small porcelain bowl from a nearby tray.
"I am simply a husband who has successfully fulfilled his duties," Samuel replied smoothly, sitting on the edge of the mattress. He stirred the contents of the bowl with a silver spoon. "I had the kitchens prepare a medicinal black chicken soup. It is excellent for replenishing... lost stamina."
Hovering above the bed canopy, the System finally chimed in, sounding completely exhausted.
"Host, your physical stamina is currently sitting at a pathetic 42%," the System reported flatly. "However, your stress levels have dropped to zero, and your blood pressure is perfectly stable. It pains me to say this, but the scholar’s ’treatment’ was actually highly effective."
’Shut up,’ Heena grumbled internally, though she didn’t argue as Samuel gently lifted a spoonful of the rich, savory broth to her lips.
She swallowed the warm soup, leaning back against the pillows. "What time is it? Did court already end?"
"Hours ago," Samuel nodded, feeding her another spoonful. "Your grandfather returned to the estate just before noon. He sent his adjutant to deliver a summary of the morning’s events."
Heena’s eyes sharpened. "And? Did the civil officials try to retaliate for the Prime Minister?"
"Not a single one," Samuel smiled, his eyes glinting with dark satisfaction. "Without the Prime Minister there to lead them, the civil faction was completely headless. The Emperor formally announced the Prime Minister’s one-month suspension, and the rest of the scholars were too terrified of your ’investigation tactics’ to utter a single word of defense."
Heena let out a hum of approval, feeling a deep sense of victory settle into her bones. The Vanguard Marquisate was untouchable.
"However," Samuel continued, his lips twitching as he casually wiped a drop of soup from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "There was the matter of your absence."
Heena froze. "What did Grandfather tell the Emperor?"
"He presented the formal petition I drafted for you," Samuel explained, his tone far too innocent. "He announced to the entire court that the Vanguard Madam had caught a ’sudden, severe chill’ due to the emotional distress of yesterday, and required immediate, strict bed rest."
Heena stared at him. "And did they believe it?"
Samuel let out a soft, breathy laugh. "The Emperor politely granted your leave. But according to the adjutant... the Vanguard generals standing in the front row all developed a very sudden, very violent coughing fit at the exact same time."
Heena closed her eyes, letting her head drop back against the headboard in absolute mortification.
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